Fitness help for a Teenage Wrestler

petreebird

My son used to weigh 188 pounds and was about 5'7" tall. He was sedentary and velcro'd to computers and video games. Then the summer before his freshman year of high school he began to workout (run and lift weights) and stopped being such a picky eater and began eating much better!! He dropped down to about 164 pounds and was really active!!! I was really proud of him. He did it the right way. It took him 4 months to lose that weight.

Then came the wrestling team. He put pressure on himself to "cut weight" and would cut down to about 159-160 during the season. I wasn't too concerned, as I fed him every night and I knew that a little discipline was good for him. He was working out 5 days a week for 2 hours (wrestling practice) and then would have tournaments every Saturday and would be there for up to 8 hours but only wrestle a few times. This would go on from Nov. thru Feb. After the season was over the coaches continued to hold practices and weight lifting for the rest of the year until the next season. So now his body fat % has gone down from the lifting and he is much stronger.

Fast forward to this season, Nov. 2011. He is now 5'9" and began the year at about 160 to 162 for his first tourney. I know because I saw it written on his arm. Then the trouble started. He decided that he wanted to go down a weight class which would require him to weigh 154. He easily loses 2 to 3 lbs during a practice but this is mostly water weight. So now he goes in early the mornings of weigh ins to "cut weight". He will run on a treadmill bundled in sweats for an hour to drop upwards of 3 to 4 lbs so he can weigh in at 154. He seems to naturally be staying between 157 and 159. Also, the night before a weigh in he refuses to eat. This actually started a family fight the other night because my fiance and I don't think that he shouldn't be doing this. I finally got him to eat a small Subway bag of Sun Chips and drink a soda. Usually he will try to not eat and drink minimal the night before a weigh in. At the start of every season they have to certify which requires a pee test to test for hydration...if they aren't hydrated well, they don't get certified. Also, they are given a minimum weigh at which they will be allowed to wrestle, go below the minimum and they can't wrestle. His min. is 152. Although he did tell me that one other wrestler went 8 lbs below his min. and the coach said nothing.
I guess I'm asking for advice....am I being overprotective when I fight with him about cutting weight and not eating? Or, will not eating one meal "not kill him"? Does this sound like the start of a problem? I know that this is what they do in the wrestling world but that doesn't make it healthy...I just want some input, please!

petreebird

I'm bumping this hoping that someone will reply...