For non-wrestlers, wrestling already seems like a formidable sport. Even so, many athletes wrestle with an additional opponent outside of the ring—their weight.

With 14 weight classes in each gender division, wrestlers often find that they need to adjust their weight for the highest performance possible. In preparation for meets, male wrestlers can lose up to seven percent of their body fat through weight-cutting, while female wrestlers can lose up to 12 percent, according to Central Coast Section (CCS) assistant commissioner Duane Morgan.

“The total weight loss is controlled, and the rate at which you can lose that weight is controlled,” he said. “[The process] has been about nine years in the making. It works pretty well […] and what it has stopped is kids just willy-nilly thinking they can lose 20 pounds and start cutting all that weight one week before they’re supposed to make league finals.”

The objective for competing wrestlers is to stay near the upper boundary of a weight class without crossing over to the next, aiming for maximum weight advantage during competition. Each class covers about 10 to 20 pounds. On the day before weigh-in, when class is determined, wrestlers attempt to drop even more in water weight by working out and hydrating less.

Balancing daily meals and exercise around that narrow range can require a lot of maintenance, according to Davis Howard (9).

“[Some wrestlers] have to cut a couple pounds a week because their weight classes are very close to their limit,” he said. “Whenever they eat, they gain a little bit, so they’re going to have to cut a lot.”

As a heavyweight, a class with a wide weight range of 65 pounds, Davis rarely needs to cut weight. Wrestlers in lighter weight classes, like Vincent Lin (12), must watch their intake more carefully.

“I try not to eat calorie dense foods,” Vincent said. “Out of season, I’d get food from the main [lunch] area—I’d get guacamole and all that—but during weight cutting, I’d get fruit and salad, and I’d hydrate.”

Upper School nurse Clare Elchert emphasized the importance of maintaining a regular diet while cutting weight. The biggest dangers in cutting weight are rapid weight loss and dehydration.

“If you maintain a balanced diet, with protein and carbohydrates, and you stay well hydrated, you can cut weight in a healthy way,” she said.

The California Interscholastic Federation/Central Coast Section (CCS) mandates a body composition assessment program for each athlete to determine the safest amounts of weight that can be cut. Testing includes measurements of body fat and hydration.

According to Livestrong.com, cutting body-weight for wrestling can have negative and long-lasting effects on the wrestlers themselves. In an article written in Oct. of 2013, Livestrong outlines the unhealthy ramifications that can continue into adulthood, such as fluctuating and detrimental eating habits, organ damage through dehydration, and eating disorders.

The article also highlights the benefits of with the sport, including a strong sense of self-control gained by an athlete through the harsh discipline of weight-cutting.

CCS Assistant Commissioner Duane Morgan, however, states that CCS does not require that wrestlers follow specific dietary or nutritional restrictions.

“The National Wrestling Coach Association program gives wrestlers information and education about nutrition—what’s good, what’s bad, and how to safely cut any weight that they do want to cut without crashing down too hard and being unsafe,” he said.

Back in 1997, weight-cutting practices, especially at a collegiate level, came under intense scrutiny after deaths of three wrestlers due to extreme weight-loss in preparation for wrestling matches and tournaments. According to The New York Times, the deaths “occurred during strenuous weight-loss workouts.”

These events resulted in serious alterations to weight-cutting policy, as stated on the NCAA official website. Changes include banning the use of saunas and rubber suits, allowing seven pounds of leeway around each weight class, and moving the weigh-in time up to two hours before a wrestling match rather than the original 24-hour policy.

For the Upper School wrestlers, healthy weight cutting has not been an impossible challenge.

“It’s not fun at first, but it’s part of wrestling,” Vincent said. “And my overall wrestling experience was really good.”

This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on March 12, 2014.