Performance nutrition for wrestlers after losing weight

Performance nutrition for wrestlers after losing weight

Wrestlers and fighters reduce weight for competition in order to gain an advantage in the fight. Whether you're a youth, high school, college or professional athlete, being the biggest competitor in your weight class can make the difference between winning or losing a match. This often involves a rapid reduction in weight for the weigh-in, followed by restoring the body to its normal weight or preferably even heavier, hopefully giving you a size and strength advantage. While cutting weight will get you into the tournament, the replenishment process is equally important as it will definitely impact your performance. Eating junk food or fast food right after a harsh diet or fast is like draining your car's engine and then filling it with sand or contaminated gasoline. The first fuel you put into your body after emptying is exactly the one that was used for the first run. The food choices you make will determine whether you shine or gas out on the mat.

When it comes to performance nutrition, timing is just as important as what you eat. Athletes who can weigh themselves the day before their competition have a huge advantage over those who have to compete an hour or two later. Depending on how severe the weight loss is, it may take up to 12 hours (or longer) to fully replenish your desired body weight. With proper nutrition, strategy, and planning, this process can be accomplished effectively much more quickly, but the longer you have to recover from a tough weight loss effort, the better. It is common for high school wrestlers to weigh in on Friday afternoon in order to compete on Friday evening and then have to make weight again all day Saturday morning for another tournament. If this is the case, the athlete is often given an allowance of £1-3. however, for Saturday's meeting, this is a situation that needs to be handled carefully. The replenishment for Friday's competition must be controlled to be effective, but not enough to throw off the weight reduction for the next day.

After weighing, choose foods that are quickly absorbed and provide the best fuel for your upcoming performance. While protein is extremely necessary during weight loss to prevent loss of muscle mass, it has little place in the replenishment process. Protein doesn't give you the energy you need to perform on the mat and just takes up space in your stomach. Carbohydrates are the best foods for an upcoming competition after weight loss. However, avoid overly processed simple sugars like candy, cookies, snack cakes, Little Debbies, etc. Foods like these give you an uncontrolled quick burst of energy followed by a crash of sleepiness and lethargy. Choose carbohydrates from two different categories to replenish the body with good weight and the best, most usable fuel. Clean, starchy carbohydrates like sweet potatoes and rice are great for filling the muscles with glycogen so that evenly released energy can be used over the next few hours of the meet. Bread and bagels are secondary, but sweet and filling and work well too.

For faster energy, fresh, juicy fruits are great and very rejuvenating for the wrestler who has survived an arduous weight loss journey. Apples, grapes, and oranges are sweet, delicious, and filling when they're in season. Bananas and plums are also packed with potassium and natural sugars to be used as a source of energy in the next performance hour. Other foods that are good choices for quickly fueling the body include graham crackers, animal crackers, and even yogurt, but these are secondary and should not be bulked up. While fats are filling and satisfying, they should be eaten in very small amounts or even avoided because they slow the absorption of sugars needed for energy. Too many also give the wrestler a heavy, sluggish feeling in the stomach. Wrestlers eating peanut butter sandwiches on white bread is a common sight at many tournaments, but this is a mistake. While this food is sweet, filling, and easy to prepare, peanut butter can sit heavily in a wrestler's stomach, while the gluten in white bread shuts down intestinal motility.

For the fastest and most complete replenishment after weight loss, divide your carbohydrates into a series of small meals and try to resist bingeing. Forcing too much food into the intestines at once gives them more than they can handle and causes a temporary blockage, slowing absorption and making the athlete sick, sometimes feeling heavy, lethargic and even nauseous. If the athlete had to restrict water to reach his weight, the first thing in his mouth should be at least 16 oz. water, then he can start eating. A great strategy is to combine both simple and complex carbohydrates in a controlled volume over a period of time. For example, the first meal after drinking water would be 1½ – 2 cups of white rice with honey and a piece of fresh fruit. Sixty to ninety minutes later, eat another 1½ cups of white rice + honey, some graham crackers, and more water. For a third meal, eat mostly more carbohydrates, but add some protein too. An example would be another 1½ cups of white rice + honey, a mandarin orange and 3-4 oz. of lean turkey breast.

When you feed the body small meals of dry carbohydrates combined with drinking water, glycogen and fluid are transported to the muscles quickly and effectively. After the body goes without food and/or water for 8-12 hours (common practice for weight loss), the fuel we give it immediately afterwards determines its upcoming performance. Replenishing with this strategy leaves athletes energized and ready to go after the first 1-2 meals; They feel alert and light and aren't bogged down by a bunch of heavy foods loaded with fat and preservatives in their gut. Adding some protein to the third meal helps slow the absorption of carbohydrates after the muscles have been replenished from the first two. This allows for fuel for later as well as a fuller feeling that lasts a little longer. After not consuming protein for so long, it is also important to replenish amino acids into the body to help muscles recover after competition. The third meal can also contain some fat if you want, but better without or with very little, as it has little to do with immediate performance and only has a slowing effect.

Even if you enter competition by cutting weight, if you don't have a replenishment strategy in place, you will be weak, tired, and unable to perform at your best.

Using a strategy like the one above will ensure you are fully fueled, feeling great, and ready to play your first game. Focus on a mix of fast-acting starchy carbohydrates combined with natural simple carbohydrates and eat these in several small meals to ensure the body fully absorbs each one. Drink plenty of water to help muscles move both fluids and glycogen into storage for quick action and immediate performance. Repeat this 2-3 times depending on your fullness, energy level and your competition schedule. Avoid fats to slow the absorption of nutrients and avoid the heavy, sluggish feeling that is common with these types of foods. After 2-3 carbohydrate-only meals, add some protein to a later meal to aid post-event recovery and provide a slightly slower digestion of carbohydrates for later in the day.