Supersize Your Performance by Coach Eric
#Hydration and #Nutrition are areas of emphasis for preparation and recovery within wrestling and our program. Below are a few useful tips that have proven to make a difference in the healthy weight management and performance for our student-athletes. Parents, this stuff works for 30-somethings and over 40 also, assuming we all stay away from supersizing our meals.
#1. Water 💧 Not a profound concept and you probably heard it before. However, too many athletes fall short of their goals simply due to being dehydrated and especially in the sport of wrestling. At a minimum, every individual should drink 64-104 ounces or 8-13 (8-ounce) cups or about 2-3 liters everyday; especially if you are managing your weight. This is just to stay hydrated and alive! When you add wrestling practice and competition then you need to additionally replace water lost through sweat. If you lost 3 lbs during a practice 😓 then drink an additional 48 ounces or 6 cups or about another liter of water that day, on top of your 2-3 liters. Since there are 16 ounces in 1 pound, then the formula is 16 oz * 3 lb = 48 oz. Do not worry, you still burned those calories and exhaled them out of your mouth. Besides, the total calories in water is zero (0), zilch, and nada.
💡The more you know: A majority of calories and “fat cells” used by your body for energy leave your body through exhalation or when you breathe out heat and moisture. Also, your body will release the water that it does not need and you still maintained your weight or lost fat (i.e. those excess calories from Dutch Bros or Starbucks or creamer you added in your homemade coffee).
In Colorado, you are literally evaporating all the time. Why do you think your bath towel is dry the next morning after you used it to shower using warm, soapy 🧼 water🚿? If you’ve lived in the midwest, east coast or almost anywhere outside Colorado with humidity then you understand the analogy. You should also understand that taking a shower immediately after practice, before you eat supper, and immediately after competition is the most effective action you can take to prevent skin infections.
FUN FACT TO TRY: Humans are most often the most dehydrated when they wake up after several hours of sleep. Dehydration is a contributing factor to heart related medical emergencies occurring most often in the morning. To mitigate this risk, start each morning by drinking 16 oz of water and looking east to the sunrise after you roll out of bed. Use the first 120 seconds of your day to allow the light of the sun to enter your eyes as you drink your glass of water. This helps to kickstart your metabolism (it’s true, 👀 look it up). Do this for 30 days straight, while paying attention to your changes in energy, attitude and overall health. If you can manage to do this simple 120 second exercise 4 times a day then you will be healthier overall without ever stepping into the gym. If you wake-up before the sun like me, then intentionally plan your second 16 ounces of water for the sunrise.
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-much-water-should-I-drink#recommendations
RECAP #1: Every wrestler practicing or competing should supersize their water, as a general rule, by drinking 3-4 liters of water everyday throughout season. Every human should drink 2-3 liters of water everyday then adjust up for your body needs, activity level and the elevation you live at.
#2. Sodium 🧂 This may sound weird, at first, to be the second most important thing, but trust me (I’m not a doctor), your body requires sodium! I debated making this #1 for wrestlers, but you most likely consume enough sodium for this context of hydration and it gets the #2 spot. A wrestler needs to understand the importance of sodium, as it relates to their performance and healthy weight management. Not only does the human body require sodium for your heart to beat and for you to stay alive, sodium is required for your body to hydrate (i.e. to utilize the water you drank in #1 above). You can expect to consume over 400 mg of sodium from a 4 oz chicken breast, due to being “enhanced” by most manufacturers with salt water, and over 700 mg of sodium from a 4 oz single cheeseburger at any of the fast food restaurants. Imagine how much sodium is in a single meal! Even though your body may be able to survive on as little as 186 mg of sodium, again I am not a doctor and you can verify. I suggest following the 1,500 mg per day recommendation and no more than 2,300 mg per day.
How does this relate to wrestling? In the human body, water follows sodium. Fortunately, you get more than enough sodium through normal eating and you most likely eat too much sodium naturally on a daily basis. However, you lose a lot of sodium when sweating 😓 during practice or competition and do not forget that you are also evaporating all the time while living at a higher elevation in Colorado. If we compound these naturally occurring events with not eating (i.e. no sodium) then serious health risks present quickly here in Colorado. I am not suggesting to start slamming every salt shaker in lieu of eating food. If you understand the connection between sodium and hydration then you are also more likely to follow an individualized nutrition and periodization plan to become your best self. It will also help to appreciate Tips #3 and #4 below, which are complimentary to the Water and Sodium Tips above. In Tip #1, I state that your body will release the excess water it does not need, if you happen to drink more water than you need. However, now that we know water follows sodium then what do you think happens with excess water in your body when you also have excess sodium in your body 🤔? Do you believe your body will be as willing to release the excess water? Do you believe your body will retain more water than it needs to balance and compensate for the excess sodium? What about the effect of the female menstrual cycle and water retention on weight management? Coach Tori will speak more with the girls about menstrual cycles and wrestlers, as well as the female athlete triad (https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/triad.html).
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/take-it-with-a-grain-of-salt
RECAP #2: Every wrestler practicing or competing should consume, as a general rule, at least 1,500-2,300 mg of sodium everyday throughout season. Consult your Primary Care Provider and/or Dietician for the specific needs of your body and activity level. Heart disease, high blood pressure and many other health conditions can be directly related and managed through a care plan that limits sodium significantly.
#3. Fuel ⛽️ It could be argued that Tip #4, Recovery, should be discussed first. However, like I pointed out about sodium’s #2 spot, eating to fuel the activity that you will need to recover from is more important within this context. I will be happy to debate exercising in a fasted state, intermittent fasting, or any of the other diet and exercise plans you believe in. However, keep in mind that my focus as a Coach is to be the advocate for the student-athlete to learn and follow evidence-based, healthy practices for the teenage wrestler. The diet and exercise plans of 30-something and over 40 year olds does not directly translate to a teenage, student-athlete who is expected to manage their weight for up to five (5) matches a day and throughout multi-day combat sport competition events. Additionally, what mom or dad or coach did “when I was young” no longer applies. The advances of nutrition and performance science has evolved significantly. Trust me, I’m not a doctor, but I have been focused on coaching the teenage student-athlete, as well as continued formal education in coaching and health science domains since our current seniors were in diapers.
Many wrestlers have this idea that not eating and not drinking is the best way to lose weight. Many also believe that it is better to be at the lowest possible weight. Neither are facts. It is a fact that you will lose weight from not eating or drinking, but it is also a fact that you will not perform to your potential during practice or competition. Are you hydrating if you drink plenty of water, but do not eat 🤔? Can the human body hydrate without sodium? Where does sodium come from if you do not ingest it? Why does your body sweat and release sodium?
💡Answer: Since water follows salt in your body and having water on the outside of your skin helps to prevent your body from overheating or having heat related injuries then it should make sense why sweat tastes salty. Hopefully, you’re connecting the theme of this post by now.
RECAP #3: Every wrestler practicing or competing should eat enough healthy calories to fuel the activity they are doing next. Every human should adjust their caloric intake to mimic their body needs and activity level. If you are going to be sedentary for the morning, such as sitting in class or playing video games, then eat to fuel that activity of using your brain while you sit, which probably doesn’t require many calories. Also, what does the brain require to function at its highest potential? How many calories (aka fuel or “energy source”) to practice for 2 hours or a 3-day State Championship Tournament? Consistent discipline to consume a healthy and balanced diet, while staying hydrated, are required to advance your wrestling potential and outcomes.
*** This is where conditioning, strength training, practicing and competing fits into the discussion timeline. However, the focus of this post is about the hydration and nutrition habits off the mat directly impact your ability to perform on the mat.***
#4. Recovery💧+ 🍲/🧂+⛽️ Your formula to recover from dehydrating yourself is Water💧+ soup 🍲, which has sodium🧂. If we can assume you lost a lot of water and sodium during practice or competition, evidence by the amount of sweating you did and weight lost in a short period of time, then we can also assume that Tips #1 and #2 need to be addressed before refueling, tip #3, and before entering into your next strength training session, practice or competition.