You Can Only Hope…

The Dog Days of wrestling are upon us.

January.

You can only hope that your opponents make practice only about losing weight and enter into a weight cutting cycle of diminishing returns.

Wed – Fri – Sat

Wed – Fri – Sat

Wed – Fri – Sat

Wed – Fri – Sat

You can only hope they arrive 10+ pounds overweight to their first practice on Monday.

You can only hope they put on 6 layers of clothing and make wrestling nearly impossible.

You can only hope they get home, only to head right out to their second Monday practice, this one at their wrestling club; just to do the exact same thing.

Make practice all about losing weight.

You can only hope that on Tuesday, after not drinking any water, they are ‘only’ 5 over before practice.

You can only hope they practice the same way as they did on Monday, this time by passing any water breaks.

You can only hope they leave Tuesday’s practice 2 1/2 over because they didn’t really keep their sweat going during practice.

You can only hope they assume that they will float a pound overnight so when they get home they need to go for a run to lose the other 1 1/2 pounds.

You can only hope during their run, they drag it and only lose 1, leaving them 1 1/2 over.

You can only hope they assume they will float a pound overnight, which is inaccurate because of their lack of water intake.

You can only hope that they wake up and find themselves 1 pound over with only :45 minutes until the end of morning weigh in.

You can only hope they need to ‘find a way’ to lose the weight.

You can only hope they make weight just under the bell.

You can only hope they eat 4 pounds worth of food and drink, expecting to float the pound and be on weight for the afternoon weigh in.

You can only hope they get to the other school for weigh in and realize their scale is 1/2 lb. heavy.

You can only hope they briefly have to run and make the weight.

You can only hope that after weighing in, they blow back up.

You can only hope they say, “Heck, I have 48 hours to make weight again – I’ll will deal with it tomorrow.”

You can only hope they arrive at Thursday’s practice 4 over.

You can only hope they again make the practice only about losing weight.

You can only hope they leave the practice 1 over.

You can only hope they withhold food and drink until morning weigh ins on Friday.

You can only hope they lay in bed all of their other waking hours and are a pleasure to be around.

You can only hope they make weight on Friday and have 3 pounds to gain until their match, which is at 7:00 pm.

You can only hope they gain 4 1/2.

You can only hope they make weight on Friday night, eat and blow up again, not factoring in that they have to make weight again in less than 12 hours.

You can only hope that they wrestle 4 matches on Saturday, drained and look like crap.

You can only hope Friday night after their match, they are up until 11:30 cutting weight again.

You can only hope Saturday morning arrives and they are just so ecstatic that they made weight that they rationalize to themselves that they just got to get their mind off of losing weight and allow themselves a day or so where they are not thinking about making weight.

You can only hope they splurge all day on Saturday and Sunday because they fear that they will not be able to eat the upcoming week when they have to do it all over again.

Which they will have to do.

For three more cycles.

Wed – Fri – Sat

Wed – Fri – Sat

Wed – Fri – Sat

You can only hope that after completing this cycle for a month they crawl into the month of February, the post-season, never getting better during the year, and with an immune system depleted and unprotected.

You can only hope they wonder why they just can’t get rid of that cough.

While you….

For the next 8 weeks just eat the same amount at each meal, regardless of if it is the night before a weigh in, or immediately after.

Eat for energy, to build strength and for recovery.

You replenish your water loss during and after every practice.

And you show up for practice in a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt.

In practice you focus on three things – timing, technique, and becoming the best wrestler you can become.

Losing weight is not one of them, because you are not cutting weight, you are eating for success.

And you will peak for the post season.

Your opponent can only hope that you don’t have the discipline to eat in such a way….

But you do.

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