Issue 012

April 2006

By Tom Jones

As was mentioned in past issues of Fighters Only, well-known UK middleweight Sol Gilbert had revealed his intentions of dropping in weight. Under the expert guidance of his trainer Alexis Demetriades and us at Fight Mentor Nutrition, Gilbert decided to make the transition and cut to the welterweight division. 

Sol was renowned as a dangerous competitor in the middleweight rankings, but after losses to larger fighters Curtis Stout and Mark Weir, it was clear to Sol’s coaches and promoters that he was fighting out of his ideal weight category. With the correct nutrition and training he was able to make the transition down to welterweight, which led to one of Sol’s best outings to date and ended with a knockout victory over opponent Sami Berik. If you too are considering switching weight divisions this article will give you a few pointers and put you on the right path.

Knowing which weight class to fight in can be a tricky part of any fighting sport. With many of the top promotions now having the official weigh in the day before a show, we have seen many fighters “cutting” weight for the official weigh-in, then piling on the pounds overnight in an attempt to fight at their biggest and strongest. This means the art of weight cutting is an important tool in the professional fighter’s arsenal. Deciding on whether or not to cut weight is something that requires a lot of discussion and preparation with your team or coach, as it has the potential to go badly wrong, so give it plenty of thought and careful planning! 

Before you decide how much weight you need to cut, it is important to correctly assess your body composition. This means you need to honestly assess how much of your bodyweight is from excess body fat. To do this you can consult your trainer or coach and ask them for their opinion (this should be an honest view and they will tell it to you how it is). 

You can use body fat calipers to get your body fat percentage, but these are often very inaccurate and should really only be used as a tool for monitoring how fat loss is progressing. Body fat calipers work by measuring how much “skin-fold” there is at various sites over the body, and by examining the measurements you can work out how much fat there is under your skin. It is usually the best course of action to get rid of this fat before you make the decision to cut weight. In the example of Sol Gilbert, as a middleweight he was walking around at around 83kg (182lbs). The maximum weight a fighter can be to compete in the middleweight division of Cage Rage is 83.9kg, so it made sense to cut down to the welterweight limit of 77Kg (169lbs). 

Sol’s first job was to lose 2kg of excess body fat so he would be training at and maintaining the weight of 81kg (this would only leave 4kg to lose through carbohydrate and water control the day before the fight). To do this Sol used the method of tapering off carbohydrates during the day and lowering his calorie intake by around 500kcal

per day. 

This meant consuming most of his carbohydrates during the early part of the day when energy requirement was highest. After training he would take a recovery drink, then abstain from carbohydrates for the rest of the evening. Once carbohydrate stores in the muscles have been restocked consuming any more can result in an “overspill” into fat stores (not what you want!). By staying on this fat loss program Sol was able to shed the 2kg easily and be at his leanest possible weight whilst maintaining his strength and endurance.

Once at 81kg the training for the fight continued as normal until the last three days before the fight. This is the period where carbohydrates were progressively limited so as to empty any stored glycogen, which results in a loss of bodyweight. Water was also restricted the night before weigh in until the target weight of 76.9Kg was attained. When the official weigh-in was over, Sol began the re-hydration process with mineral salts and water and ate fast acting carbohydrates such as white rice and potatoes to regain his lost water, electrolyte and glycogen stores.

By the early afternoon of fight day, Sol had fully re-hydrated and restocked his lost glycogen stores to bring him up to 81Kg and feeling strong. By following a carefully planned weight cutting procedure, he was able to make a successful debut at welterweight, fighting for the first time at his natural weight without having to give up 5kg or more to his opponent. 

Example of Sol’s daily diet during the fat loss period

Breakfast 

Chopped fresh fruit with muesli, one scoop of hard hitting protein 

Pre-training

2 “Lipex” capsules for fat burning

Training 

Hill running/ sprints etc.

Mid Morning 

Complex MR (meal replacement drink)

Lunch

Lemon chicken breasts, wholegrain rice and steamed vegetables, 2 “Lipex” capsules

Pre-Training 

2 x “Focus” capsules

Training

Grappling, sparring, conditioning etc.

Post Workout: 

After Fight” replenishment drink

Evening Meal 

Marinated chicken breasts with stacks of steamed vegetables

Bedtime

10g of Micronised Glutamine in water

Recipe for low-fat marinated chicken

Ingredients

4 skinless chicken breasts

1 cup of lemon juice