Nutrition tips for wrestlers to build strength and size

Photo: Ray Jazikoff, a former New Jersey standout and NCAA DII All-American at NYU, performing a Keg Carry at The Underground in Manasquan, N.J.

Editor’s Note: This article appeared in WIN’s Volume 32 Issue 9, which printed on June 25, 2026. 

By Zach Even-Esh

One thing I tell wrestlers on the regular is this: “We can see from a mile away who is eating steak and eggs vs. who is eating processed junk on the regular and/or skipping meals/not eating enough.” We start by educating parents and athletes about simple nutrition guidelines that support the energy and recovery requirements of wrestling along with the training outside of wrestling. Keep it simple and don’t worry about getting scientific here — step one is eating whole foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

As a result of excessive club sports and travel sports, we see families missing meals together such as breakfast and dinner. Instead, breakfast is often skipped or something processed is thrown in the microwave and dinner is from a fast food “restaurant” on the road after practice at 8 or 9 p.m. This is a big reason why we see wrestlers, especially middle-school wrestlers, struggling to gain size and strength. Many wrongly assume that the wrestler “needs another year of training.” What they really need is better nutrition, better strength training and rest days in the overall training plan.

Adding another year of more training coupled with inadequate nutrition is not the solution to the undersized wrestler. If it’s not working now, it will not suddenly start working. Let’s lock down a few powerful tips to get locked in and make progress with strength and size that carries over to the mat. We don’t want to build size without strength. We call this ALL show, NO go. This happens from excess bodybuilding, machine isolation workouts and high reps.   

Nutrition: The goal is to have the following plan in the offseason:

• 3 meals by 3 p.m.: Breakfast and lunch are home-cooked meals. After school can be dinner leftovers, a sandwich and fruit or trail mix and a protein shake if you’re on the run.
• 5 meals before bed: Dinner is again a home-cooked meal and later that night can be another breakfast, dinner leftovers or Greek yogurt with some raw honey and a scoop of protein powder.

If the food is in a box or wrapper with an extended expiration date, we know it’s a highly processed “food” and want to avoid these. The other common mistake of wrestlers and their parents is trying to “cut weight” when they are six-plus months out from the season. I have seen too many wrestlers skipping meals and trying to stay light for next season. The body wants to grow. Strength is not a weakness. When a wrestler wants to consistently cut weight, I question their preparation and who they are ducking. Get strong, build muscle and get excited to compete.

For training – your favorite Instagram or TikTok influencer is likely on drugs and might have a six-pack, but wrestling is not bodybuilding. Look at how the best are training; they attack the basics and they focus on strength and power. In the offseason, three strength sessions per week is the standard. Twice a week is not enough; we prefer twice a week to be in season with a 30-minute training time each session.

The offseason is for growth, and those sessions should last 45–60 minutes. The results will come when you fuel your body with whole foods consistently. Parents, this is largely your responsibility as our kids don’t do the food shopping. I suggest cooking in quantity, so you have chicken, beef/meat and carbs for a few days. Make your kid(s) breakfast and then heat up lunch for school, packed in a thermos.

This morning, for example, I made my son French toast, and he had a glass of milk. School lunch was chicken, steak and rice heated up and put in his thermos. Other breakfast samples can be gluten-free oatmeal with some fruit and sliced almonds mixed in or eggs and toast. How do farmers eat? That’s the ticket!

There is NO such thing as weak and successful. The nutrition is what supports all the training. When wrestlers are in their teen years, we are no longer bending to the excuses of “I don’t like how that tastes….” or “I don’t have the time….”. We all have time. And use condiments to add to the taste of your food. Destroy your excuses and find a way to get strong, grow and WIN.

Now it’s up to you to do the WORK and make it happen.

Zach Even-Esh is the Founder of The Underground Strength Gym, Author of The Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Creator of The SSPC Certification. Zach also serves as a consultant for teams and organizations seeking elite performance. To connect with Zach and for FREE resources, go to https://ZachEven-Esh.com. 

If you’re in NJ, go to https://UndergroundStrengthClub.com.