Ask Cael: Do you have any tips on cutting weight? i weigh around 190-200 but iv been forced to wrestle at 171 throughout high school and i usually just dont eat very much so i lose my muscle. is there a better way to cut the weight off and still be strong?

Story Published Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Question from Erik: Do you have any tips on cutting weight? i weigh around 190-200 but iv been forced to wrestle at 171 throughout high school and i usually just dont eat very much so i lose my muscle. is there a better way to cut the weight off and still be strong?

I am not a fan or promoter of losing a lot of weight. After you start eating healthy, and training hard, your weight should be close to wrestling weight. Sometimes the team needs you to or you need to to make the team. There isn’t an easy way to manage weight, it’s tough. It’s tough, but it might be part of the process to reach your goal.

The best way to manage weight is to work it off. Put your sweats on after practice, get a partner, and wrestle. That way you burn extra calories, sweat, and get better at wrestling. It is common to see kids put their sweats on after practice and jog or get on a bike or whatever piece of equipment is available. That’s better than not doing anything after practice but doesn’t compare to the opportunity you have to become a better wrestle during the process.

Not eating is not a good way to manage weight. If you don’t eat much you are going to feel terrible and the result will be bad practices. It’s much better to eat, have some energy and work harder in practice. When you work harder, you become a better wrestler and you lose more weight.

Eat healthy and avoid junk food. By just switching to water instead of juices and sodas you will lose 2-5 lbs quickly. Eat smaller meals and eat something every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism firing. After a weigh-in for a match or tournament, don’t allow your weight to balloon up and down so you have to lose large amounts of weight each week. That’s just discipline. Discipline and hard work is the answer. That’s what it takes to burn fat and minimize muscle loss. Continue to do strength exercises. Pull ups and push ups are great. If you lift weights, hit the core lifts each week.

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