Physiological and performance responses to tournament wrestling

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological and performance responses to a simulated freestyle wrestling tournament after typical weight loss techniques used by amateur wrestlers. Methods: Twelve D ivision I collegiate wrestlers (mean +/- SD; 19.33 +/- 1.16 yr) lost 6% of total body weight during the week before a simulated, 2-d freestyle wrestli ng tournament. A battery of tests was performed at baseline and before and immediately after each individual match of the tournament. The test battery included assessment for body composition, reaction/movement time, lower an d upper body power and isokinetic strength, and a venous blood sample. Resu lts: Lower body power and upper body isometric strength were significantly reduced as the tournament progressed (P less than or equal to 0.05). Signif icant elevations in testosterone, cortisol, and lactate were observed after each match (P less than or equal to 0.05). However. there was a significan t reduction (P less than or equal to 0.05) in resting testosterone values i n the later matches. Norepinephrine increased significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) after each match, whereas epinephrine increased significant ly (P less than or equal to 0.05) after each match except the last match of each day. Plasma osmolality was consistently higher than normal values at all times including baseline. with significant increases observed after eac h match (P 0.05). Conclusions: Tournament wrestling augments the physiologi cal and performance decrements of weight loss and its impact is progressive over 2 d of competition. The combined effects of these stresses may ultima tely be reflected in a wrestler's ability to maintain physical performance throughout a tournament.