Kings conquer with protein

How do NBL champions fuel up to get that winning edge?

You need look no further than three-time NBL championship coach and arguably the best the game has ever had in Australia – Brian Goorjian.

Preparing for his fourth season with the Sydney Kings, Goorjian is in no doubt that his players' use of Aussie Bodies protein is one of their biggest secret weapons, helping them train hard, recover and come out firing on the court.

"It is vital that the guys get their protein straight after training and the Protein Revivals and Protein FX bars are not optional; they are mandatory for their training," Goorjian said at a recent interview in Melbourne.

As a coach who leads from the front, Goorjian trains every bit as hard as his players, particularly in the gym. "I know from my own experience that it's not good enough to wait for an hour or more till you get home to reload with protein and carbs after training. All the research supports what we have found – that we need to get that protein into the system in the first 30-40 minutes."

The research he refers to shows that having a supplement high in both protein and carbohydrate in the first 30-40 minutes after training, actually improves energy store replenishment better than carbs alone, with the added benefit of reduced muscle breakdown, leading to reduced post-training fatigue and better muscle maintenance.

Since relocating to Sydney three years ago, Goorjian and the team have realised yet another important reason for having ready-to-drink and ready-to-eat protein nutrition on hand when training.

"Travelling in Sydney is crazy. It can take our guys two hours to get home from training, so there's no way they can wait to reload. All the guys have Protein Revivals and Protein FX bars before they leave training and as far as I'm concerned the runs are on the board!"

Goorjian is currently coaching the Australian Boomers due to compete in a 4 nations event with China, Lithuania and New Zealand, August 9-14, in Perth and Sydney.