By Denny Burnett
Bobby Pfennigs has to weigh 133 pounds for four months straight. Managing and maintaining his weight is just part being on the Oregon State wrestling team.
Making weight is just one aspect of a wrestler’s life. Wrestlers not only have to be explosive and powerful, they also have to be compulsive weight watchers. Pfennigs, like most wrestlers, begins to lose weight slowly before the season and then focuses on hydration and healthy eating during the season to keep his weight at 133 pounds.
“You have something to eat and you tell yourself you’re done,” Pfennigs said about maintaining his weight. “Not having something else to eat is the toughest thing. You know you can only eat a half a pound one night and that’s it.”
At 5-foot-7, Pfennigs, a junior, is one of the smaller wrestlers on the team, so the less he can weigh the more effective he can be on the mats. He’s only gained eight pounds since his senior year at C.M. Russell High School in Great Falls, Mont.
“Weight management comes down to mental power and mental toughness,” Pfennigs said. “It’s hard, because sometimes you might try and feel sorry for yourself and once you get into that mode it makes it miserable, so it’s trying to find the good in it and be positive.”
On match days, Pfennigs may not eat at all before weigh in. Wrestlers weigh in just before the match starts, if they’re over their weight class limit, they forfeit. Wrestlers can also wrestle up a weight class if they choose or if a teammate in that class is injured, but it’s usually a disadvantage.
“I personally try and get a meal in the night before I weigh in,” Pfennigs said. “Sometimes we weigh in midday, and sometimes we weigh in at night, so if we weigh in midday usually we don’t eat. We get a workout in and than weigh in, then we get a little food and fluid in before the match, but if we weigh in at night I try and get something like a PowerBar or two during the day.”
Pfennigs doesn’t eat as much as the average college student, and when he does down some food, it’s always healthy and his meals are spread out through the day.
“I don’t really have three meals throughout the day, I have little meals like a PowerBar, when I get hungry again I’ll try to have another PowerBar and try and get through practice and then have a normal dinner after practice,” Pfennigs said.
Wrestlers often believe they can compete better in lower weight classes. They try to lose weight rapidly to get there, which can be very dangerous to their health. But Pfennigs and the rest of the OSU wrestling team take all the precautions to ensure this doesn’t happen to its members.
Sadly, wrestlers have died over the years trying to make weight resulting in the NCAA banning rapid weight loss techniques, such as the use of saunas and rubber suits used to train. Excessive dehydration is probably the most common form of rapid weight loss, which can lead to, among other things, kidney failure, heat stroke or a heart attack.
“Our coaches are good about it,” Pfennigs said. “There is nobody on our team cutting too much weight. Everybody looks out for each other and makes sure everyone is healthy and is doing the right things. We make sure nobody does anything crazy, so that’s not an issue with our team. Our coaches don’t preach cutting weight, it’s common knowledge that you should know where you should be.”
One of Pfennigs’ coaches is world and two-time NCAA champion Les Gutches. He knows how to successfully manage weight and makes sure everybody on his team does it in a healthy way. Gutches wants his wrestlers to focus on wrestling, rather than weight cutting, because that’s what it’s all about.
“What guys like Bobby are doing is they are managing their weight,” Gutches said. “They’re keeping their body fat down to a lower, but healthy level and they are watching what they eat.
“They’re disciplined about what they eat. They eat good foods, as opposed to junk food. They eat smaller portions, but more times per day to keep their metabolism up and really it’s lowering your body fat to a level that is still healthy, but low enough to make your weight.”
On the opposite side of the scale is junior heavyweight Ty Watterson. He also has to watch his weight, but he tries to keep his weight up by eating more. Pfennigs and Watterson are roommates, so Watterson really appreciates what his teammates like Pfennigs have to go through during the season. Sometimes Watterson gets dirty looks from his teammates on road trips, because he will be planning his next meal to gain weight and the smaller guys will be planning their next workout to lose weight.
“It’s a lot easier I guess,” Watterson said. “Living with him, I get to see what he has to sacrifice. I guess it’s not the same, but it is, I’m trying to keep my weight up during the season. I’m trying to eat a lot and he’s over there not eating too much. He’s eating the right things and I’m eating everything.”
Pfennigs (12-3) and Watterson (25-7) both have healthy records thus far this season and plan on maintaining that right along with their weight.
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