Sample Meal Plan

Intro

This post is geared towards the nutritional needs for male high school wrestlers. the sport of wrestling uses all energy systems but predominantly anaerobic glycolysis. The ATP-PCr system is also used quite heavily. Due to this, nutritional needs and timing will favor a higher ingestion of carbohydrates and proteins within this athletic population. Below are some guidelines for macronutrient ingestion:

• The carbohydrate needs for wrestling fall between 5-8g/kg of body-weight
• Males performing exceptional activity levels such as wrestling require 58kcal/kg/day
• If the intensity of exercise is heavy and not exceptional that day, the requirement drops to 50kcal/kg/day.
• Athletes performing moderate training require 1.2 - 2.0 grams/kg/day of protein
• Athletes performing heavy training require 1.7 - 2.2 grams/kg/day of protein 
• High school wrestlers should aim to ingest .5-1.5 g/kg/day of fats within their diet

Nutrient Timing Recommendations

Pre-exercise

• A meal 4-6 hours prior to exercise
• A snack 30-60 minutes prior to exercise (30-50g of carbs, 5-10g of protein)
• Hourly meals consisting of .8g/kg/hr of carbs and .2-.4g/kg/hr of protein. 

During-exercise

• Fluid replacement of .5-1.0 liters/hour (water or sports drinks)      
• Exercise >90 min: 6-12 fluid ounces of carbohydrate-electrolyte solution every 10-15min   

Post-Exercise

• Carb/protein drink (1g/kg carb and .5g/kg protein) within 30min after exercise     
• High carb/protein meal <2 hours after exercise     

Supplementation Recommendations

Whey protein -  This protein is fast dissolving.  PDCAA score of 1. It is currently the most popular protein supplement on the market. This is in part to the rapid uptake of amino acids. It is often used immediately following a workout for fast replenishment. Wrestlers could utilize this following a practice or competition to ensure positive protein balance.

Casein Protein - This protein is the slowest dissolving of the three listed. PDCAA score of 1. This is a great protein to be taken by wrestlers due to the longer periods of fasting. It can be taken anytime dieting restrictions are in place to aid in making weight classes. Typically taken before bed it will help keep the body above the catabolic state due to its slower digestion.

BCAA's - It has been shown that BCAA's can play a role in fatigue, energy availability and muscle soreness. Improving damage mitigation is important especially at the intensities these athletes are pushed in wrestling. One study that saw significant changes in muscle mass and grip strength used 14g/day of BCAA's for 30-days (Kreider, 2019).

Mock Athlete Example

Athlete weight: 84kg

Activity level: Heavy

Calories: 4,200 kcal/day

Carbohydrates: 672 g/day = 8g x 84kg

Protein: 142 g/day = 1.7g x 84kg

Fat: 84 g/day = 1g x 84kg

Sample Meal Plan

The whey isolate should be taken in the morning along with breakfast for this athlete. BCAA's can be taken after the training session that they have for that day to refuel. Before bed the Casein protein can be taken to maintain a positive protein balance throughout their sleep. The diet itself may allow for supplementation to not be necessary if it is followed closely. The supplementation is just that "supplemental". 

Conclusion

It is feasible for a wrestler of this size to attain all dietary recommendations if they put effort into it. This may be difficult for some wrestlers to buy in to due to the sports inherent history of poor weight loss techniques. Though steps have been taken to promote healthy weight loss, there is still plenty of progress to be made to shift old habits. Wrestlers who are naturally at their weight class can benefit from a properly designed diet to ensure weight maintenance and adequate performance. 

References     

       Kreider, R. B. (2019). Essentials of exercise and sport nutrition: Science to practice. Raleigh, NC: Lulu.  

Muscle Building Supplementation

                                                                                                                                                                Recap 

    The athletes that this blog is focused on is male high school wrestlers. Muscle building and overall performance outcomes can be impacted through appropriate dietary supplementation. Three of those supplements are provided below. 

Supplements

    Creatine monohydrate:

1. How does this supplement work?

        Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid compound. It can be acquired through the daily diet via red meat and seafood. Creatine binds to phosphate within the body to produce PCr (phosphocreatine). PCr can then be broken down to aid in ATP (energy) production for our athletes. The larger the pool of creatine available within the body, the more opportunity for bonds to be made and broken promoting the creation of ATP (Kreider, 2019).  

1. Why do you recommend this supplement for your athlete of focus?

        I recommend this supplement to my athletes to have increased ATP production for our high intensity exercise. Wrestling is almost holistically independent short bouts of intense exercise/training. Anaerobic glycolysis and ATP-PCr systems are utilized the most within our sport. How does all of this play into muscle building? The more time our athletes can spend exercising at higher intensities, the greater their adaptations will be. As they create micro damage to their muscles it open the door for rebuilding and an increased rate of hypertrophy. 

1. how much/often should the supplement be taken?

        The average individual needs to replenish roughly 3-5g/day of creatine for maintenance depending on muscle mass. It is also suggested that athletes involved in intense training may need 5-10g/day depending on training output (Kreider, 2019). 

1. are there any concerns or any other points worth mentioning?

        It was once speculated that creatine played a role in dehydration of athletes. This claim has been debunked over the years due to the fact that creatine has no diuretic properties associated with it. Creatine has been investigated heavily for its efficacy and safety in numerous populations. All population can safely take this product due to no adverse side effects. 

    Protein:

1. How does this supplement work?

        Protein supplementation can come in a few different forms. The two that are most prevalent are casein protein and whey isolate protein. Both types impact muscle protein synthesis (MPS) at different rates when ingested. Casein protein has a slower MPS than whey isolate. Due to this the timing of their use and ingestion becomes a factor. Preventing the body from being in a catabolic state is the primary goal when ingesting protein. Additionally, protein intake has been shown to improve fat free mass in various populations (Kreider, 2019). 

1. Why do you recommend this supplement for your athlete of focus?

        I recommend this supplementation to my athlete to improve recovery and increase muscle mass. Keeping my athletes in a positive protein balance is important for hypertrophy. additionally I recommend both types of protein that I suggested above. Whey isolate I suggest to be taken following our intense training and practices. Casein I suggest being taken before bed due to its slower release and MPS. Most of their recovery and rebuilding is being done during their sleep. Having casein maintaining their positive protein balance throughout their sleep is highly beneficial. 

1. how much/often should the supplement be taken?

        Protein intake should be at 1.4-2.0g/kg/day for these athletes (Kreider, 2019). They are involved in high intensity training and can ingest more proteins than the average and or sedentary population. 

1. are there any concerns or any other points worth mentioning?

        It is important to note that more does not mean better. Increasing protein intakes to extreme levels does not continue to increase fat free mass production. There is a physiological cut off for how much protein can be synthesized (excluding steroidal use). Increasing protein intake above safe levels can begin to tax internal organs and increase body fat (Kreider, 2019). 

    BCAA's:

1. How does this supplement work?

        BCAA supplementation effects muscle building and mitigation of muscle damage. It is speculated that ingesting BCAA's promotes and anti-catabolic hormonal profile. Additionally the Leucine within BCAA's has been speculated to increase the initiation of protein translation (Kreider, 2019). 

1. Why do you recommend this supplement for your athlete of focus?

        I recommend this supplementation to my athletes to reduce the opportunity for them to be in a catabolic state. Improving damage mitigation is important especially at the intensities they are pushed in wrestling. The quicker they can recover and bounce back to optimally performance, the better. This pairs well with the use of creatine monohydrate to create more opportunity of muscle damage and physiological adaptations. 

1. how much/often should the supplement be taken?

        There is a lot of speculation on the amounts of BCAA's that should be ingested. This is largely due to the investigations of degree of efficacy that is being observed within the literature. It seems that certain populations and training intensities warrant various dosages of BCAA's. The outcomes from studies still produce inconclusive results. One study that saw significant changes in muscle mass and grip strength used 14g/day of BCAA's for 30-days (Kreider, 2019). Inversely a study that utilized 9g/day did not see an impact on performance or body composition (Kreider, 2019). 

1. are there any concerns or any other points worth mentioning?

        There have been no reported side effects of ingesting BCAA's. Multiple populations have been investigated with inconclusive results on increased performance of body composition. BCAA's may be beneficial for the sole purpose of buffering athletes from reaching a catabolic state following intense training bouts that deplete them. 

    Wrap-up:

    All three of the supplements that have been talked about have there place in an athletes repertoire. Not all athletes will need supplementation if they are conscious of keeping an appropriate diet. Those that have deficiencies or are struggling attaining certain dietary needs should look into supplementation. Additionally, the use of some supplements in conjunction can see beneficial outcomes through independent physiological outcomes. the human body is an interconnected network. Ensuring that there are no deficient or missing dietary links can impact performance and muscular growth at an enhanced level. 

References     

       Kreider, R. B. (2019). Essentials of exercise and sport nutrition: Science to practice. Raleigh, NC: Lulu.                                                                                            

Supplementation

 Introduction

    The athletes that are focused on in this article post are male high school wrestlers. We are going to first define what an ergogenic aid is. An ergogenic aid is "any training technique, mechanical device, nutritional ingredient, pharmacological method, or psychological technique that can improve performance capacity or enhance training adaptations" (Kreider, 2019). Nutritional supplements fall under the ergogenic aid umbrella if they are documented by peer-reviewed studies to enhance exercise performance or muscular hypertrophy. Two examples of ergogenic aids would be creatine and beta-alanine supplements. Beta-alanine aid in maintaining a pH buffer for an athlete. This allow the athlete to reduce intermuscular acidity and perform exercise bout for a longer duration before maximal fatigue. Additionally, creatine aids in turnover rate of the ATP-PC system. Acute energy for short and intense exercise bouts. The premise behind this is the more availability of creatine within the body, the greater the rate of binding to phosphate to generate ATP. 

    Dietary supplements are placed in a special category of "food" via the the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). Under this law, dietary supplements must be founded on the idea that they are used as a product to supplement the diet and thus contain a "dietary ingredient" (Kreider, 2019). Dietary ingredients fall under a broad range of products such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, organ tissue, enzymes, glandular extracts, and botanicals (Kreider, 2019). These dietary supplements are tested for quality assurance based on where the company send them for testing. Some companies send their products to for review by the FDA directly. Alternatively, other companies may send their products to be screened by third party testing. This method of third party testing does not guarantee that the supplements have no banned substances, but it does reduce the likelihood. Some examples of third party testing companies are NSF, Informed Choice, and Banned Substances Control Group (Kreider, 2019). Ideally, some questions should be asked when deciding whether or not to begin taking a new supplement:

• Does the idea behind the supplement have scientific logic?
• Is the supplement checked for legality and safety of consumption?
• Have studies been conducted on the use of this supplement?
• Were the studies methodologically concrete? (controlled properly, appropriate population, etc.,) 
• Were the studies results scientifically significant?
• Was the study published by a well known peer-reviewed scientific journal?
• Is the study itself able to be reproduced effectively with the same outcomes?

    When looking into all the questions, you can begin to sift through false claims and find the actual scientific foundations that most supplements claim to have. 

Research Example

    In this section we are going to do some research on Creatine supplementation and its claims to ergogenic benefits. 

    Basic Internet Search:

        

        Claim one - "helps muscle cells produce more energy" (Mawer, 2018)

        Claim two - "Speeds muscle growth" (Mawer, 2018)

        Claim three - "very little research in children under the age of 18" (Ratini, 2018)

        

        Claim four - "if you do take creatine, drink enough water to prevent dehydration" (Ratini, 2018)

    Peer-reviewed Internet Search:

        Claim one comparison - When claim one was compared to the peer-reviewed literature, it has                 scientific merit. Creatine supplementation has been shown to increase energy production and                 performance in athletes performing anaerobic exercise (Mielgo-Ayuso et al., 2019). 

        Claim two comparison - When claim two was compared to the peer-reviewed literature, it has                flaws in the wording used. Creatine supplementation aids in increasing lean body mass by                     reducing the amount of protein breakdown and potentially impacting variables of muscular                     hypertrophy. The claim that outright states that creatine speeds muscle growth though not                        incorrect, could be misleading (Ricci et al., 2020).  

        Claim three comparison - When claim three was compared to the peer-reviewed literature, it                    supported the scientific claims of the year it was published. By 2018 there was not significant                 evidence on the safety or efficacy of creatine supplementation for adolescents (Jagim et al., 2018). 

        Claim four comparison - When claim four was compared to the peer-reviewed literature, it had no         supporting scientific claims. Peer-reviewed literature consistently refutes old claims that creatine            supplementation causes increased chances of dehydration. Additionally, quite the opposite has                been observed. Due to the amount of water ingested when creatine loading and no diuretic                     properties of creatine itself, most athletes tested are hydrated (Kreider et al., 2017). The claims of         creatine causing dehydration were stated in the infancy of the supplement coming into the market,         since then there has been no new literature to back these claims. 

    Additional Information:

        The populations that could utilize creatine supplementation could be any athletic or fitness oriented population. Male or female athletes can benefit from creatine supplementation. The benefits observed are primarily during anaerobic exercise. The younger age group may still be cautioned about the use of creatine supplementation. The use within the adolescent population still needs more literature on efficacy and safety. This approach is out of an abundance of caution. No negative effects have been observed in the studies that have used adolescent participants and creatine supplementation. Dose intakes should begin with a loading phase of 20-30g/day for 6-7days followed by a maintenance phase of 5g per day (Mielgo-Ayuso et al., 2019).  

Conclusion

    It is important to do your own research on the claims that are made by and for supplements on the market. Whether you are a coach or an athlete, taking the time to inquire can spare disqualification and bans in the future. Additionally, investigating supplements for their efficacy and health risk factors should remain a high priority above improving performance in the short run. 

References

Jagim, A. R., Stecker, R. A., Harty, P. S., Erickson, J. L., & Kerksick, C. M. (2018). Safety of creatine             supplementation in active adolescents and youth: A brief review. Frontiers in nutrition, 5, 115.

Kreider, R. B. (2019). Essentials of exercise and sport nutrition: Science to practice. Raleigh, NC: Lulu.

Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Wildman, R., Collins, R., ... & Lopez, H.         L. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine            supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports             Nutrition, 14(1), 1-18.

Mawer, R. (2018, October 25). Creatine 101 - What Is It and What Does It Do? Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-creatine

Mielgo-Ayuso, J., Calleja-Gonzalez, J., Marqués-Jiménez, D., Caballero-García, A., Córdova, A., & Fernández-Lázaro, D. (2019). Effects of creatine supplementation on athletic performance in soccer players: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients, 11(4), 757.

Ratini, M. (2018, December 12). Creatine Supplements: Usage and Side Effects. Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://www.webmd.com/men/creatine

Ricci, T., Forbes, S. C., & Candow, D. G. (2020). Creatine Supplementation: Practical Strategies and Considerations for Mixed Martial Arts. Journal of Exercise and Nutrition ISSN, 2640, 2572.