Weight-cutting is falling out of favor

TomM · December 01, 2015, 09:34:57 PM

Weight-cutting is falling out of favor
http://www.lohud.com/story/sports/columnists/2015/11/30/mercogliano-weight-cutting-falling-out-favor/76584424/

http://bit.ly/1TjDY4X

MarkK · December 02, 2015, 08:35:22 AM

Read that today. Thanks for posting it Tom.

Jeff Farrell · December 02, 2015, 11:05:38 AM

About time! Now if we could get the majority of coaches to stop the non-sense in there own wrestling rooms, we could make real progress.

I realize that is a blanket statement on my part, and there are many coaches that try to do the right thing, but there are still far to many promoting weight cutting (not to be confused with weight management). Now if only the WIAA would also actually put a process in place for dealing with the obvious offenders of the skin fold tests, we might actually get somewhere!

bigoil · December 02, 2015, 11:35:52 AM

An excellent read, more attention to wrestlers choosing this route should be made.

I assume Dake falls into this category but am not 100% sure I've ever seen anything on it.

1Iota · December 02, 2015, 12:29:39 PM

Quote from: Jeff Farrell on December 02, 2015, 11:05:38 AM
About time! Now if we could get the majority of coaches to stop the non-sense in there own wrestling rooms, we could make real progress.

I realize that is a blanket statement on my part, and there are many coaches that try to do the right thing, but there are still far to many promoting weight cutting (not to be confused with weight management). Now if only the WIAA would also actually put a process in place for dealing with the obvious offenders of the skin fold tests, we might actually get somewhere!

There is one institution near you that always seems to have some surprising MWC.

DocWrestling · December 03, 2015, 10:40:54 AM

I hope it leads to success for these wrestlers. I know they will have more fun and enjoy wrestling a heck of a lot more.

madeyson · December 03, 2015, 03:24:01 PM

This trend would be the best thing that could happen to the sport. My fear is that the stories coming out of UFC and the like does the opposite. I am sure there are a lot of really good athletes that left the sport or never got engaged in the sport because of weight cutting. If wrestling is good for football, and football is good for wrestling - then why cut weight - don't think weight cutting is something that a football player ever thinks of.

foose4 · December 03, 2015, 03:42:18 PM

Quote from: madeyson on December 03, 2015, 03:24:01 PM
If wrestling is good for football, and football is good for wrestling - then why cut weight - don't think weight cutting is something that a football player ever thinks of.

On the other side.....who ever said you have to be overweight or big to play football. Smaller, leaner, quicker Lineman have just as much success as the big ones in High School.

Also, another point.....my son played football weighing under 125 this year, what weight is he suppose to bulk up to? 135? Will that make him any better? I doubt it.

Third point, a lot of you guys sound like the team has a spot at any weight for you....in real life, sometimes they don't. Sometimes you may trim a little harder to find a spot OR wrestle a little bigger, but not everyone can walk in at their "perfect" weight and make a team in wrestling.

HMsDad · December 03, 2015, 03:50:38 PM

Quote from: madeyson on December 03, 2015, 03:24:01 PM
This trend would be the best thing that could happen to the sport. My fear is that the stories coming out of UFC and the like does the opposite. I am sure there are a lot of really good athletes that left the sport or never got engaged in the sport because of weight cutting. If wrestling is good for football, and football is good for wrestling - then why cut weight - don't think weight cutting is something that a football player ever thinks of.

All high school wrestlers should read that. Problem is it starts a the top with parents and coaches.

MMA fighters in some states are no longer able to rehydrate by iv anymore. The hope is to stop weight cutting and have them fight in a class closer to their natural weight.

madeyson · December 03, 2015, 03:56:30 PM

foose4 - sorry if my comments came across the wrong way. I didn't mean to confuse weight cutting with eating healthy and being an all around athlete. I agree with you 100% - I don't know if any of them need to bulk up, but if you are naturally a 126 pounder, is it really good for you to cut to 113 (10% of your body weight)? I do believe there is a big difference between cutting weight and eating/training to be a goo athlete (see getyourpoints post above).

bulldog · December 03, 2015, 04:16:53 PM

Okay...so I read this article a couple times. The headline throws me..."Weight-cutting is falling out of favor". I read that and it makes me think NO weight cutting. But then the article goes on to say "I was weighing about 170 pounds about two weeks after the season was over and I decided that I was going to make the move up. I went in to talk to my coach (Jim Heffernan) and just told him that I think I'd be pretty successful at 165. He thought it was a good idea."

So...2 weeks after the season was over Rodrigues was weighing 170 lbs and he thought at that time he would wrestle 165. I assume the 165 was for the next season...am I reading that right? Or am I missing something?

I did read it a couple times and if I got that right my math has going from 170 to 165 is cutting weight. Also if 165 was for next season I would assume there would be some growth...granted college age may not be much but I added 2 inches to my height in college. So I would have to guess by the next season he would be more like 175-180. That is still cutting weight. Isn't it?

So...is dropping 5-10 pounds not considered cutting weight?

On topic but a different angle - What the article doesn't say is what his skin fold percentages were at 141 vs 165 or 170. I see kids skinfolding at 170 that can come down several weight classes. So...are these kids "obese"? That may be too strong a term...but nobody is screaming about the kids that skinfold at 170 and can drop down to 106. We (the wrestling community) want to talk about good eating habits and good exercise habits but ignore the 285 pinching to 170.

Or is the skinfold test BS?

And be real...Foose4 you are on the right track...I will add to that...just because you "walk around" at 170 lbs doesn't mean that is the best weight for you. Again...isn't that what the skin fold test tell us. That at 7% your optimal weight should be X?