Nehemiah Mensah, who previously had a scholarship with the Bradford Bulls and plays for the Leeds Beckett rugby team admits nutrition is a big focus for academies when developing young rugby league players.
“Bradford were strict on what you ate, there was a time when they expected some players to lose weight and some players to put on weight. So for me personally I was expected to put on weight so my diet consisted of carbohydrates and proteins,” he said.
Nehemiah also explained how his nutrition plan has changed since playing university rugby.
“It’s definitely not as strict at university compared to Bradford, obviously you’ve got that different setting, the professional setting compared to university which isn’t professional,” he said.
Nehemiah also believes if he and other student athletes were to follow a professional nutrition plan the benefits would be evident.
“I think that would dramatically improve me as a player, especially with my fitness, when I was at Bradford I was aware that some of the foods I used to eat weren’t the healthiest and it definitely did have an impact on my fitness levels and it was proven in my fitness test scores.”
‘there’s a lot student athletes could learn’
Research conducted by Debbie Smith shows players in the Super League have more lean mass and less fat mass than those playing in the lower tiers.
Debbie Smith believes student athletes have other barriers and influences when it comes to their nutritional intake.
She said: “We know that there’s nights out, probably a lot more alcohol involved than a professional level rugby player. You hear things about students staying up late to get assignments in as well as work and training, so I think there’s probably a lot of good practice they could take from professional rugby players and there’s a lot student athletes could learn.”
