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How much do you weigh? Which weight category would you fight in? Is this truly the weight category you should compete in? If not, which way should you go – up or down?
Fight coaches and trainers should assess their fighter’s body composition and advise in which weight category they’d be most competitive. But, in reality many coaches simply force fighters to compete in the lightest possible category believing this offers an advantage. This is not always the best thing for the fighter, or providing an advantage.
The only way to reduce bodyweight quickly is by dehydrating. The simple concept is that 1 litre of water weighs 1kg. So you can reduce your bodyweight rapidly by either not drinking or sweating off your body fluid. This appears to be an effective way to remain ‘bigger’ than your weight category, yet fight within the limits of a smaller one. However, this is not the advantage that it initially appears to be.
Dehydration – A Quick Fix, But at a Price
Losing just 2% of your bodyweight through dehydration will reduce your performance by at least 10%. This performance loss is both physical and mental. Your concentration, decision-making and judgement will be impaired and your aerobic performance, speed and strength will depreciate significantly as you dehydrate. Any advantages you had thought you’d get by drying-out, quickly disappear.
But of greater consequence to fighters, dehydration also drastically increases the likelihood of serious brain injury resulting from concussive blows to the head. This is due to a reduction in the protective fluid surrounding the brain. Even a weigh-in the day before a fight can provide you with serious rehydrating problems, let alone if the weigh-in is the same day as the fight.
Reducing Bodyweight
The only way for a fighter to successfully decrease bodyweight is through the reduction of body fat, increasing a fighter’s power to weight ratio. Male fighters should have a body fat level of between 6% and 12%. Female fighters should be between 12% and 18% body fat. You can determine body composition to an adequate level using either specialised weighing scales or body fat callipers. As a general rule of thumb, if your abs are clearly visible then you’re probably about right!
If your fat levels are above the ranges stated above then you must working on trimming down over a period of 8 to 10 weeks. Note that you can only lose about 1kg of fat per week. If your bodyweight drops more than this then it’s likely to be either muscle protein and/or water that you’re losing. Your coach will suggest appropriate training methods, but generally reduce your calorie intake and increase your steady state / low intensity exercise – such as long, slow jogging. This will help to target your fat reserves. It’s also important to try to preserve your hard-earned muscle mass by using protein/carbohydrate supplements after training; otherwise muscle protein can be consumed as fuel along with your fat!
Gaining Bodyweight
Building muscle is the only effective way for a fighter to increase body mass. Combining weight training with Protein / Creatine supplements will build muscle. Keep a close eye on your body composition to ensure fat is not going on as well!
Again, your coach will be able to suggest appropriate training regimes to pack on muscle. Be careful not to become to too preoccupied with bulk, as this is detrimental to your fight endurance. There is a multitude of ways to employ weight training, and you must select an appropriate method specifically for your circumstances.
Which Way to Go, Up or Down?
This is where your coach can truly help you out. Begin by scrutinising the weight categories of your chosen competition or promotion (they will vary). Then look at your current bodyweight and body composition and determine how you compare to your opponents in your weight category. As a starting point, you can use a height and weight chart or body mass index (BMI) calculation to help determine your natural weight category.
If you are at the smaller end of a weight category, is your body fat level above10% to 12% for a male, or 16% to18% for a female? If it is, you can afford to reduce your body fat and drop in at the top of the next weight category down (or even lower if you have a lot of fat!). If your fat levels are already low, then you can consider putting on a little muscle mass to shift you toward to top end of the category, without hindering your fight performance.
Other than your body composition, you should also consider the nature of the weight category, and how well suited you are. Striking power increases proportionally with each weight category. How well can you deal with the heavier hitters in the next category up? Lighter weight categories tend to have more movement and quicker hits. How would you fair with regards to points scored against a faster opponent?
Work all of these issues through with your coach and decide on the best strategy for you personally. Every fighter is different, and therefore each preparation plan will be unique.
Summing Up
Mild dehydration as a method of making weight can only be useful to fine tune athletes at the top of their weight category with already low levels of body fat. You should never fight dehydrated, your performance will suffer and the threat of brain damage is very real. The amount of safe dehydration you can use depends on the time interval between the weigh-in and the bout, giving you more or less time to adequately top up your fluid levels. You should always fight fully hydrated.
Other than your body composition, your choice of weight category should also reflect your fighting characteristics and abilities. Matching a fighter to a suitable category can make a great difference to their level of success – in terms of making the weight in the first place as well as winning fights.
Fighters should aim to keep in shape between bouts, allowing training time to concentrate on improving fitness and skill performance rather tailored to fat loss or muscle gain. Above all, it’s important to remember that fighters need to be healthy.
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