CNP supplements protect the young rugby players at Hartpury College

Hartpury College’s Rugby Academy began in September 2000 in partnership with local Guinness Premiership side Gloucester Rugby. Hartpury College takes promising young players of 16 to 18+ years of age and equips them with the skills and knowledge needed to take them into the professional and semi-professional world of rugby.

Through a carefully designed strength and conditioning programme it nurtures talent, building the players’ confidence and strength. It’s a demanding regime with the playing season stretching from the end of August through to the end of May.

There are matches every Wednesday and Saturday. Put that on top of the training sessions and it’s easy to see that care has to be taken to make sure young growing tissues don’t suffer undue injury or damage.

Owen Satterley, strength and conditioning coach at Hartpury College, is acutely aware of just how punishing a schedule the lads are put through. He has carefully researched the best sports supplements around to boost the students’ nutritional intake and protect their muscles, ligaments and tendons.

“They train as pros,” explains Satterley. “Two intensive gym sessions a week, three rugby specific training sessions as well as matches and other activities and that’s on top of their academic schedule.”

The supplements of choice for Hartpury rugby students are CNP Professional’s Pro Recover, Whey Protein, Pro Hydrate and the new Pro Energy Max gels. CNP is a leading sports supplement supplier set up by sports people for sports people.

“One of the main products we use is CNP’s Pro Recover,” says Satterley. “I want to make sure my students don’t suffer any long term damage that could hinder their future career. They drink Pro Recover as soon as they come off the pitch to give their tissues a much needed protein boost.”

Pro Recover contains a blend of fast acting carbohydrates and fast acting proteins. It is specially formulated to aid muscle repair and growth, containing anti-oxidants that further help limit muscle damage caused by intense exercise. It is supplied in power form and can be shaken up with water.

“We’ve had really positive responses since we’ve changed to Pro Recover,” says Satterley. “The boys really like it and say it tastes much better than the other brands we’ve tried in the past.”

In common with other athletes, rugby players need to put on lean muscle tissue to build up their strength. Some also want to put on a few extra pounds to make sure they can make the transition into the ranks of the professionals and stand their ground against the big boys.

“The lads need to have a really high protein intake. The trouble is that meat isn’t the cheapest of foodstuffs, and it’s not always possible to eat the quantity of protein needed from food alone,” says Satterley. “So we recommend CNP’s Whey Protein for extra protein loading. It’s a good source of clean proteins, is easily digested and helps build muscle tissue.”

Whey Protein is also supplied in powder form and shaken up with water. It’s easy to digest and contains the full range of amino acids that are important to support muscle growth.

CNP’s new Pro Energy Max gels are also proving popular at Hartpury. These come in single-portion tear-open sachets and are designed to be taken during exercise. They contain caffeine for instant energy, guarana for slow-release energy, carbohydrates to maintain glucose levels, and electrolytes for rehydration, as well as B vitamins that allow the body to convert the ingredients more easily.

“We use the gels at half-time,” says Satterley. “They help the boys refocus if they are feeling a bit tired. It keeps them mentally sharp for the second half which is when we tend to score most of our points.”

Cramps are a scourge of young rugby players at this level of match play and at Hartpury Satterley has had experience with boys suffering with heavy cramps during games.

“I started them on Pro Hydrate which pushes carbohydrates and fluids into the blood and cells to ensure optimum hydration. The lads were surprised at just how much Pro Hydrate improved their performance. It has really done the trick and they are now able to play for the whole match without experiencing crippling cramp pains.”

Pro Hydrate is a hypotonic drink for hydration and energy. It provides sustained energy for exercise plus electrolytes to replace lost salts and improve hydration. Taurine has been added for increased hydration and to promote blood flow to help combat tired muscles.

“Most of our lads aim to become professional players. We have some Canadians who are already playing senior rugby for their country. We also send lads on to the Newport Gwent Dragons and some of their younger players join us for training as do students at the nearby University of West England.”

CNP Professional is one of the UK's leading sports nutrition specialist companies. For more information visit www.cnpprofessional.co.uk, or call +44 (0) 161 368 0942 for sports nutrition advice and +44 (0) 161 368 3850 for sales.

CNP Professional is a leading supplier of sports nutrition supplements including protein shakes, protein bars, creatine supplements, meal replacements, mass gainers, weight loss supplements and post work out shakes, all designed for the ultimate in sports nutrition.

Kerry Kayes, the founder of CNP Professional, is a former national bodybuilding champion. He has been involved in sports nutrition for many years and his dietary expertise has established him as 'the man in the know' to sportspeople worldwide. He advises athletes as varied as premier league footballers, rugby clubs, triathletes, round the world yachting teams, runners, boxers, cyclists and motor sports teams.

CNP Professional supplements are carefully formulated to ensure that the body is able to make best use of the nutrients. Unlike many nutritional supplements, CNP Professional's products are easy to drink.

There are several articles explaining protein nutrition supplements on the CNP website - go to the home page and click on 'nutrition' under the articles section.

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This release was published on openPR.