Wrestling Weight Cutting

Hey wrestling parents! One of the most controversial and talked-about topics in the sport of wrestling is cutting weight. If your wrestler has ever mentioned dropping pounds for a match, you may have a lot of questions—and concerns.

The reality is that weight cutting is a common practice in wrestling and should be avoided. There are many unsafe methods that can harm a wrestler’s performance, energy levels, and overall health. Today we'll be focusing on extreme approaches, we’re going to highlight what to avoid while giving insight into the weight-cutting processes information is the best way to prevent it from occurring.

The Basics of Weight Cutting

Before diving into what not to do, let’s first understand what weight cutting actually is. Wrestlers typically lose weight in two ways:

1. Dietary Adjustments (Gradual Weight Loss) – Reducing food intake over time to naturally drop weight before competition.

2. Water Weight Manipulation (Rapid Weight Loss) – Temporarily losing water weight through sweating methods to make weight right before competition.

While gradual weight loss is ideal, many wrestlers resort to water weight manipulation when time is short. This is where things can get risky.

Methods Wrestlers Use to Sweat Off Water Weight

There are several ways wrestlers attempt to lose water weight, but combining these methods significantly increases the risks. Here are common methods used for sweating, along with what wrestlers should be cautious about.

1. Saunas & Mobile Saunas

• Sitting in a sauna helps the body sweat out water weight quickly.

• What to Avoid:

  • Staying in too long without breaks can lead to dangerous dehydration.

  • Wearing heavy clothing inside a sauna increases sweat output but can cause overheating and exhaustion.

2. Sauna Suits

• Sauna suits trap body heat, causing increased sweat loss during activity.

• What to Avoid:

  • Combining sauna suits with running, biking, or wrestling can lead to severe dehydration and overheating.

  • Wrestlers should be aware that wearing multiple layers under a sauna suit can intensify fluid loss faster than expected.

3. Epsom Salt Baths

• Soaking in a hot bath with Epsom salt can help draw out excess water from the body.

• What to Avoid:

  • Staying in too long without drinking water afterward can make a wrestler lightheaded or weak.

  • If combined with immediate exercise, the body may struggle to regulate temperature.

4. Running & Biking

• Cardio exercises like jogging or biking while layered up increase sweat output.

• What to Avoid:

  • Running or biking too intensely for too long can lead to dangerous drops in blood pressure.

  • If paired with sauna suits or indoor heat, the body can overheat rapidly.

5. Wrestling & Live Drilling in Heated Rooms

• Many wrestling rooms are heated to help wrestlers sweat more during practice.

• What to Avoid:

  • Wrestling in a hot room while wearing a sauna suit significantly raises heat stroke risks.

  • Layering up and immediately training may cause cramping, dizziness, or muscle fatigue.

6. Sweet Sweat & Sweat-Inducing Creams

• Some wrestlers use Sweet Sweat or other body rubs to increase sweat output in targeted areas.

• What to Avoid:

  • If used alongside sauna suits, saunas, or running, the combination can cause rapid fluid loss and increase electrolyte depletion.

    
    

Dangerous Combinations That Wrestlers Should Avoid

While each method alone can be controlled and monitored, combining them drastically increases the risks of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and serious health complications. Here’s what wrestlers should watch out for:

1. Wearing a Sauna Suit While Running or Wrestling – The body’s ability to cool itself is significantly reduced, leading to dangerous overheating.

2. Using a Sauna Suit Inside a Sauna – This forces excessive sweating, causing the body to lose fluids and electrolytes too quickly.

3. Taking an Epsom Salt Bath and Then Exercising – Soaking depletes water stores, and sweating immediately after prevents proper rehydration.

4. Using Sweet Sweat While Wearing Heavy Layers – This leads to localized heat buildup, increasing risk of heat rash, dehydration, or overheating.

5. Scraping Sweat Off with a Credit Card or Towel Too Aggressively – While wrestlers sometimes scrape off sweat to speed up cooling, excessive scraping can cause irritation and lead to dehydration faster than expected.

   
   

In the high-stakes world of wrestling weigh-ins, wrestlers who are just a fraction over their weight class have found all sorts of ways to manipulate the scale. While some of these tricks might buy a wrestler a few ounces, they are no substitute for proper weight management.

That said, here are a few more creative tricks wrestlers use when trying to make weight at the last second.

7. Shaving All Hair & Cutting Nails

When ounces matter, wrestlers will get rid of anything they can—including hair.

• Shaving off body hair (legs, arms, even a buzz cut) can reduce weight by small amounts.

• Cutting nails as short as possible removes a tiny fraction of an ounce.

Does It Work?

• Yes, but only minimally. Unless a wrestler has a full head of thick hair, the weight loss is very small.

• It’s not going to take a wrestler from being over by a pound to making weight, but for those right on the edge, it might help.

The Real Use:

• Some wrestlers use this as a psychological trick, feeling lighter and fresher after a shave before competition.

8. Wearing Heavy Clothes to "Blame the Material"

If a wrestler weighs in slightly over and they were more dressed in a singlet, compression pants, shorts, or whatever else, they might try to blame the material and ask for a second chance after removing layers.

• Some wrestlers intentionally wear slightly heavier clothes, knowing they can claim, “I was on weight this morning; it must be my clothes.”

• If officials allow, they’ll step on the scale again after stripping down to lighter gear later, hoping for a better reading.

Does It Work?

• Sometimes. Officials might allow a second attempt without heavy clothes, which could drop an extra fraction of a pound.

• High-risk strategy—some weigh-ins require wrestlers to weigh in wearing minimal clothing, eliminating this option.

The Real Use:

• Wrestlers who are close to weight might use this as a buffer to mentally prepare for needing one last attempt.

The "Quick Fix" Mentality vs. Long-Term Planning

While some of these tricks might buy a wrestler a few ounces, they should never be a substitute for proper planning.

If a wrestler routinely needs to rely on last-minute tricks, it’s a sign that they aren’t managing their weight properly. These tactics should never replace responsible weight loss methods, smart hydration control, and proper training.

A great wrestler doesn’t need to find the lightest scale or shave off body hair to make weight—they step on the scale knowing they’ve done it right.

That’s the real advantage.

Now that we’ve covered the weight-cutting process and the tricks wrestlers use to make weight, it’s time to talk about what happens to the body during the process. Many wrestlers underestimate just how physically and mentally exhausting cutting weight can be, leading to fatigue, sluggishness, and even serious performance issues on match day.

Let’s break down how cutting weight affects the body, why it can leave wrestlers feeling completely drained, and what some athletes do to offset the damage and recover faster.

How Cutting Weight Wears a Wrestler Down

The final stages of cutting weight—especially if a wrestler is losing significant water weight—take a major toll on energy levels, muscle function, and mental clarity. Here’s what happens:

1. Heavy, Tired Legs

• One of the first things wrestlers notice when cutting weight is how their legs feel slow and heavy.

• This happens because muscles lose water, making it harder for them to contract efficiently.

• Blood volume decreases, meaning less oxygen is being delivered to working muscles.

The result? Wrestlers feel like they’re dragging their legs through wet cement, making explosive movements—like takedowns—much harder than usual.

2. Tunnel Vision and Mental Fog

• Dehydration and lack of glycogen (stored muscle energy from carbs) lead to mental fatigue.

• Wrestlers may experience tunnel vision, where their ability to focus narrows and they struggle to track fast movements.

• Reaction time slows down, making defensive scrambles and counters harder.

The result? A wrestler who normally sees openings for takedowns or counters may be a second too late, costing them critical points in a match.

3. Increased Cortisol Levels (Stress Hormone Spike)

• Cutting weight puts the body into a high-stress state, causing cortisol (the stress hormone) to spike.

• High cortisol levels lead to muscle breakdown, reduced endurance, and even mood swings.

• Some wrestlers experience irritability, anxiety, or even emotional outbursts as their body struggles to handle the stress.

The result? Wrestlers who normally love the sport can start to feel mentally drained and unmotivated right before competition.

4. Increased Risk of Cramping

• Losing sodium, potassium, and magnesium through excessive sweating can cause muscle cramps at the worst possible time—during a match.

• Without enough electrolytes, muscles contract involuntarily, leading to painful cramping in the calves, hamstrings, and even the hands and neck.

The result? Wrestlers may lock up mid-match, struggling to keep their muscles moving when they need them most.

How Wrestlers Try to Recover and Manage These Issues

Even though cutting weight drains the body, some wrestlers have found ways to offset the damage and recover faster. Here are some common tricks wrestlers use to minimize fatigue, cramps, and sluggishness.

1. Ice Cube in a Washcloth While Sitting in a Sauna

• Wrestlers who spend time in saunas to sweat out water weight risk overheating.

• One trick is to wrap an ice cube in a washcloth and hold it against the lips or cheeks while sitting in the sauna.

• This tricks the brain into thinking the body is cooling down, allowing a wrestler to stay in longer without as much discomfort.

Why It Helps: Keeps the nervous system calm, making sauna sessions slightly easier to handle.

2. Massaging Key Muscles to Prevent Fatigue and Cramps

Since dehydration reduces circulation to muscles, targeted massages can increase blood flow and improve recovery.

• Lead Leg Hamstring – The hamstring on the wrestler’s dominant leg is constantly engaged, making it one of the first muscles to cramp or feel heavy.

• Trail Leg Hamstring – The back leg is responsible for drive and explosion, so keeping it loose is crucial.

• Calves – Dehydration causes tightness in the calves, which can limit movement and flexibility.

• Teres Major – This muscle in the upper back helps stabilize the shoulders during hand-fighting and clinch work. Tightness can limit arm movement.

• Serratus Posterior Inferior – Located along the ribs and lower back, this muscle supports breathing. Keeping it loose helps prevent labored breathing during matches.

Why It Helps: Massaging these muscles before competition increases circulation and reduces the chance of cramping or sluggishness.

3. Half-Baked Potatoes and Mustard Packets for Cramps

• Some wrestlers swear by half-baked potatoes because they provide a quick and digestible source of potassium and carbs.

• Mustard packets are another go-to cramp remedy—the vinegar and sodium help prevent muscle lock-up.

Why It Helps: The combination of potassium (from potatoes) and sodium (from mustard) helps restore electrolyte balance after dehydration.

4. Iron, B-Vitamins, and General Multivitamins

• Iron is essential for oxygen transport in the blood. Low iron levels can make wrestlers feel weak and tired even after rehydrating.

• B-Vitamins help convert food into energy, improving stamina and reducing fatigue.

• One-a-day Multivitamins ensure that essential nutrients lost during weight cutting are replaced.

Why It Helps: These supplements help restore energy levels and prevent lingering fatigue from cutting weight.

Managing the Toll of Cutting Weight

Weight cutting is tough—there’s no way around it. Wrestlers who cut weight often experience tired legs, mental fog, increased stress, and muscle cramps. While some tricks can help manage these side effects, there’s no substitute for smart weight management, hydration control, and recovery planning.

If a wrestler finds themselves constantly feeling drained or sluggish, it’s a sign that something needs to change in their approach. The best wrestlers don’t just focus on losing weight—they focus on performing at their best when it matters most.

By understanding what happens to the body during weight cutting and how to manage the recovery process, wrestlers can step on the mat ready to compete at full strength—without the weight-cut crash.