Rules in Place to Guard Against Weight Cutting in Wrestling

The primary aim of weight classifications in wrestling is to create an even playing field and safer competition by matching competitors who are close to each other in the amount that they weigh. Unfortunately, it is a common and unsafe practice in the sport where the competitors often engage in patterns of weight cycling in which they “cut weight” prior to a match and gain the weight back following the contest.

One-third of high school wrestlers have reported engaging in cyclic weight-control practices more than 10 times per season. Weight cycling or weight cutting practices usually involve one of three methods: 1) decreasing caloric intake, 2) increasing exercise or 3) artificial methods of dehydration. Oftentimes the competitors will employ two or more of these practices simultaneously. Some of these practices have been shown to decrease performance and lead to harmful effects on the body including death.

The body’s energy stores (weight) can be manipulated in the short-term by reducing carbohydrate and associated water stores. This can be done by increasing exercise, restricting overall calorie intake or specifically reducing carbohydrate intake in the diet. These approaches have multiple disadvantages if athletes want to compete at their optimal levels. If the exercise designed to cut weight is additional and excessive, it can lead to excessive fatigue and muscle soreness. If athletes were to restrict calories that could be associated with hunger and the loss of perceived energy along with reduction of muscle glycogen (the energy stores needed during competition). With a restriction of dietary carbohydrate this often leads to fatigue, especially during exercise, and glucose (glycogen) replacement may be needed to meet the performance needs in competition.

Another, and more dangerous, way that wrestlers have attempted to cut weight prior to competition is manipulating the contents of the stomach and intestine by restricting food or by laxative use. Utilizing either of these methods produces the perceived energy loss and reduction of muscle glycogen described above. This could result in impaired cardiovascular function and electrolyte imbalances. The practice yields only small impacts on body mass.

When athletes try to cut weight by sweat loss or reduction of fluid intake, dehydration becomes a real concern. Body water manipulation (dehydration) can be achieved by passive sweating (sauna, sweatsuits, hot bath, etc.), active sweating (exercise), fluid restriction, water loading (intake of large volumes of fluid for days, followed by sudden fluid restriction on the day before weigh-in), using diuretics, or blood withdrawal pre-weigh-in (for infusion post weigh-in).

Subjecting the athlete’s body to intentional dehydration is dangerous, can lead to significant medical problems, including death, and often impaired performance. Dehydration in excess of three to five percent leads to reduced strength and muscular endurance, resulting in decreased athletic performance.

Dehydration can also cause reduced plasma and blood volume, compromised cardiac output, impaired thermoregulation (increasing the risk of heat illness/ heat stroke), decreased kidney blood flow, reduced liver glycogen (glucose) stores, and loss of electrolytes. Because of these problems, this can lead to life-threatening heat illness, rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown), kidney failure and cardiac arrest. Sports medicine authorities and organizations worldwide have condemned the practice of fluid deprivation.

Another associated issue with dehydration is that it can affect the evaluation of other medical problems. One example is that wrestlers performed worse on concussion screening tests when dehydrated compared with their performance at baseline in a normally hydrated state.

To promote sound practices, student-athletes and coaches should be educated about the dangers of cutting weight including dehydration, the use of laxatives, diuretic use and self-induced vomiting. Similarly, the use of excessive food and fluid restriction, sweatsuits, hot rooms/ boxes, and steam rooms should be prohibited.

The 2022-23 NFHS Wrestling Rules (Rule 1, Section 5, Articles 1-3) outline the process for discouraging excessive weight loss and establishing a safe minimum weight which involves the wrestler, parents/guardians, appropriate health-care professional and coach. An ideal program would be one where an appropriate health-care professional would assist in establishing a minimum weight class through hydration testing prior to the beginning of the season combined with body fat assessment and a monitored descent plan. Minimum body fat should not be lower than seven percent for males or 12 percent for females.

Ideally, weight monitoring should be performed by someone other than the coach. If the school employs a certified athletic trainer or school nurse, these are the individuals who should be involved with weight monitoring of the athletes. If there are concerns about eating disorders, excessive exercise or artificial dehydration identified, the athlete should be referred to his or her primary care provider for further evaluation. In a preseason meeting, coaches and student-athletes should be educated about the dangerous consequences of cutting weight and possible complications that could arise from it.

Another major complication of describing the effect of rapid weight loss on performance is the concept of relative performance. This means that competition success is awarded to the athlete who is best within the athlete’s event pool rather than to the athlete who achieves the best performance level on the day of the event. This can make negative consequences of cutting weight difficult to observe at every tournament or match.

A sensible alternative to dehydration weight loss involves preseason determination of an acceptable minimum competitive weight, gradual weight loss to achieve the desired weight, and maintenance of the weight during the season. Student-athletes and coaches should be informed of the health consequences of dehydration and educated in proper weight-loss procedures. Wrestlers, their parents, and coaches should continue to be encouraged to establish safe weight management practices in wrestling, focusing on safe hydration practices, good nutrition, and the continued development of strength and skill. Putting the priorities on these best practices will reduce the emphasis on unsafe strategies of cutting weight and lead to improved performance and increased safety.

Resources:
Burke LM, et.al., ACSM Expert Consensus Statement on Weight Loss in Weight-Category Sports. Cur Sport Med Rep 20(4):199-217, April 2021
Gibbs AE, et.al., Weight Management in Amateur Wrestling. Sports Hlth 1(3):227-230, May 2009
The National Collegiate Athletic Association. Weight Loss-Dehydration. Book Chapter in: Sports Medicine Handbook, 25th Edition. Parsons JT (Ed), p 43; National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, IN, 2014
National Federation of State High School Associations. Weight Management in Wrestling. Book Chapter in: Sports Medicine Handbook, 4th Edition. Colgate B, Koester MC (Eds.), pp 75-76; National Federation of State High School Associations, Indianapolis, IN, 2011
National Federation of State High School Associations. Weight Control Program. Section in: 2021-2022 Wrestling Rule Book. Hopkins BE (Ed), p 8; National Federation of State High School Associations, Indianapolis, IN, 2021