Diet

In wrestling, the difference between winning and losing comes down to a combination of small advantages; the victor is just a second quicker, a little stronger, eats a little healthier, is coached a little better.

Even if you are a first place winner, your will be much better off following good sound scientific nutritional advice. Don't just do what the masses (or other teams) do. Be stronger and feel better by eating smarter.

Binge Eating/Fasting: Fasting for 2 days to make weight, then going to a restaurant or home and consuming high volumes of Carbs and Fats will dramatically reduce your performance over the season. It is just plain unhealthy. One time may not have a major impact but you weigh-in 16 times before you get to the year end tournaments. If you don't have the determination and dedication to eat right, how to you expect to have the determination and dedication (or strength) to win wrestling matches. Think about it ??

It's a long season and the physical demands of wrestling simply required you to eat right. If you do you'll really, really be buff at the end of the season. If you don't eat right, you could be weaker at the end of the season then you are today. Eating right is really a life long process.

Wrestling is a great complimentary sport for almost any other sport. One reason being that wrestlers are the best conditioned athletes in the school. Strength, Speed, Balance, Agility, and Stamina not to mention a great work ethic. Many varsity football players that achieved the Adams Claymore Award in football are also wrestlers but only a small percentage of varsity football players are wrestlers. So what does that tell you?

Diet Facts: Many normal diets have a lack of Protein, lack of water or Hydration, and an over abundance of Carbohydrates, and Fats. All of these, in the right proportions, are good for you.

Lets Talk Hydration: It is critical to have an adequate intake of water during training and before matches. Extensive studies have shown that dehydration can decrease performance more dramatically than any nutritional inadequacies or lack of adequate conditioning. With just a 20% decrease in the required hydration level, athletic performance will drop by 30%.

Even athletes in sports where weight and body fat levels are crucial to performance, i.e. Wrestling, they take their normal consumption of water in a day and decrease it by 50% for a day or two before their competition. Never totally eliminate or radically reduce water intake due to its DEVASTATING effects on your performance and health in general.

Before training/practice, drink 8 to 14 oz of water. Then drink 4 to 8 oz in 15 minute intervals during practice. If you don't have to make weight the next day, there is no reason to cut back on water during training. If you lose more than 2% of your body weight due to sweating during practice, your practice performance will begin to suffer.

Tip for Weigh-in Days: Researches have found that 8oz. sports drinks containing 8% carbs and 110 mg sodium are absorbed into the body as fast or more rapidly than plain water. Drinking beverages that exceed 10% carbs (pop and some fruit juices) often have a negative side effect such abdominal cramps, nausea, and can hurt your performance.

Lets Talk Weight Loss: First of all, the goal should be FAT loss, not weight loss. The end does not justify the means - 30% performance hit due to dehydration in the 3rd period makes all the difference in the world in deciding who holds their hand up at the end of the match. Adams wrestlers WIN matches in the third period because of our conditioning. Water is crucial to performance and health.

Weight Loss: MSHAA states that the maximum allowable weight loss per week is 3% of your Alpha weigh-in. You will be classified ineligible if you exceed this new rule. Other studies state the maximum is 0.75 pounds per week while others yet state 2lbs. The range of these studies is approximately 1 to 2 pounds while MSHAA rules are little over 3 based on your body weight. The principle here is slowly but surely - No Binges

Reference: "Optimum Sports Nutrition" by Dr. Michael Colgan for more information on the subject.

Lets Talk Protein: The following chart from a "Food Pyramid" nutritional brochure that talks to a normal intake of protein for the average person. You are probably not eating enough protein per this document now.

Further, wrestlers during the season have much higher protein requirements then the average desk jockey. Wrestlers have two plus hours of intense training per day. You must replenish your protein immediately after your hard training secessions.

Muscles are made up of protein. So if your body doesn't get enough protein guess where it gets the protein - not from the fat around your waist but from eating away at your muscles. It's not fair, but it is a fact of human physiology.

Food Pyramid Recommendations for Normal Lifestyles
Weight ( lbs )	Protein ( grams )
80	64-72
115	92-104
130	104-117
150	120-135
175	140-158
200	160-180
250	200-225
Rule of Thumb for Conditioned Athletes
1 gram of protein per day per pound of body weight.

Lets Talk Single Competition Day Meals: First and foremost you must be hydrated and obviously you don't want to wrestle on a "full" stomach. Hydration is #1. Complex carbs such as pasta, and potato salad, and grains should be consumed frequently, in small portions, during the day.

Stay away from refined sugars including that found in pop (pop should not be in your diet at all during the season)

Be sure to warm up with light exercise for several (5 plus minutes). You have to build up deep muscle heat. This will improve your performance since the blood vessels are already dilated and can get blood to your muscles quicker during your competition. Secondly, warming up thoroughly will reduce the chance of injury. This is true for ANY sport.

Lets Talk Multiple Competition Day Meals: Carbohydrate replacement is the key here, not protein ( because you don't have prolonged intense 2 hour work outs like in practice that consume large amounts of protein).

You body will consume most of the Carbs you have built up in your muscles and blood during the first few minutes of a intense match. Then your body starts to work on protein, then fat.

Honey, fruit, sports replenishment drinks like Ultra Fuel by Twinlab, and All Sport are the best ( Gatorade, Ensure, Boost and Power Bars are all lesser value substitutes). Complex carbs like pasta, and grains should be consumed in minor quantities, if at all, between matches. The same holds for protein.

Obviously, if you have three hours between matches, you can eat a small amount of complex carbs and protein. The time between matches dictates your diet. Pay attention to it! As the experienced wrestlers know, some of our tournaments can span 16 hours and your last matches are the toughest. Be fueled up for them properly.

Lets Talk Normal Training Day Meals: First, don't eliminate breakfast and lunch thinking that you'll weigh less at the end of the day (of course the requirement is to also eat smart). Here's why.

If you're too weak to train hard, you will not learn as much in practice and your skills will suffer. Secondly, by feeling good and having a fueled body you will be able to "burn off" those extra good calories that you ate during the day by training harder. Don't be afraid to replace fat with muscle, muscle burns energy - fat doesn't.

Your vigorous daily training with smart food intake (consistently day after day) will likely result in lower weight at end of day weight . But best of all your practice, performance, ability, and confidence will all be better. Remember, the season is 4 months long and all these effects are cumulative.

Ok, so what do you eat. You should have received a flyer containing the Fat, Carbs, Protein, of about a 1000 foods. Read it. Look at your favorite foods and write down their calories and nutrition content (carbs, fats, protein).

Second - you decide what you want to eat by putting together your favorite foods in the required proportion to give you the recommend grams of protein. The protein is really important.

Simple things like drinking no-fat milk is a lot better then whole milk. Drinking milk also has a lot more protein then drinking orange juice. Remember, it's cumulative and the little things count.

Third - the balance of your calorie intake will be driven by fats and carbs. Again, you put together from the foods list what foods you want to make up the remained for your diet. With hard work outs you'll probably burn 2500 to 3500 calories per day once you're in shape.

No matter how much weight you have to lose, be sure to eat at least 1500 calories of a variety of wholesome foods every day to prevent vitamin, mineral, and protein deficiencies.

Fourth - take your lunch to school. The diet you just picked will likely not be available from the school cafeteria and I know it is not available from the vending machines. Note: Your diet should not include pizza and pop if you are smart about it.

Paradoxically, by increasing muscles mass, athletes burn calories more efficiently and lose weight (fat) more easily.

Quote: One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you're willing to give up to get it. Your choice ?

JUST DO IT !

Forward: You should seek professional medical advice for your diet. Information contained within this document has been compiled from various resources and is provided to increase your personal awareness regarding the diet needs of exceptionally conditioned athletes - WRESTLERS RULE !