The image of a wrestler training is a stocky man, with his sweatpants tucked into his socks, drenched in sweat and riding a stationary bike as fast as it will go.

Tucked in socks are more than just a fashion statement. There is a purpose for them. The same goes for most of the behaviors of a wrestler in season.

When a wrestler tucks his sweatpants into his socks, it is to prevent the bottom of the pant from getting in the way during practice.

A bonus of the functionality is that once the pants are untucked, the socks are perfectly pulled up.

“It’s a hard lifestyle,” coach Joe Skow said. “I ate a lot of chicken, ate a lot of salads, I went to bed early, I got up really early, and I didn’t do anything fun.”

Skow said the key to cutting weight was discipline.

Wrestlers need to watch their hydration and what they eat.

“You get really good at knowing what everything weighs. You can even look at something and be like, ‘Oh, that Snickers bar is three miles. That was a three-mile snack.” Skow said. “You have to take into account everything you put in your body, because everything you put in you have to work off.”

Skow said there is a noticeable difference in the attitudes of wrestlers cutting weight. Usually they are happier when they aren’t cutting.

DC Scott said he has some non-traditional habits relating to wrestling.

“Before a meet, match or even a tournament we usually warm up,” Scott said. “After our warmup and before my match I go somewhere secluded, and I pray that whatever is supposed to happen happens. I pray that I won’t be nervous, I leave everything up to God and I go out there and wrestle to the best of my ability.”

Scott also has a habit of eating 40 minutes before he practices or works out. He said if he doesn’t eat before he exercises, he will be tired and won’t work out as well.

Scott can also tell where his body is compared to the weight he needs to make. He said he knows how his stomach is supposed to look when he weighs 197 pounds. If it is sticking out farther than it should be, he is over weight.

Every wrestler has their own style of cutting weight, and by the time they are in college, they have found a way that works for them.

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