Your source for Wrestling in the Dakota's

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Nutrition Facts
Over the course of 33 days in 1997, three college wrestlers died while cutting weight in supervised settings.  In response to those deaths, the NCAA instituted new rules about "making weight" for college wrestling (see also the PDF file The Wrestler's Guide to Optimal Performance for an excellent discussion).  In short, the rules require that wrestlers "certify" their weights for the season by weighing in while fully hydrated before the beginning of competition for the season.  The rules also establish a "minimum wrestling weight" for each wrestler based on the level of body fat, again given full hydration.  While similar rules have not yet made their way to the high school level, they represent what is in my opinion a much safer and more practical approach to weight management for wrestlers.
 
 A lot of myth surrounds wrestling and weight. In the wrestling room, you always hear "If I could only cut 5 (or 7, or 10...) pounds, I'd be unstoppable!"
Weight loss is a complicated subject, especially where growing athletes are concerned.
There are five fundamental ways to lose weight, either short- or long-term:
 

• Dehydration (short-term loss of water weight, harmful to both the individual and his/her performance)
• Emptying the gastrointestinal tract (obviously, a short-term loss)
• Depleting the body's glycogen stores (short term and minor weight loss. Glycogen is the primary energy source for anaerobic exercise, and is stored both in the liver and in muscle fibers. Loss is obviously harmful to athletic and especially wrestling performance)
• Loss of body fat (long-term loss, through exercise and reduced caloric intake. No magic formula can truly promote rapid loss of body fat)
• Loss of muscle mass (when the body exhausts its energy stores, muscle protein is cannibalized for energy needs)

For an already-lean athlete, little body fat is available for loss. Weight loss can either be temporary (from fasting and dehydration to "make weight"), or can involve loss of muscle mass (over the course of weeks or months, you cannot change the weight of the skeleton or organs, and if there is no body fat to lose, the only thing left is muscle).
Losing muscle mass means that the ratio of muscle to total weight decreases, meaning that the athlete losses strength more rapidly than weight.
In my opinion, most wrestlers (who tend to be fairly lean as a group) would be better served by adding lean muscle mass, entering their matches well hydrated and well fueled, and by working on their skills.
General Nutritional Suggestions:
 

• Eat a well-balanced diet (generally recommended to be 50-60% carbohydrates, 20-30% protein, no more than 30% fat)
• The American College of Sports Medicine recommends:
• A minimum of 1700 to 2500 calories per day for high school and college wrestlers
• A minimum of 7% body fat for wrestlers under the age of 16, and 5% for older wrestlers.

[li]Concentrate on hydration (the normal recommendation is to drink 2 quarts of water per day. Water loss from dehydration [like after a workout] should be replaced by drinking an additional 16 ounces of water per pound of weight lost) [/li]
[li]The normal recommendation for protein intake is .8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For athletes, that recommendation is increased to 1 to 1.5 grams per kilogram of weight. To make it easier, I converted to units that we're more accustomed to using: [/li][/list]
  

at 1.0 grams/kilogram [/t]  at 1.5 grams/kilogram     103 pounds [/t]  1.7 ounces   2.5 ounces     112 [/t]  1.8   2.7     119 [/t]  1.9   2.9     125 [/t]  2.0   3.0     130 [/t]  2.1   3.1     135 [/t]  2.2   3.2     140 [/t]  2.2   3.4     145 [/t]  2.3   3.5     152 [/t]  2.4   3.7     160 [/t]  2.6   3.8     171 [/t]  2.7   4.1     189 [/t]  3.0   4.5     215 [/t]  3.4   5.2     250 [/t]  4.0   6.0     Eat fresh fruits and vegetables (great sources of carbohydrates and vitamins and other nutrients) Avoid rapid weight loss (as outlined above, it involves techniques that hurt athletic performance) Eat several small meals every day rather than one or two large meals (helps decrease cravings) Avoid processed foods (most processed foods are high in salt/sodium and fat, and the processing inherently reduces the nutrient content of the foods) Avoid soda/carbonated beverages (high in sodium and sugar) Consider a daily vitamin (when an athlete disturbs his or her dietary patterns, a daily vitamin is good "insurance" that the recommended vitamins and nutrients are consumed) Be careful with caffeine (caffeine is a diuretic as well as a stimulant. There is a limit to the amount allowed in the bloodstream for international competition) Be very careful with supplements and "energy" products (many such products contain ingredients [such as ephedra] that are banned in any quantity from international competition. Few "performance-enhancing" or "muscle building" products have been studied to see what their long-term effects on the body will be. To my knowledge, none has been properly tested with growing athletes)  Nutrition Links:   Weight Management Education by the NCAA   The Wrestlers Diet: A guide to healthy weight control and Nutrition Plan for Wrestlers  (Made available by The Gatorade Sports Science Institute.)   "Something to Chew on" by Ted Witulski/USA Wrestling   USDA's Food and Nutrition Information Center   SportsMom Local Resource:   Monique Ryan is an Evanston-based nutritionist who is nationally known for her work with athletes.  847-864-8689   e-mail

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 “50 Ways”
 
I started an article a while back that was about how “not” to be a successful wrestler.  It started out quite funny, but every time I read the article it started to become something more.  In fact I am pretty sure you can place some of your wrestlers under some of the following:
 
“50 plus (now 100+) Ways Not to Become a State Champion
 
1. Get a girlfriend during the wrestling season and break-up every other weekend.
2. Skip a wrestling tournament to go to a school dance.
3. Think you cannot beat anyone ranked higher than you in the rankings.
4. You think the Fat-man’s roll will be your way to win every match.
5. You sleep during wrestling tournaments, instead of routing on your team-mates.
6. You sleep during wrestling tournaments, instead of watching other matches.
7. You hold hands with your girlfriend between matches.
8. Your diet consists of more junk food than healthy food.
9. During practice you are always spending time in the restroom.
10. During practice you are always taping or doctoring minor injuries.
11. saying I can’t.
12. Wrestling the easiest/least experienced wrestlers in the room as often as possible.
13. Whinnying that practice is too hard.
14. being mentally weak.
15. Joining a gaming club, instead of an offseason sport at school.
16. Never going to bed before midnight.
17. Spending more time drooling over other team’s cheerleaders and stats than preparing yourself for your match.
18. Your method of an extra workout is running your mouth.
19. Your only move is the cow catcher.
20. Do not come to any Christmas practices.
21. Go on family vacations during the wrestling season.
 
22. Drink illegal beverages during the season.
23. Put your party pictures on Myspace or Facebook.
24. Do dangerous activities during the season.  Snowboard (for the first time), Double black Diamond skiing, snowmobiling without a helmet, being pulled behind a 4-wheeler on a car hood.
25. Not showering after practice, so that you catch every mat disease possible.
26. The closest you get to the weight room is passing by on the way to class.
27. Talk about how you used to be able to beat the crap out of a guy.
28. Get ridden out in important matches.
29. Choose both up instead of taking a free point.
30. Work on the parts of your wrestling that you already excel at.
31. Screw around when drilling new stuff.
32. "I lost that match because the ref screwed me over again"
33. You decide not to study for any of your classes.
34. Have mommy call in to get you out of school every time you aren’t feeling to well.
35. Your best role model is a Pokemon Character.
36. Mountain Dew is your Gatorade.
37. Never try to shoot.
38. Smoke.
39. Never listen to your coaches.
40. Getting into a car accident between when school gets out and practice starting.
41. Skip practice because you have a headache…  Skip practice at all!
42. Make excuses.
43. Gaining weight during practice.
44. Punching yourself in the face during practice.
45. Gaining 6 pounds when you ate just two fish sticks.
46. Cutting your head open head-butting the wall during sprints.
47. Skipping a weeks’ worth of practice to let your new tattoo heal.
48. Caring more about how your tattoo looks while you are wrestling instead of wrestling
49. Over sleep and miss weigh-ins.
50. Your sister has to leave practice to go home and wake you up for practice.
51. Your sister makes it to practice and you don’t.
52. Stand up with your head by your knee.
53. You gain 20 pounds over Christmas break.
54. Punching the wall and breaking your hand.
55. You gain 20 pounds before Monday practice after a Saturday weigh in. "Stockton"
56. Drink energy drinks before a tournament and claim it will give you that extra boost you need and then make excuses when you lose about being too tired. "untouchable"
57. Using the excuse, "How could I be over all I drank was diet pop, it has no calories."
58. Believe what other tell you about opponents.  ie.  That guy is a fish, stud, leg rider, etc.... "armbar"
(Scout them for yourself)
59. Ducking better wrestlers by going up or down a weight.  "armbar"
60. You decide that sleeping that extra half hour is more important than getting up and running to get in better shape.  "nowhiners"
61. Don't go to the bathroom before a match so you're tight cheekin' it the whole time you're wrestling.  "Greenwood from experience"
62. Never learn how a bracket actually works so you have no idea what round you're in or if you have a match. "Greenwood"
63. 12 Oz. curls to work on wrist/forearm strength. "Greenwood"
64. You think a push-up is an ice-cream treat that the Schwan's guy brings. "Greenwood"
65. Eat a bar of Exlax to make weight and you have an accident during your match.
66. Thinking ice cubes have no weight. "Right to Left"
67. Ride legs to stall "WrestlingFan89"
68. Going to a street dance the night before a big tournament because you were bored that night. "cubbiegranby96"
69. Make big plans to start a regular, rigorous workout routine.  .  .  tomorrow.  "BillW"
70. Going into the sauna and after getting out immediately drinking any fluid possible(because your really dehydrated)
Yeah that'd be a great way to not be a state champ since it's against the rules to use saunas, hottubs, plastics, diet pills, etc... to lose weight. "hellman"
71. Chugging your 32oz Gatorade so you have a bottle to spit in. "t-tom"
72. Your best and only takedown is the butcher. "jschlag"
73. When your best move is bridging and getting off your back. "qwerty jones"
74. When you know exactly how many lights there are in the gym. "magic cheeseburger"
75. Pairing up with a wrestling partner (in the practice room) that you know you can demolish. "Well Armed"
76.  When you lose you throw the blame on someone else.
77. Make "promises" with your mouth and never sincerely mean to keep them.
78. Cannot take constructive criticism from the coach.  Instead he pouts and think he is getting picked on.
79. Think of yourself first and the team last.
80. When you stink so bad no one wants to wrestle you. "jschlag"
81. If you fake an injury during a match to get a breather or prevent getting pinned. "Wrestlin_Man"
82. If you miss weight for a tournament then, brag about how well you did in the JV division. "Wrestlin_Man"
83. If you're anxious to get done with practice so you can go watch the basketball game. "Wrestlin_Man"
84. Wrestle in the same weight class as Chuck Norris. "Coach_Berglund"
85. Picking your nose in a match to get blood time. "inocentbystander"
86. Not going that extra 10% in practice, or on the mat. "Ground and Pound"
87. Refusing to practice moves from the left-handed position, or right handed if you’re a lefty. "armbar"
88. Get in a hand standing contest before practice, then you tell coach “my hand doesn’t work”
89.  Working close at McDonalds the night before a Regions and you could not resist the fries.
90.  Going home before practice to catch a nap and getting told by your mom you can’t go back.
91.  Working on your tan is more important than getting in an extra workout.
92. Staying up all night at Best Buy to get the midnight new release of Call of Duty.
93. Doing hand-stand contest before practice, “now my hand doesn’t work.”
94. Go on a ski trip with church group and comes back with a broken leg.
95.  My zinc levels were low because I didn't want to take my pills because of weigh-ins. “kentuckywrestling”
96.  Saying "I'm not a morning person" after a loss on Saturday morning at the state tournament.  “SD Wrestling Fan”
97.  The wrestler complaining all the time, “He was choking me...”
98.  Using the excuse: “I just didnt want to win that one.”
99.  Got bite in the ankle by a dog, and was out for the season. Happened in Tennessee to the 215lb in 2009
100.  Stopping the bus on the way to Regional Wrestling Tourney to get a raccoon on the side of the road.
101.  Someone tripped getting onto the bus for the tournament and hurt his knee” kentuckywrestling”
102.  email me if you have a new one to add.
 
dakotagrappler@gmail.com
 
Thanks
Jon Gums
Dakota Grappler