CherryActive Sport: Rugby
CherryActive is a natural, antioxidant-rich Montmorency cherry juice concentrate used by Rugby players, including those at professional and elite levels, to help maximise recovery from training and games, to help maintain healthy body functioning, and to help naturally enhance physical performance.
Nick Kennedy, London Irish & England Elite Rugby says:
“I use CherryActive after all my weight training sessions. I take it with water, like you would an orange squash. The next day my muscles aren't as sore as they used to be before I took the supplement. This enables me to train harder the next day and I feel physically and mentally fresher to train to my optimum each day."
CherryActive – The Best of Nature & Science
As a highly physical sport, Rugby places huge demands on both the body’s skeletal muscles and joints. CherryActive’s unique methods harness the natural antioxidant compounds of the Montmorency Cherry that help to minimise damage done to worked muscles and stressed joints, and reduce total recovery times. Shorter recovery times means you are fresher for your next intense training session, and allows you to train harder, for longer, more frequently, increasing your preparedness for hard hitting games giving you those extra percent in Rugby performance.
100% Natural & Great for Players of All Ages Groups
CherryActive products are perfect for players of all age groups. Our products are 100% natural, therefore are totally free from harmful artificial preservatives, colourings, sweeteners, and added sugar. The natural sugar present in CherryActive Concentrate is called ‘xylose’. Xylose is a large sugar molecule which has a low glycemic load and does not impact heavily on blood sugar levels. This ensures a steady release of energy and helps to prevent energy highs and lows, as well as prevent rapid weight gain.
Geoff Parling, Newcastle Falcons & International Rugby player, says:
"The CherryActive range are great tasting products that help the repair and recovery needed in rugby. I recommend them to players at all levels.”
CherryActive provides your body with essential natural antioxidants and flavonoids which may aid your sporting performance!
CherryActive Rugby Benefits
ANTHOCYANINS. CherryActive’s high levels of Anthocyanins work to help reduce the body’s inflammatory response to exercise. Anthocyanins are a group of powerful antioxidant compounds with potent anti-inflammatory properties. By inhibiting the body's inflammatory response to strenuous physical activity less damage is done to the worked muscles, less muscle soreness results, leading to shorter recovery periods.
PERFORMANCE MAINTENANCE. CherryActive products help to protect your body from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when the body’s antioxidant defence system cannot cope with the level of free radicals present in the body and damage occurs. A body suffering from oxidative stress can suffer cell damage, catabolism (muscle breakdown) and burnout (fatigue). Free radicals are produced naturally, their levels increasing during bouts of exercise, and also come from external sources such as environmental pollution, smoking, alcohol, and various synthetic chemicals that are added to our food and water. All of these factors can inhibit your performance unless counteracted against. The unrivalled antioxidant capacity of CherryActive ensures your body’s maximum protection from oxidative stress.
RESTFUL SLEEP. CherryActive products are a rich source of natural melatonin, containing levels higher than normally found in human blood. Melatonin has been shown to improve the body’s circadian rhythms and aid restoration of natural sleep patterns, helping you to get a good night sleep. Quality sleep is one of the crucial pillars in a Rugby player’s training and recovery regime.
Tony Stanger, London Irish Speed & Skills Coach and Ex. Scottish Rugby International, says:
“Recovery after training sessions and games is a crucial part of what we do and we are always on the lookout for anything that will give our recovery process an edge. Our players have been using CherryActive products throughout this season and like them because they are 100% natural, easy to use and help to kick start the recovery process straight after training”.
What CherryActive Will Mean For You
Rugby training and competition utilises all of the body’s energy systems – aerobic, anaerobic, and phosphocreatine systems. Studies have shown that free radicals are generated to varying degrees within each energy system during bouts of exercise. Free radical production is significantly increased during exercise and may lead to oxidative stress within the body. Oxidative stress can lead to cell damage and muscle loss, resulting in fatigue and therefore a reduction in performance.
Rugby training and games can also lead to Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS) which results in muscle swelling, stiffness, strength loss and pain. DOMS can leave players unable to train or play at their maximum level until the symptoms disappear (typically 3-5 days).
CherryActive is high in powerful antioxidants and flavonoids which can help to counteract and reduce these training and game play induced symptoms. CherryActive allows you to train harder and for longer, helping you to gain that competitive edge come match day.
A single 30ml dose of the CherryActive Concentrate provides an antioxidant capacity EQUIVALENT TO 11 OF YOUR RECOMMENDED 5-A-DAY fruit and vegetables. This is about 8 times greater than the 250ml Innocent Blackberries/Blueberries Smoothie, a product held in high regard for its health-promoting qualities. The antioxidant capacity for the CherryActive Concentrate is one of the highest tested at Knight Scientific for a food supplement product. See the test results.
Lorraine Cullen, Nutritionist to Scottish Rugby and other top sports professionals, says:
"Working as a sports nutritionist to many top athletes and sports professionals I recommend CherryActive to help improve recovery and maximise sleep quality. I used CherryActive as part of my nutritional strategy for the Scottish Rugby Team’s World Cup 2007 preparations and campaign as well as the 2008 Six Nations competition, and it played a vital role in the recovery and physical performance of the team. I will continue to recommend CherryActive products to the athletes I work with."
Paul Hodgson, London Irish & England Rugby International says:
"Since taking CherryActive my sleeping has become more regular and the quality of sleep has increased. I also feel that CherryActive has helped me recover from game to game and between training sessions. It has reduced the tiredness in my muscles that I used to feel with my busy schedule. CherryActive has now become a vital part of my diet."
How CherryActive can help to Maximise your Rugby Performance
The cherry we use is in our products is called a Montmorency cherry which contains powerful health and recovery promoting antioxidant compounds in quantities and variety not found in many foods, e.g. high levels of anthocyanins, and melatonin. CherryActive has a unique growing and manufacturing process which works to harness and optimise the powerful compounds present in our carefully selected cherries, meaning the most effective health and recovery promoting Montmorency cherry products available.
The antioxidant capacity of Montmorency cherry compounds is up to 4 times more powerful than vitamins C & E combined. Our products have a host of other health benefits besides helping to improve recovery – they help to strengthen joints, maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, preserve brain health etc (see full research links for extra info), all of which are important to anyone, athlete or non-athlete.
How CherryActive can help improve your recovery:
The high levels of natural anthocyanin compounds present in CherryActive products help to inhibit the body's inflammatory response to exercise leading to less muscle soreness following training and games, so whether you have been doing a hard contact session, intense sprints and fitness, heavy weight training, or playing a game, the inflammatory inhibiting effect of CherryActive helps to reduce the amount of damage done to your body, meaning shorter recovery times. You can liken it to being hit in the face – your body’s reaction is to swell up and swelling means more damage. The way we counteract this is to ice the injury to help reduce the swelling. The same principle applies here – the CherryActive compounds effectively ‘ice’ your muscles internally thereby reducing the swelling and lessening the damage leading to a shorter recovery period.
When you can train with the confidence that your body will be protected after each session you can push yourself even harder knowing that you will not risk over-training or burn out. You can find yourself training and playing with a new intensity.
The unrivalled antioxidant power of CherryActive products also helps to 'mop-up' damaging free radicals produced by intense exercise, pollution, chemicals in food & water, and other sources which can lead to cell damage, muscle breakdown and fatigue. Free radical damage can limit physical performance and contribute to degeneration of the brain and organs. CherryActive was recently tested for antioxidant levels against 5 leading “Super Juices”; Acai, Goji, Noni, Pomegranate, & Black Cherry. CherryActive blew away all 5 juices and is significantly higher in antioxidant compounds. A full review of this study will be available soon. These results confirm the free radical fighting effect CherryActive consumption has, which can help preserve your muscle mass and maintain your strength and stamina – both highly important for any rugby player.
The best way to use CherryActive for Rugby:
The best way to take the products is to use CherryActive Concentrate after each training session and game (as the natural sugars are perfect as a post-training/game carbohydrate source and its liquid form helps with quick absorption of the recovery promoting compounds into the system [see bottom of for info on the type of natural sugar]) and CherryActive Capsules before bed (as some people avoid carbs late in the evening to avoid ‘spilling over’ into excess body fat). If you are following a carbohydrate strict diet you can use the caps after training to accompany your post-training carbohydrate and protein source as they are virtually zero carb but have very high doses of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds which help you to recovery quicker.
It is very important that you include CherryActive in your post-training intake as this will help to shut down the body’s inflammatory response to exercise which often leaves us with stiff, sore, and weak muscles in the days to follow.
CherryActive Concentrate: Take 30-90ml of Concentrate (3-6 squirts of the pump) 0-45 min after each training session and game, whether the session is weight training, fitness or contact training. Take higher amounts according to how much work the session has put on your muscles – i.e. if you are doing a really light session such as a pure skills and handling session which is medium intensity and you don’t get any burn in your legs or other muscles you could even take 30ml only, but if you do high intensity contact sessions/ weights / circuits / fitness for an extended period of time and your muscles feel extremely tired and achy straight away then take 60ml (you can take more if you think you need to but 60ml should be enough for a player with a bodyweight between 70-90kgs – [bigger guys may want to take more]). [N.B. A front 5 player may wish to take more than a winger after a game as the level of physical stress undertaken is significantly higher.] You can add this to your usual post training drink such as a protein shake, or take it on its own. The juice is not a replacement for protein so you still need to make sure you keep protein intake high (fish, meats, eggs, nuts, seeds etc), it is simply a powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidant product that helps to inhibit the body’s inflammatory response to exercise and counteract free radical damage.
In the evening of a hard training day you can wash your dinner down with a glass of CherryActive on-top of what you had post training – again the amount depending on how much stress your muscles have been put under. If you don’t think you’ll be too sore the next day then you don’t need to have it – use your discretion.
CherryActive Capsules: Take 1-2 capsules an hour before bed. If you want a really solid sleep take 2, otherwise take one. On rest days you can take these and not the juice if you want to keep your carbohydrate intake down and still get the antioxidant compounds into your system, which still provides you with health & recovery promoting antioxidant compounds.
The melatonin in the products won’t make you sleepy during the day it simply helps to regulate your sleep-wake cycle and help you achieve a deeper and higher quality sleep when you do go to bed – again this is important when you’re in training.
CherryActive Cherries: Work as an antioxidant packed healthy snack food and are good for carb-loading or as a post-training/game snack. They are infused with apple juice concentrate so do have a medium impact on blood sugar levels.
Extra Information:
Each 30ml of CherryActive Concentrate counts as one of your “5-a-Day” for fruit and veg.
A 32g portion of CherryActive Cherries counts as one of your “5-a-Day”.
All our products are 100% natural and contain no artificial colours, flavouring, sweeteners, preservatives or added sugars.
The natural sugar in CherryActive Concentrate is “xylose” and has a low glycemic load (low GI) so has a low impact on blood sugar levels.
Any unanswered questions can be email to info@cherryactive.co.
Add CherryActive Concentrate and Capsules to your daily nutritional strategy and maximise your physical recovery from Rugby training and competition!
