Comparison of Three Rapid Weight Loss Methods on Physical Fitness and Movement Indicators in Elite Male Wrestlers

Choosing the appropriate method to achieve the ideal weight has a significant impact on the performance of wrestlers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of three rapid weight loss methods on some indices of physical and motor fitness in elite male wrestlers. Twenty-four elite male wrestlers (age: 21.91±2.04 years; weight: 68.55±6.1 kg) were voluntarily selected and divided into three homogeneous groups (n=8), including training with plastic suits, dry sauna and complete diet restriction. Subjects in each group lost about 3 percent of their body weight through rapid weight loss. Body composition, indices of physical and motor fitness, including upper and lower body muscle strength, cardiovascular endurance, agility and flexibility were assessed before and two hours after weight loss. Paired t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data (P<0.05). The results of the present study showed that all three methods of rapid weight loss significantly reduced upper body muscle strength (respectively for plastic suits, sauna and diet restriction: P=0.02; P=0.04; P=0.0001), lower body muscle strength (P=0.007; P=0.009; P=0.002) and cardiovascular endurance (P=0.03; P=0.01; P=0.001) in wrestlers. In this regard, the rate of loss of upper body muscle strength (P=0.027) and cardiovascular endurance (P=0.041) in wrestlers when using the complete diet restriction method was significantly higher than the other two methods of rapid weight loss. In general, it seems that wrestlers should avoid the complete dietary restriction method if necessary to rapid lose weight and use other methods, especially training with plastic suits.