Effect of combined carbohydrate-protein ingestion on markers of recovery after simulated rugby union match-play

Science and Hurling: A Review

Hurling is one of the world’s fastest field sports. Since the last review of science and Gaelic sports in 2008, there has been an increase in sports science provisions across elite and sub-elite cohorts, resulting in increased hurling-specific literature equating to an additional 111 research investigations into the game across all sports science disciplines. The present review aims to provide an updated analysis of the current research on the game and propose recommendations for future research. Overall, intermittent aerobic fitness remains an important physical quality during competition, with a focus on games-based training methodologies within the literature. Within the current review, we provide updated normative data on the running demands, physiological responses, and anthropometric and performance profiles of hurling players. The increased literature across the sport has led to the development of a hurling-specific simulation, that can now be utilised practically in training and research processes for hurling cohorts. Furthermore, the monitoring of internal and external training loads across training and match environments, in addition to response variables such as well-being, appears to have become more prominent, allowing practitioners to design training regimes to achieve optimal dose and response characteristics. Analysing the game from a scientific perspective can allow for more efficient preparatory practices, to meet the specific requirements of players at all age levels. Collaborative research among the various sports science disciplines, is required to identify strategies to reduce the incidence of injury and enhance performance in hurling. The current review provides updated information to coaches and practitioners regarding position-specific physical qualities, and match-play demands that can concurrently support the training process within hurling.

Profiling the Post-match Recovery Response in Male Rugby: A Systematic Review

Aben, HGJ, Hills, SP, Cooke, CB, Davis, D, Jones, B, and Russell, M. Profiling the post-match recovery response in male rugby: A systematic review. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-To minimize underperformance, injury, and illness, and to enhance readiness for training and match-play, post-match responses are commonly monitored within professional rugby. As no clear consensus exists regarding the magnitude and duration of post-match recovery, this review summarized the literature (17 studies yielded from literature searching/screening) reporting neuromuscular (countermovement jump [CMJ], peak power output [PP], and flight time [FT]), biochemical (creatine kinase [CK]) or endocrine (cortisol [C] and testosterone [T] concentrations), and subjective (wellness questionnaire and muscle soreness) indices after rugby match-play. For neuromuscular responses (11 studies), reductions in PP <31.5% occurred <30 minutes after match, returning to baseline within 48-72 hours. Post-match reductions in FT of <4% recovered after 48 hours. For biochemical and endocrine responses (14 studies), increases in CK, ranging from 120 to 451%, peaked between 12 and 24 hours, returning to baseline within 72 hours of match-play. Initial increases of <298% in C and reductions in T concentrations (<44%) returned to pre-match values within 48-72 hours. Mood disturbances (6 studies) required 48-72 hours to normalize after peak decrements of <65% at 24 hours. This review highlights that 72 hours were needed to restore perturbations in neuromuscular, biochemical and endocrine, and subjective/perceptual responses after competitive rugby match-play. Notably, only 4 studies reported responses in more ecologically valid scenarios (i.e., those in which regular training and recovery strategies were used) while also reporting detailed match demands. A lack of research focusing on youth players was also evident, as only 3 studies profiled post-match responses in younger athletes. Deeper insight regarding post-match responses in ecologically valid scenarios is therefore required.

Evidence-based post-exercise recovery strategies in rugby: a narrative review

In the sport of rugby, athletes need a multitude of sport-specific skills along with endurance, power, and speed to optimize performance. Further, it is not unusual for athletes to play several competitive matches with insufficient recovery time. Rugby requires repeated bouts of high-intensity actions intermixed with brief periods of low-to-moderate active recovery or passive rest. Specifically, a match is characterized by repeated explosive activities, such as jumps, shuffles, and rapid changes of direction. To facilitate adequate recovery, it is necessary to understand the type of fatigue induced and, if possible, its underlying mechanisms. Common approaches to recovery may include nutritional strategies as well as active (active recovery) and passive recovery (water immersions, stretching, and massage) methods. However, limited research exists to support the effectiveness of each strategy as it related to recovery from the sport of rugby. Therefore, the main aim of the current brief review is to present the relevant literature that pertains to recovery strategies in rugby.

Dietetic-nutritional, physical and physiological recovery methods post-competition in team sports

To a proper recovery, is absolutely necessary to know that athletes with enhanced recovery after maximal exercise are likely to perform better in sports. Recovery strategies are commonly used in team sports despite limited scientific evidence to support their effectiveness in facilitating optimal recovery and the players spend a much greater proportion of their time recovering than they do in training. According to authors, some studies investigated the effect of recovery strategies on physical performance in team sports, lack of experimental studies about the real origin of the fatigue, certify the need for further study this phenomenon. Thus, developing effective methods for helping athletes to recover is deemed essential. Therefore, the aim of this review is provide information for his practical application, based on scientific evidence about recovery in team sports.

A randomised trial of pre-exercise meal composition on performance and muscle damage in well-trained basketball players

Background

Attenuating muscle damage is important to subsequent sports performance. It is possible that pre-exercise protein intake could influence markers of muscle damage and benefit performance, however, published research provides conflicting results. At present no study has investigated protein and carbohydrate (PRO/CHO) co-ingestion solely pre-exercise, nor prior to basketball-specific exercise.

The purpose of this study was to answer the research question; would pre-exercise protein intake enhance performance or attenuate muscle damage during a basketball simulation test?

Methods

Ten well-trained male basketball players consumed either carbohydrate (1 g · kg⁻¹ body mass) with protein (1 g · kg⁻¹ body mass), or carbohydrate alone (2 g · kg⁻¹ body mass) in a randomised cross- over design, 90 minutes before completing an 87-minute exercise protocol.

Results

The rise in creatine kinase (CK) from baseline to post-exercise was attenuated following PRO/CHO (56 ± 13U · L⁻¹) compared to carbohydrate (100 ± 10 U · L⁻¹), (p = 0.018). Blood glucose was also higher during and post-exercise following PRO/CHO (p < 0.050), as was free throw shooting accuracy in the fourth quarter (p = 0.027). Nausea during (p = 0.007) and post-(p = 0.039) exercise increased following PRO/CHO, as did cortisol post-exercise (p = 0.038).

Conclusions

Results suggest that in well-trained basketball players, pre-exercise PRO/CHO may attenuate the rise in CK, indicative of a decrease in muscle damage during exercise. However, unfamiliarity with the protein amount provided may have increased nausea during exercise, and this may have limited the ability to see an improvement in more performance measures.

Effect of a carbohydrate-protein multi-ingredient supplement on intermittent sprint performance and muscle damage in recreational athletes

Carbohydrate-protein-based multi-ingredient supplements have been proposed as an effective strategy for limiting the deleterious effects of exercise-induced muscle damage. This study compares the effects of a commercially available carbohydrate-protein supplement enriched with l-glutamine and l-carnitine-l-tartrate to carbohydrate alone or placebo on sprint performance, muscle damage markers, and recovery from intermittent exercise. On 3 occasions, 10 recreationally trained males ingested a multi-ingredient, a carbohydrate supplement, or a placebo before, during, and immediately after a 90-min intermittent repeated sprint test. Fifteen-metre sprint times, creatine kinase, myoglobin, and interleukin-6 were assessed before (pre), immediately after (post), 1 h after (1h), and 24 h after (24h) exercise. Total sprint time measured during the intermittent protocol was not different between conditions. Fifteen-metre sprint time was slower (p < 0.05) at post, 1h and 24h compared with pre without differences between conditions (p > 0.05). Creatine kinase at 24h was lower (p < 0.05) in the multi-ingredient (461.8 ± 271.8 U·L) compared with both carbohydrate and placebo (606 ± 314.5 U·L and 636 ± 344.6 U·L, respectively). Myoglobin increased (p < 0.05) in all 3 conditions at post and 1h compared with pre, showing lower values at 1h (p < 0.05) for the carbohydrate and a trend (p = 0.060) for multi-ingredient compared with the placebo condition (211.4 ± 127.2 ng·mL(-1) and 239.4 ± 103.8 ng·mL(-1) vs. 484.6 ± 200.0 ng·mL(-1), respectively). Interleukin-6 increased at both post and 1h compared with pre (p < 0.05) with no differences between conditions. In conclusion, ingesting a multi-ingredient supplement before, during, and immediately after a 90-min intermittent sprint test resulted in no effects on performance and fatigue while the accumulation of some biomarkers of muscle damage could be attenuated.

Effect of milk on team sport performance after exercise-induced muscle damage

INTRODUCTION

Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) leads to increases in intramuscular proteins observed in the blood stream and delayed onset of muscle soreness, but crucial for athletes are the decrements in muscle performance observed. Previous research has demonstrated that carbohydrate-protein supplements limit these decrements; however, they have primarily used isokinetic dynamometry, which has limited applicability to dynamic sport settings. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a carbohydrate-protein milk supplement consumed after muscle-damaging exercise on performance tests specific to field-based team sports.

METHODS

Two independent groups of seven males consumed either 500 mL of milk or a control immediately after muscle-damaging exercise. Passive and active delayed onset of muscle soreness, creatine kinase, myoglobin, countermovement jump height, reactive strength index, 15-m sprint, and agility time were assessed before and 24, 48, and 72 h after EIMD. The Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test was also performed before and 48 h after EIMD.

RESULTS

At 48 h, milk had a possible benefit for limiting increases in 10-m sprint time and a likely benefit of attenuating increases in mean 15-m sprint time during the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test. At 72 h, milk had a possible benefit for limiting increases in 15-m sprint time and a likely benefit for the attenuation of increases in agility time. All other effects for measured variables were unclear.

CONCLUSION

The consumption of milk limits decrements in one-off sprinting and agility performance and the ability to perform repeated sprints during the physiological simulation of field-based team sports.

Ingestion of carbohydrate during recovery in exercising people

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The primary focus of this brief review is to describe the effect of carbohydrate (CHO) supplementation alone or in combination with protein on two responses during postexercise recovery that are not specifically related to the usual emphasis on glycogen resynthesis; that is, rapid postexercise rehydration, and recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage.

RECENT FINDINGS

Evidence from postexercise rapid rehydration studies suggests that the addition of CHO to a rehydration solution may increase the rate of fluid restoration compared with water placebo. Adding protein to a CHO solution may further accentuate the beneficial effects. An additional postexercise concern for active individuals is the development of postexercise muscle soreness, a response that is pronounced with novel, eccentric exercise. Ingestion of CHO supplements, especially those combined with protein may help to minimize the exercise-induced muscle damage that is accompanied by muscle soreness, and reduced muscle function.

SUMMARY

The practical implications of these findings are that CHO supplementation, especially in combination with protein, can enhance the rate of recovery relative to fluid balance and muscle damage; thus, these nutritional interventions should be considered for purposes in addition to the usual focus on glycogen resynthesis.