Retain muscle mass and avoid putting on weight while you’re recovering from injury with this diet plan used by a Premier League club
Professional footballers and amateur players have at least one thing in common – they all suffer injuries at some point in their careers.
For those unfortunate enough to face a lengthy spell on the sidelines, the last thing you want to do is put on weight and spend weeks getting rid of your excess fat once you’re fit.
Premier League clubs have nutritionists on hand to prepare special diet plans for their players, which ensure they remain at their pre-injury weight and also minimise muscle mass loss.
Check out this diet plan from a top-flight side published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism and you could return from injury faster than ever before.
Immobilisation phase
This meal plan is used during the period where a player is unable to perform any exercise – for example after a broken leg, ACL injury or serious muscle tear.
Breakfast
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Three-egg omelette (ham, cheese and tomato) + 400ml of semi-skimmed milk + one multi-vitamin + 500mg of vitamin c + 1g fish oil + 1.5g HMB supplement
10am
30g of whey/casein protein supplement + 5g creatine monohydrate
1pm
2x chicken fajita wraps (including salsa, pepper, onions and mushrooms) + mixed salad containing lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber. 1g fish oil.
4pm
30g of whey/casein protein supplement + 5g creatine monohydrate
