What do John Cena, The Rock, and Ronda Rousey all have in common? Sure, they’re some of the biggest WWE superstars ever. But they also fuel their hardcore training programs with diets focused on nutrient-dense all natural food.
When your days consist of intense workouts plus wrestling matches practically year-round, nutrition makes or breaks performance. The wrong fuel leaves you dragging. But the right foods? They give these athletes the endurance, strength, and recovery necessary to entertain millions of WWE fans every week with their high-flying maneuvers and bone-crushing battles in the ring.
Here’s what exactly makes up those diets that offer so much hard-hitting power and stamina.
Load Up On Complex Carbs
Carbohydrates often get a bad rap for making people fat. But eating the right kinds of carbs is crucial for wrestlers training multiple hours a day. Their muscles subsist on carbs for quick, reliable energy.
Complex carbs from whole grains, beans/legumes, starchy veggies, and fruit break down slowly for hours of sustainable fuel vs the quick burn-out from refined carbs like white bread, chips, and pasta.
Oats – Bowlfuls of oatmeal packed with nuts and fruit is many a WWE star’s breakfast staple. The soluble fiber keeps them feeling satisfied for hours while working out.
Quinoa – This trendy seed-like grain has become hugely popular with athletes. It’s high in protein (unlike most other grains) with a ton of nutrients. Roman Reigns and Becky Lynch swear by it!
Sweet Potatoes – Battling in the ring demands serious reserves of muscle glycogen to power those intense bursts of activity. The natural sugars from sweet potatoes resupply wrestlers’ glycogen stores.
Beans – They may elicit some giggles but beans seriously rock as a high-energy food! Their soluble fiber and complex carbs supply the bloodstream with a steady supply of vital glucose for hours.
Protein, Protein, Protein
WWE athletes need a lot of top-notch protein for repairing and building their considerable muscle mass. Protein provides the crucial amino acids required for that process of maintaining and growing muscle.
But not all proteins serve the same purpose! The types of protein consumed make a huge impact on strength, endurance, and recovery:
Whey Protein – Most wrestling stars down protein shakes made with whey protein isolate immediately after workouts when muscles desperately need quick protein for recovery.
Casein Protein – Casein protein powder, often blended with whey, digests far slower, allowing those muscle-building amino acids to steadily feed muscles for hours. Overnight while sleeping is the prime time for this extended anti-catabolic effect.
Animal Proteins – Grass-fed beef and bison, organic chicken, wild salmon, eggs, and Greek yogurt pack a nutritional wallop of branch chain amino acids and vitamin B12 for energy production in the Krebs cycle. Their impressive protein content optimizes muscle growth.
Plant Proteins – While not complete proteins on their own, foods like quinoa, lentils, hemp, and pea protein nicely supplement all those chicken breasts. Seth Rollins, in particular, loves a very veggie-heavy dietary template.
Healthy Fats For Fuel
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson consumes a staggering 10 pounds of food each day while training for films and WWE events. All those dense calories require some serious healthy fat!
Fats provide over twice as much energy per gram compared to carbs or protein. And essential fatty acids offer critical support for muscle inflammation, metabolism, and numerous hormones. But not just any fats will do!
Avocados – Nearly every Instagram post of The Rock shows him chowing avocados! The ultimate source of anti-inflammatory oleic acid plus fiber, potassium, and vitamins.
Nuts and Nut Butter – Almonds, walnuts, pecans. Wrestlers love blending them into smoothies or snacking on handfuls between workouts for the perfect nutrient combo.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Many studies confirm olive oil’s ability to fight inflammation while supporting a healthy cardiovascular system. No wonder stars like John Cena make it their oil of choice!
Coconut Oil – While technically a saturated fat, coconut oil consists of unique medium-chain triglycerides that promote ketone production for energy and cognition. Some science shows it supports testosterone production as well.
Fatty Fish – Salmon, sardines, and mackerel serve up anti-inflammatory omega-3s to buffer all the intense wear-and-tear to joints and connective tissue that wrestlers endure.
Hydration Check
All those hours of intense cardiac activity under hot ring lights carry a huge sweat cost. Rehydrating properly is truly a life-or-death scenario.
In addition to water, sports drinks with electrolytes and coconut water replenish crucial depleted minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium lost through sweat.
Remember, even mild dehydration negatively impacts strength, endurance, and cognitive drive. Not where any wrestler strives to be!
From the Rock to Ronda Rousey, nutrition undoubtedly plays a central role for wrestling stars. Fueling a ripped physique capable of superhuman feats isn’t realistic without strategic eating.
