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Shane A Miller
Debra Dagher
UWRT 1102
23 November 2014

Cutting weight for wrestling: Technique for superior performance or misrepresented requirement
The sport of wrestling has been a centerpiece in my life as both an athlete and a coach for
the last 23 years. During my time as an athlete I "cut weight" in order to make the weight class
that my coach required me to make. Cutting weight is rapid weight reduction techniques used by
wrestlers to compete in weight classes below their natural weight (Lambert and Jones 523). The
most common methods through which wrestlers lose weight include: reducing amount of food
eaten, reducing amount of fluids consumed, and using heat as a means of dehydration (Lakin,
Steen, and Opplinger 224). My own experience as an athlete confirms the research conducted
previously. Once I made the transition over to coaching I starting noticing other coaches
interactions with their athletes in regard to making certain weight classes. It was almost always a
lower weight class. Often times wresters are expected to make weight classes below their natural
weight and their coaches are the primary source of information in regards to how to lose the
weight (Marquart and Sobal 413). Through my own observations while coaching in Rowan
County, North Carolina I have discovered a belief in my local area that a lower weight class is
better and that the wrestler will perform better once he or she makes the lower weight. The
problem develops two fold; first coaches encourage wrestlers to make lower weight classes for
the sake of competitive edge. Second wrestlers chose techniques to make weight that inhibit their
athletic performance (Marquart and Sobal 410). Education about making weight and alternatives
to losing weight must be provided to coaches and athletes so that when the decision to cut weight
is made the athlete can do so safely while maintaining a high level of performance.

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Wrestlers make the decision to drop to a lower weight class for many reasons. Winning
matches is a primary motivator followed by coaches requesting weight classes (Marquart and
Sobal 413). With winning being a key source of motivation for the athletes, we as coaches must
be able to asses where a wrestler will be able to achieve that goal most readily. Coaches are seen
by their wrestlers as a very accurate source of information for how to make weight (Marquart
and Sobal 413). The NCHSAA requires no formal training on weight management or diet for
their wrestling coaches. They only require the use of the Optimal Performance Calculator tool
for weight loss guidelines for each athlete. This tool gives wrestlers an amount of weight that is
within the rules to lose each week however no guidance is provided on how to go about losing
that weight (Wrestling). Wrestlers weight loss must be monitored so it doesnt occur too
rapidly to prevent a loss in strength and performance (Bar-Or and Johnson 1559). Wrestlers
should be encouraged to eat regular meals instead of skipping meals. They should increase the
amount they work out instead of just limiting food intake. A breakdown of every meal should
consist of 60% carbohydrates, 20% protein and 20% fats (Bar-Or and Johnson 1560). In my 10
years of coaching I have found those percentages are going to be hard for a high school student
to translate onto a plate. An easier to visualize guide will have to be developed to aid the
wrestlers in food quality and quantity selections.
Strength management is an important facet of wrestling. The use of rapid weight loss
techniques to make a weight class can have a direct impact on the strength of wrestlers (Marquart
and Sobal 410). Dehydration as a means of rapid weight loss is a first choice technique by many
wrestlers (Lakin, Steen, and Opplinger 224). Over the years different studies have been
conducted on a wrestlers strength as measured by peak torque on different weight lifting
exercises. The results of these various studies have shown differing results (Buford, Rossi,

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Smith, OBrien, and Pickering 689). At the division one collegiate level wrestlers lose weight for
the puposes of competition. A study of 12 wrestlers from the University of Oklahoma revealed
an average increase in body weight of seven percent when measurements from midseason to post
season are compared. Correlating to that is a large increase of 28% in peak torque when the mid
and post season measurements are compared (Buford, Rossi, Smith, OBrien, and Pickering
690). While these numbers are of note; relating them back to high school wrestlers becomes
difficult. High school coaches have less control of the types and amounts of food their athletes
eat. They also are more restricted in terms of strength training due to facilities at the school and
availability of the athletes. Depending on the techniques used for dropping weight and the
commitment of the high school wrestler to maintain the weight once the loss is done will greatly
affect the same experiment performed on high school wrestlers. This becomes especially relevant
when you consider the different income levels of parents and the effect that will have on high
school wrestlers. If a wrestler is left without suitable food choice at home and chooses to not eat
or eat something less than ideal that means two of three meals consumed cannot be monitored by
the coach. Coaches and wrestlers at the high school level have to be given the knowledge and
training to better prepare themselves for the challenges of the sport when it comes to weight
management.
Eating disorders and other dietary health risks are factors beyond just the physical
performance changes brought on by rapid weight loss. As I mentioned before high school
coaches have a limited amount of control over their athletes eating habits and types of food
consumed. Despite the increased attention to diet and weight loss wrestlers have a much more
limited knowledge of what things they should be eating to maximize their performance (Lakin,
Steen, and Opplinger 224). This could be because the source of information wrestlers rely on

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most are their coaches who may have no more knowledge or nutrition than was instilled in them
by their coach (Lakin, Steen, and Opplinger 227). Rapid weight loss techniques combined with
poor weight control techniques lead to instances of binge eating. Binge eating instances are
common among wrestlers after a weigh in (Lakin, Steen, and Opplinger 228). After these
instances of binge eating wrestlers concerns shift back to their weight forcing them to do extra
work in order to make the weight class for the next competition. Increasing excerscie output is
the most common technique following a binge as opposed to the more tradiontal purge through
vomit or laxative. While the latter two do happen they are less frequent (Lakin, Steen, and
Opplinger 230).
Weight loss in the sport of wrestling is something that is always going to be
present. What must be done is not to eliminate cutting weight but the methods in which it is done
must be better controlled. Athletes and coaches must be better informed on nutritional needs so
they can both excel. The current weight control standards put in place by the NFHS and the
NCAA allow for too much flexibility with regards to binge eating and rapid weight loss. The
change that will have the most affect on weight control in the sport is to involve and empower
the coaches. Most high school students do not walk around at their ideal weight. Given proper
time and training weight control can remain an important part of the sport while mitigating some
of the risks normally associated with rapid weight loss. There are several key areas left to
explore in order to rectify the issue of unnecessary weight loss. What is the best way to present
proper diet and nutrition information to athletes? Can it be added to the health curriculum since
that is normally a mandatory freshman class? How are low income students and parents going to
respond? What tools are available to aid coaches in their training? Do we risk alienating future
wrestlers by placing controls that are too strict or unworkable?

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Works Cited

Buford, Thomas W., Stephen J. Rossi, Douglas B. Smith, Matthew S. O'brien, and Chris
Pickering. "The Effect of a Competitive Wrestling Season on Body Weight,
Hydration, and Muscular Performance in Collegiate Wrestlers." The Journal of
Strength and Conditioning Research 20.3 (2006): 689. Academic Search Complete.
Web. 15 Sept. 2014.
Oded Bar-Or, MD Miriam D. Johnson, MD. "Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness,
American Academy of Pediatrics. Promotion of Healthy Weight-Control Practices in
Young Athletes. PEDIATRICS 2005;116:1557-1564." Pediatrics 117.4 (2006): 1467.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.
Lakin, Jean A., Suzanne Nelson Steen, and Robert A. Oppliger. "Eating Behaviors, Weight Loss
Methods, and Nutrition Practices Among High School Wrestlers." Journal of
Community Health Nursing 7.4 (1990): 223-34. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15
Sept. 2014.
Lambert, C., and B. Jones. "Alternatives to Rapid Weight Loss in US Wrestling." International
Journal of Sports Medicine 31.08 (2010): 523-28. Academic Search Complete. Web.
21 Sept. 2014.
Marquart, Leonard F., and Jeffery Sobal. "Weight Loss Beliefs, Practices and Support Systems
for High School Wrestlers." Journal of Adolescent Health 15.5 (1994): 410-15.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.
"Wrestling." North Carolina High School Athletic Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.