Weight Cutting and Rehydration Advise
Weight Cutting and Rehydration Advise
My fighter Demarius Driver is a super featherweight who made his pro debut today Dec. 8th. He won a split decision which I partially blame to lack of rehydration as his opponent looked much bigger come fight night. Any nutritional advice or weight cutting/rehydration tips are much appreciated.
Re: Weight Cutting and Rehydration Advise
I was a Heavyweight so I never had to make weight, but I also was a coach and trainer so I did learn a few tricks.
Two week before a fight, as you start tapering off training your major training schedule, cut out all sweets, snacks, chips, soda, deserts, beer, pizza, everything but basic meals and Penta water, which is about the purist water you can buy.. I would say not to eat junk at any time, but people have to live and not everybody is going to be a Spartan.
Many people say cut out all carbs the week of the fight because they make you retain water. But by carbs they really mean pasta and grains. Anything with rice, wheat, oats, barley, corn, or other grains you cut out entirely. Get your carbs from vegetables and fruit up to the weigh-in... Focus on garden salads with 2 soft boiled eggs and a piece of cheese (goat cheese is best but any cheese you like) for 2 of your meals... You can have a serving of fruit at those meals with emphasis on citrus, bananas, or berries. For the evening meal have chicken breasts, turkey breasts, fish, or beans, lentils, and nuts with at least 5 different types of lightly cooked vegetables. You can go with frozen mixed veggies if you want to make it quick and simple. Don’t salt your food the final week as you're cutting weight. Eliminate salt entirely. Food has salt in it. Sodium and grains will make you retain water. Water weight is all you want to lose.
Space meals 5 hours apart, like maybe 8AM, 1:PM and 6PM, but no later than 6. You want to sleep from 10PM to 6AM – or at least at nighttime. Don't deviate from this or your meal times as it's extremely important.. Make sure you cut way back on calories and determine the calorie count for each meal.. Drink at least a gallon of Penta water or purified water every day. Like up to a half gallon after your roadwork and a half gallon halfway between each meal, for a Featherweight maybe a little less. That way your elimination system gets used to dropping very large amounts of water.
It's important to run in the morning even as you're tapering off the rest of your training – do your 5 miles in 30 minutes. Do your wind sprints afterwards for leg strength and speed. That will burn a significant number of calories. Cut out sparring the final week and concentrate on pads, bags, and shadow boxing.
Stop all eating 26 hours before the weigh-in. Eat a couple ripe pears very well chewed. Chase that 20 minutes later with a drink that’s 2/3rds coconut water and 1/3rd apple cider vinegar. That should effectively empty your bowls before the weigh-in. Apples or berries of whatever kind also work, but not as well as pears.
For last 24 hours of making weight you have to be careful... Get several pairs of cotton sweat shirts and sweat paints to wear under your sauna suit... Use a temperature between 170 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit… Sauna for 15 to 25 minutes or until the sweat clothes are sopping… get out of the sauna and shed the sweats.. Take a shower, dry off and lay down and relax or nap for a while.. Then put on a dry pair of sweats and suit up.. Go back into the sauna for 15 to 25.. each person is different.. Keep going and get to within 3 pounds of the weight so you don’t have to sauna like crazy the day before the fight. Have a very well calibrated scale and try to hit the weight dead on – with maybe a quarter pound to spare.
Other options to get a few ounces off are chewing hot gum and spitting. Chewing tobacco and spitting. And exercising it off. Many boxers like interval saunas and taking cool swims, between donning dry sweats and suiting up again for the sauna. You can hit the weight pretty well that way.
To rehydrate after the weigh-in, drink at least 32 oz of Pedialyte directly after the weigh-in over the space of an hour a few oz every 5 minutes. Within an hour to 90 minutes later eat soft boiled eggs, lean hamburger hash with spaghetti sause, or whatever protein your system can absorb without working too hard. Fish or chicken chewed extra well.. Also have some lightly cooked vegetables, but don’t eat like 3 steaks and a dozen eggs and go crazy.. Very high quality protein shakes are good if you prefer that before a fight. Just before you do your ring walk eat a couple bananas and chew them to until liquid and have a chunk of dark chocolate and liquefy it before swallowing.
Two week before a fight, as you start tapering off training your major training schedule, cut out all sweets, snacks, chips, soda, deserts, beer, pizza, everything but basic meals and Penta water, which is about the purist water you can buy.. I would say not to eat junk at any time, but people have to live and not everybody is going to be a Spartan.
Many people say cut out all carbs the week of the fight because they make you retain water. But by carbs they really mean pasta and grains. Anything with rice, wheat, oats, barley, corn, or other grains you cut out entirely. Get your carbs from vegetables and fruit up to the weigh-in... Focus on garden salads with 2 soft boiled eggs and a piece of cheese (goat cheese is best but any cheese you like) for 2 of your meals... You can have a serving of fruit at those meals with emphasis on citrus, bananas, or berries. For the evening meal have chicken breasts, turkey breasts, fish, or beans, lentils, and nuts with at least 5 different types of lightly cooked vegetables. You can go with frozen mixed veggies if you want to make it quick and simple. Don’t salt your food the final week as you're cutting weight. Eliminate salt entirely. Food has salt in it. Sodium and grains will make you retain water. Water weight is all you want to lose.
Space meals 5 hours apart, like maybe 8AM, 1:PM and 6PM, but no later than 6. You want to sleep from 10PM to 6AM – or at least at nighttime. Don't deviate from this or your meal times as it's extremely important.. Make sure you cut way back on calories and determine the calorie count for each meal.. Drink at least a gallon of Penta water or purified water every day. Like up to a half gallon after your roadwork and a half gallon halfway between each meal, for a Featherweight maybe a little less. That way your elimination system gets used to dropping very large amounts of water.
It's important to run in the morning even as you're tapering off the rest of your training – do your 5 miles in 30 minutes. Do your wind sprints afterwards for leg strength and speed. That will burn a significant number of calories. Cut out sparring the final week and concentrate on pads, bags, and shadow boxing.
Stop all eating 26 hours before the weigh-in. Eat a couple ripe pears very well chewed. Chase that 20 minutes later with a drink that’s 2/3rds coconut water and 1/3rd apple cider vinegar. That should effectively empty your bowls before the weigh-in. Apples or berries of whatever kind also work, but not as well as pears.
For last 24 hours of making weight you have to be careful... Get several pairs of cotton sweat shirts and sweat paints to wear under your sauna suit... Use a temperature between 170 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit… Sauna for 15 to 25 minutes or until the sweat clothes are sopping… get out of the sauna and shed the sweats.. Take a shower, dry off and lay down and relax or nap for a while.. Then put on a dry pair of sweats and suit up.. Go back into the sauna for 15 to 25.. each person is different.. Keep going and get to within 3 pounds of the weight so you don’t have to sauna like crazy the day before the fight. Have a very well calibrated scale and try to hit the weight dead on – with maybe a quarter pound to spare.
Other options to get a few ounces off are chewing hot gum and spitting. Chewing tobacco and spitting. And exercising it off. Many boxers like interval saunas and taking cool swims, between donning dry sweats and suiting up again for the sauna. You can hit the weight pretty well that way.
To rehydrate after the weigh-in, drink at least 32 oz of Pedialyte directly after the weigh-in over the space of an hour a few oz every 5 minutes. Within an hour to 90 minutes later eat soft boiled eggs, lean hamburger hash with spaghetti sause, or whatever protein your system can absorb without working too hard. Fish or chicken chewed extra well.. Also have some lightly cooked vegetables, but don’t eat like 3 steaks and a dozen eggs and go crazy.. Very high quality protein shakes are good if you prefer that before a fight. Just before you do your ring walk eat a couple bananas and chew them to until liquid and have a chunk of dark chocolate and liquefy it before swallowing.
Re: Weight Cutting and Rehydration Advise
jrandolph wrote: ↑09 Dec 2017, 02:33 My fighter Demarius Driver is a super featherweight who made his pro debut today Dec. 8th. He won a split decision which I partially blame to lack of rehydration as his opponent looked much bigger come fight night. Any nutritional advice or weight cutting/rehydration tips are much appreciated.
Firstly you need a good idea of your fighters body composition and how much water he is cutting. By near the end of camp your fighters body fat % should be at a minimum, so with him well hydrated you'll have an idea of his current weight, target weight, and then decipher how much he needs to sweat out - when he rehydrates, don't go heavier than pre-hydration weight, it will lead to bloating and slow him down, it can be dangerous too and can swell the brain, which is made up of 75% water.
For every 1lb of sweat your fighter loses, he will also lose 550mg of Sodium. So it's common for a fighter to sweat around 10lb out in the day or 2 leading up to the weigh-in. That means he will have lost over 5 grams of Sodium, which after the scales, he will need to quickly replenish along with the water. Rehydrating using only water won't replenish the sodium, the sodium levels will remain dangerously low.
Ice cold liquid rehydrates better than chilled or room temperature drinks.
After the weigh-in be prepared with buckets of ice filled with water & gatorade. Liquids need to be regularly sipped down, to let the muscles soak the liquid up like a sponge. Simply downing a litre or so in 1 go will be less effective. Vegetable & chicken soup is also a great option it can be drank and will be high in sodium, Potassium etc. Good luck, weight cutting can be a dangerous game though, i'd reccomend matchmaking against either softer opponents, or opponents who don't cut loads either, to matchmake fairer fights until your guy gradually gets a better understanding of his body and how much he can dehydrate - if he tries to do too much whilst inexperienced it can easily go wrong. Get you're head punched in while dehydrated is extremely dangerous as the brain will be smaller with less cushioning between brain and skull.
Re: Weight Cutting and Rehydration Advise
Despite what the two above me say, you don't use sauna suits or start dehydrating a few days before the weigh in. The goal is to be at the weight for as little time as possible. Please and I can't stress this enough for the safety of your fighter google as much information as you can. A girl where I'm from recently died after cutting weight. One of my best friends is a UFC fighter and taught me how to cut weight quickly and effectively before a fight. He's done about 10kgs doing this I've done around 5.
Google water loading, the week - 5 days before the fight you decrease salt intake and start drinking much more water. The extra water gets rid of the salt and stops stops fluid retention.
24 hours before the weigh in stop all food and drink.
To lose water weight quickly and effectively it is best to use a hot bath. The bath has to be as hot as you can stand it but too hot and you'll get burnt, too cold and you'll start taking in water though your pores. Every 10 mins you're gonna lose about 0.7kgs because of the humidity in the bath. You 10mins in the bath, 5 mins out, while you're you empty and refill the bath. Try and plan you bath sessions so you're done almost at the exact time that you're going to leave for the weigh in. It's so mportant to only be dehydrated for as long as you have to.
The moment the weigh in is done you need drink and oral salts. Oral salts(get the at a pharmacy) normally dissolve in water and are the most effective way of hydration without an iv. Carbs and fruits are important. Small meals and constant sipping are the way to make sure you put the weight back on properly. Room temperature drink is best, your body doesn't have to cool down or warm up the drink so it will be processed quicker by the body.
That's a rough run down but make sure you get something more detailed on the net.
Google is your friends here, MMA fighter cut weight better than the other combat sports and the information is out there on how to do it correctly. Find as much information as you can. Don't take anyone's word for it on this forum. There is information out there from pro fighters who (particularly in MMA) have got cutting weight down to a fine art.
Also in a direct contradiction to what Kalan said you don't need to be pushing your body in the final week, that's time for rest and healing.
Google water loading, the week - 5 days before the fight you decrease salt intake and start drinking much more water. The extra water gets rid of the salt and stops stops fluid retention.
24 hours before the weigh in stop all food and drink.
To lose water weight quickly and effectively it is best to use a hot bath. The bath has to be as hot as you can stand it but too hot and you'll get burnt, too cold and you'll start taking in water though your pores. Every 10 mins you're gonna lose about 0.7kgs because of the humidity in the bath. You 10mins in the bath, 5 mins out, while you're you empty and refill the bath. Try and plan you bath sessions so you're done almost at the exact time that you're going to leave for the weigh in. It's so mportant to only be dehydrated for as long as you have to.
The moment the weigh in is done you need drink and oral salts. Oral salts(get the at a pharmacy) normally dissolve in water and are the most effective way of hydration without an iv. Carbs and fruits are important. Small meals and constant sipping are the way to make sure you put the weight back on properly. Room temperature drink is best, your body doesn't have to cool down or warm up the drink so it will be processed quicker by the body.
That's a rough run down but make sure you get something more detailed on the net.
Google is your friends here, MMA fighter cut weight better than the other combat sports and the information is out there on how to do it correctly. Find as much information as you can. Don't take anyone's word for it on this forum. There is information out there from pro fighters who (particularly in MMA) have got cutting weight down to a fine art.
Also in a direct contradiction to what Kalan said you don't need to be pushing your body in the final week, that's time for rest and healing.
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Re: Weight Cutting and Rehydration Advise
for context, kalan is a poster who says its possible to add large amounts of muscle weight, by doing bodyweight exercises, and without the use of PED's.
Re: Weight Cutting and Rehydration Advise
Have you ever seen Herschel Walker??? .... He played pro Football for many years and won professional MMA fights, routing experienced opponents with 1st round stoppages after he was 50 years old -- and as a novice MMA fighter.
He'd never used a PED... He's 6'1" X 225 and extremely muscular... at 55 he looks 40.
He did it doing body weight exercises like 1500 pushups a day and a couple thousand sit-ups as part of his regimen
I'm not suggesting people do that.... But if you can just do 30 chin-ups from a dead hang, which means locking out -- and clearing the bar with your chin by several inches instead of sticking your chin way up to barely meet the bar, which is almost cheating -- and do 100 push-ups at a crack while keeping the length of your body flat as a board while doing them and no moving your butt up and down -- You're going to have tremendous musculature on your arms, depending on what body type your are and how God made you to begin with... And of course you can do one-legged squats and jumps and whatever exercise you can devise for your legs... Some don't have the body for it. God makes scientists and musicians as well as athletes... He makes Light Heavyweights like Bob Foster and Heavyweights like Anthony Joshua... Not everyone has the same potential for amassing muscle.
If you get super strong you can always add degrees of difficulty... like doing a hand stand and your push-ups from the hand stand... Or one-armed pull-ups... Or plyometric push-ups throwing your body off the floor as far as possible with a massive thrust of the arms... Or you can look at barstarzz techniques on youtube and get workout ideas from them.
Body weight exercises take a lot longer to build out your potential than weight lifting... a couple more years... But you don't have to get your ass to the gym so you can lift weights everyday and everyday... so it's more convenient.
He'd never used a PED... He's 6'1" X 225 and extremely muscular... at 55 he looks 40.
He did it doing body weight exercises like 1500 pushups a day and a couple thousand sit-ups as part of his regimen
I'm not suggesting people do that.... But if you can just do 30 chin-ups from a dead hang, which means locking out -- and clearing the bar with your chin by several inches instead of sticking your chin way up to barely meet the bar, which is almost cheating -- and do 100 push-ups at a crack while keeping the length of your body flat as a board while doing them and no moving your butt up and down -- You're going to have tremendous musculature on your arms, depending on what body type your are and how God made you to begin with... And of course you can do one-legged squats and jumps and whatever exercise you can devise for your legs... Some don't have the body for it. God makes scientists and musicians as well as athletes... He makes Light Heavyweights like Bob Foster and Heavyweights like Anthony Joshua... Not everyone has the same potential for amassing muscle.
If you get super strong you can always add degrees of difficulty... like doing a hand stand and your push-ups from the hand stand... Or one-armed pull-ups... Or plyometric push-ups throwing your body off the floor as far as possible with a massive thrust of the arms... Or you can look at barstarzz techniques on youtube and get workout ideas from them.
Body weight exercises take a lot longer to build out your potential than weight lifting... a couple more years... But you don't have to get your ass to the gym so you can lift weights everyday and everyday... so it's more convenient.
Re: Weight Cutting and Rehydration Advise
I didn't say anything to contradict that... I said you taper off your training the final 2 weeks and cut out sparring entirely the last week... Just enough shadow boxing, bags and mitts to stay sharp... You warm up really well in the dressing room to getting ready for the fight... You also make sure your punches, footwork, and moves stay sharp the final week.
Re: Weight Cutting and Rehydration Advise
Running 5 miles in the morning the week of the fight?Kalan wrote: ↑30 Dec 2017, 01:44I didn't say anything to contradict that... I said you taper off your training the final 2 weeks and cut out sparring entirely the last week... Just enough shadow boxing, bags and mitts to stay sharp... You warm up really well in the dressing room to getting ready for the fight... You also make sure your punches, footwork, and moves stay sharp the final week.
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Re: Weight Cutting and Rehydration Advise
1 you have no idea if he ha used a PED or not, your assumptiveness is patheticKalan wrote: ↑25 Dec 2017, 21:18 Have you ever seen Herschel Walker??? .... He played pro Football for many years and won professional MMA fights, routing experienced opponents with 1st round stoppages after he was 50 years old -- and as a novice MMA fighter.
He'd never used a PED... He's 6'1" X 225 and extremely muscular... at 55 he looks 40.
He did it doing body weight exercises like 1500 pushups a day and a couple thousand sit-ups as part of his regimen
2 walker was a genetic freak
Re: Weight Cutting and Rehydration Advise
You still run and do your wind sprints... You just taper it down day by day the final week... You lose peak strength and conditioning remarkably fast if you do nothing the final week...p4p1 wrote: ↑30 Dec 2017, 08:05Running 5 miles in the morning the week of the fight?Kalan wrote: ↑30 Dec 2017, 01:44I didn't say anything to contradict that... I said you taper off your training the final 2 weeks and cut out sparring entirely the last week... Just enough shadow boxing, bags and mitts to stay sharp... You warm up really well in the dressing room to getting ready for the fight... You also make sure your punches, footwork, and moves stay sharp the final week.
Re: Weight Cutting and Rehydration Advise
Walker wasn't an outstanding specimen before he started his training regimen... It's something he started doing at a very young age because his sister could easily out-sprint him every time they had a race... He wanted to get stronger and faster... A ton of full out sprints were part of his routine... He had no money for weights so he just started doing body weight exercises that he knew about like pull-ups, push-ups, sit ups, and squats. He was so motivated that he did endless numbers of them.Counter-puncher wrote: ↑30 Dec 2017, 11:041 you have no idea if he ha used a PED or not, your assumptiveness is patheticKalan wrote: ↑25 Dec 2017, 21:18 Have you ever seen Herschel Walker??? .... He played pro Football for many years and won professional MMA fights, routing experienced opponents with 1st round stoppages after he was 50 years old -- and as a novice MMA fighter.
He'd never used a PED... He's 6'1" X 225 and extremely muscular... at 55 he looks 40.
He did it doing body weight exercises like 1500 pushups a day and a couple thousand sit-ups as part of his regimen
2 walker was a genetic freak
I know he never took PEDs because he's a professional motivational speaker. He always tells kids NOT to take PEDs because they destroy the body... The reason PEDs were banned for athletes was all the sad cases of early deaths, injuries, and illnesses of athletes who took them... God put everything you need to nourish and strengthen your body to its full potential into whole, fresh, natural foods… A genetic freak is somebody with 12 fingers, a tail, or a foot high forehead – not a perfectly developed human.