Before a Buckeye basketball game, Ohio State players shoot around and stretch to get ready for their performance. Before a wrestling match, some OSU wrestlers lose weight to get ready for their performance.

Every NCAA wrestler must weigh at or below their designated weight class in order to compete in a match. If they are an ounce over their designated weight, they are not allowed to wrestle.

Losing or “cutting” weight is normal in wrestling, but the methods have changed, said Russ Hellickson, OSU’s wrestling coach for the past 16 seasons.

“There was a time when wrestling had the reputation of, ‘This is where people starve themselves to death,’ ” Hellickson said.

In 1998, after the deaths of three college wrestlers because of cutting weight, the NCAA issued a number of regulations.

Hellickson said dehydration among wrestlers was a problem in the past, but because of a weight certification process, those problems have subsided.

“The weight certification process requires you to do a specific gravity test on your urine to determine that you are not dehydrated after you weigh in. Otherwise, you can’t wrestle at the weight class,” Hellickson said. “We don’t have anywhere the extremes of dehydration that we used to have in the sport.”

Janice L. Fonarow, dietitian at the Wilce Student Health Center, said she has seen the effects of dehydration.

“I worked with a wrestler a number of years ago who got pinned because he was so dehydrated,” Fonarow said. “He passed out when he was being pinned.”

Jesse Leng, a sophomore wrestler for OSU, has competed at 125 lbs. since he began his career as a Buckeye. During the middle of the week, Leng may weigh 135 lbs., but losing most of the weight is not a problem for him, he said.

“Cutting down the last couple of pounds is when it gets really tough. I can cut to about 128 lbs., and then after that, I lose a lot of energy losing those last three pounds,” Leng said.

Leng said he has heard the horror stories about cutting weight but has never felt sick trying to lose weight.

“I work out in sweats sometimes, and I don’t ever feel like I’m going to pass out,” Leng said. “But it’s just like anyone working out – it’s hard, especially when you’re not eating and drinking as much as you want.”

Leng said he met with a nutritionist to help him with his diet, but he has to steer away from their recommendations at times.

“They put me on a high protein, low carbohydrate diet, and I don’t really think it’s the best for wrestling,” he said. “It takes so much energy to get through your daily practices that you have to take in the carbohydrates.”

Fonarow does not recommend dieting and said protein diets are one of the worst types.

“I can’t imagine anyone would ever advocate a high protein diet to wrestlers,” Fonarow said. “In a protein diet, the athlete is not getting sufficient calories to maintain their energy throughout their matches.”

Leng said he adds more carbohydrates to his diet the night before matches in order to have enough energy to perform well.

Fonarow is concerned about the general health of wrestlers and what they are going to do to their health 10-15 years down the road, she said.

“The pressure to make the weight is there from coaches and trainers. They may say that you shouldn’t do this, but the athlete isn’t stupid,” Fonarow said.

“Student-athletes take on risky behaviors because they want to make the weight,” she said.

Leng said losing weight has not been a bad experience for him. He knows to stay away from losing weight in the wrong way.

“Combining supplements and weight loss is a definite ‘no, no.’ That’s how people get hurt. They have to realize that it’s dangerous and not do it,” he said.

“The nature of wrestling and losing weight is not bad. But if people abuse weight loss, then it can become dangerous,” he said.