This week in Iowa, the high school football season will come to an end for the vast majority of the boys across the state. While many will head on to basketball, wrestling continues to be huge in the state of Iowa. That is in big part that the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa are all major powers in NCAA Wrestling.
While wrestling continues to be very popular, as a friend said tonight, it can be the hardest sport by far on the parents. Our kids come home absolutely exhausted, we have to watch them get tied up in knots, and worst of all, we have to watch them starve themselves in order to maintain their weight.
When I was in high school, yes that has been a few years ago now, I remember teammates who basically would go a week without eating anything. After finally weighing in, they would gorge themselves before we started wrestling that night. This was very unhealthy and could cause permanent damage to the kids.
That is why the Iowa High School Athletic Association, as well as every other state in the country, has adopted strict rules on weight loss. A person can only lose a certainly percentage of body fat. Plus, at the beginning of the season, a wrestler has to gradually cut weight. Because of their body fat percentage, most wrestlers have to wrestle at higher weight class than what they plan at the beginning of the season. The IHSAA even has a video explaining the weight loss rules and guidelines on their website.
It is important for the student athletes to get ready for wrestling and their weight loss in a gradual descent. A weight loss plan will help the wrestlers get to the weight they need to be at and their body fat percentage at the right level, before the season starts or shortly after the season starts. This will take them away from having to starve as the season goes on. The wrestlers should start eating a healthy diet and being smart about their calorie intake now.
During the season, the athletes need to make sure they keep taking in healthy calories. Starvation will do nothing but hurt the body and make the wrestler weaker and more likely to become ill or injured. Perhaps the smartest addition to high school wrestling over the past years is the two pound rule. This rule is that after the holiday break, each weight class moves up two pounds to make it easier on the wrestler.
While wrestling can be a very grueling and demanding sport, the rules have changed to help the athletes and make it easier on them. Wrestling can also be a great sport for these boys and teach them valuable life lessons. All of this will lead to wrestling continuing to grow in popularity.
While wrestling continues to be very popular, as a friend said tonight, it can be the hardest sport by far on the parents. Our kids come home absolutely exhausted, we have to watch them get tied up in knots, and worst of all, we have to watch them starve themselves in order to maintain their weight.
When I was in high school, yes that has been a few years ago now, I remember teammates who basically would go a week without eating anything. After finally weighing in, they would gorge themselves before we started wrestling that night. This was very unhealthy and could cause permanent damage to the kids.
That is why the Iowa High School Athletic Association, as well as every other state in the country, has adopted strict rules on weight loss. A person can only lose a certainly percentage of body fat. Plus, at the beginning of the season, a wrestler has to gradually cut weight. Because of their body fat percentage, most wrestlers have to wrestle at higher weight class than what they plan at the beginning of the season. The IHSAA even has a video explaining the weight loss rules and guidelines on their website.
It is important for the student athletes to get ready for wrestling and their weight loss in a gradual descent. A weight loss plan will help the wrestlers get to the weight they need to be at and their body fat percentage at the right level, before the season starts or shortly after the season starts. This will take them away from having to starve as the season goes on. The wrestlers should start eating a healthy diet and being smart about their calorie intake now.
During the season, the athletes need to make sure they keep taking in healthy calories. Starvation will do nothing but hurt the body and make the wrestler weaker and more likely to become ill or injured. Perhaps the smartest addition to high school wrestling over the past years is the two pound rule. This rule is that after the holiday break, each weight class moves up two pounds to make it easier on the wrestler.
While wrestling can be a very grueling and demanding sport, the rules have changed to help the athletes and make it easier on them. Wrestling can also be a great sport for these boys and teach them valuable life lessons. All of this will lead to wrestling continuing to grow in popularity.
