In this post, we’re covering the basics of the art of cutting and bulking and making weight for combative sports. Before we get into it I would like to say I am not a licensed doctor and before trying any diets or exercise regimens please consult with your doctor or family health professional.
Cutting weight and bulking takes skill, practice, and most importantly - time. I have seen athletes have horrendous performances by cutting too much weight, cutting weight too fast, cutting weight too slow, not rehydrating correctly, and eating incorrectly after their weigh-in.
Let it be known that you should already have an established caloric deficit if you need to cut weight. But this article won’t cover how to change your diet, we will be specifically talking about the rapid drop in body weight and the rapid weight gain before and after a weigh-in for a competition.
SECTION ONE: CUTTING WEIGHT
Why Cut Weight?
A lot of people who haven’t played any sort of combative sport have no idea why someone would willingly subject themselves to such harsh food and water restriction. In tournaments and fights there are weight limits for classes. There is a range of weight you and your opponent can be in. The goal would be to be the heaviest and strongest in your weight class and therefore many athletes choose to cut weight in order to be in a lower class only to add weight back on after the weigh-in.
Our weigh-in is the day of but it is quite early and will give fighters ample time to reload their bodies following any weight-cutting.
I’m sure you can think of a few ways to cut weight. I vividly remember wrestlers in high-school sucking on jolly ranchers and spitting all of their saliva into cups all day before their match. You could exercise in heavy clothes to sweat out even more water weight, or you could hop in a sauna. Sure all of these methods would help you cut weight fast. But how do you properly put on weight in a safe and timely manner to be ready for a fight? If you think you can just eat and drink food to feel good - you will run into problems. Reconstituting your body is more important than any of the other steps in the cutting and gaining it back cycle.
Shedding pounds!
Another reminder; your diet should be so solid at this point and you should only want to be within 10-14 pounds of your goal weight before starting your weight-cutting process. If you try and you are any further than your goal weight and it could get quite dangerous. Make sure you have caloric control over your diet long before your fight.
Restricting your Fluids
This is the simplest way to begin your process. You would need to stop fluid intake entirely. Your body is constantly losing fluids simply by breathing, sweating, and voiding. Every minute you don't replace the fluid - you lose weight. You can lose 5-6 pounds in 24 hours by not drinking anything. Let it be known you shouldn’t go over 24 hours without fluid, you should start your fluid restriction exactly 24 hours before your weigh-in. Before this, there are more tricks to losing the max amount of fluid.
Martin Rooney MHS, PT, CSCS, NASM says, “For the fifth, fourth and third days before the weigh in, I have my athletes consume 2 gallons of water a day. They carry the gallon jug around with them so they know how much fluid they are taking in. At this time, the athlete also can be more liberal with sodium in his diet…” This increased water intake triggers hormones in the body to excrete more urine than usual. This response will be essential in losing fluid the day before the weigh in. “Two days before the weigh-in, the fighter cuts the fluid intake to one gallon of water, and cuts out the sodium from the diet. Finally, on the last day before the weigh in, the fighter takes in no fluids, no sodium, and only food that I will describe later. This process is effortless, and only requires a little discipline and tolerance of a dry mouth.”
Sweating!
Sweating can take off 5-10 pounds of weight in a short period of time. This is a great method if the athlete is already lean as everyone will still have fluid that can be lost. This method does take great amounts of energy and your goal would be to take of as much weight as you can with the least amount of fatigue.
There are a few ways to do this. Exercise: running jumping rope, cardio circuits, etc. Sweat clothes: plastic suits, heavy clothing etc. they all increase the body temperature and enhance your sweating. Do not overheat. Athletes have died from overheating using these methods. Remember ( Your goal should be within 10 pounds the day before weigh in so that all of these methods you use don’t need to be drastic.) Sauna: You could get into a sauna or hot bath/shower to lose water weight as well. Your time in the sauna or hot shower should be 12-30 intervals to check the weight loss. Make sure you travel with your own scale so you can monitor your weight.
Empty your Bowels!
Here is another method to lose weight for the fight. Your bowels, or stomach and intestines, are up to 28 feet long and contain up to 5-7 pounds of material at all times. The food that has been ingested over the last 24 hours is all still contained along this set of tubes. This material does not help performance and is actually waste. By clearing out the bowels, an athlete can lose another 5 pounds without having to do anything.
The secret is in the methods.Two days before the weigh-in, an athlete will already be eating less if he has to lose critical pounds. The day before the weigh in, he should not be eating much at all (to be discussed later). That material that is still in the gut from the day before, however, must be cleared. How we choose to do this is with a very gentle, all natural laxative. There are much more powerful drugs out there that do this, but you should not be using them. They can hurt your performance and leave you feeling horrible. By taking the gentle, natural laxative before you go to bed the night before the weigh in, you should wake and clear your bowels completely. Remember that you would only do this if you felt you were not going to make the weight with the methods listed above.
Crossing the Finish Line
Ok, you made the weight and you are feeling good. Now as soon as you get off the scale, you need to start refilling your body with everything you lost.
After the weigh in, you should eat small meals at regular 30 minute intervals. It is critical that you make sure you take in carbohydrates at this time to regain the proper blood sugar levels. Firing a ton of food down immediately after the weigh in is going to leave you feeling bloated and sick. Your body won’t be able to use all the food at once anyway, and it will just sit there. Smaller meals will clear the stomach and you will be able to eat again shortly. We actually have our athletes continue to eat all the way up to a few hours before the fight the next day. Eat meals that you are comfortable with. Don’t start to do anything different.
You should immediately take in fluids following the weigh in and continue to drink at regular intervals. The ultimate goal for my fighters is to see a clear urine stream before we know we are back. This can take 3-5 gallons of fluid over the next day to replace the 10 or more pounds that has been lost. Don’t rely on the thirst response because it will not be accurate. You need to keep drinking to make sure that the blood plasma, fluid space between the cells and the cells themselves are refilled.
Section Two: Bulking
Focus on Weight Training
While you are trying to bulk up, training with heavy weights should be the main focus of your workouts. Choose free weights over machines. The effort taken to stabilize the weights will help you get more muscle-building out of the same effort. Do low rep sets using heavy weights. You need to keep challenging your muscles to get them to grow. Aim for a weight that is heavy enough that you can only do 4 to 8 reps. Make the bulk of your workout compound exercises that work more than one muscle group at the same time.
Eat Enough Food
You need about a daily 500 calorie surplus to build one pound of muscle per week. You can use an online tool to determine how many calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight. Add 500 to that during your bulking phase. If after two weeks you aren’t seeing gains, add 500 more calories.
Building muscle mass is an important component of being a successful fighter. These tips can help you build mass before your next fight.
YOU GOT THIS!