Body weight loss in a wrestler preparing for competition: a case report

A 21-yr-old male wrestler was studied for 2 months as he trained and dieted for the 1981 Maccabiah Games trials and the 1981 National AAU Wrestling Tournament trials. Measurements of body composition, anthropometry, pulmonary function, muscular strength, serum plasma constituents, and maximal aerobic power were made 53, 31, and 3 d prior to the AAU tournament. Training consisted of two workouts daily, running 3.2-9.7 km each morning and wrestling 1-2.5 h each afternoon. In addition, the subject recorded his weight daily and maintained a log of food consumption. As a result of a low-fat, high-protein, high-carbohydrate diet and continued training, his weight decreased from 54.88 to 50.59 kg while body fat decreased from 4.8 to 1.1%. This loss consisted of 2.21 kg of lean tissue and 2.08 kg of fat tissue. The day prior to AAU competition, an additional 2.73 kg were lost by dehydration to meet the 48.0-kg weight classification. Despite the subject's loss of lean and fat tissue, maximal aerobic power (approximately 67 ml X min-1 X kg-1) and muscular strength were maintained. These findings indicated that this wrestler was able to undergo a weight loss of approximately 8.0% and still maintain a high level of muscular strength and maximal aerobic power.