Nutrition and Hydration Essential For Bulls Going Hard Daily In The Heat of August
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, AUG. 14, 2019 – The heat is on the Bulls as they gear up for the season with grueling fall camp practices under the scorching sun at the Morsani Complex.
Earlier this week, USF went all-out in full pads for about two hours as the real-feel temperature climbed to 104. A lot of progress was gained by the team, but constantly motoring around in sweltering conditions meant there was still work to do in another important area for individuals.
"I start with a quick, two Powerades," said senior tight end
Mitchell Wilcox, who sweats out anywhere from 8-12 pounds of water weight per practice during camp. "I usually chill for a little bit and catch my breath. Then I'll go get some treatment and pound some food. I'll stay there until I eat at least two plates of something."
Wilcox, who consumes 5,000 to 10,000 calories per day during camp, follows that up with a protein shake a little later and the process of replenishing his body continues throughout the night. The muscular Mackey Award candidate even carries a gallon jug with him everywhere to get back up to at least 243 pounds by the next practice.
"What we tell them in the beginning of the preseason, at the very first team meeting, is that for every pound of water weight you lose at a practice, we expect you to drink a 20-ounce bottle of Powerade, or a combination of Powerade and water," said
Steve Walz, USF's Director of Sports Medicine who oversees 16 certified/licensed athletic trainers providing care for nearly 500 USF student-athletes.
Walz's staff can tell when a Bull needs another bottle (or possibly 10) because they're constantly checking. Strength and conditioning coaches record student-athletes' weight before and after practices, and again later in the day if they're heavy weight losers.
The all-time weight loss high Walz has seen in his 20 years at USF was 16 pounds by a former player who was back up 17 pounds by the next fall practice. Sweat rates depend on the person, but it's common to see some players drop 6-8 pounds a practice during fall camp.
"I can kind of feel how much I lost. On the hotter days, I'll lose 10-12 pounds," said redshirt sophomore left guard
Demetris Harris (6-2, 324). "On the lighter days, when it's not as hot, I'll probably lose 6-8. It's still a lot of weight."
Even a lean running back like junior
Odunayo Seriki (5-10, 185) tends to drop 8 pounds during practice and gain it back this fall.
"A lot of times, your best athletes are your heaviest sweaters," Walz said. "That's just an efficient mechanism for your body to stay cool."
Safety First
Under the watchful eyes of Walz and Head Football Athletic Trainer
Yuriy Chulskiy, Bulls across the board are safely regaining water weight this fall before hitting the field again the next day.
"They do a very, very good job of listening and taking care of themselves," Walz said.
If they're a little short of reaching their mark, Walz said the Bulls will drink "quite a bit" before practice to get at least some water weight back. During the action, those Bulls are monitored and if they show any signs of heat illness (sluggish, muscle cramping, dizziness), they'll be taken off the field for precautionary reasons.
"We won't wait and try to replenish their fluids and keep them going for the rest of practice," Walz said. "We already know they're down, so we're not going to make them continue to deplete."
If a player loses 10 pounds and gains about half or less of that back, then the sports medicine staff could pull the plug on the player's practice time just to be careful.
"Although it's not a popular decision by the player or the coach, sometimes that's the best medical decision," Walz said.
Starting offensive lineman
Demetris Harris (Jacksonville, Fla.) hasn't had that problem, nor has starting tight end
Mitchell Wilcox (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) because they're always prepared.
"Throughout the day, I'll have something in my hand constantly because you don't want to dehydrate, cramp up, or anything like that," Harris said.
Drinking Just Water Won't Do the Trick
Walz said just pounding water alone won't get a player all the way back up to his normal camp weight safely and quickly because electrolytes and sodium are necessities.
"If you're really depleted and you drink too much water, it could be dangerous to your system," he said.
That's why Powerade is a huge plus and it's available to players throughout practice and during the day in the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center. Bulls are even supplied with bottles of the sports drink for home.
"There really is no excuse not to have it," Walz said.
Electrolyte supplements also are in stock if needed and a lack of sodium is easy for sports medicine staff to spot because players will be showing white residue on their clothing.
"Some people are low on sodium, so we'll tell them maybe that's the type of person that needs to salt their food a little more," said Walz.
Speaking of food, healthy options like lean meats, fruits and vegetables are the way to go for refueling. Carbonated beverages and fried, fatty foods should be avoided, although fall camp presents the Bulls with exceptions for eating.
"There's such a high demand on their bodies," Walz said. "You really just want to give them some calories and fluids as much as they can. We're not as picky on exactly what it is."
The demand for food during camp is easily met with players getting three meals a day at Champions Choice, a dining location just a short walk away from Selmon Athletics Center. Additionally, players are provided with a substantial snack, which is really another meal for the average person (burrito bowl, sub, pizza, etc.).
Wilcox makes sure he stays later at the dinner table to take in as much food as he can during the "toughest" camp days to keep the weight. Although it's been "quite a process," the important piece to new offensive coordinator
Kerwin Bell's system said he's worked hard to successfully keep his weight at 243 or above each day.
"This new offense is calling for me to be explosive and run a lot of quick routes and deep routes," Wilcox said. "I'm all for that, but you have to give something to get something."
Offseason Program Helped Bulls Gain – and Keep It
Head coach
Charlie Strong has constantly praised head strength and conditioning coach
Pat Moorer's offseason training program this fall because of the Bulls' notable gains in size, strength and speed.
Walz agrees with Strong's assessment and said the summer progress is helping players today in their pursuit of regaining lost water weight for the next camp practice.
"They're in great condition, which makes their bodies more efficient, so they can take in fluids and use them properly," he said.
Walz noted putting in the work this summer is allowing the Bulls to really push through the camp grind that started Aug. 2 and goes all the way to game week at the end of the month.
"I don't think we've had as many muscle cramps. We haven't had to do as many IV fluids that you usually do in the first week of camp," Walz said. "I think guys' bodies are better trained, much more efficient as a group than maybe we have been in the last four-five years."
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
Having completed just its 22nd season of football, and 19th at the FBS level, the USF football program has earned 10 bowl appearances, including a current run of four straight, and owns a record of 6-3 in bowl games. The Bulls have appeared in the national top 25 rankings in each of the past three seasons, including a program record run of 20 straight weeks in the top 25, and in 2018 reached the program's 150th win faster than any FBS program in state of Florida history. USF has posted a pair of 10-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a program-record 11 wins (11-2) in 2016, and logged 15 winning seasons overall. Since first taking the field in 1997, the USF program has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings (2007), seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and 29 earn first-team all-conference selection.
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