How much is to much ?

[Beastin]

So truly how much weight is considered avg to cut for wrestling. Some say 5-10 lbs others say 15-20 lbs. I've seen several wrestlers cut this much weight from time and time again but is this advisable ? I wanted to hear some of yalls opinions on how much weight on avg is cut by a wrestler to reach there desired weight class. Is its 5 lbs 10 lbs 15 lbs or maybe even 20 lbs. You wont believe how many 121 lbers cut down to 103.

[2blLeg]

So truly how much weight is considered avg to cut for wrestling. Some say 5-10 lbs others say 15-20 lbs. I've seen several wrestlers cut this much weight from time and time again but is this advisable ? I wanted to hear some of yalls opinions on how much weight on avg is cut by a wrestler to reach there desired weight class. Is its 5 lbs 10 lbs 15 lbs or maybe even 20 lbs. You wont believe how many 121 lbers cut down to 103.

 

 

I'm not an expert, but my opinion is this. Natural weight loss, i.e. losing excess body fat is ok, but cutting weight to me gets dangerous. Remember this, these boys are still in their growing years and many if not all are still in puberty which to me, if the body is not given the right nutrients, you could be doing more harm than good.

[wristbar]

An average in this situation doesnt mean anything. There are plenty of young wrestlers out there whocan afford to lose 20-30 lbs. to get to their ideal weights. And there are also plenty of wrestlers who dont need to lose any weight. I hate when this subject is brought up for two reasons. The first is that our sport has been stigmatized as an unhealthy, barbaric activity. Our kids now have to urinate in a cup and then have a doctor or trainer play in it to determine the specific gravity. I dont know about the rest of you but I think its pretty sick that wrestling is now associated with a urine test before activity begins. It is true that the body fat and specific gravity tests were brought about because of deaths associated with wrestling, but there is always going to be weight cutting in our sport. Talk to the old guys that wrestled in high school/college in the seventies and eighties and ask them about weight cutting. The second thing about this that upsets me is that all we keep hearing in America is that obesity is the "big" problem (pardon the pun). Why does our sport get criticized for getting kids to maintain healthy weights when you have football coaches down the hall from the wrestling room telling some kids that they need to put on weight. Professional linemen in the NFL are retiring and then having to deal with problems like sleep apnea and other disorders associated with being overweight. But cutting weight in wrestling is unsafe?

[2blLeg]

An average in this situation doesnt mean anything. There are plenty of young wrestlers out there whocan afford to lose 20-30 lbs. to get to their ideal weights. And there are also plenty of wrestlers who dont need to lose any weight. I hate when this subject is brought up for two reasons. The first is that our sport has been stigmatized as an unhealthy, barbaric activity. Our kids now have to urinate in a cup and then have a doctor or trainer play in it to determine the specific gravity. I dont know about the rest of you but I think its pretty sick that wrestling is now associated with a urine test before activity begins. It is true that the body fat and specific gravity tests were brought about because of deaths associated with wrestling, but there is always going to be weight cutting in our sport. Talk to the old guys that wrestled in high school/college in the seventies and eighties and ask them about weight cutting. The second thing about this that upsets me is that all we keep hearing in America is that obesity is the "big" problem (pardon the pun). Why does our sport get criticized for getting kids to maintain healthy weights when you have football coaches down the hall from the wrestling room telling some kids that they need to put on weight. Professional linemen in the NFL are retiring and then having to deal with problems like sleep apnea and other disorders associated with being overweight. But cutting weight in wrestling is unsafe?

 

 

I see this as part of the problem. The checks are not put in place to keep the boys from cutting weight, but to try and help them do it safely. Meaning, checking the body fat, and determining how much weight they can Safely lose and how fast. No one is saying the boys can't lose weight, just can't lose a huge unhealthy amount. The hydration test was brought in as a way trying to make sure the boys were not cutting water weight for their initial BF test.

 

Problem is, this test is being beat. Several different ways. And so it's not really doing what it was meant to do.

 

Heathly weight loss is great, and ideal. But, so is allowing for natural growth for these young men. One of the things that kills me is the growth allowance during the year. 2 lbs. The problem is, you have kids cutting down to a weight to wrestle in a weight class that they could not even qualify for if they needed to, but with the 2 lbs they get there after Christmas. To me, to wrestle a weight class, you should have to qualify for that class, and the 2 lbs should be for growth, not cutting.

[coachmick]

I see this as part of the problem. The checks are not put in place to keep the boys from cutting weight, but to try and help them do it safely. Meaning, checking the body fat, and determining how much weight they can Safely lose and how fast. No one is saying the boys can't lose weight, just can't lose a huge unhealthy amount. The hydration test was brought in as a way trying to make sure the boys were not cutting water weight for their initial BF test.

 

Problem is, this test is being beat. Several different ways. And so it's not really doing what it was meant to do.

 

Heathly weight loss is great, and ideal. But, so is allowing for natural growth for these young men. One of the things that kills me is the growth allowance during the year. 2 lbs. The problem is, you have kids cutting down to a weight to wrestle in a weight class that they could not even qualify for if they needed to, but with the 2 lbs they get there after Christmas. To me, to wrestle a weight class, you should have to qualify for that class, and the 2 lbs should be for growth, not cutting.

 

Can anybody answer this question? Lets say I have a match on Thursday and I weigh 140lbs. Friday I have a tournament and I am allotted 1lb(or should I say awarded), so I'll be healthy and not have to cut to 140 again, so I'm 141. Saturday, I'm allotted 1 more pound basically for the same reason. Now I am 142. I have a match the next Tuesday. I can't wrestle Tuesday because I (by these TSSAA rules) can only lose 1.5 lbs per week. Heres the question. Why can't I lose this 1.5 lbs when there are kids in P.E. class losing that much water weight everyday? Football players lose at the least 5 lbs per day in practice. Am I wrong for saying that maybe P.E. at school should be outlawed if losing this amount of weight is so dangerous?I graduated in 89, and I cut weight seriously and had a very successful career. Everyone was cutting weight, some more than they should but the coaches always knew when to step in., as they should be doing today. I don't like how everyone perceives or sport and some of it has come from this way of weight loss.

[noonesfool]

Can anybody answer this question? Lets say I have a match on Thursday and I weigh 140lbs. Friday I have a tournament and I am allotted 1lb(or should I say awarded), so I'll be healthy and not have to cut to 140 again, so I'm 141. Saturday, I'm allotted 1 more pound basically for the same reason. Now I am 142. I have a match the next Tuesday. I can't wrestle Tuesday because I (by these TSSAA rules) can only lose 1.5 lbs per week. Heres the question. Why can't I lose this 1.5 lbs when there are kids in P.E. class losing that much water weight everyday? Football players lose at the least 5 lbs per day in practice. Am I wrong for saying that maybe P.E. at school should be outlawed if losing this amount of weight is so dangerous?I graduated in 89, and I cut weight seriously and had a very successful career. Everyone was cutting weight, some more than they should but the coaches always knew when to step in., as they should be doing today. I don't like how everyone perceives or sport and some of it has come from this way of weight loss.

 

Good post. I was an excessive cutter because I knew how, my body allowed it and I would do anything my coached asked me todo. My Junior year of HS was exlax and I couldn't go without help till I was 30 years old. Almost left the sport after my Junior year, but my New senior Coach said you will wrestle natural weight after the football fluff comes off. I learned to relove this great sport. We are just now as a sport starting to get a way from our stereo type of cutting and skin on bones. For the most part, at last years state, the wrestlers across the board looked buff. I thought a favored wrestler at 112 looked like he cut too much and he did. It caught up with him.

Thank you

[Beastin]

Good post. I was an excessive cutter because I knew how, my body allowed it and I would do anything my coached asked me todo. My Junior year of HS was exlax and I couldn't go without help till I was 30 years old. Almost left the sport after my Junior year, but my New senior Coach said you will wrestle natural weight after the football fluff comes off. I learned to relove this great sport. We are just now as a sport starting to get a way from our stereo type of cutting and skin on bones. For the most part, at last years state, the wrestlers across the board looked buff. I thought a favored wrestler at 112 looked like he cut too much and he did. It caught up with him.

Thank you

 

 

I think that favored wrestler at 112 you had in mind was the same I was thinking at state. Does this favored wrestler by any chance come from a school with blue school colors. HINT HINT

[noonesfool]

I think that favored wrestler at 112 you had in mind was the same I was thinking at state. Does this favored wrestler by any chance come from a school with blue school colors. HINT HINT

 

YES, YES

[shootfirst]

Too much is having to go 24 hrs without eating to make weight.Too much is dehydrating yourself to the point of nausea or headaches.Too much is the use of laxatives.These are a few signs you might be taking it too far trying to cut weight.

[maj]

I'm not an expert, but my opinion is this. Natural weight loss, i.e. losing excess body fat is ok, but cutting weight to me gets dangerous. Remember this, these boys are still in their growing years and many if not all are still in puberty which to me, if the body is not given the right nutrients, you could be doing more harm than good.

 

 

One of the better posts on the subject. You are quite correct, obesity in football and general student populations is a far greater concern than weight cutters in wrestling. 3 deaths at the college level about 20yrs ago was the catalyst for most of the weight management programs in high school sports. A knee jerk reaction which did not take into account the true causes. New rules actually made things worse and of course dropping weight classes at both the college and international levels did nothing but force guys to cut even more weight to fit into the line ups.

 

For a more in depth look at weight managment, check out the USA wrestling forum, Danny Tolbert of Tolbert sports posted at length on the subject. Conclusions were un mistakeable , the leanest athletes had the greatest success. How one becomes lean ( low bodyfat ) and stays there is a wide open debate and I doubt there is a one size fits all formula. Not scientific , more of an observation on my part but for an athlete already in decent shape , under 10% bodyfat, and after a several weeks of wrestling practice, weigh him AFTER a hard work out ( and before he chugs a couple of quarts of gatorade ) and figure he could drop an additional 2 or 3 pounds without a huge amount of duress. In the middle weightclasses this usually means dropping to the next lower class.

 

As stated no one size fits all formula to drop the extra pounds but there are some things which should NEVER be done to make weight. One poster on the thread mentioned his experiance with the anti constipation drug, ex-lax. That's one big no no. Stay away from this and similar products. The other one is diuretic drugs. These are DANGEROUS, no coach with even half a brain will allow his athlete near these drugs.

[goldenhammer]

In all sports where strength, leverage, and conditioning affect who wins. Kids have worked to get bigger and smaller. The best way to combat the improper weightloss methods used in the best sport for youngsters is the matside weigh-in. On the scale ready to wrestle, shoes,headgear, and whatever else you use on the mat. No recouperation time.

We all know pigs with wings will thankfully come first. Should we check cholesterol levels for "O"Linemen as well?

 

GH

[wrestlerbk160]

My sophmore year i was cutting 10-12 pounds a week for every match and i didn't really have the weight to lose I remember my coach asking me to make 145 from 152 on the day of a match; I was already over weight for 152 I ended up cutting 12 pounds in about 5 hours and then went to Red Bank High School and had a ref ask me if I was drunk because I was so dehydrated and tired I was wobbling on the scale, I ended up having to get an IV put in my arm and that stinks so when it comes to cutting weight no coach should make a kid cut weight.... with that being said a coach should however make his wrestler safely get to a weight that they would be competitive at and comfortably make without damaging his growth system.. this should be done during preseason and maybe christmas.. I believe without a doubt that cutting weight stunted my growth.. I have been 5' 9" and between 155 and 160 pounds since 8th grade.. my brother and father both are about 6' 1" and 170+ so something doesn't add up..

 

My words of wisdom to all young wrestlers is DO NOT CUT WEIGHT!!!! Also don't use diuretics or plastics or starvation these are all things I did and they just aren't healthy or worth it....