Issue 075
May 2011
Don’t leave all your game on the scales. Get ahead by shedding clever
Months and potentially years of hard graft have gone by; you’re feeling fit, strong and technically ready. It’s time to put a date in the diary for the big day. Not your wedding – your first fight! You’re physically and mentally prepared, there’s just that stumbling block for many fighters: making weight. It’s not uncommon to see fighters’ abilities deteriorate over the weeks or even hours prior to a fight because they’ve taken drastic measures to get under the required weight limit. This not only applies to novices, but veterans of the fight game.
Below is a list of measures you can take to ensure that making weight is as comfortable as possible and you don’t unnecessarily lose the physical and technical abilities that you’ve worked so hard to master.
Timing
Try to give yourself a sensible time period to make weight. If at four weeks out you still have to drop 20lb to get to your ideal weight class, you’ve left it a little late and will have to rely on drastic techniques. As a simple rule, if you have to use these to make weight there’s a strong chance that it will have a dramatic effect on your performance – and not in a good way.
If you’re within 4-6lb of your fighting weight, then you don’t have too much to worry about. Chances are an increase in training volume will result in sufficient weight loss. More than this and you need to drop weight in a slow, sustained manner. Aim to drop no more than around 2lb per week. Initial weight loss will be faster, but is purely a drop in stored carbohydrate and water as opposed to fat loss.
Carbohydrate intake
The first thing many fighters think of cutting is their carbohydrate intake. While this has merit, and will reduce calories and avoid increases in blood sugar levels, you should still provide adequate carbohydrate for fuel. Ultimately, you want strong performance and you need carbohydrates to fuel that.
Start off by eliminating all unnecessary carbohydrates such as sweets, crisps, and chocolate. Then, if necessary, slowly reduce your carbohydrate intake by around 50g per week. Try not to drop below 2g of carbohydrate per 2.2lb of bodyweight – so 160g for an 170lb fighter.
Space out your carbohydrate intake over regular meals throughout the day, aiming for sources that give you a sustained release of energy such as oats, wholemeal rice and wholemeal pasta.
Fat intake
Fat is a calorie-dense source of energy; 1g of fat provides 9kcal whereas 1g of carbohydrate and protein provides 4kcal. Essential fat, which is found in oily fish such as salmon, is a good source of fat; research shows essential fat can reduce inflammation, which is beneficial for a fighter. Try to avoid unnecessary fat intake, particularly saturated fat. Foods that are covered in batter, for example, are calorie-dense food options that you should eliminate.
The week leading up
The time that’s a real source of confusion for fighters is the week before a fight. Many fighters favor a ‘zero carbohydrate with no fluid’ approach for as much as 48 hours before the bout. But if you’re about to go into an important fight, why would you eliminate nutrients that you know are beneficial for performance and you use during training?
To avoid that, try to ensure that you’re no more than 2-4lb away from your weight class the week before the fight. That way, simply weighing in on an empty stomach/reducing food intake and refueling immediately after will see you make weight. There’ll be no need for dramatic starvation strategies.
Dehydration
In my opinion, dehydration to make weight should be avoided. When you hear of top fighters dehydrating to make weight, the one thing that’s easy to forget is that they have a period of around 24 hours to rehydrate. If this is your first fight, chances are you will weigh in shortly beforehand with no time to rehydrate. So don’t do it!
Making weight: bite-sized
Give yourself plenty of time. Eight to12 weeks so that weight loss is progressive
Base the above on how much weight you have to lose. If it’s 12lb, give yourself around six weeks
Eliminate unnecessary calories from sugary carbohydrate and saturated fat
Aim to be 2-4lb away from your desired weight a week before the fight
Avoid drastic dehydration techniques. They impair co-ordination, strength and mental function
