AN INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF RAPID WEIGHT LOSS ON OVERALL STRENGTH IN 17- AND 18-YEAR-OLD MALE WRESTLERS

Introduction and Objective: The goal of this study is to examine the effects of rapid weight loss on the overall strength of young male wrestlers.

Methods: The study participants consisted of wrestlers aged 17-18 who competed in group competitions held in 5 cities in Turkey between March 31^st and April 2^nd, 2017. The participants included 6 Greco-Roman wrestlers in group competitions in Elazığ and 7 free-style wrestlers, for a total of 13 wrestlers. The first set of measurements of the athletes was taken 2 weeks before the competition, and the second set of measurements was made 1 day prior to competing. The measurements taken were weight, right and left hand grip strength, back strength, leg strength, vertical jump height, and the Cooper test. The statistical package program SPSS 17 was used to analyze the data. A value of p < .05 was considered statistically significant. 

Results: Among the wrestlers participating in the study, significant differences were observed in weight, vertical jump height, back strength, leg strength, and the Cooper test results when compared to the pre-study measurements (p < .05). For vertical jump height, the average of the first measurement was 32.92 and that of the second measurement was 31.07, resulting in a statistically significant difference (p < .05). The difference in averages for the Cooper test was also statistically significant, with an average of 2646.1 obtained for the first test and 2467.6 for the second test (p < .05).

Conclusion: Rapid weight loss in wrestlers has an adverse effect on their overall strength, as determined using several parameters.