Fuel yourself for the full 90

Football is continually evolving; technically and tactically football is becoming more and more complex which increases the demands on each and every single player’s fitness. Just one player can cause a weakness in your team reducing their overall effectiveness to attack and defend.

The central midfield player is a crucial cog in your team’s engine; whether they are the string puller or the midfield dominator, the central midfielder will probably cover more ground on the pitch than any other player. In the Barclay’s Premier League central midfielders are the fittest around, quick off the mark, agile and most importantly they can maintain the intensity of their match play up until the final whistle.

A Formula 1 car is supplied with the best fuel available and our body needs to be treated exactly the same way. Carbohydrate is its preferred source of energy to fuel our muscles but we only have approximately 90 minutes of fuel to burn. Just like a car, when our bodies accelerate hard we burn more fuel and our aim is to ensure our tank is not running low before the end of the game… otherwise our performance will suffer.

Ensure you prepare well for your game and fill up your tank with a good breakfast such as porridge, cereals and toast which are all great sources of carbohydrate. A drink such as a fruit juice or a Lucozade Sport Body Fuel will not only give you some fluids to ensure you’re hydrated, it will also quickly deliver carbohydrate into your energy stores.

During a game it becomes more difficult to take onboard energy. Breaks in play such as injuries, substitutions and half time are great opportunities to get some energy back into our muscles. We have several carbohydrate options. Some players like to have solid food such as an energy bar or banana at half time to fill the ‘hole’, however the most popular is to drink a fluid that contains carbohydrate which will absorb quickly into our body having an almost immediate impact on performance.

Consuming small amounts - a couple of mouthfuls - in regular intervals throughout the game will give your body the time needed to absorb and locate the carbohydrate into your muscles ready to use. If you want to dig deep for your team, make sure you have something to dig into… stay fuelled.

- Lucozade Sport Science Team

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