While “cutting weight” may be a common practice in the sport of wrestling, the Lions of Penn State are finding that following a healthier diet and exercise regimen supports their performance and overall health. Jocelyn Syrstad, a staff writer for the Daily Collegian, contrasted the emphasis on weight management under new coach Cael Sanderson to methods such as skipping meals and extra workouts to force off excess weight.
Sanderson’s emphasis on finding the right weight to be strong and perform well has translated into wrestlers paying attention to their diet. “Wrestlers are notorious for waiting until the last minute to cut weight, and they do it the wrong way,” said Kristine Clark, director of sports nutrition for intercollegiate athletics at Penn State. “I think the coach of our wrestling program is highly aware of the role nutrition plays in athletic performance and encourages his team to lose weight, or gain weight, the right way.”
The solution could be as simple as adding a banana to breakfast every day, as one freshman did to address fatigue, or consuming more small meals throughout the day along with more water to keep energy levels up and flush out toxins more readily. The team has even started eating out the night before a meet—at Subway—because all the wrestlers are down to weight in time instead of needing to fast overnight.