<em>Introduction
</em>
<em>Wrestling is a wonderful activity with many advantages for the student-athlete. It is a sport that is highly
</em>
<em>competitive, exciting and satisfying. It is a sport that provides for individual and team competition. It is -
</em>
<em>and should be - fun. Unfortunately, the practice of losing weight by not eating, restricting fluid intake and
</em>
<em>over-exercising reduces the sport's fun. This information is presented to help clear up misconceptions
</em>
<em>regarding wrestling and weight loss. I also hope to give some guidance to those who desire to manage
</em>
<em>their weight properly in preparation for and during the wrestling season.
</em>
<em>History and Stigma
</em>
<em>For too long, the wrestling community has unthinkingly accepted the myth that to be a good wrestler, you
</em>
<em>must cut weight. The generally accepted thinking is something like this: if your natural weight is 135
</em>
<em>pounds, you may be a good wrestler at 135 pounds. But if you wrestle at 130 pounds, you'll be a better
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<em>wrestler. And if you can make it down to 125, you'll be a state champion. No facts support that widely held
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<em>view, yet wrestlers and parents subscribe to that faulty reasoning. Looking further back, many remember
</em>
<em>the days that losing excessive weight was a specific practice and expectation among wrestlers. It was
</em>
<em>supposed to teach sacrifice, commitment, and the idea of “No Pain, No Gain.”
</em>
<em>Regardless of the current attitude of the majority of the wrestling community, the stigma that an unhealthy
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<em>loss of weight is a requirement of wrestling among outside observers sticks. The Virginia High School
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<em>League has followed national guidelines to establish rules that encourage healthy weight management
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<em>among wrestlers.
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<em>Current Regulations
</em>
<em>Preseason weight certification is accomplished with three steps. The first is determining each wrestler’s
</em>
<em>body fat percentage using skin fold calipers. Next, the wrestler completes a hydration test, to insure
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<em>against a dehydrated weight measurement, and the wrestler weighs in. The third step is the calculation of
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<em>the wrestler’s minimum wrestling weight based on 7% body fat for males and 12% for females. The
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<em>wrestler may not wrestle at a weight class below his minimum weight during the season. The wrestler is
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<em>also restricted from losing more then 1.5% body weight loss per week (official weigh-ins at certification,
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<em>matches, and tournaments are used for this calculation). A one-pound per month growth allowance is
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<em>provided to allow for the natural growth of this age group. The VHSL advises, and we have instituted,
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<em>daily weigh-ins before and after practice to monitor weight-loss and dehydration.
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<em>Additionally, the National Federation of State High School Associations has adopted several other rules to
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<em>guide coaches and wrestlers while managing their weight. Wrestlers are discouraged from wrestling at a
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<em>weight class more then one weight class above their certified weight. </em>
