How to Get Rid of Weight Cutting in Mixed Martial Arts
All combat sports competitions deal with the issue of weight-loss. Most combat sports including amateur wrestling, mma, boxing, or kickboxing require their competitors to be at a certain weight limit. Depending on the regulations of each sport, the amount and methods of weight cutting can differ greatly.
The term weight-cutting is often used broadly by athletes to refer to both the long-term process which includes dieting and the short-term process which focuses primarily on shedding water weight shortly prior to the weigh-in.
Mixed Martial Arts events often hold public weigh-ins (much like boxing) up to 24 hours prior to the athletic events. In these cases, it not uncommon to find athletes losing and gaining back in excess of 10% of their body weight. These massive short-term weight cuts often involve trips to the sauna, sweat suits, and low-intensity cardio exercises intended to cause sweating with minimal exertion. Cycling is the preferable cardiovascular exercise method of choice due to its low impact. Because the event is the following day, athletes who fail to meet the necessary weight limit are given additional opportunities to lose the extra poundage.
In contrast, international Brazilian Jiu Jitsu events run by the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) requires mat-side weigh-ins. Athletes are unable to compete if they do not make the required weigh limit because the weight check occurs immediately before the match. Because of the rigidity of the IBJJF system, athletes are unable to lose excessive amounts of weight and compete effectively. A positive consequence of mat-side weigh-ins is the lack of weight-loss induced deaths and illnesses. Any martial artist that wants to meet the weight requirement for a Jiu Jitsu event needs to compete very close to their normal weight or begin a slower (and safer) weight loss program well in advance of the competition.
Julius Park
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