Physiologic problems associated with the
"making of weight"
CHARLES M. TIPTON, Ph.D., Iowa City, Iowa
There
few sports that
many health problems as
wrestling. 1-3 Although this fact has been recognized
by athletic, parental, and medical groups the problem continues.~ The reasons can be summarized as follows:
. Athletic
organizations have established specific weight
classes and instituted rigid rules concerning how the classes are
4
to be governed.4
· The wrestlers who are losing the most weight to be certified
2
are also the youngest.2
0 Most wrestlers lose the
majority of their body weight in a
short time (12 to 36 hr) by water loss and compete in a
are
cause as
scholastic
6
dehydrated state.2, 5,
0 Fellow
competitors are the most influential group in adwrestlers
on how to &dquo;make weight.&dquo;2
vising
0 Most wrestlers believe
a lower
they can &dquo;make weight&dquo; for
2
weight class with no loss in performance capacity. 1,
0 Medical
groups have failed to take an active or vigorous
leadership role in changing these practices.
Studies conducted during the past decade suggest scholastic
wrestlers are not &dquo;overweight&dquo; before the season starts and the
more successful ones will lose 9 to 15% of their preseason body
weight to compete in a specific weight class. 1-3,5 Because of a
lack of knowledge and poor health supervision, wrestlers will
dehydrate by exercising in rubber suits or by sitting in saunas,
whirlpools, or enclosed shower rooms.2The fact that rubber
suits are outlawed by scholastic athletic organizations has had
little impact on individuals who want to lose 5 lbs or more to
make weight.2These individuals have little or no awareness of
the fact that exercising in these vapor barrier suits can elevate
core body temperature by 6 to 8 C and impair normal function
of the temperature regulating system.
There are many undocumented stories of wrestlers using
laxatives and diuretics to &dquo;make weight.&dquo; Induced vomiting,
or &dquo;flipping,&dquo; has been known to be used by some and there is
one documented instance in which the wrestler had to be
hospitalized because the repeated practice created problems
similar to those associated with anorexia nervosa.
Besides fluid restriction and dehydration, wrestlers deprive
themselves of food to make weight.2 Some take appetite suppressants although it is difficult to establish how widespread
this practice has become. As discussed elsewhere in this Journal,7 individuals 14 to 17 years of age who are 5 to 6 feet tall
and weigh 98 to 185 lbs need a minimum of 1,200 kcal/day for
sedentary activities. Consequently, the tacit approval or ac-
500 kcal/day diet is an inappropriate and unhealthy practice which should be stopped.
Sufficient data has been accumulated from food-deprived
and dehydrated adults to indicate that these practices are
associated with decreased muscular strength and endurance,
reduced treadmill running time, increased heart rate, decreased
blood and plasma volumes, lower maximum oxygen consumptions, reduced renal blood flow and filtration fractions, increased electrolyte loss, and impaired thermoregulating pro-
ceptance of
a
cesses.1
The acute or chronic effects of similar food and fluid restriction practices by growing individuals is unclear. It is known
that tissues cannot increase their tolerance to dehydration by
repeated exposures.8 We have hypothesized that altered urinary
profiles of scholastic wrestlers before weigh-in and competition5.6suggests renal ischemia. Furthermore, we have speculated that former successful wrestlers at middle age will have
a higher incidence of renal problems than nonwrestlers of
similar ages and backgrounds.
The resolution of these problems will require more than
pious intentions and lengthy proclamations. One immediate
solution would be to accept a minimum body weight that
contains 5% fat.l9Individuals wishing to compete at a lower
fat percentage would have to obtain written assurance of
medical supervision. Underwater weighing, measurement of
body diameters and circumferences, and assessment of skinfold thickness could be used to develop body composition
equations suitable for predicting minimal weights.l9When
used in advance of the certification time, the results would aid
in developing realistic weight reduction plans for wrestlers that
avoid dehydration.2Studies are currently underway at the
University of Iowa to determine the validity and feasibility of
such an approach. Financial support for this project has been
shared by the University, Iowa Medical Society, and Iowa
High School Athletic Association. Similar approaches by other
states are needed.
Until states have established medical guidelines concerning
these matters, we recommend acceptance of the American
College of Sports Medicine position. The main points to consider are:
9 Assess the
body composition of each wrestler several weeks
in advance of the competitive season. Individuals with a fat
content of less than 5% of their certified body weight should
receive medical clearance before being allowed to compete.
449
o
Emphasize that the daily caloric requirements of wrestlers
should be obtained from a balanced diet and determined on
the basis of age, body surface area, growth, and physical
activity levels. The minimal caloric needs of wrestlers in high
schools and colleges will range from 1,200 to 2,400 kcal/day;
therefore, it is the responsibility of coaches, school officials,
physicians, and parents to discourage wrestlers from securing
less than their minimal needs without approval.
o
Discourage the practice of fluid deprivation and dehydration. This can be accomplished by educating coaches and
wrestlers on the physiologic consequences and medical complications which can occur as a result of these practices; prohibiting use of rubber suits, steam rooms, hot boxes, saunas,
laxatives, and diuretics to &dquo;make weight&dquo;; scheduling weighins just before competition; and scheduling more official weighins between team matches.
o Permit more
participants to compete in those weight
classes (119 to 145 lbs) which have the highest percentages of
wrestlers certified for competition.
o Standardize
regulations concerning the eligibility rules at
championship tournaments so individuals may only participate
in those weight classes in which they had the highest frequencies of matches throughout the season.
A survey of
Encourage local and county organizations to systematically collect data on the hydration state of wrestlers and its
relationship to growth and development.
0
REFERENCES
1. American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand on weight
loss in wrestlers. Sports Med Bull 11: 1-2, 1976
2. Tipton CM, Tcheng TK: Iowa wrestling study. Weight loss in high
. 1269-1274, 1970
school students. JAMA 214
3. Tipton CM, Tcheng TK, Paul WD: Evaluation of the Hall method
for determining minimum wrestling weights. J Iowa Med Soc 59:
571-574, 1969
4.
5
6.
7
8.
9.
Tipton CM, Tcheng TK, Zambraski EJ. Iowa wrestling study:
Weight classification systems Med Sci Sports 8: 101-104, 1976
Zambraski EJ, Foster DT, Gross PM, et al: Iowa wrestling study:
Weight loss and urinary profiles of collegiate wrestlers. Med Sci
Sports 8: 106-108, 1976
Zambraski EJ, Tipton CM, Tcheng TK, et al: Iowa wrestling study:
Changes in the urinary profile of wrestlers prior to and after
competition. Med Sci Sports 7: 217-220, 1975
Tipton CM Weight loss and the scholastic wrestler. Am J Sports
Med (In press)
Robinson S: The effects of dehydration on performance Football
injuries. Washington. Nat Acad Sci 1970, 191-197
Tcheng TK, Tipton CM: Iowa wrestling study. Anthropometric
measurements and the prediction of a "minimal" body weight for
high school wrestlers. Med Sci Sports 5: 1-10, 1973
wrestling injuries
GEORGE A. SNOOK, M.D., Northampton, Massachusetts
This
paper summarizes typical injuries encountered by an
interscholastic or intercollegiate wrestling team. We will concern ourselves with those injuries which, hopefully, will not
disable the wrestler for the entire season.
Treatment will be discussed under each subheading as appropriate except for sprains. A general discussion of sprains is
given in the section on soft tissue injuries.
A few words are necessary concerning wrestling injuries and
their relationship to wrestling holds. Almost any hold can
produce an injury; to list all the possible injuries from every
hold is a near impossibility. Generally the hold, if not illegal,
does not produce the injury. Injury results from the simultaneous application of the hold by the dominant wrestler and the
dominated wrestler’s struggle to escape from it. This can result
in opposite forces exerting their effect at a weak area-generally a joint-and, if strong enough, cause injury. Sometimes
the action-reaction movement results in a hold being improperly applied with potentially dangerous results.
HEAD AND FACE
The most frequent injuries to this area are those due to direct
trauma, either from blows or falls (Fig. 1). Lacerations, espe450
about the orbit, can be particularly serious and receive
immediate treatment at the mat. The wound should be cleaned,
hemostasis obtained by direct pressure with sterile gauze, closure by butterflies, and protection usually with an elastoplast
dressing. At the conclusion of the bout the wound can be
sutured and protected by dressings during future competition.
Control nosebleeds with gauze-wrapped cotton or plain gauze
nose plugs. The fractured nose will be so painful and bloody
that the wrestler probably cannot continue but, after proper
cially
treatment
be
by
an
otorhinolaryngologist,
a
legal nose guard
can
for practice and competition. The usual cause is direct
contact with an opponent’s head or, more rarely, an elbow.
Occasionally an over-enthusiastic cross-face hold may injure
the nose. Cerebral concussion may also occur and require
hospitalization for observation. Concussions result when both
wrestlers’ heads collide while they shoot for takedowns simultaneously or from a fall on the head.
worn
NECK
Potentially, these are most serious of all injuries. They are,
fortunately, not common due to the vigilance of officials and
strengthening of the neck in practice. The usual neck sprain