Do wrestlers tend toward obesity after wrestling?

[nom 984]

Often surprised to see a guy a few years out of wrestling looking quite obese. But I shouldn’t be since it seems common. Any studies on this?

 

Wondering if the mix of weight cutting impacting metabolism and the drop in exercise, and perhaps some other factor, lead to a stacked deck. Making it likely for weight to come on.

 

Admittedly, plenty of guys stay relatively slim. Maybe it’s simply the common distribution of weight for everyone and there is nothing here.

[Buckeyebison 87]

After years of weight cutting and drool over the food, it’s no surprise that the guys would be gladly let themselves go for food that they spent years drooling over.

[scribe 1,664]

We do nothing half way.

[spladle08 753]

We do nothing half way.

Haha, I just left the USJOC and bumped into a ton of former athletes turned coach/fan, it was a mixed bag, I'd say 30% swelled up, 50% looked generally fit, 20% were noticeably smaller

 

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[spladle08 753]

Note I'm sure they just appeared smaller because they probably still weigh 140lbs 15 years removed from HS when ive gotten considerably bigger.

 

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[gowrestle 651]

Some truth here.

[cornercoach 448]

.... interesting topic, and probably truth to "making up for lost time" regarding overeating... i would think staying healthy, though,

would override the desire to overeat, eventually .....

[Flying-Tiger 617]

Same reason I see former Marines get obese. Some people need that structure to stay in shape and when it's gone, they let themselves go. 

 

To be fair, for others I suspect as they aged, they developed chronic injuries and pain that prevented them from working out properly. 

[redblades 322]

Does this singlet make me look fat?

 

Be honest...

[tightwaist 390]

Jack Cuvo says "yes" to this question.

[ThatLogSchuteWasCarrying 179]

Same reason I see former Marines get obese. Some people need that structure to stay in shape and when it's gone, they let themselves go. 

 

To be fair, for others I suspect as they aged, they developed chronic injuries and pain that prevented them from working out properly. 

 

I think the reason for a lot of people is a lot less hitting the buffet line and more "didn't adjust their calorie intake once they weren't doing intense workouts every day of the week".  If you're used to eating 3,500 calories a day and burning off 1,500 of them and you stop the workouts but keep eating the same diet the weight is going to pile on even if you keep the same diet you were on while you were an athlete. 

 

I also wonder (pure question, not implying either way) if wrestlers are worse than the population as a whole at going to seed as they age, or if they are just more conscious about it. 

Edited January 7, 2018 by ThatLogSchuteWasCarrying

[hammerlockthree 2,084]

football players tend towards it while they are competing.

[jammen 312]

I do.

[russelscout 1,573]

A high percentage of Americans become obese as they get older. I don't think wrestlers do more than average. Wrestlers tend to notice it more amongst their peers I think. Any time I get together with old teammates we have a quick rundown of giving those who gained a bunch of weight **** and asking what we all weigh.. doubt ex basketball players do this. Maybe my group of friends are alone in this, but I doubt it. Weight and being fit is such a huge part of the culture.

[denger 211]

To be fair, for others I suspect as they aged, they developed chronic injuries and pain that prevented them from working out properly. 

 

 

I also wonder (pure question, not implying either way) if wrestlers are worse than the population as a whole at going to seed as they age, or if they are just more conscious about it. 

Anecdotally, I don't know any former wrestler who doesn't have stories about their damaged skeletal system, but I'm not sure how different that is from most athletes. Football probably has it worse. I also wonder how we compare to some of the more extreme disciplines, like gymnasts?

 

Weight cutting measures can also take a toll on our digestive systems in long term ways. We've probably all seen metabolism affected as well, but I don't have any reason to believe that to be long term. Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong about that. I'd like to believe that there is less starvation going on now with some new rules in place, but I'm not competing or coaching anymore to be able to suppose anything.

 

Another factor that should be mentioned, but I suspect will be unpopular, is that our working class culture doesn't start with the best nutrition to begin with. Scribe makes a great observation about our extreme nature. Calories are not all created equal. If we go to town on our comfort foods, it should follow that we'd get really fat! 

[GoNotQuietly 1,010]

Well, measured by BMI (which is a garbage measurement) the average ex-wrestler is likely morbidly obese.  However, I would hypothesize that wrestlers are less likely to become obese than the general population, because the sooner fat is accumulated in life, the more detrimental effect to metabolism, satiety signalling, endocrine f(x)/ insulin response it tends to have.  Inversely, muscle development at a young age should have positive effects on those systems over the lifetime.

 

That said, the sooner wrestlers can stop cutting weight and start practicing yoga and get their calorie intake down to more pedestrian levels, the better they will be in the long run. 

[GoNotQuietly 1,010]

I don't have any non-anecdotal data on it though, so I could be way off.

[KTG119 820]

Well, measured by BMI (which is a garbage measurement) 

agree garbage

I think Kyle Snyder is 5'11". At 215 the BMI says he is obese.

Tsirtsis is listed at 5'6" on ASU site. At 157 BMI says he is overweight. Even at 149 he barely gets in the normal weight range.

 

of original topic....guess it would be interesting to see if there is a vast difference between wrestlers, other former athletes, and general population when it comes to this.

[bench529 10]

I wrestled in college late 70's and early 80's. We periodically have a reunion and would say the vast majority of my teammates are in great shape for there age. I think the wrestler mentality stays with you for a life time. Myself I have gained a few lbs and make tilt the BMI index. Myself I do some form of exercise every day. It has been a habit since I have been 12. Don't see that changing ever.

[BigTimeFan 1,032]

Cutting weight and being a wrestler - in general - takes tremendous discipline, but it’s not the kind of discipline that translates to lifelong good habits when it comes to lifestyle and well-being. Wrestlers put themselves through a boom-and-bust cycle of intense work, tremendous deprivation and so on all pointed toward the goal of beating their opponents each weekend.

[NJWC 305]

Jack Cuvo says "yes" to this question.

I hadn't seen him in years, and I run into him about ten years ago at a youth tourney that I had some kids in.

He brought a bunch from his club.

I had no clue who he was, he looked like an obese, red headed homeless guy. he said hi and it took one of his kids calling him by name before I knew it was him.

[OrangeEffect 18]

I think in general most college wrestlers do a pretty decent job of staying in shape after their careers. It is just easier to remember and poke fun at our friends who gained too much weight. I think if you look at the ones that did gain too much weight they either cut way too much or were not very disciplined with it in the first place.

 

 

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Edited January 7, 2018 by OrangeEffect

[NYWRESTLER94 221]

If you don’t keep up with yourself yes that’s usually the case. I noticed both Grajales brothers looked like a ways from 149 Cesar more than Erick. I wrestled 145 my senior year in HS and 157 and 174 in college lets just say I’m a long way from making 174 anytime soon.

[DuckFor2 187]

I think it's more common for the sucked out upperclassmen at the lower weights that balloon up. Some stay fit, some blow up. I'd like to see a study.

 

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[gowrestle 651]

For too many guys, after they make weight for the final time, they don’t stop eating (a lot).