The game hasn't even started and Washington State has already been 'beet'. To prepare for the altitude at Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium this weekend, the Cougars training staff is telling players to drink beet juice and testing their urine to make sure they do it.

"We do have to warn them that hey, your pee might be red,” Washington State Director of Performance Nutrition Lindsey Barkley told the Spokesman-Review. "I’m going to test USG (Urine Specific Gravity) here in a second, so we’ll see how many beets they’ve been consuming.”

Barkley believes nitrates in beet juice help increase blood flow, allowing players to produce more oxygen and energy. Her plan was difficult to digest at first. After the team complained about the taste of the juice, she found a more edible alternative by mixing concentrated beet powder into performance shakes.

Along with shakes, Washington State players are also being fed beets during every meal this week. They're banking that beets will be their secret weapon on Saturday at 7,220 feet above sea level, the highest elevation of any Division 1 stadium in the country.

 

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