Tips On Losing Weight For Wrestling

The difficulty in making weight for a wrestling tournament is directly related to the amount of time you have before the weigh-in. Dropping a few pounds one month out from a match can be accomplished with minor modifications to diet and exercise. It will take a bit more effort and discipline, however, to drop those same few pounds in one week, or just a few days without adversely affecting performance.

Exercise

Wrestling practice and conditioning will generally take care of burning calories and keeping the athlete trim. If the wrestler finds that weight is becoming an issue a month to six weeks before the match, it is time to begin a cutting cycle. In regard to exercise, extra weight loss can be achieved by increasing the amount of cardio. Depending on how much weight needs to be lost, adding a brisk 30-minute walk to the daily activity could help knock off an extra pound or two. Wrestlers seeking to lose more than five pounds would increase the intensity and duration of the cardio by adding up to 45 minute jogging sessions.

Diet

Losing weight through diet can be accomplished starting eight weeks from a match. However, don't expect to lose more than two pounds per week without reducing performance levels. Eliminating junk food, reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing protein and healthy fats will help to reduce body fat levels as well as overall scale weight. Simply making better food choices, instead of caloric reduction, will often result in appreciable weight loss.

Hydration

Wrestlers will often turn to manipulating hydration strategies in the days leading up to a tournament if additional weight needs to be lost. While considered the most effective way to cut weight, it is also the most dangerous if done incorrectly. Using diuretics, saunas and plastic suits will increase fluid loss. Unfortunately, using these artificial methods to enhance water loss often leads to severe dehydration, decreases in performance, and on several occasions, death.
The body is naturally losing water through perspiration, breathing and urination. Replacing only a small portion of this water loss by restricting, not eliminating, water intake 24 hours before the match is safer and can result in the loss of an additional one to five pounds. Once the weigh-in is complete, begin replacing the lost fluid over the next few hours by frequently consuming sips of water.