Traditional Sport: Mud Wrestling & Mud Preparation

Abstract

Tapering in Wrestling: The Yin-Yang of Muscle Glycogen Concentrations and Training Frequency Amateur Wrestling is a very intense sport with the average intensity over the 6-7 minute match being 95-100% of VO2max (3). As with all exercises or sport at this intensity it is almost exclusively dependent on the stores of carbohydrate in the muscle: muscle glycogen (2). This is true quantitatively during one match and is particularly true during multiple match days, such as practice or tournaments (3). With regard to practices over the course of a week, coaches have choices to make regarding the yin-yang of carbohydrate intake and total work during practice. Training every day for 2 hours will require a consumption of 8-10 g carbohydrate/kg body weight (for the 70 kg wrestler, 560 g carbohydrate; 2240 kcals/day of carbohydrate) which is a very large amount; similar to endurance athletes. An alternative approach would be to practice 3 non-consecutive days/week or every other day, in this case only half of the carbohydrate would be needed to consumed every day (70 kg wrestler; 280 g/day or 1120 kcal of carbohydrate/day.) This second approach would appear to be supported by tapering (reduced training volume) research where muscle glycogen is increased (1) and lactate is increased after an improved maximal performance (4,5,6). This approach would also appear prudent for the student-athlete as low muscle glycogen would lead to low blood glucose and quite likely to a reduced performance in the classroom as well as in the gymnasium. Again, it is reducing the training frequency variable that is most important to optimize muscle glycogen concentrations for practices and competitions.