WRESTLING WITH NUTRITION: A WRESTLER'S GUIDE TO CUTTING WEIGHT.
WRESTLING WITH NUTRITION: A GRAPPLER’S GUIDE TO MAKING WEIGHT AND FUELING THEIR PERFORMANCE
When it comes to wrestling, there are three key factors that determine a wrestler’s performance: Training, nutrition, and genetics. It’s said that “nutrition can make a good athlete great or a great athlete good”, and this becomes especially true when discussing wrestling – since nutrition is critical in weight management, weight cutting, and overall performance.
Wrestling has three seasons: Off-season, pre-season, and in-season – with each having different goals and nutritional demands. A wrestler’s energy expenditure, and thus nutritional needs, will change as the training intensity and duration of each season adjusts. By understanding and applying the following nutritional guidelines, wrestlers will be able to take their performance to the next level.
Off-Season: The goal during this time is to lay a foundation for healthy eating, which can then be built upon and adjusted throughout the year. This foundation can be broken down into six fueling fundamentals:
A simple definition of weight cutting is: The shifting of food and fluids for a short period of time for the purpose of making weight. When cutting weight, the following three components are crucial, and should always be focused upon:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Ewoldt MS, RD/LD
Email: [email protected]
Laura Maydak, BS Clinical Dietetics and Nutrition
Twitter: @lmaydak
Email: [email protected]
Clint Wattenberg MS, RD, CSCS
Twitter: @SportRd_Clint
Facebook: Big Red Sports Nutrition
Email: [email protected]
When it comes to wrestling, there are three key factors that determine a wrestler’s performance: Training, nutrition, and genetics. It’s said that “nutrition can make a good athlete great or a great athlete good”, and this becomes especially true when discussing wrestling – since nutrition is critical in weight management, weight cutting, and overall performance.
Wrestling has three seasons: Off-season, pre-season, and in-season – with each having different goals and nutritional demands. A wrestler’s energy expenditure, and thus nutritional needs, will change as the training intensity and duration of each season adjusts. By understanding and applying the following nutritional guidelines, wrestlers will be able to take their performance to the next level.
Off-Season: The goal during this time is to lay a foundation for healthy eating, which can then be built upon and adjusted throughout the year. This foundation can be broken down into six fueling fundamentals:
- Purpose: Wrestlers are ultimately fueling for overall performance, but they may also want to focus on a specific goal, such as: Increasing energy or endurance, injury recovery or prevention, or better mental focus –on or off the mat. Defining a fueling purpose will help guide a wrestler’s eating habits.
- Quality: High-quality foods will help wrestlers reach their goals, while poor choices will hurt their wrestling performance. Therefore, wrestlers must focus on consumingnutrient-dense foods instead of empty calories.
- Quantity: Effective training, recovery, and improved performance rely upon matching calorie consumption to expenditure. A consistent failure to meet energy demands results in a blunted metabolism, which impacts body composition, recovery, and even lifelong health.
- Timing: When you eat is as important as what you eat. A strategic fueling plan is crucial for optimizing training, recovery, and performance. This is especially important when a wrestler is in a calorie deficit during weight management, or when he or she is targeting pre- and post-workout fueling.
- Consistency: Cheat days only serve to undermine your weight management goals – so don’t cheat yourself. Be consistent from morning to night and from day to day.
- Hydration: While important in all sports, hydration is especially critical in wrestling. A wrestler’s hydration status not only affects wrestling performance, but it can also be the most effective tool for weight cutting.
- Target weight: The target weight should include a buffer for the wrestler to be well fueled and hydrated while training, which will allow for any needed weight cut. The target weight is dependent upon age and experience:
- Youth – 0-2% over weight class (1 practice)
- High School – 2-3% over weight class (1-1½ practices)
- College- 3-5% over weight class (2 practices)
- Weight loss: Effective weight loss happens in a progressive manner in order to enable body fat to be used for energy. Only about 1.5% of total body weight can be lost as body fat over a 7-day period. Therefore, losing more than 1.5% of one’s total body weight in a week’s time is likely the result of a loss in muscle mass.
- Fueling balance: Fueling balance can be defined as strategically distributing both macro- and micro- nutrients throughout each day based on one’s wrestling goals, training, and schedule. It is critical to balance carbohydrates and protein evenly during the day – this will ensure that the body has adequate energy and building blocks to repair and retain muscle.
- Athlete Energy Deficit (AED): AED is when calorie intake is insufficient to meet total energy expenditure for an athlete. When this occurs for a prolonged period of time, the body protects itself by adjusting calorie expenditure and reducing metabolic rate – thus slowing any attempted weight loss and causing increased fat retention.
A simple definition of weight cutting is: The shifting of food and fluids for a short period of time for the purpose of making weight. When cutting weight, the following three components are crucial, and should always be focused upon:
- Maintaining proper fueling and hydration through the competition week and up to 24-hours before weigh-ins
- Commitment to work the weight down in a scalable and practical way
- Faith in the process, and support from coaches and parents
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Ewoldt MS, RD/LD
Email: [email protected]
Laura Maydak, BS Clinical Dietetics and Nutrition
Twitter: @lmaydak
Email: [email protected]
Clint Wattenberg MS, RD, CSCS
Twitter: @SportRd_Clint
Facebook: Big Red Sports Nutrition
Email: [email protected]