How to.cut weight for a fight?

Of the physician who prescribed the thyroid medication, it was said he diagnosed numerous people with thyroid issues. That was apparently his M.O.

I do not believe he prescribed this medication simply for Ali to lose weight. I believe diuretics were used for that–very silly!

A. Dundee and others have said that Ali was popping all kinds of pills. Dundee said, “I thought they were vitamins.” Of Ali, it was said he took pills as though they were vitamins. He would never have defeated Holmes at this stage; however, Dundee did comment that Ali got in tremendous shape for this fight.

I am guessing he got into muscular shape. But I don’t believe he got into 100% wellness shape. I don’t believe he had “wind.” I also don’t believe he did well in sparring. Holmes was at the top of his game. It’s likely Ali could have done his older-age best and not frustrated Holmes at all.

1968 Ali, vs 1980 Holmes would be an interesting discussion. Ali had speed, footwork, and confidence that I don’t believe any other heavyweight ever had. In “Champions Forever,” Holmes said “I would have beaten them all. The only one I would have had trouble with was Jack Johnson.”

In my estimation, Ali was as clever at defense as Jack Johnson and had much better body movement, head movement, far quicker hands, and at least as much confidence. I say “1968” because, as A. Dundee said, “Ali was maturing.” 1968 would likely have been his best year of being in the zone.

It’s not easy to compare people of different ages. One can only make an educated guess. I guess for Ali, even against the larger, very gifted Lennox Lewis. A friend of mine asks “What is strength.”

He says, “Strength is balance.” I’d argue that Ali had better balance than Lennox but not as much stationary strength or gym strength. With a 1968 Ali moving, Lennox would have had trouble connecting squarely.

Angelo Dundee says that Ali would have beaten Tyson. He said, “Certain fighters beat certain fighters.”

More likely than not, if you plan on going far in your respective sport, you are going to have to cut weight at some point. Yes it sucks, and yes it’s not the most fun thing in the world, but if you want to keep the odds in your favor, cutting weight is a must.

If you are able to cut weight safely and effectively and refuel properly after weigh ins, you will most likely hold a huge strength and power advantage on your opponent.

For instance, I walk around at about 160lbs but weigh in the day before the Muay Thai fight at 147lbs. But just because I weigh in at 145lbs doesn’t mean I fight at that weight.

After rapid rehydration and refueling my body with the liquids and foods it needs, I weigh about 157-158lbs when I step into the ring. That’s almost 15 extra pounds I can use to my advantage!

Unfortunately some athletes and fighters go about weight cutting the wrong way by either starving themselves or completely draining their energy just to make weight.

Cutting weight recklessly can cause some serious damage to your body, hinder your fight performance and possibly even send you to the emergency room… don’t let that happen you! Follow the weight cutting diet tips and advice below for the best results!

Before you begin the whole weight cutting process there are few questions you should ask yourself;

How much weight should I cut?If you are looking to cut any more than 20lbs do yourself a favor and fight at a heavier weight class. You should not be trying to cut more than 20lbs unless you are in the heavier weight classes where it’s a little more reasonable to cut 20lbs.

What is my weight with a good diet and training routine?If you are like most professionals and take your training seriously then your this question should be easy to answer. If you slack off and alter your eating habits between fights and weigh a little heavier than your training weight is, find out what your most lean, in-shape body weight would be.

You want to know what your weight is when you are in the best shape possible so you can decide what weight class would be best for you to fight at!

Am I going to be disciplined enough to make the weight?Be honest with yourself. There is nothing worse than going to weigh-ins and not making the cut… it’s embarrassing for you and your gym and chances are you will be disqualified for the fight.

If you find yourself cheating on meals and not being consistent in your weight cutting methods then do yourself a favor and fight at your normal weight.

Now that you’ve gone through the pre-assessment of yourself it’s time to learn the best tips on how to cut weight safely and effectively.

The number one way to lose weight before a fight is by cutting water weight. The next to weight cutting techniques are two of the best for cutting water weight.

The human body is constantly losing fluid every minute from bodily functions like breathing, urinating, and sweating. You will lose weight every hour that goes by without replenishing the fluid you’ve lost. If you have good self discipline, this weight cutting technique is easy and takes no extra energy to perform.

Most fighters can lose anywhere from 4-7lbs from cutting water weight. Here’s the best way to go about cutting water weight;

Let’s say weigh ins are on Thursday and you fight Friday. This is how to cut weight by fluid restriction;

Drink 2 gallons of water on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Carry around a gallon of water to see how much water you are taking in. You will be pissing up a storm so be ready to hit the bathroom often.Drink 1 gallon of water on Tuesday. Make sure to have no sodium in your diet because sodium is water soluble and will decrease your weight cut.Drink 0 gallons of water on Wednesday starting around 24 hours from when you will have to weigh in. Continue a no sodium diet.

Check your weight and see how much you’ve lost by cutting water weight!

Sweating is one of the most popular and effective ways to lose anywhere from 5-10lbs in a short period of time if done properly. The only disadvantage from cutting water weight by sweating is that you will might have to expend extra energy that might take away your strength for the fight.

The main goal for cutting water weight by sweating is to use as little energy as possible and make yourself sweat as much as possible!

How to cut weight by sweating tips;

All natural laxatives are a great way to clear out your intestines of the excess material that is has no use of. DO NOT use anything but a NATURAL, gentle laxative otherwise you compromise the health of your body.

Even though you can lose around 5lbs with this method, it should be a last ditch effort to make weight if you feel in danger of not making weight. Use the cutting water weight methods before trying this!

Yes, still eat even when you are cutting weight. Restricting yourself of all foods will only hinder your ability to exercise and sweat off additional weight. Stay away from high sugar drinks, salty foods and heavy foods.

Get some ideas for the best foods while cutting weight!

Learning how to cut weight is important but refueling your body after you make weight is just as an important process as making the weight!

Cutting weight refers to the practice of intentionally losing weight in preparation for a competition or event. When someone says they are in a “cutting phase” of training, this often refers to a phase of training that requires specific nutritional and exercise interventions that will result in maximizing muscle mass, while also decreasing body fat.

Cutting weight is the opposite of bulking or clean bulking.

What used to be a practice reserved for bodybuilders or athletes in sports using weight classes is now a practice that has been adopted by any individual looking to obtain a certain body composition to prepare for an event, a holiday, or a vacation. Cutting weight typically requires 2 to 4 months of consistent adherence to personalized nutrition and training plans to be effective and safe (Helms, Aragon & Fitschen, 2014).

It’s hard to be successful if you don’t define success! Set a goal that’s SMART: • Specific: What do you want to accomplish?• Measurable: How will you measure success?• Action-oriented: What will you do to accomplish your goal?• Realistic: Can you accomplish your goal in the specified amount of time?• Time-bound: What’s your target date? Give yourself 2-4 months, depending on where you’re starting out.Setting a SMART goal will help you develop your action plan (i.e., the nutrition and workout plan that will help you reach your ideal body fat percentage goal).

Cutting takes laser-focus, and one of the best ways to stay on track with your plan is to track your behaviors. There are endless nutrition and fitness tracking devices and apps on the market, so find one that works best for you and stay accountable to your plan. If after 2-3 weeks of sticking to your plan you’re not seeing the results that you think you should be seeing, it’s a great time to re-evaluate and make small adjustments.

NASM has many calculators, like the BMI calculator, that can give you feedback on a wide variety of metrics.

Nothing is less effective than the workout that never happens. If you’re not used to a regular workout schedule, taking the time to schedule your workouts (with a trainer or with yourself) can help you adhere to your program.

One easy way to make your workout a priority is to put it on your schedule first (before scheduling other events and activities) and make workouts non-negotiable. When you’re setting up your schedule for the week, prioritize your workouts so that everything else gets shuffled in behind them.

It’s easiest to stick to a meal plan when you do the cooking yourself. Pick a day each week to cook meals in advance. If you’re fancy, you can even measure out your portions for each meal and separate them into containers so that they’re “grab and go” meals during the week. Taking 1-2 hours on a weekend to meal prep will save you loads of time and effort during a busy week! If you know you’ll be eating out a few times, do your research ahead of time to see exactly what you’ll order at the restaurant. This will give you extra time to check the calorie count on menu items, determine any subs that need to be made (like dressings/sauces on the side, or steamed vegetables instead of a starchy side), and save you the stress of having to make those decisions at the table with other people.

See also: How to Meal Prep for Weight Loss

One of the goals of a cutting phase is to maintain muscle mass during a calorie deficit. Muscle Development Training is the best way to help you attain this goal. (Note: Muscle Development is Phase 3 of the OPT Model, so it’s recommended that you perform Phases 1 and 2 as precursors to this more advanced training phase).In Phase 3: Muscle Development Training, you’ll perform 6-12 reps of each exercise for 3-6 sets with 0-60 seconds of rest between exercises. To maintain muscle mass, you’ll want to do strength training 3-4 days a week, using a split routine on any back-to-back training days to avoid over training.

A calorie deficit is necessary for any weight-cutting program. In addition to your nutrition plan and strength training, you can increase your overall calorie burn by increasing movement throughout the day.

You can do this by tracking your steps (see how many you get on an average day and set a goal to increase it by 5-10%), getting up for a few minutes for every 30 minutes seated, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. These small changes can help you burn hundreds of extra calories per day without adding an extra workout.

Check out the NASM Calorie Deficit Calculator.

Consider the time that you’ll be cutting. Is it during a major holiday or when you have a vacation planned? Set yourself up for success by trying to choose a socially low-key time to do a cut.

Increasing your water intake will help you flush out excess water weight, keep you hydrated (duh!), and may prevent false hunger pangs. Shoot for 11.5 cups/day for women and 15.5 cups for men (IOM 2005).

See also: Hydration and Fitness

Helms, Aragon & Fitschen (2014) recommend the following nutritional strategy for cutting weight safely: Choose a calorie range that will allow you to lose .5 to 1% body weight per week (if you weigh 150, you’d aim to lose .75-1.5 pounds/week). To preserve muscle during a calorie deficit, you’ll want to consume 1-1.4 g of protein/pound of body weight. If you weigh 150 pounds, your protein goal will be 150-210g of protein.

Next, choose a fat goal of 15-30%, depending on personal preference and the results that you see. Finally, fill your remaining calories with carbohydrates. Ideally, you’ll consume 4 equal meals per day for best results.

NASM has a calorie calculator to help you do the math.

Cutting keeps you intently focused on a more stringent exercise and nutrition routine than what you might stick with long-term. Because it’s stricter, you’ll see results. Because you likely won’t live in a calorie deficit forever (I also don’t recommend that), the results are temporary. This is, however, a safe and effective strategy to get the physique that you want for an upcoming event or competition.

Cutting weight becomes dangerous when you try to lose too much weight too quickly. Some sports, like wrestling, require weigh-ins before the competition to determine weight class.

Some athletes resort to unsafe methods to lose weight (like diuretics, diet pills, sweat suits, intentionally dehydrating themselves, etc.) to maximize weight loss (Barley, Chapman & Abbiss, 2019). Techniques like these are unsafe and not recommended. A gradual, planned-out weight cut over 2 to 4 months can be both safe and effective.

Not just being depleted in the ring, octagon, or on the mats. But potentially ending up in hospital. Or even death.

This is why it's of utmost importance to learn how to cut weight safely and effectively for your next fight. But first, we must define what a weight cut is as there is a big difference between just losing weight and cutting weight for a fight.

Quick Disclaimer:

The contents of this blog, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained within are for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice; the blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.  Always seek the advice of a physician/doctor or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding changes to your diet, hydration, and body weight manipulation. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this book.

Making weight for athletic competition through food restriction, dehydration, induced sweating, and other means outlined in this blog, carries risks to your health. Reliance on any information provided by this blog is solely at your own risk.

The author, publisher, or Sweet Science Of Fighting do not take any responsibility for how you choose to use this material. It is to help you make an informed decision. This should not be confused for prescribing you direct advice to follow. We advise you to enlist the services of a dietitian, doctor, and/or other registered healthcare professionals if you plan on manipulating your diet to make weight for a sporting contest.

Weight cutting starts by trying to reduce fat mass whilst maintaining or even gaining lean mass before the week of the fight. The weight cut refers to the short-term weight loss that occurs during the final week of fight preparation.

Before a competition, combat sports athletes have their body mass verified at the official 'weigh in' to ensure they meet the weight requirements of their competitive division.