At any wrestling championships, the common sight is of athletes in raincoats running rounds of indoor mats on eve of competition. Most of them are also fasting.
Wrestlers cramming last-minute sweating, dehydrating and starving to force-fit into their weight categories isn’t something new. But is it healthy?
Dr Samuel Pullinger, head of Sports Science at JSW’s Inspire Institute of Sport training centre at Vijayanagar in Karnataka, is trying to wean away the centre’s women wrestlers from this punishing pre weigh-in regime. Often considered a heroic struggle which it is and fairly global, the basis of the practice however is unhealthy.
Having noticed a constant stream of Anterior Cruciate Ligament knee injuries and rash of ligament tears, he has now insisted there would be no more sauna and wet suits-facilitated melting of weight.
‘There were too many risks, the ACL and other serious injury count was high after too much weight was suddenly dropped and that offset any other power advantage. I decided to initiate them into gradual weight loss in the weeks preceding with help from coaches and nutritionists and Strength & Conditioning trainers, andHaving noticed a constant stream of Anterior Cruciate Ligament knee injuries and rash of ligament tears, he has now insisted there would be no more sauna and wet suits-facilitated melting of weight.
‘There were too many risks, the ACL and other serious injury count was high after too much weight was suddenly dropped and that offset any other power advantage. I decided to initiate them into gradual weight loss in the weeks preceding with help from coaches and nutritionists and Strength & Conditioning trainers, and dragging them away from malpractices that have set in to make weight,’ Pullinger tells The Indian Express.