ONO

RockySmith

Senior
Dec 10, 2020
323
909
93
When I wrestled in high school in the 80s, we didn’t know much about how to best cut weight. But cutting weight for me was soul crushing.

We had a guy on our team who won states and won a national tournament (like Fargo, not sure the name back then). His dad was a college coach and wouldn’t let him cut weight. He was very good. I wish I had the guts to do that, it would have improved my life so much.

Back to Ono, I really feel for a guy who cuts that kind of weight, but I just have to wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze in the long run.
 

OldAndInTheWay

Freshman
Nov 11, 2021
35
72
18
When I wrestled in high school in the 80s, we didn’t know much about how to best cut weight. But cutting weight for me was soul crushing.

We had a guy on our team who won states and won a national tournament (like Fargo, not sure the name back then). His dad was a college coach and wouldn’t let him cut weight. He was very good. I wish I had the guts to do that, it would have improved my life so much.

Back to Ono, I really feel for a guy who cuts that kind of weight, but I just have to wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze in the long
When I wrestled in high school in the 80s, we didn’t know much about how to best cut weight. But cutting weight for me was soul crushing.

We had a guy on our team who won states and won a national tournament (like Fargo, not sure the name back then). His dad was a college coach and wouldn’t let him cut weight. He was very good. I wish I had the guts to do that, it would have improved my life so much.

Back to Ono, I really feel for a guy who cuts that kind of weight, but I just have to wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze in the long run.
I wrestled in high school in the late 60s. I was told by the upperclassman to get a quart jar and spit a quart at night to lose weight. Then I was told to take the laxative called ex-lax. And that is what I did because I saw that was what the seniors did and because I didn't know any better. Then I watched the seniors get in the hot tub with double plastic sweat suits up to their neck to lose weight. So I did that too, but I was told never to do it alone because you'll probably pass out and then you could die from drowning. Of course all of this was super stupid and dangerous, but again I didn't know any better. One of the guys took a lot of Ex-Lax and had digestive troubles all his life.
 

tullfan68

All-Conference
Jun 20, 2021
776
1,019
93
I am questioning if I should let my grandson lose 5 lbs!kid is solid not much if anything to lose!
 

a_mshaffer

Senior
Dec 8, 2014
335
489
63
I am questioning if I should let my grandson lose 5 lbs!kid is solid not much if anything to lose!
I am someone who lost weight the wrong way... I allowed my kids to lose weight only by eating right (cut out the junk) and maybe, maybe skipping dinner the night before a morning weigh in. No extra workouts and didn't even bring the 'sweat' choices into play (except work hard at practice). Probably a top reason kids quit wrestling... no fun to starve
 

PSUbluTX

All-Conference
Feb 7, 2018
332
1,411
93
I am questioning if I should let my grandson lose 5 lbs!kid is solid not much if anything to lose!

John Candy No GIF by Laff
 
Jun 3, 2025
399
999
93
I wrestled in high school in the late 60s. I was told by the upperclassman to get a quart jar and spit a quart at night to lose weight. Then I was told to take the laxative called ex-lax. And that is what I did because I saw that was what the seniors did and because I didn't know any better. Then I watched the seniors get in the hot tub with double plastic sweat suits up to their neck to lose weight. So I did that too, but I was told never to do it alone because you'll probably pass out and then you could die from drowning. Of course all of this was super stupid and dangerous, but again I didn't know any better. One of the guys took a lot of Ex-Lax and had digestive troubles all his life.
 

Lyons212

Senior
Mar 9, 2017
113
430
63
I wrestled in high school in the late 60s. I was told by the upperclassman to get a quart jar and spit a quart at night to lose weight. Then I was told to take the laxative called ex-lax. And that is what I did because I saw that was what the seniors did and because I didn't know any better. Then I watched the seniors get in the hot tub with double plastic sweat suits up to their neck to lose weight. So I did that too, but I was told never to do it alone because you'll probably pass out and then you could die from drowning. Of course all of this was super stupid and dangerous, but again I didn't know any better. One of the guys took a lot of Ex-Lax and had digestive troubles all his life.
My teammates and I found there were basically two outcomes with Ex-lax. I found out that it stops working, certaintly has diminishing returns. Took a box, lost 10 pounds (did get yelled out by my father for tying up the bathroom for an hour). Second time lost like 4 pounds, etc. Had a teammate who for about 6 months need Ex-Lax to take a dump, had to wean his way off of it.

I will admit, losing 10 pounds by sitting on my *** was almost as great a day as when I got a Big Wheel when I was five years old. Thought I found the Holy Grail, alas not to be.

When your kids are young do not let them lose weight. When they get older, high school age, do not let them drop more than one weight class. For me senior year of high school, weighed 162, dropped to 155, not a problem, cut out the junk food, working out/wrestling 15 hours a week. The drop to 145 was absolutely brutal. Don't let your kids do that.
 

tullfan68

All-Conference
Jun 20, 2021
776
1,019
93
I am someone who lost weight the wrong way... I allowed my kids to lose weight only by eating right (cut out the junk) and maybe, maybe skipping dinner the night before a morning weigh in. No extra workouts and didn't even bring the 'sweat' choices into play (except work hard at practice). Probably a top reason kids quit wrestling... no fun to starve
same here I went from 125 tried to make 95 no way still 103 was a struggle by the end of the yr I had nothing left!
 

Antaeus

Redshirt
Nov 23, 2016
16
28
13
I wrestled in high school in the late 60s. I was told by the upperclassman to get a quart jar and spit a quart at night to lose weight. Then I was told to take the laxative called ex-lax. And that is what I did because I saw that was what the seniors did and because I didn't know any better. Then I watched the seniors get in the hot tub with double plastic sweat suits up to their neck to lose weight. So I did that too, but I was told never to do it alone because you'll probably pass out and then you could die from drowning. Of course all of this was super stupid and dangerous, but again I didn't know any better. One of the guys took a lot of Ex-Lax and had digestive troubles all his life.

I wrestled in high school in the late 60s. I was told by the upperclassman to get a quart jar and spit a quart at night to lose weight. Then I was told to take the laxative called ex-lax. And that is what I did because I saw that was what the seniors did and because I didn't know any better. Then I watched the seniors get in the hot tub with double plastic sweat suits up to their neck to lose weight. So I did that too, but I was told never to do it alone because you'll probably pass out and then you could die from drowning. Of course all of this was super stupid and dangerous, but again I didn't know any better. One of the guys took a lot of Ex-Lax and had digestive troubles all his life.
Same era. You can add sleeping and practicing in the plastic suits, turning the thermostat to max temp in wrestling room, piss pills (1 our friends Dad owned a pharmacy) and a salt tablet dispenser on the wall so we wouldn't cramp up during practice. We lived and died before and after every practice on the coach's reaction to what the weigh-in scale told him.
 
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Shifty15

Senior
Nov 4, 2016
209
423
63
Same era. You can add sleeping and practicing in the plastic suits, turning the thermostat to max temp in wrestling room, piss pills (1 our friends Dad owned a pharmacy) and a salt tablet dispenser on the wall so we wouldn't cramp up during practice. We lived and died before and after every practice on the coach's reaction to what the weigh-in scale told him.
Just checking to see if this is the Thread for historical facts about Oklahoma State weight management?
 

tullfan68

All-Conference
Jun 20, 2021
776
1,019
93
yea running up and down stairs with a big hot pipe next to it wearing a rubber suit! spitting ,cutting hair, nails every damn thing!
 
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tullfan68

All-Conference
Jun 20, 2021
776
1,019
93
day before a match after practice coach told me to go home eat half piece of toast plain cup of tea plain and that was it till after weigh in the next night!
 

a_mshaffer

Senior
Dec 8, 2014
335
489
63
day before a match after practice coach told me to go home eat half piece of toast plain cup of tea plain and that was it till after weigh in the next night!
my coach would not have been happy with that approach. he would have benched me for lack of discipline to be over that much! Regardless, i fudged my weight for practice sheets and often fought not to drink the fluid from my tooth brush.... 24 hr dry fasts? that was nothing.
 
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SlipperyPete

All-American
May 11, 2021
568
9,387
93
I remember wearing the silver sauna suit while riding the exercise bike in the sauna. We were taught to get a really good sweat going in the sauna, and then, take the suit off & scrape all the water off the body with a library card. Then, turn the sauna suit inside out, put it back on & do it all over again.

We got the dry toast & Mason jar of water recommendation for weight management too.

You could also tell who was over on match days because we were the ones spitting in a cup all day before the dual. During my time wrestling we only had one wrestler that needed to be hospitalized because of an excessive cut. Oh, the good ole' days!
 

PSUeng

Sophomore
Feb 5, 2003
62
116
33
I have seen guys working out on the boilers in the high school. Some on the platform and some on the top of the boilers. Not good considering in the 70's and 80's most of the boiler insulation had asbestos in it. :(
 

OldAndInTheWay

Freshman
Nov 11, 2021
35
72
18
I remember wearing the silver sauna suit while riding the exercise bike in the sauna. We were taught to get a really good sweat going in the sauna, and then, take the suit off & scrape all the water off the body with a library card. Then, turn the sauna suit inside out, put it back on & do it all over again.

We got the dry toast & Mason jar of water recommendation for weight management too.

You could also tell who was over on match days because we were the ones spitting in a cup all day before the dual. During my time wrestling we only had one wrestler that needed to be hospitalized because of an excessive cut. Oh, the good ole' days!
I did the 1980 Iron Man triathlon (2.4 MI swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mi Marathon) and the race did not provide any food or fluids. I had one water bottle on my bike and that was it. By the time I got near the end of the marathon my kidneys were shutting down. Somehow I finished but I pissed blood for 2 days. Then a few years later I did what was called the world's toughest triathlon (4.8 mile swim, 152 mile bike in over 100°, and ended with a 32 Mile mountainous run. Again, no fluids by the race organization. At about 140 miles on the bike I knew I was in trouble. I looked over to the side of the road and saw pink elephants. I was barely lucid enough to know that they weren't real. I looked away and counted to 10 and I decided that if they were still there I was going to quit. When I looked back the damn elephants had disappeared. I somehow finished the race in sixth place overall! As Dan Gable has said often," once you wrestle everything else in life is easy!"
 
Last edited:

tullfan68

All-Conference
Jun 20, 2021
776
1,019
93
My teammates and I found there were basically two outcomes with Ex-lax. I found out that it stops working, certaintly has diminishing returns. Took a box, lost 10 pounds (did get yelled out by my father for tying up the bathroom for an hour). Second time lost like 4 pounds, etc. Had a teammate who for about 6 months need Ex-Lax to take a dump, had to wean his way off of it.

I will admit, losing 10 pounds by sitting on my *** was almost as great a day as when I got a Big Wheel when I was five years old. Thought I found the Holy Grail, alas not to be.

When your kids are young do not let them lose weight. When they get older, high school age, do not let them drop more than one weight class. For me senior year of high school, weighed 162, dropped to 155, not a problem, cut out the junk food, working out/wrestling 15 hours a week. The drop to 145 was absolutely brutal. Don't let your kids do that.
our 95 lb did a little too much ex lax got gut wrenched and crapped his pants right on the mat!
 

tullfan68

All-Conference
Jun 20, 2021
776
1,019
93
my coach would not have been happy with that approach. he would have benched me for lack of discipline to be over that much! Regardless, i fudged my weight for practice sheets and often fought not to drink the fluid from my tooth brush.... 24 hr dry fasts? that was nothing.
that's the point I wasn't over!!coach was an ***!
 

psu0408

All-Conference
Oct 28, 2004
423
1,150
83
I’ll preface this by saying that I was an average at best high school wrestler. My senior year, weighed 150 and was benching about 235 for 3 reps and about 250 max. Cut to 130, got as low as 126 during season. Would routinely weigh 138-140 the day after matches and spend the week playing catchup by practicing in full sweats and jumping rope near the pool after practice. Season ending injury and couldn’t bench 135 by the end of it.

The unwritten rule was that you never miss weight, period. But there was little to no guidance provided regarding nutrition, hydration, etc.

I see these college guys and wonder how the hell they maintain their muscle and stamina. I tend to think PSU guys probably aren’t shedding weight like some other programs, but Blaze looks like he needs a sandwich, and Kasak looks like he’s 180.
 
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Lyons212

Senior
Mar 9, 2017
113
430
63
our 95 lb did a little too much ex lax got gut wrenched and crapped his pants right on the mat!
Damn, what a crappy experience! We had the Ex-Lax timed. We sometimes had practices from 5 to 7p. We would run to town, buy Ex-Lax and take the box. Knew about 4 to 5 hours later it would hit, somewhere around 8 PM. Never take it on match day.

One time I was 2 pounds over (Mom put salt in the spaghetti the night before), coach locked in the gym office shower (4 x 4 feet) with the hot water running with the sauna suit on. Jumping jacks for 30 minutes got the weight off. Then when and beat a future state qualifer. Coach even complimented me in the newspaper article. The early 80's a different era than today.
 

Lyons212

Senior
Mar 9, 2017
113
430
63
I’ll preface this by saying that I was an average at best high school wrestler. My senior year, weighed 150 and was benching about 235 for 3 reps and about 250 max. Cut to 130, got as low as 126 during season. Would routinely weigh 138-140 the day after matches and spend the week playing catchup by practicing in full sweats and jumping rope near the pool after practice. Season ending injury and couldn’t bench 135 by the end of it.

The unwritten rule was that you never miss weight, period. But there was little to no guidance provided regarding nutrition, hydration, etc.

I see these college guys and wonder how the hell they maintain their muscle and stamina. I tend to think PSU guys probably aren’t shedding weight like some other programs, but Blaze looks like he needs a sandwich, and Kasak looks like he’s 180.
Guidance???? I once didn't take a crap for a week, had chest pains, told coach about it, he gave me a mild laxative. That didn't do a thing. That is when my teammates introduced me to Ex-Lax. Funny thing was, the next week on Monday I was 15 over, on Tuesday I was 1 pound over. Coach tracked our weight each day, Coach said the following "How did you do that, never mind, it is probably best if I don't know".

Told my wife that story, she thought I was nuts (still does). I prefer to look at as it demonstrates what I will do to get the job done. Perspective.
 

psu0408

All-Conference
Oct 28, 2004
423
1,150
83
Guidance???? I once didn't take a crap for a week, had chest pains, told coach about it, he gave me a mild laxative. That didn't do a thing. That is when my teammates introduced me to Ex-Lax. Funny thing was, the next week on Monday I was 15 over, on Tuesday I was 1 pound over. Coach tracked our weight each day, Coach said the following "How did you do that, never mind, it is probably best if I don't know".

Told my wife that story, she thought I was nuts (still does). I prefer to look at as it demonstrates what I will do to get the job done. Perspective.
One of the seniors on the team told a story about a guy who took x-lax and crapped himself mid match. That eliminated that as an option
 

lionlover

All-American
Jul 8, 2001
3,405
6,726
113
day before a match after practice coach told me to go home eat half piece of toast plain cup of tea plain and that was it till after weigh in the next night!
I've told this story before, but if you missed it, those of you talking about your weight cut storieswill appreciate it...if you have a little sick edge to you..

I played basketball in high school, but the wrestlers would tolerate me having lunch with them because I played football with some of the guys in the fall.

As a matter of fact there were a bunch of football players that sat with the wrestlers because they would eat their desserts. Some of the guys got into the habit of literally grabbing the desserts off of the wrestlers plate without even asking for permission.

One day a football player tried to grab a brownie off a wrestlers food tray when BOOM...the wrestler took his fork and drove it through the back of a kid's hand! Blood gushed up like an oil well strike!!

Of course we all started laughing our @SS off (that was the sick part) and from that point on...NOBODY took food off of the wrestlers plate without first asking. :ROFLMAO: 😅 😂
 

Anon1676911284

Freshman
Sep 4, 2017
59
91
18
Our HS team would practice in plastic sweats. sleep in plastic sweats. Chew snuff spit repeat. Run in place with all hot showers running wearing plastic sweats. boy were we stupid.
 
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Clarion167

Redshirt
Jan 14, 2014
35
38
18
When I wrestled in high school in the 80s, we didn’t know much about how to best cut weight. But cutting weight for me was soul crushing.

We had a guy on our team who won states and won a national tournament (like Fargo, not sure the name back then). His dad was a college coach and wouldn’t let him cut weight. He was very good. I wish I had the guts to do that, it would have improved my life so much.

Back to Ono, I really feel for a guy who cuts that kind of weight, but I just have to wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze in the long run.
Had a kid like that on my HS team. Had to drink water at times to make the minimum weight. His name was Jim Martin. Now it’s Dr. James Martin.
 

tullfan68

All-Conference
Jun 20, 2021
776
1,019
93
Our HS team would practice in plastic sweats. sleep in plastic sweats. Chew snuff spit repeat. Run in place with all hot showers running wearing plastic sweats. boy were we stupid.
so true I use to wear the suit in] the sauna we were all dumb kids!
 
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