“Maximuscle products will be used most critically before, during and after training and games to stimulate recovery and ensure optimal performance. Playing at high altitude also means maintaining hydration becomes critical, whilst the convenience of sports nutrition bars and shakes will prove invaluable for fuelling the guys.”

The Pride of the Lions

During the first quarter of 2009, the England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland Rugby Teams crunched into one another to do battle for the Six Nations. However, this summer the players unite as one to form the pride of the British & Irish Lions, on a challenging tour of South Africa.

As official sports nutrition provider to the Lions, Maximuscle took the opportunity to scrum down with the Lions' Head conditioning coach, to see exactly how sports nutrition will be used to fuel the fittest ever Lions squad.

The Lions' Nutrition Q & A:

What is your role within the Lions squad?

Head of physical conditioning; that means it's my job to make sure the Lions players are ready to go physically when they take to the field against a Highveld XV on May 30 2009.

What will be the biggest challenges the squad will face in South Africa?

The tour comes at the end of a gruelling season, meaning the players may be mentally and physically drained. The challenge is to ensure the players take to the field feeling refreshed and motivated. Maximizing recovery between games with an emphasis on both mental and physical performance will be critical to success.

How do you prepare the squad for the challenges that they will be facing?

During the first quarter of 2009, every player on our short list is battling it out for the 6 Nations – that means we have zero time to influence the condition of the squad. All we can do is make sure we gather data on each player to enable us to understand their profile, strengths and weaknesses. Player’s should not report to us at the end of the season in poor physical condition as the carrot of a Lions Tour is huge. Whilst we have minimal control it’s in a player’s best interest to make sure he is in tip top shape.

In what ways will Maximuscle products assist the squad during the tour?

Sports nutrition may give us a recovery and performance edge especially during a tour congested with games where it is difficult to maintain energy goals by food alone. Supplements will be used most critically before, during and after training and games to stimulate recovery and ensure optimal performance (including lean muscle mass, strength and power). Playing at high altitude also means maintaining hydration becomes critical, whilst the convenience of sports nutrition bars and shakes will prove invaluable for fuelling the guys whilst on the road (it can be hard consuming 5000 calories per day when on a coach for 8 hours).

Which products will you be using during the tour?

We'll be using a base of Promax Extreme and Progain Extreme for additional protein, calories and recovery nutrients, Viper for hydration and energy and Recovermax immediately after training and games. On top of core products, we can also tailor sports nutrition to the player's individual needs (for example Cyclone for lean muscle mass, Glutamax-AKG if levels are low in blood tests, Iron Kick for low iron levels, and Immune Support for run down squad members).