Question: How has the evolution of “cutting weight” changed through the years and how does that effect the challenges wrestlers face maintaining fitness and health during the season? What are some of the more common injuries/conditions athletic trainers see that are unique to wrestling that parents should be aware of? Answer: Until the late 1990s, wrestlers were able to cut excessive amounts of weight with dangerous methods and little or no guidance or supervision. In fact, cutting weight was the norm and deeply imbedded in the culture of the sport. I know from personal experience that cutting weight, bumping up or down in weight classes and making weight every week was a great source of pride for wrestlers. The goal was to get down to the lowest weight possible while trying to maintain muscle mass and strength. Methods of cutting weight in years past included crash diets, wearing rubber suits in practice, jumping rope in the sauna, skipping meals, running after practice, laxatives and basically starving. However, we now know the complete opposite effect was the outcome! Wrestlers put their bodies in a catabolic state, whereby considerable amounts of muscle was broken down and much of the strength gained in the off season went as well. Furthermore, due to the fact that most wrestlers would over-eat after weigh-ins and matches, the rapid weight loss/gain cycle repeated over time would also trash their energy levels and strength, and severely compromise their stamina. As more information about nutrition and athletic performance became available, many athletic trainers and coaches slowly developed better guidelines in the 1990s, but it was an uphill battle and “counter culture” to the tradition of the sport. Wrestlers still cut too much weight too fast, but slow progress was made during that time period. However, here in New Jersey, real change didn’t come until 2000. The NJSIAA had begun to develop and implement new regulations for the sport. Thankfully, the sport has improved immensely just in the past decade and with some growing pains changed the culture. The new regulations implemented by the state required the coaches to be removed from the weight-loss process. Now, athletic trainers, physicians, and school administrators are responsible for implementing the new weight class certification regulations. Regulations now include but not limited to: 1. All wrestlers must certify with an athletic trainer and doctor their weight class for the season before the season begins. They are not allowed to drop more than 1.5 percent of their weight per week to try to get down to their weight class. 2. All wrestlers must pass a hydration test and body fat taken before the weight certification. If a wrestler has 7percent or less body fat, he is not allowed to lose any weight to move down a weight class. If a wrestler is not hydrated, he cannot weigh in and certify until he is. These regulations force the wrestler to be very close to his certifying weight BEFORE the season. Otherwise it would take weeks with the 1.5 percent weight-loss rule to allow the wrestler to compete. Also, it forces the wrestler not to try and get down to their weight quickly before certification; otherwise they will become dehydrated and not pass the required hydration test. The challenge still exists for wrestlers to “make weight” each match and maintain a strong healthy body, but they are more apt to stay closer to their normal weight. I find that wrestlers today don’t try to lose more than 3-10 pounds before the season and then maintain that weight. They also know now to start shedding that weight slowly, usually a month or two BEFORE certification. Athletic Trainers and coaches now help wrestlers make wise food choices during that process. We also know that losing or maintaining weight is math as much as it is nutrition. One pound of fat is about 3,500 calories of stored energy, so if you eat 500 calories less than that per day you will lose about a pound per week. Eat 1,000 calories per day and lose two pounds per week. This basic premise helps the athlete gauge how long before the season they need to get to their desired weight. Wrestlers should eat a balance of nutritious foods containing carbohydrates, lean proteins, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. The challenge is getting these foods while training, competing, school work and the ever important social life. Two other very important elements to optimum performance diets are eating a wide variety of these foods and the timing of when to eat. Because there is a “window” for both fueling muscles and replenishing muscle glycogen stores (usually 30 -60 minutes pre- and post-exercise) timing is a factor. Wresters have to also look very closely at what kinds of foods they eat right after weigh-ins, making sure they fuel up without eating too much. We give our wrestlers a list to follow on what foods are carbohydrate rich and easily digestible before wrestling. To answer the second part of your question, I would say that wrestling sees its fair share of the common injuries seen in other sports, such as ankle and knee sprains, muscle strains, and contusions. What I see more often in wrestling due to the physical nature of the sport is shoulder sprains and fractures, separations or dislocations, neck sprains and strains, and concussions. Also, as an trainer I have to be prepared to handle the possibility of a catastrophic cervical fracture, spinal cord injury or a severe head injury. Other conditions parents should be aware of that are common to wrestling are a variety of skin conditions that crop up including impetigo, boils, staph infections and MRSA. It is worth mentioning that strict regulations concerning the treatment and becoming “non-contagious” for all of these and other skin conditions and a wrestler’s eligibility to compete have been implemented by the NJSIAA. Pat Dioguardo has been the athletic trainer at Mainland Regional High School since 1989. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from West Chester University and a Master’s degree from Temple University and is a former wrestler at Washington Township High School.