Back to list of tips

Cutting weight without losing Srength

Ok... this might be the #1 question wrestlers, coaches and parents have (at least for high school wrestlers)...

Don't ever starve yourself to make weight. If you have to do that, you're not doing things correctly.

First things first... weight-cutting is an art. You should never wait until the last minute and then starve and dehydrate yourself. This is a recipe for injury, overtraining and burnout.

You must think about the process weekly, with an eating system. Then you fine-tune starting 3 days before weighing in.

I could go on for a while here, so I'm just going to give you a meal plan system that will allow you to keep strength and energy, while dropping any extra fat that may keep you from making weight.

It's called the 40/30/30.

This means you will consume 40% protein, 30% carbohydrates, and 30% fats in your meal plan. This ratio is how you divide your daily calories.

To start, take your desired bodyweight, and add a zero.

So if you're 150lbs, and want to wrestle at 140lbs, you will make sure you AT LEAST get 1400 calories daily. You have to gauge your body. Because of physical and mental demands on your body this may or may not be enough to sustain your strength and energy levels. We are all metabollically different...

Of the total calories you eat daily just make sure you have a 40/30/30 macronutrient ratio.

PROTEIN:
40% protein of 1400 calories = 560 calories from protein.
Divide 560 by 4 to get the total number of grams of protein daily (560/4=140 grams of protein daily)
140 divided by 5 to get the number of grams of protein at each daily meal (140/5=28 grams of protein per meal)

CARBOHYDRATES:
30% carbohydrates of 1400 calories=420 grams of carbohydrates daily
Divide 420 by 4 to get daily grams of carbohydrates (420/4=105 grams of carbohydrates daily)
Carbohydrates are stored in the body so you can eat them when you feel the need for energy. I recommend getting most between the morning meal, and after practice.

FATS:
30% fat of 1400 calories=420 grams of fat daily
Divide 420 by 9 to get number of grams of fat you should eat daily. (420/9=47 grams of fat daily)

Fats are also stored. Try to get unsaturated fats into the meal plan from oils (olive oil, flax seed oil) and nuts. You can add oils to protein shakes if necessary.