Validity of the current NCAA minimum weight protocol: a brief review

Historically, collegiate wrestlers have been associated with utilizing rapid weight loss methods to reach a desired weight class. Following three deaths in 1997, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) implemented a program which prevents wrestlers from wrestling below a minimum weight (MW) of 5% body fat. Although numerous studies have investigated adolescent wrestlers, few have investigated collegiate wrestlers using the methods outlined by the NCAA. The purpose of this review paper is to outline potential problems with the current NCAA protocol as well as critique studies investigating the validity of methods to assess MW.