Weigh-ins

[Winners Circle]

  On 4/11/2025 at 4:09 PM, jross said:

Your point is solid... but...

Weigh in with all equipment included, no loopholes, keep it simple. It 'builds character' for athletes cutting for tape or braces. Life is hard; stick to a tough rule, no weight allowances or soft fixes. It's easy at 157 if you're 155, gear's no issue. But cutting from 155 to 148 for 149 with gear? That extra pound shows grit.  Weight class gaps already allow size advantages...

 

Expand  

I agree cutting weight builds character. Leave the system as is. It's not broken. 

[jross]

  On 4/11/2025 at 4:10 PM, Phantom said:

....sometimes with an over the shoulder cheek lift involved, if the hard lean in the sweet spot wasn't working..every scale had a "sweet spot"

Expand  

Junior year my cut wasn't bad...  We did remote weigh ins then.  The night before a local tournament, I noticed our wrestling room scale had been swapped for our nurse's scale.  From the way the counterweights worked, anyone could weight exactly 10lbs, 60lbs, 110lbs, 160lbs, 210lbs, etc in 50lb increments.  I was truly on weight that night, discovered the scale issue, and weighed in the next morning exactly 10 pounds over.  The scales had been swapped back.  Coach wouldn't let me wrestle the following weekend either as punishment.  

"So close..."

[WrestlingRash]

The current weigh in system was created for athlete safety. There haven't been any catastrophic issues since the 90s, and that is good enough for me. There have been many studies where people had their weight checked matside at events to see what kind of fluctuation there is post weigh in. I'd be interested to see those results to know what we are actually talking about. 

[Dark Energy]

  On 4/11/2025 at 3:27 PM, Winners Circle said:

A 'tough cut' doesn't have to mean suffering and starving. For the college men, it means 'the dedication and self-discipline it took was tough.' WHICH IS GOOD FOR THE SPORT!! Wrestling is hard. Life is hard. Taking a hard part out of our sport will do more harm than good. 

Yes, to give the athletes time to recover after weigh-ins. Many have injuries that will require tape, heat/stimulant, braces, etc. Making them weigh-in mat side will not allow this. And if the counter argument to that is "Well weigh-in with your brace/tape/etc. on" then the athlete who is not hurt will have an even bigger advantage (on top of the advantage of not being injured).

Expand  

So you feel reducing the amount of weight cutting would harm the sport.  

You feel having weight cutting be a key and important part of the sport, is a plus.

You feel — Without significant weight cutting being part of the experience, kids would generally be worse off from a character and long term capability perspective.  And their mental and physical health will be worse off.

Fascinating.  I disagree 100% on all counts.

Edited April 11 by Dark Energy

[jross]

Recent articles on weight cutting in wrestling.  Keeping the examples recent and few... enough to indicate its still an issue.

• 2018 gets some facts wrong on body fat percentages but nails the experience when cutting is done wrong.  "I'd passed out in the pool room."  "My coach was screaming at me for weighing in at 113.5 pounds. I had no idea weighing in was that big of a deal, and from that day on my depression and exhaustion began." "I just ate five pounds in food and did the most strenuous activity there is. What would you expect to happen? I threw it all up in the bathroom stall of the high school." - A wrestler
  • https://bleacherreport.com/articles/243379-wrestling-wrecked-my-body
• 2023: “I have seen people end up in the hospital ... from dehydration, from hypoglycemia, electrolyte imbalance," - University of South Carolina's club, Teresa Moore, a clinical associate professor of exercise science at USC and experienced bodybuilder and powerlifter.
  • https://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2023/02/how-wrestlers-cut-weight-fast-and-the-side-effects-that-follow-sports-hall
• “Wrestlers rapidly lose weight via dehydration, using saunas, workouts and abstaining from fluids until after they are weighed an hour or two before the match... After weigh-in, they attempt to rehydrate, but complete rehydration takes 24 to 48 hours.”  “For every percent of weight lost, wrestlers had an 11% increased risk of injury during competition,” -  Erin Hammer, MD, assistant professor of orthopedics, UW School of Medicine and Public Health, sports medicine physician, UW Health, and lead author of the study.
  • https://www.med.wisc.edu/news/college-wrestling-injury-study/
• "For a wrestler, losing weight typically will consist of a three- to four-day weight loss period, followed by an immediate binge of food and liquids immediately following the weight-in of a competition (Finn et al., 2004). This style of weight cutting is very similar to the eating disorder bulimia"
  • https://www.trine.edu/academics/centers/center-for-sports-studies/blog/2021/the_affect_that_weight_loss_and_weight_classes_have_on_a_wrestler.aspx

 

[1032004]

  On 4/10/2025 at 12:15 PM, Dark Energy said:

Your question is so fundamentally basic and simple.  The answers you get will either 1) point to logistics difficulties, 2) worry about too many forfeits, or 3) in a subtle way defend weight cutting.

My perspective - there is no good answer.  The scales should be matside.  Weight in can occur when on double deck.  Fosters wrestling at a more natural weight.  

Expand  

I don’t think we need matside weigh ins.

For one, IMO it seems weight cutting at least in D1 is not as bad as it used to be. Yes, many people still cut weight, but I bet it’s rare that guys are “forced” to by the coaches.  But the reason people cut weight is because it is often beneficial, as long as you’re not cutting too much.

So the biggest reason against matside  weigh ins for me is that even with matside weigh ins, guys will still cut weight.  So IMO it actually makes it more dangerous, as I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone die after wrestling a 2TB match or something.  In addition, assuming you need to weigh in with shoes, shoe companies will try to make the lightest shoes possible which could sacrifice safety. 

After that, I think the logistics issues are legitimate.   Think of how much time this would add to NCAA’s for example.  Although I suppose we could get rid of overtime and go to freestyle criteria to offset it…

 

[jross]

This article does a good job of calling out the responsibility of coach. 

• https://www.trine.edu/academics/centers/center-for-sports-studies/blog/2021/the_affect_that_weight_loss_and_weight_classes_have_on_a_wrestler.aspx

----------

With the introduction of weight classes within wrestling it has presented many benefits for the entire sport. With having weight classes, anyone can wrestle and have a fair advantage. Since, the athlete will be facing others that are within a similar range of weights. This advantage has prompted many athletes to start becoming more aware of their weight. But unlike many other sports that use a weight class system such as boxing, fighting, and many martial arts, wrestling will typically compete much more frequently and in a shorter amount of time compared to the other sports. According to Allen (2020), not only is the number of participants greater in wrestling, but the number and frequency of matches is far greater during each season for wrestlers. Wrestlers often adopt dangerous weight loss practices at a young age. These dangerous weight loss practices present many negative impacts on the sport of wrestling and in extreme cases lead to the death of some wrestlers. These deaths associated within wrestling were due to lack of hydration, and malnutrition associated with weight loss. These practices have led the NCAA to implement many changes to the weight classes and weight loss programs. These changes were made in April of 1998 to help wrestlers at the collegiate level, better manage and lose weight in a healthy way (Hanley, 1998).

The NCAA’s decision to make changes to these policies were initially intended to help prevent the unhealthy habits of cutting weight that many wrestlers were using. Studies have shown that with the constant weight cutting that a wrestler goes through in a season, it has been linked to a variety of physiological variables that could influence wrestling performance (Finn et al., 2004). Finn et al. (2004) elaborate on the physiological and psychological variables, which include: a reduction in anaerobic work performance within matches; depleted muscle glycogen levels; reduction in lean body mass; an increase in depression and fatigue;  and the mood state of the wrestler has been more negative following a rapid weight cut.

The effect of weight cutting on a wrestler has only presented even more challenges for athletes competing in the sport.  Since wrestling is a vigorous and physically demanding sport activity requiring a tremendous physical preparation as well as the ability to tolerate significant psychological and emotional load (Ransone & Finn, 2020). With the lack of nutrition or hydration an athlete competing in wrestling are experiencing the same stressors as other athletes in other sports, along with the constant fear, and stress associated with weight cutting and making weight for competitions.

For a wrestler, losing weight typically will consist of a three- to four-day weight loss period, followed by an immediate binge of food and liquids immediately following the weight-in of a competition (Finn et al., 2004). This style of weight cutting is very similar to the eating disorder bulimia, which includes recurrent episodes of binge eating, followed by the strict dieting, fasting, or vigorous exercise to prevent weight gain (Weinberg & Gould, 2019). Though bulimia is a medical condition that must be diagnosed by a trained medical professional, typical practices of weight loss in wrestling mirror symptoms of bulimia. The popular style of weight loss within wrestling is a major concern for athletes competing in wrestling, and later can develop into a severe case of bulimia or even evolve into a case of anorexia. Therefore, for a wrestler not only are they attempting to compete in an athletic sport, they are also competing in a constant struggle of managing and controlling their weight and mental stability. With all the concerns with weight cutting within wrestling, an athlete will have much more to deal with than many other sports, but these concerns can be resolved through proper training and teaching within the sport of wrestling. 

These concerns are typically associated with the habits that a wrestler develops during their introduction to the sport of wrestling (Allen, 2020). Therefore, to help eliminate not only the risk of developing an eating disorder due to wrestling, but also the constant mental and physical struggles that an athlete may experience. Proper training and support must be shown at the beginning of the introduction of wrestling, through coaches, parents, and teammates. With the introduction of any sport there is an emphasis on safety. Therefore, a young wrestler and their parents should be introduced to the fundamentals of the sport, alongside the importance of nutrition and hydration associated with making a weight class. This education to the athlete and parents can help them realize the dangers associated with wrestling beyond the physical damage that it can do to the body, but also help illustrate the psychological damage that can be done as well. By educating all members of the sport, the wrestling community can start developing safer and healthier ways of cutting weight.

Alongside the initial education of all factors that contribute to physical and psychological damage associated with a wrestler. Wrestlers and their parents should attend meetings that reeducate them on the topic of weight loss and nutrition to reinforce the importance of safety within the sport. With having the athletes and their parents being educated of the potential risk with wrestling, along with the education of eating disorders, nutrition, and hydrations, the next most important to be held accountable for the safety of the wrestler is the coach.

When coaching a wrestling team, there are a list of responsibilities that must be achieved to ensure the safety of the athletes and help foster an environment that all athletes are given the best opportunity to succeed. These needs can sometimes overshadow the individual athletes of the sport. Due to wanting to have a complete roster of wrestlers, where you can have an athlete in each weight class. A coach may ask an athlete to drop weight in the pursuit of achieving a full roster. With this strategy the coach is completing their roster, at the expense of one of their athletes.  This issue doesn’t help alleviate the current stresses and struggles and athlete may face during their time in wrestling. Therefore, to help the coach support their athletes, each season the coach needs to meet with each wrestler to help develop a plan that establishes what the athlete’s wrestling goals are. This meeting should include discussing with the athlete what their weight class goals are, along with discussing their goals for the season. By doing a meeting with each athlete the coach is protecting their privacy in their ambitions and goals within the sport, along with helping them develop a safe plan to help alleviate the issues that are associated within wrestling.

Along with meeting with each athlete, the coach is also responsible for ensuring the safety of the athletes within the practice room. Therefore, as a coach, developing an intense practice that can help athletes manage their weight is important, but also ensuring no athlete goes overboard in their pursuit of weight loss. These pursuits of weight loss may include wearing multiple layers of clothing to help dehydrate themselves, turning the temperature up in the practice room and also refusing to hydrate themselves. As a coach, they must be aware of the environment and the safety of the athlete. Therefore, if an athlete is struggling making weight and resorting to extreme measures of weight loss, the coach should step in and reevaluate the goals of the athlete from the preseason meeting. Since the goal of the coach is to better the athlete and help them perform at the highest level they can compete at.

Wrestling is not only one of the oldest sports in the world, but its also one of the most misunderstood sports people can compete in. Throughout the evolution of wrestling, wrestling has become more accessible for any athlete to compete in and find success in, but to accomplish this many physical and psychological concerns were created as well.  These concerns led to many changes within how the NCAA handles weight loss within wrestling. However, throughout all the struggles, concerns and boundaries that are presented within wrestling. Wrestling helps foster many important life lessons within their athletes. Through proper education, coaching and support, an athlete can overcome all the challenges that are in the sport of wrestling. Allowing them to be better prepared for the struggles that they will face in the real world. As esteemed wrestling coach Dan Gable once said, “once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.”

References

• Allen, T. W., D.O., M.P.H. (2020). Prevention of Heat Exhaustion: Focus on Wrestling. International Journal of Wrestling Science, 10(2), 54-56.
• Finn, K. J., Dolgener, F. A., & Williams, R. B. (2004). Effects of carbohydrate refeeding on physiological responses and psychological and physical performance following acute weight reduction in collegiate wrestlers. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 18(2), 328-333. doi:10.1519/00124278-200405000-00023
• Fry, A. C., Rubin, M. R., Triplett-McBride, T., Gordon, S. E., Perry Koziris, L., Lynch, J. M., . . . Fleck, S. J. (2001). Physiological and performance responses to tournament wrestling. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(8), 1367-1378. doi:10.1097/00005768-200108000-00019
• Hanley, R. (1998, April 14). NCAA rules panel announces changes for wrestler weights. Chicago Tribune, pp. 1-2.
• Ransone, J. W., & Finn, K. J. (2020). Endocrine biomarker responses during an intercollegiate wrestling season. International Journal of Wrestling Science, 10(2), 32-42.
• Rutkowska, K., & Gierczuk, D. (2012). Emotional intelligence and the sense of efficiency of coaching and instructing in wrestling. PJST, 19(1), 46-51. doi:10.2478/v10197-012-0006-1
• Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2019). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Sam Burge is a senior Computer Information Science major at Trine University and wrote this blog post as an assignment for SM 393 Sport Psychology.

[gimpeltf]

  On 4/11/2025 at 4:34 PM, WrestlingRash said:

The current weigh in system was created for athlete safety. There haven't been any catastrophic issues since the 90s, and that is good enough for me. There have been many studies where people had their weight checked matside at events to see what kind of fluctuation there is post weigh in. I'd be interested to see those results to know what we are actually talking about. 

Expand  

Hadn't heard of any before the 90s either. The college rules had gotten a little silly mid-90s. 

[Winners Circle]

  On 4/11/2025 at 4:50 PM, Dark Energy said:

So you feel reducing the amount of weight cutting would harm the sport.  

You feel having weight cutting be a key and important part of the sport, is a plus.

You feel — Without significant weight cutting being part of the experience, kids would generally be worse off from a character and long term capability perspective.  And their mental and physical health will be worse off.

Fascinating.  I disagree 100% on all counts.

Expand  

Where did I say significant? 

But yes, I think cutting weight, when don't the right way, is a good part of our sport. And my opinion won't change on that. And I know majority of college coaches feel similarly.

Edited April 11 by Winners Circle

[Gene Mills Fan]

 

 

  On 4/11/2025 at 4:10 PM, Phantom said:

....sometimes with an over the shoulder cheek lift involved, if the hard lean in the sweet spot wasn't working..every scale had a "sweet spot"

Expand  

We used to go to the nurses office not sure timing maybe had to be 4hrs or less prior to the match not sure 1976-78. stepped on the white balance scale no digital. We would check our weight in the locker room first. If you were under you could ware whatever still kept you under. My teammate (chubby cheeks) would always be a half to a quarter over. One time he bragged how he hung his toe over the edge and pushed to balanced it just right fooling the nurse. cheater!   

Even back in 70's we had a nurse check with pinch calipers fat per whatever and were notified what  minimum weight would be acceptable.

Edited April 11 by Gene Mills Fan

[Dark Energy]

  On 4/11/2025 at 5:23 PM, Winners Circle said:

Where did I say significant? 

But yes, I think cutting weight, when don't the right way, is a good part of our sport. And my opinion won't change on that. And I know majority of college coaches feel similarly.

Expand  

Ok.  Glad we are clear.  
 

If it’s insignificant than there would not be any challenge.  No hard work.  No discipline.  

The weight loss must be significant enough to drive the character building you believe can be had.  Hoping that is a completely fair way of saying what you intend.

[jchapman]

  On 4/11/2025 at 5:36 PM, Gene Mills Fan said:

 

 

We used to go to the nurses office not sure timing maybe had to be 4hrs or less prior to the match not sure 1976-78. stepped on the white balance scale no digital. We would check our weight in the locker room first. If you were under you could ware whatever still kept you under. My teammate (chubby cheeks) would always be a half to a quarter over. One time he bragged how he hung his toe over the edge and pushed to balanced it just right fooling the nurse. cheater!   

Even back in 70's we had a nurse check with pinch calipers fat per whatever and were notified what  minimum weight would be acceptable.

Expand  

Jackson and Pollack didn't publish their groundbreaking research using skinfold analysis to predict body density (leading to body fat percentage) until November 1978.  And you had nurses performing this in the 70s?

[Dark Energy]

While I disagree with @Winners Circle on the character building value of significant weight cutting, I would point out that if scales were mat side, there would still be a need for disciplined weight management and some would likely still seek to lose weight.  Health, nutrition, and discipline would all remain key areas of focus.

[Gene Mills Fan]

  On 4/11/2025 at 6:02 PM, jchapman said:

Jackson and Pollack didn't publish their groundbreaking research using skinfold analysis to predict body density (leading to body fat percentage) until November 1978.  And you had nurses performing this in the 70s?

Expand  

said 76-78    so maybe it was 1978 Jan, Feb   not sure?   For sure I was checked with a blue plastic caliper. What a weight conspiracy theory I'm creating, good golly.  maybe they were completing earlier work , richard

• 20.Durnin JV, Womersley J. Body fat assessed from total body density and its estimation from skinfold thickness: measurements on 481 men and women aged from 16 to 72 years. Br J Nutr. 1974;32:77–97. doi: 10.1079/bjn19740060. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Edited April 11 by Gene Mills Fan

[NYupstate]

  On 4/11/2025 at 3:27 PM, Winners Circle said:

A 'tough cut' doesn't have to mean suffering and starving. For the college men, it means 'the dedication and self-discipline it took was tough.' WHICH IS GOOD FOR THE SPORT!! Wrestling is hard. Life is hard. Taking a hard part out of our sport will do more harm than good. 

Yes, to give the athletes time to recover after weigh-ins. Many have injuries that will require tape, heat/stimulant, braces, etc. Making them weigh-in mat side will not allow this. And if the counter argument to that is "Well weigh-in with your brace/tape/etc. on" then the athlete who is not hurt will have an even bigger advantage (on top of the advantage of not being injured).

Expand  

Thank you for continuing to flesh out your thoughts on this. It is helping me clarify my thinking.

Granting that I can not know the particular insides of another person's head/motives, I believe we can both be right about the "admiration" we hear in talk about tough cuts. You seem to hear more positive aspects while I have a more negative valence on it.

I can think of other difficult activities which require incredible dedication, technical skill, and grit that I hope my son would not engage in. Free soloing a big cliff for example. Obviously cutting some weight is not directly analogous to taking that kind of risk, but I hope in highlights the fact that I can be impressed by the grit and ability required to achieve the goal while simultaneously believing the undertaking is misguided.

Would a matside weigh-in prevent a wrestler from exercising the traits you laud in order to make weight? A wrestler who wants to compete lighter than walk-around weight, being match ready would still require the kind of dedication and attention to detail whether the scale is 2 hrs or 2 minutes before the match, no?

[NYupstate]

  On 4/11/2025 at 5:01 PM, jross said:

This article does a good job of calling out the responsibility of coach. 

• https://www.trine.edu/academics/centers/center-for-sports-studies/blog/2021/the_affect_that_weight_loss_and_weight_classes_have_on_a_wrestler.aspx

----------

With the introduction of weight classes within wrestling it has presented many benefits for the entire sport. With having weight classes, anyone can wrestle and have a fair advantage. Since, the athlete will be facing others that are within a similar range of weights. This advantage has prompted many athletes to start becoming more aware of their weight. But unlike many other sports that use a weight class system such as boxing, fighting, and many martial arts, wrestling will typically compete much more frequently and in a shorter amount of time compared to the other sports. According to Allen (2020), not only is the number of participants greater in wrestling, but the number and frequency of matches is far greater during each season for wrestlers. Wrestlers often adopt dangerous weight loss practices at a young age. These dangerous weight loss practices present many negative impacts on the sport of wrestling and in extreme cases lead to the death of some wrestlers. These deaths associated within wrestling were due to lack of hydration, and malnutrition associated with weight loss. These practices have led the NCAA to implement many changes to the weight classes and weight loss programs. These changes were made in April of 1998 to help wrestlers at the collegiate level, better manage and lose weight in a healthy way (Hanley, 1998).

The NCAA’s decision to make changes to these policies were initially intended to help prevent the unhealthy habits of cutting weight that many wrestlers were using. Studies have shown that with the constant weight cutting that a wrestler goes through in a season, it has been linked to a variety of physiological variables that could influence wrestling performance (Finn et al., 2004). Finn et al. (2004) elaborate on the physiological and psychological variables, which include: a reduction in anaerobic work performance within matches; depleted muscle glycogen levels; reduction in lean body mass; an increase in depression and fatigue;  and the mood state of the wrestler has been more negative following a rapid weight cut.

The effect of weight cutting on a wrestler has only presented even more challenges for athletes competing in the sport.  Since wrestling is a vigorous and physically demanding sport activity requiring a tremendous physical preparation as well as the ability to tolerate significant psychological and emotional load (Ransone & Finn, 2020). With the lack of nutrition or hydration an athlete competing in wrestling are experiencing the same stressors as other athletes in other sports, along with the constant fear, and stress associated with weight cutting and making weight for competitions.

For a wrestler, losing weight typically will consist of a three- to four-day weight loss period, followed by an immediate binge of food and liquids immediately following the weight-in of a competition (Finn et al., 2004). This style of weight cutting is very similar to the eating disorder bulimia, which includes recurrent episodes of binge eating, followed by the strict dieting, fasting, or vigorous exercise to prevent weight gain (Weinberg & Gould, 2019). Though bulimia is a medical condition that must be diagnosed by a trained medical professional, typical practices of weight loss in wrestling mirror symptoms of bulimia. The popular style of weight loss within wrestling is a major concern for athletes competing in wrestling, and later can develop into a severe case of bulimia or even evolve into a case of anorexia. Therefore, for a wrestler not only are they attempting to compete in an athletic sport, they are also competing in a constant struggle of managing and controlling their weight and mental stability. With all the concerns with weight cutting within wrestling, an athlete will have much more to deal with than many other sports, but these concerns can be resolved through proper training and teaching within the sport of wrestling. 

These concerns are typically associated with the habits that a wrestler develops during their introduction to the sport of wrestling (Allen, 2020). Therefore, to help eliminate not only the risk of developing an eating disorder due to wrestling, but also the constant mental and physical struggles that an athlete may experience. Proper training and support must be shown at the beginning of the introduction of wrestling, through coaches, parents, and teammates. With the introduction of any sport there is an emphasis on safety. Therefore, a young wrestler and their parents should be introduced to the fundamentals of the sport, alongside the importance of nutrition and hydration associated with making a weight class. This education to the athlete and parents can help them realize the dangers associated with wrestling beyond the physical damage that it can do to the body, but also help illustrate the psychological damage that can be done as well. By educating all members of the sport, the wrestling community can start developing safer and healthier ways of cutting weight.

Alongside the initial education of all factors that contribute to physical and psychological damage associated with a wrestler. Wrestlers and their parents should attend meetings that reeducate them on the topic of weight loss and nutrition to reinforce the importance of safety within the sport. With having the athletes and their parents being educated of the potential risk with wrestling, along with the education of eating disorders, nutrition, and hydrations, the next most important to be held accountable for the safety of the wrestler is the coach.

When coaching a wrestling team, there are a list of responsibilities that must be achieved to ensure the safety of the athletes and help foster an environment that all athletes are given the best opportunity to succeed. These needs can sometimes overshadow the individual athletes of the sport. Due to wanting to have a complete roster of wrestlers, where you can have an athlete in each weight class. A coach may ask an athlete to drop weight in the pursuit of achieving a full roster. With this strategy the coach is completing their roster, at the expense of one of their athletes.  This issue doesn’t help alleviate the current stresses and struggles and athlete may face during their time in wrestling. Therefore, to help the coach support their athletes, each season the coach needs to meet with each wrestler to help develop a plan that establishes what the athlete’s wrestling goals are. This meeting should include discussing with the athlete what their weight class goals are, along with discussing their goals for the season. By doing a meeting with each athlete the coach is protecting their privacy in their ambitions and goals within the sport, along with helping them develop a safe plan to help alleviate the issues that are associated within wrestling.

Along with meeting with each athlete, the coach is also responsible for ensuring the safety of the athletes within the practice room. Therefore, as a coach, developing an intense practice that can help athletes manage their weight is important, but also ensuring no athlete goes overboard in their pursuit of weight loss. These pursuits of weight loss may include wearing multiple layers of clothing to help dehydrate themselves, turning the temperature up in the practice room and also refusing to hydrate themselves. As a coach, they must be aware of the environment and the safety of the athlete. Therefore, if an athlete is struggling making weight and resorting to extreme measures of weight loss, the coach should step in and reevaluate the goals of the athlete from the preseason meeting. Since the goal of the coach is to better the athlete and help them perform at the highest level they can compete at.

Wrestling is not only one of the oldest sports in the world, but its also one of the most misunderstood sports people can compete in. Throughout the evolution of wrestling, wrestling has become more accessible for any athlete to compete in and find success in, but to accomplish this many physical and psychological concerns were created as well.  These concerns led to many changes within how the NCAA handles weight loss within wrestling. However, throughout all the struggles, concerns and boundaries that are presented within wrestling. Wrestling helps foster many important life lessons within their athletes. Through proper education, coaching and support, an athlete can overcome all the challenges that are in the sport of wrestling. Allowing them to be better prepared for the struggles that they will face in the real world. As esteemed wrestling coach Dan Gable once said, “once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.”

References

• Allen, T. W., D.O., M.P.H. (2020). Prevention of Heat Exhaustion: Focus on Wrestling. International Journal of Wrestling Science, 10(2), 54-56.
• Finn, K. J., Dolgener, F. A., & Williams, R. B. (2004). Effects of carbohydrate refeeding on physiological responses and psychological and physical performance following acute weight reduction in collegiate wrestlers. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 18(2), 328-333. doi:10.1519/00124278-200405000-00023
• Fry, A. C., Rubin, M. R., Triplett-McBride, T., Gordon, S. E., Perry Koziris, L., Lynch, J. M., . . . Fleck, S. J. (2001). Physiological and performance responses to tournament wrestling. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(8), 1367-1378. doi:10.1097/00005768-200108000-00019
• Hanley, R. (1998, April 14). NCAA rules panel announces changes for wrestler weights. Chicago Tribune, pp. 1-2.
• Ransone, J. W., & Finn, K. J. (2020). Endocrine biomarker responses during an intercollegiate wrestling season. International Journal of Wrestling Science, 10(2), 32-42.
• Rutkowska, K., & Gierczuk, D. (2012). Emotional intelligence and the sense of efficiency of coaching and instructing in wrestling. PJST, 19(1), 46-51. doi:10.2478/v10197-012-0006-1
• Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2019). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Sam Burge is a senior Computer Information Science major at Trine University and wrote this blog post as an assignment for SM 393 Sport Psychology.

Expand  

A few weeks ago we listened to Jordan Burroughs on Rogan (an episode from years back). He joke/not joked about having an eating disorder.  I thought, "huh, this is not really what I want my son to associate with excellent wrestling". 

[jross]

Is there anyone involved with wrestling, who doesn't know multiple wrestlers that struggle with weight management?

Why isn’t the certified weight and 1.5% rule working as well as it should? Is it loopholes, manipulation, or enforcement challenges?

[1032004]

  On 4/12/2025 at 12:48 PM, jross said:

Is there anyone involved with wrestling, who doesn't know multiple wrestlers that struggle with weight management?

Why isn’t the certified weight and 1.5% rule working as well as it should? Is it loopholes, manipulation, or enforcement challenges?

Expand  

Well I believe no NCAA wrestler has died  cutting weight since 1997, so I’d consider that a win.

But I think that could change if we went to matside weigh ins.

[Caveira]

  On 4/12/2025 at 12:48 PM, jross said:

Is there anyone involved with wrestling, who doesn't know multiple wrestlers that struggle with weight management?

Why isn’t the certified weight and 1.5% rule working as well as it should? Is it loopholes, manipulation, or enforcement challenges?

Expand  

Humans will push the boundaries of any/all rule sets.  It’s in their nature.  Fwiw 

[NYupstate]

  On 4/12/2025 at 1:59 PM, 1032004 said:

Well I believe no NCAA wrestler has died  cutting weight since 1997, so I’d consider that a win.

But I think that could change if we went to matside weigh ins.

Expand  

Huh, you think matside weigh in could contribute to deaths? That seems counter-intuitive to me. Can you elaborate why that would be the case?

Is it that you think guys would try to compete while very dehydrated?

[1032004]

  On 4/12/2025 at 3:56 PM, NYupstate said:

Huh, you think matside weigh in could contribute to deaths? That seems counter-intuitive to me. Can you elaborate why that would be the case?

Is it that you think guys would try to compete while very dehydrated?

Expand  

Because some people will still cut weight, but they won’t have any time to rehydrate/refuel between weigh ins and the match.

[pmilk]

This is somewhat long a perhaps strays a little from the original question, however…..

It’s a foregone conclusion that cutting weight will always be an issue in the sport of wrestling. Changing the weight classes won’t stop athletes from losing a few pounds to make a weight several pounds below their natural weight. You may hear people say that weight cutting is a “black eye” on wrestling. Athletes in other sports cut weight too. Our society is loaded with overweight individuals and billions are spent on methods of losing weight. Virtually everyone can afford to lose a few pounds. In wrestling, it’s not the losing of weight that gives the sport a “black eye,” it’s the way people do it. The main problem coaches and athletes suffer from with regards to weight loss is lack education and discipline.

With the exception of my tenth grade year, I have cut weight every year that I competed. The problem I saw in my peers was their ignorance on how to cut weight and their inability to discipline themselves to say within 5 pounds between competitions. That’s not to say I didn’t use plastics, or saunas (neither or which were illegal back then), or even binge-purge on occasion, but those techniques were few and far between, and I certainly don’t recommend them. The most valuable asset I had was the education about how to lose weight correctly, how to eat right, and using discipline to support that education.

The three wrestling deaths in 1997 were a direct result of using drastic weight cutting measures in very short period of time, i.e., dehydration, saunas, plastic sweat suits, laxatives, diuretics. My high school coach was my dad and he was very educated on how to lose weight properly. He had a weight chart on his office wall and he monitored our progress. We had to record our pre and post practice weight under his watchful eye. He developed in his wrestlers the habit of starting to lose weight 45-60 days before the first weigh-in.

Most wrestlers do several thing wrong when cutting weight. Many don’t start any serious cutting until the last couple of days before a competition. They dehydrate or starve themselves instead of practicing the discipline of losing permanent weight (body fat). Many bounce up 8, 10, and even 15 pounds after weigh-ins, and then try to lose the weight using the drastic measures and they don’t eat healthy foods or stay hydrated. 

Pre-season conditioning that included running for 45 minutes was actually my dad’s way of helping us burn off body fat. He explained that besides developing mental toughness, stamina, and discipline, long term endurance training was something we had to do if we wanted to lose weight correctly. 

He always wanted us 1-2 pounds under weight the day before weigh-ins. We learned exactly how much we would “drift” overnight. We had ample opportunities to weigh ourselves several times during the day, without interfering with classes, we knew exactly how much each article of clothing weighed, and how much weight we were drifting during the day.

He would correctly predict that we could eat 2-3 pounds of food and water the night before and still be on or under weight for weigh-ins the next day. He would prescribe an evening meal of steak, baked potato, another vegetable, salad and a nice glass of milk or water. After weigh-ins he always fed the team a vegetable soup concoction that became known to opposing teams as “Super juice.” He wanted us to have something in our stomach that broke down quickly and was easily digested. He told us our stomachs have three layers of muscles that are used to digest food. Those muscles need oxygen to do their job and if there is food in your stomach when you go out to compete, there will be an O2 shortage for your brain and muscles.

In those days, wrestlers had five hours to make weight. For example, if match time was 7:30, weigh-ins started at 2:30 and you had until 7:29 to make weight. I enjoyed watching many of my less disciplined opponents having to use some of that five hours running, exercising, or drilling to knock off those last few ounces or pounds. Energy that could have been used for the match was being used to lose weight. A rather unique strategy, I presumed.

The day after a tournament or match, even if it was a Sunday, the team met at school to check our weight and we could not be more that 5 pounds over. Anyone who was over, stayed and worked out until his weight was ok. Because of history and tradition, it was rare that anyone was more than five over. The theory was simple. Once you make flat weight and stay within 5 pounds between weigh-ins, your body adjusts to living that way and when you come to practice, you can focus on technique, strategy and conditioning, and you aren’t worried about how much you have to lose or what you can’t eat or drink that night. As long as you followed the regimen, you could eat fairly normally. Learning this was even more valuable when we had to make weight multiple days in a row. Obviously, this requires a lot of mental toughness and discipline. 

Some of you may find fault with some of these concepts, and lots of things have changed over the years. One thing that hasn’t changed is the power of education and importance of supporting it with discipline. No, it wasn’t fun running for 45 minutes 6 days a week for a couple months and change my eating habits to make weight in December, but it allowed me to burn off permanent weight (fat) and further develop my endurance, stamina, and discipline. It also gave me a lot of time to contemplate how someone was going to pay for all these sacrifices. 

Condensed, my weight loss program started 45-60 days before the first weigh-in and it was facilitated with long-term endurance training to burn off fat. Once flat weight is made, stay within 5 pounds or less between weigh-ins. It will be difficult for several weeks but your body will adjust and it will be the new “normal.” Once we made flat weight, the rules allowed a 1 pound allowance in January, another pound in February, and another pound in March. They called it a "growth allowance." Then you got a pound for the second day of a tournament. So, you make 126 in Dec, 127 in Jan, 128 in Feb, 129 in March, and if you make it to the second day of a tournament, your get to make 130. State tournament rules also offered the opportunity to either weigh-in the night before or the morning of, each day of the tourney. That’s a great rule at any level. Wrestling season is long and grueling. It’s not losing weight that hurts performance and health as much as it is how you lose weight. Education and discipline are the keys. 

[NYupstate]

  On 4/12/2025 at 4:09 PM, 1032004 said:

Because some people will still cut weight, but they won’t have any time to rehydrate/refuel between weigh ins and the match.

Expand  

Huh, interesting.

I would have thought the detrimental performance effects of dehydrated competing would be a deterrent to cutting those last few pounds. You're absolutely right that the risk of injury (concussion particularly) is a lot higher when one is dehydrated.

[NYupstate]

  On 4/12/2025 at 7:05 PM, pmilk said:

This is somewhat long a perhaps strays a little from the original question, however…..

It’s a foregone conclusion that cutting weight will always be an issue in the sport of wrestling. Changing the weight classes won’t stop athletes from losing a few pounds to make a weight several pounds below their natural weight. You may hear people say that weight cutting is a “black eye” on wrestling. Athletes in other sports cut weight too. Our society is loaded with overweight individuals and billions are spent on methods of losing weight. Virtually everyone can afford to lose a few pounds. In wrestling, it’s not the losing of weight that gives the sport a “black eye,” it’s the way people do it. The main problem coaches and athletes suffer from with regards to weight loss is lack education and discipline.

With the exception of my tenth grade year, I have cut weight every year that I competed. The problem I saw in my peers was their ignorance on how to cut weight and their inability to discipline themselves to say within 5 pounds between competitions. That’s not to say I didn’t use plastics, or saunas (neither or which were illegal back then), or even binge-purge on occasion, but those techniques were few and far between, and I certainly don’t recommend them. The most valuable asset I had was the education about how to lose weight correctly, how to eat right, and using discipline to support that education.

The three wrestling deaths in 1997 were a direct result of using drastic weight cutting measures in very short period of time, i.e., dehydration, saunas, plastic sweat suits, laxatives, diuretics. My high school coach was my dad and he was very educated on how to lose weight properly. He had a weight chart on his office wall and he monitored our progress. We had to record our pre and post practice weight under his watchful eye. He developed in his wrestlers the habit of starting to lose weight 45-60 days before the first weigh-in.

Most wrestlers do several thing wrong when cutting weight. Many don’t start any serious cutting until the last couple of days before a competition. They dehydrate or starve themselves instead of practicing the discipline of losing permanent weight (body fat). Many bounce up 8, 10, and even 15 pounds after weigh-ins, and then try to lose the weight using the drastic measures and they don’t eat healthy foods or stay hydrated. 

Pre-season conditioning that included running for 45 minutes was actually my dad’s way of helping us burn off body fat. He explained that besides developing mental toughness, stamina, and discipline, long term endurance training was something we had to do if we wanted to lose weight correctly. 

He always wanted us 1-2 pounds under weight the day before weigh-ins. We learned exactly how much we would “drift” overnight. We had ample opportunities to weigh ourselves several times during the day, without interfering with classes, we knew exactly how much each article of clothing weighed, and how much weight we were drifting during the day.

He would correctly predict that we could eat 2-3 pounds of food and water the night before and still be on or under weight for weigh-ins the next day. He would prescribe an evening meal of steak, baked potato, another vegetable, salad and a nice glass of milk or water. After weigh-ins he always fed the team a vegetable soup concoction that became known to opposing teams as “Super juice.” He wanted us to have something in our stomach that broke down quickly and was easily digested. He told us our stomachs have three layers of muscles that are used to digest food. Those muscles need oxygen to do their job and if there is food in your stomach when you go out to compete, there will be an O2 shortage for your brain and muscles.

In those days, wrestlers had five hours to make weight. For example, if match time was 7:30, weigh-ins started at 2:30 and you had until 7:29 to make weight. I enjoyed watching many of my less disciplined opponents having to use some of that five hours running, exercising, or drilling to knock off those last few ounces or pounds. Energy that could have been used for the match was being used to lose weight. A rather unique strategy, I presumed.

The day after a tournament or match, even if it was a Sunday, the team met at school to check our weight and we could not be more that 5 pounds over. Anyone who was over, stayed and worked out until his weight was ok. Because of history and tradition, it was rare that anyone was more than five over. The theory was simple. Once you make flat weight and stay within 5 pounds between weigh-ins, your body adjusts to living that way and when you come to practice, you can focus on technique, strategy and conditioning, and you aren’t worried about how much you have to lose or what you can’t eat or drink that night. As long as you followed the regimen, you could eat fairly normally. Learning this was even more valuable when we had to make weight multiple days in a row. Obviously, this requires a lot of mental toughness and discipline. 

Some of you may find fault with some of these concepts, and lots of things have changed over the years. One thing that hasn’t changed is the power of education and importance of supporting it with discipline. No, it wasn’t fun running for 45 minutes 6 days a week for a couple months and change my eating habits to make weight in December, but it allowed me to burn off permanent weight (fat) and further develop my endurance, stamina, and discipline. It also gave me a lot of time to contemplate how someone was going to pay for all these sacrifices. 

Condensed, my weight loss program started 45-60 days before the first weigh-in and it was facilitated with long-term endurance training to burn off fat. Once flat weight is made, stay within 5 pounds or less between weigh-ins. It will be difficult for several weeks but your body will adjust and it will be the new “normal.” Once we made flat weight, the rules allowed a 1 pound allowance in January, another pound in February, and another pound in March. They called it a "growth allowance." Then you got a pound for the second day of a tournament. So, you make 126 in Dec, 127 in Jan, 128 in Feb, 129 in March, and if you make it to the second day of a tournament, your get to make 130. State tournament rules also offered the opportunity to either weigh-in the night before or the morning of, each day of the tourney. That’s a great rule at any level. Wrestling season is long and grueling. It’s not losing weight that hurts performance and health as much as it is how you lose weight. Education and discipline are the keys. 

Expand  

This makes me think it is unfortunate that the term, "weight cutting" encompasses such a wide array of techniques that can be used to reduce weight. I don't have an issue with a long term weight management program where one leans out a bit and goes down a few pounds, after one is finished growing. That sounds eminently sensible for a combat sport where strength:weight is a critical aspect of success.

I don't think the "black eye" is any worse for wrestling than for other sports with weight classes. I think wrestling has it less bad than MMA and boxing.

Other types of cutting not so much -

1. Semi-starvation - one guy on the team this year wrestled 116 when he could make it. A few days after the season ended he was 134. That is big % of body weight to be attempting to shed in order to compete. 
2. Dehydration -  risky for a host of reasons. Beyond a pound or two I am surprised this is as common as it is. The loss of performance when trying to exert oneself at a high level while dehydrated is significant. Full hydration recovery can take 24 hours.

Edited April 12 by NYupstate

[boconnell]

I think this entire thread is a setup.  But at least it's one to talk about a worthy subject.  

The thread starter claims to be brand new to the sport but found their way to this forum.  And as the thread has gone on they have talked about very specific wrestling things and even talked about listening to Jordan Burroughs on podcasts.  

Just tell us you want to talk about weight cutting.  Don't create a fake persona to present it.

Edited April 13 by boconnell