Here’s the latest from Troy in regards to his wrestling nutrition…
…But first:
Nutrition has come to be a part of my life. For a majority of my junior year in High School (2003-2004) I competed at 125lbs. At the end of the year, I competed in the state tournament down 1 weight class at 119lbs. The following year, my senior season, I wrestled most of the year at 135lbs (my natural weight) and cut down to 125lbs for the state tournament.
I probably would have stayed up but the national governing body imposed a rule that you had to compete in the Senior National tournament at the weight that you competed in your state tournament at.
For the following 5 years after that, I competed again at 125lbs throughout my college career. Each year, this weight grew increasingly more difficult to make. Every year, it took me more and more time to get my weight under control to make the weight class.
Now, 8 years later, I am competing at 121lbs (55kg). By no means will I say that this is an easy task for me. After competing in wrestling for 20 years, I will say that oftentimes the toughest match I face is over well before I step foot on the mat. My toughest match is too often with the scale.
Over the past few years, I have dedicated myself to controlling my weight as it has been more of a way of life than anything. Everything I put in my body is controlled and measured precisely. I have worked very closely with Clint Wattenberg CSCS, RD (Cornell Wrestling Nutritionist) and Jennifer Gibson, RD (Team USA Wrestling Nutritionist) in developing a nutrition plan that works with my body.
I have also had to monitor my workout regimen in order to complement my nutrition plan (i.e. although I love to get in the weight room and throw around the weights, I have to be careful how much I actually do now).
My nutrition plan that I am currently on is a pretty holistic natural eating plan. I try to put only whole foods in my body whenever possible. Not only does this allow me to get the most nutrition for the least amount of energy, it also helps in keeping my bodies toxicity levels low by staying away from artificial preservatives.
In general, my diet is high in vegetables, moderate in fruit, moderate in grains and moderate in protein and fats. Currently, as I am still in the “trimming” phase of my diet, my carbohydrate load is higher than normal with a lower protein load.
As I get closer to competition and closer to my goal weight, I will gradually cut out carbs and increase my protein to decrease the amount of water in my body.
Hydration is a very important part of my nutrition plan. The only beverage that I put in my body is water (other than the enormous amounts of coffee I drink which fixes my caffeine addiction), and I put a ton of it in. The more hydrated you are, the more efficient your body will work. I carry a water bottle with me at all times to make sure I am drinking all day.
On average, I would say that I put between 1 and 2 gallons of water in my body daily. As you can imagine, it goes through me pretty quickly. I continue this process of staying fully hydrated up until about 3 days prior to my weigh in so that I can keep all of my hormones in check. Believe it or not, this also helps those last few pounds come off much easier in the end.
I only will make a weight cut when I am within 10-12 pounds of my weigh in weight. This way I know I will make the weight and feel good after the cut. At most, I will cut 15lbs which I do not recommend unless absolutely necessary. Any more than that will drastically effect performance levels.
As you can imagine, those last 10-12 lbs of weight is not actually weight loss. It is shifting water weight, which will usually not last more than 36 hours in a dehydrated state. After weigh ins, fluid will be replaced immediately and I’m ready to go.
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Hi, I’m Dickie (the author of this blog). Here I am with my good buddy, Kyle Dake. While he doesn't have a nice coat like me, he is pretty good at wrestling. Here's what he said about my training system:
Before I began lifting using Dickie's system my wrestling skills were getting slightly better. I've now been lifting under his guidance for more than 5 months and I have begun to dominating ALL of my competition. At first I had little faith in Dickie and his program, but now I would run into a wall if he told me I would get stronger! I know it sounds insane, but I would. The bottom line is Dickie is an expert and knows what he is talking about. If you want to defeat those kids whom you've always lost to and reach a level you never thought possible, I suggest you start lifting using Dickie's system immediately.
-Kyle Dake, 4X NCAA Division 1 National Champion