The Weight Cutting Issue

[agdfan]

There. Is that better. Johnny, you know I'm right. We die hards all know it's part of the sport, however, I am NOT an advocate of it. Have you read any of the bad press about wrestling? 98% of it is about the adverse affects of weight cutting. Have you ever heard anybody say "I don't want Little Joey wrestling because there are bad calls."? NO! People unfamiliar with our great sport, just like anything else in life, remember the bad things, especially the things that are in the forfront. Tell them something negative, then tell them something positive and I guarantee you in a week they will be able to quote the negative. And if you tell me the weight cutting issue isn't the biggest issue that hurts our sport, you are lying.

[The LOCK]

There. Is that better. Johnny, you know I'm right. We die hards all know it's part of the sport, however, I am NOT an advocate of it. Have you read any of the bad press about wrestling? 98% of it is about the adverse affects of weight cutting. Have you ever heard anybody say "I don't want Little Joey wrestling because there are bad calls."? NO! People unfamiliar with our great sport, just like anything else in life, remember the bad things, especially the things that are in the forfront. Tell them something negative, then tell them something positive and I guarantee you in a week they will be able to quote the negative. And if you tell me the weight cutting issue isn't the biggest issue that hurts our sport, you are lying.

Their are negative things about every sport.... but... people compete about sports... I have heard people say they wont wrestle, because its gay, and they want to be be felt up by another guy... Our society of full of negaitve people, its part of the real world... You are right... when people think of wrestling, they think of weight cutting and negative affects.... However, I still feel like finding out who the best and worst are.. Maybe we will find someone who is really good at keeping their weight down, without shedding a ton of weight, the unhealthy way...

Its just a discussion... if you dont like it, then dont take part in it... Even though many like what you have to say, and I do as well.... But discussion is one of the best ways to gain knowledge....

[agdfan]

Then why not ask "Who has had the best success at cutting weight , healthy?" There are guys over there bragging about how much weight was cut in one day. That is so informative I can hardly stand it. Did you ever think maybe that's why I brought it up here? I had read enough. BUT, you are right. You are always right. I stand down.

[The LOCK]

Then why not ask "Who has had the best success at cutting weight , healthy?" There are guys over there bragging about how much weight was cut in one day. That is so informative I can hardly stand it. Did you ever think maybe that's why I brought it up here? I had read enough. BUT, you are right. You are always right. I stand down.

wow... I guess I hit a button...

[ScoobysMom]

Then why not ask "Who has had the best success at cutting weight , healthy?" There are guys over there bragging about how much weight was cut in one day. That is so informative I can hardly stand it. Did you ever think maybe that's why I brought it up here? I had read enough. BUT, you are right. You are always right. I stand down.

Tell them something negative, then tell them something positive and I guarantee you in a week they will be able to quote the negative. And if you tell me the weight cutting issue isn't the biggest issue that hurts our sport, you are lying.

Well, I have to agree with you so please don't stand down. I have never agreed with the large amounts of weight some try to loose. Some of these kids just don't have it and don't realize they maybe doing more harm then good.

[agdfan]

You did hit a button. I have seen so many kids cut so much weight, so they could, as you say "compete" and it didn't quite pan out that way. You have seen it too. Okay, let's use the arguement that Little Joey isn't big enough to compete at 125 weighing a natural 145. Then lift, get big enough. Do anything rather than starve, dehydrate, and fluxuate your weight 20 pounds every 5 days. I know very personally some kids who have never cut down more than one weight. Ex; 129 to 125, not 129 to 119. I have seen first hand kids get beat because they weren't 100% because of weight loss. Has my son cut weight? Of course. Has he cut too much weight? Yep, one summer. He got beat on day one by a kid he pretty much manhandled on day 2. Ask him if it was worth it to be "competitive". Kids don't have to cut extreme amounts in short periods of time to be competitive. If it were okay, IHSA along with NCAA wouldn't be trying to enforce (unsuccessfully I might add) guidelines to prevent it.

[BARR]

I think the kids should just be eating right, lifting hard, training hard and living healthy. That will get these kids further and more successful than cutting tons of weight.... IMO.

Cutting weight is part of the sport, but there is a point where it is doing much more harm than good. Cutting a little weight to get to your peak performance weight is one thing, but the drastic cutting is not good at all.

The people that I know of who cut/maintain weight the right way are the guys that get their body fat percentage tested and their lean muscle mass tested. They eat right, train hard, keep lifting, etc. They are educated on the subject and know/find out what their peak performance weight is. They don't go about it blindly. They are informed, educated, and get professional testing done.

I am not saying it is the only way, but that is what is done by the people I know of who are the best at cutting/maintaining their weight. Common sense has to come into play sometime... doesn't it? If a kid is weighing 148 and already working hard and looking lean does he need to cut to 125-130? I would say no and that the lowest he should go would be about 140.

AGDFAN... you are 100% correct IMO. Weight cutting is the biggest issue that hurts our sport.

[The LOCK]

Okay... I like what you are saying... But what can wrestling do to improve the situation...

I know from my personal expierence... My brother feels he competes and wrestles better if he is cutting weight.... I feel that the main reason he is cutting so much, is because he is making poor decisions on what he is having to eat during the week...

I agree weight cutting isnt great for the sport... but honestly.. I dont think there is much that can be done about it... would I like to see change... sure. why not... but will it happen? I doubt it...

[DawgeatDawg2]

The worst part is the parents torturing the little ones. I know, I've done it myself.

[ScoobysMom]

The worst part is the parents torturing the little ones. I know, I've done it myself.

Shame on you Dawg:p

[DawgeatDawg2]

Shame on you Dawg:p

We were in Tulsa and the one dad said "yea we were going to go 79, but we got to 85 and he couldn't stop cying. The little sissy". We never cut again after hearing that.

[ScoobysMom]

We were in Tulsa and the one dad said "yea we were going to go 79, but we got to 85 and he couldn't stop cying. The little sissy". We never cut again after hearing that.

Unbelievable............some people just have to live their dream through their kids even if it has a negative effect on them. it's a shame:(

[agdfan]

I don't think there is an easy answer, but I really think it has to start at home at an early age. On the other board, someone said weight cutting is part of the discipline of the sport. I have to disagree. I think the way most wrestlers cut weight shows a lack of discipline, not being able to cut correctly and maintain through proper diet and workout. We are not perfect by any means, but I also know who was the boss at our house and it wasn't Clayton. If I felt he wasn't eating enough or looked all ganted up, he ate...period. If he cheated, he knew it was up a weight class rather than go the extreme route. And I also think, on a public forum, conversations like this show "newbies" that it isn't all about cutting tons of weight, not everybody does it, some "die hards" don't like it, and success can still be achieved. This is much more productive than "wow, so-and-so cut x-amount of weight in one day. Impressive." So, here is Clayton's season diet, starting about 3 weeks before practice.
Breakfast - slimfast - contains all the vitamins, etc...
Lunch - I packed it every day - sandwich with low fat bread, turkey low fat ham, jello or fat free pudding, and a fruit of some kind, sometimes cherry tomatoes, and sometimes boiled shrimp instead of a sandwich.
Dinner - We grilled a lot in the winter and had a lot of broiled fish, turkey, etc...with fresh veggies cooked or fresh fruit salad, etc... I always had sugar free jello or pudding in the cupboard for snacks along with bananas and strawberries.
Two days before weigh-ins we really watched the salt intake.
On weekends after a tournament or meet it was off to Hooters as his weight wasn't fluxuating that much.
He lifts year round with about a 2 week break in the summer.
It really isn't rocket science.

Let me just add...we'll see how it goes at college...where he has to answer only to himself.

[BARR]

We were in Tulsa and the one dad said "yea we were going to go 79, but we got to 85 and he couldn't stop cying. The little sissy". We never cut again after hearing that.

Talk about some HUGE weight cutting. Holy crap. The weight cutting is Tulsa is un-real.

[BARR]

I don't think there is an easy answer, but I really think it has to start at home at an early age. On the other board, someone said weight cutting is part of the discipline of the sport. I have to disagree. I think the way most wrestlers cut weight shows a lack of discipline, not being able to cut correctly and maintain through proper diet and workout. We are not perfect by any means, but I also know who was the boss at our house and it wasn't Clayton. If I felt he wasn't eating enough or looked all ganted up, he ate...period. If he cheated, he knew it was up a weight class rather than go the extreme route. And I also think, on a public forum, conversations like this show "newbies" that it isn't all about cutting tons of weight, not everybody does it, some "die hards" don't like it, and success can still be achieved. This is much more productive than "wow, so-and-so cut x-amount of weight in one day. Impressive." So, here is Clayton's season diet, starting about 3 weeks before practice.
Breakfast - slimfast - contains all the vitamins, etc...
Lunch - I packed it every day - sandwich with low fat bread, turkey low fat ham, jello or fat free pudding, and a fruit of some kind, sometimes cherry tomatoes, and sometimes boiled shrimp instead of a sandwich.
Dinner - We grilled a lot in the winter and had a lot of broiled fish, turkey, etc...with fresh veggies cooked or fresh fruit salad, etc... I always had sugar free jello or pudding in the cupboard for snacks along with bananas and strawberries.
Two days before weigh-ins we really watched the salt intake.
On weekends after a tournament or meet it was off to Hooters as his weight wasn't fluxuating that much.
He lifts year round with about a 2 week break in the summer.
It really isn't rocket science.

Let me just add...we'll see how it goes at college...where he has to answer only to himself.

Good post.

[agdfan]

I have been putting money away just for that. I am fortunate...he is really good about what he eats, and I don't really care too much for junk food, so we never really had it around much. The "caf" at Coe has a great salad bar and pretty good subs. He only has 7 pounds to cut from natural, and that should come off easily once practice starts. But we can always use new advice...;)

[maddog0117]

Their are negative things about every sport.... but... people compete about sports... I have heard people say they wont wrestle, because its gay, and they want to be be felt up by another guy... Our society of full of negaitve people, its part of the real world... You are right... when people think of wrestling, they think of weight cutting and negative affects.... However, I still feel like finding out who the best and worst are.. Maybe we will find someone who is really good at keeping their weight down, without shedding a ton of weight, the unhealthy way...

Its just a discussion... if you dont like it, then dont take part in it... Even though many like what you have to say, and I do as well.... But discussion is one of the best ways to gain knowledge....

Those are the main things ive heard from people too about wrestling, mostley baseketball players. I think the IHSA, NHSF, IESA IKWF, NCAA etc should in a rule that the coaches or officials register everyone's weight at all meets and tournaments. Along with that a drop 2 (maximum 3 pounds) per week, since I heard that is the healthey maximum). No it isnt perfect, but it is a step past the gravity specron test, or what ever it it called. Though I love the body fat rule.