Cutting weight is normal for wrestlers, but it is not physically and mentally easy.
Loosely defined, cutting weight when wrestlers lose pounds to reach a certain weight class.
Wrestlers increase their physical practice to burn calories and also reduce their calorie intake just to lose weight.
Weight loss for these wrestlers tend to ease itself over time.
“Losing weight is physically difficult, but also mentally [difficult] because it brings out temptation. I withstood those temptations by remembering the reason for what I’m doing, which is to be better than who I was yesterday,” said Jaimie Simental, senior.
“I noticed a loss of energy due to cutting weight, caused by lack of nutrients, but I got used to it after a while,” said Alfredo Quintero, junior.
Although weight loss deprives the body from its full potential, it comes with an advantage.
“Although my performance as an athlete may not have been the best because of the weight loss, cutting weight gave me the opportunity to be more competitive for what I want,” said Simental.
Cutting weight is potentially dangerous for wrestlers, their health and well-being should be put first. Focusing on strength, endurance, technique, and health, wrestlers will be able to perform at their highest with no risk.
“Yes, cutting weight can be dangerous; however, I encourage my wrestlers to focus more on performance than cutting weight,” Coach Marcus Clements, said. “I encourage them to learn how to wrestle and work extremely hard in the wrestling room. In most cases, if they do work hard, weight won’t be an issue.
“I recommend that kids learn how to wrestle and that weight is not that important,” Clements said. “Each kid has his own weight program in our system called Track Wrestling. It is individualized to make sure each wrestler is losing the appropriate amount of weight each week. I’d say the average amount of weight that a kid can cut a week is one or two pounds; for most kids, it’s a lot of water weight,” he said.
“Maintain a mindset of consistency and keep moving forward with your health and fitness journey. Strive to be the best version of yourself and don’t give up, because you will regret it later,” said Quintero.
