Eating Well Away From Home Travel tournaments are exciting. They often involve airplanes, hotels, restaurants, teammates, and the opportunity to compete against athletes from around the country. For many wrestlers, those weekends create memories that last a lifetime. But travel also introduces challenges. Normal routines disappear. Familiar foods become less available. Schedules change. Sleep suffers….
Why Growth Happens Between Practices Throughout the Feed the Goal series, we have discussed how wrestlers should eat, hydrate, and support one another through the demands of training and competition. From building strength in the offseason to managing weight, recovering after weigh-ins, and understanding supplements, one theme has emerged repeatedly: The body responds to stress…
Food First, Supplements Second By the time wrestlers begin taking their nutrition seriously, it is only a matter of time before they start asking about supplements. Should I take protein powder? What about creatine? Are pre-workouts worth it? Do I need electrolytes? Which supplements actually work? These are reasonable questions. After all, the supplement industry…
Why Most Wrestlers Are Losing Before the Whistle Throughout the Feed the Goal series, we’ve discussed building strength, preparing for the season, making weight safely, recovering after weigh-ins, and fueling performance on competition day. We’ve even talked about how families and support systems can help athletes stay on track. Yet one of the simplest—and most…
When I think nutrition for teens a few things immediately jump to my mind. Understanding maintenance calories, eating enough food, the proper food, and the timing of food. Before I dive into those things specifcially a couple non-food specific things that are very important. 8-9 hours of sleep every night consistently. Waking up and going…
Why Families and Friends Matter More Than You Think Throughout the Feed the Goal series, we’ve focused primarily on what wrestlers should eat during the different phases of the year. We’ve discussed building strength in the offseason, preparing for the season ahead, making weight safely, recovering after weigh-ins, and fueling performance during competition. But there…
Competition-Day Nutrition for Tournament Success Tournament nutrition is different from everyday nutrition. You’re no longer trying to build muscle. You’re no longer trying to lose weight. You’re trying to perform. And performance favors preparation. Think Fuel, Not Meals Tournament days are not buffet days. They’re fuel stops. Large meals often lead to: Instead, think small…
Post Weigh-In Nutrition and the Golden Two Hours For many wrestlers, making weight feels like the finish line. In reality, it is the starting line. The tournament begins the moment you step off the scale. Everything you do during the next two hours will determine how much of your strength, endurance, and explosiveness returns before…
Weight-Cut Nutrition Without Sacrificing Performance In Parts 1 and 2 of the Feed the Goal series, we focused on building the wrestler and gradually preparing for the season ahead. If those phases were handled correctly, the final one to two weeks before major competition should not require drastic measures. Unfortunately, this is where many wrestlers…
Preseason Nutrition: Winning the Weight Class Before the Season Begins In Part 1 of the Feed the Goal series, we discussed the importance of using the offseason to build strength, develop muscle, and create healthy habits. During those months, the goal was growth. As the season approaches, however, the goal begins to shift. The focus…
