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Writer's pictureMarley Carnes

Performance Nutrition for Wrestling

Updated: Oct 30

Resources to help wrestlers fuel optimally and strategies to making weight.


Pre-Match Fueling: Your food choices and fueling method plays a crucial role in allowing you to perform at your best. Here are some ways to top of your energy and fluid stores.


Athlete’s Plate for Wrestlers

This visual guide helps wrestlers align their fueling with their training demands, based on easy, moderate, or hard training days.


  • Easy Days: For light training or rest, focus on balanced portions of carbs, proteins, and fats to maintain energy without loading up.

  • Moderate Days: For a typical day with two training sessions, incorporate extra carbohydrates and a steady amount of protein for recovery.

  • Hard Days: For intense sessions, duals, or tournaments, emphasize additional carbohydrates for sustained energy and endurance. Use the hard training plate to fuel up for tournaments and for post-weigh-in recovery.



Fluids and Electrolytes: Replace fluid loss immediately post weigh-in. Electrolytes like sodium helps rehydrate muscle for improved power and endurance during your match.

Examples:

  • Water: Helps you digest your food quicker and more efficiently and it helps regulate your body temperature.

  • Milk, Sports Drinks, Orange Juice, Coconut Water: All contain electrolytes to help nerve and muscle function, blood pressure regulation and rehydration.

  • Food sources: Dairy, fruits like bananas and watermelon, vegetables like potatoes, seeds, nuts like cashews, and salty foods like olives and pickles.

Carbohydrates: These will help you replenish energy stores in your muscles for sustainable readily available energy for your working muscles during your match.

Examples:

  • Yogurt with granola

  • Fruits like clementines, apples, grapes, bananas, raisins and small amounts of other dried fruits

  • Fig newtons, low fiber granola bars

  • Low fiber bread, crackers, cereals, oatmeal

  • Low fat chocolate milk

Protein: Moderate amounts of protein low in fat will help muscle and tissue repair.

Examples:

  • Small chicken breast, lean meat like sirloin and strip steak

  • Eggs and dairy like greek yogurt, milk, reduced fat cheeses

Avoid these foods that can cause stomach issues or feelings of fullness during your match:

  • High fat and high sugar foods like breaded chicken strips, fries, nachos, pizza, soda, cookies, candy bars, chips, and high fiber grains, beans, and lentils.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Click photo to learn more!


Additional Resources:


Need help determining your target weight?

Feel unsure about how to make sure you are fueling properly?

Do you want to make sure you are cutting weight while maintaining muscle?

Work with your coach or talk to your parents about working one on one with my team to help you determine your fueling and body composition needs.


Did you know most insurance plan cover nutritional counseling for healthy eating habits as preventative care at no cost to you?

Learn more here!


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