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Blog Health and Wellbeing Making Weight in boxing and MMA

Making Weight in boxing and MMA

Competing in sports such as MMA and boxing are dangerous enough but one challenge all fighters will face regularly is making weight, it can be one of the most difficult parts of the preparation before a fight.   Cutting weight to ensure that you make the agreed wight before a fight is essential for fighters and a failure to do so make a fighter appear unprofessional and is not tolerated in the professional fighting world. The term weight cutting refers to the proactive of rapid weight loss prior to a competition, fighters will dehydrate themselves in order to reach a specific weight class, fighters can lose up to 30lbs in just 48 hours. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur_inicx73A[/embed] Professional fighters after the weigh in are given 24 hours to re-hydrate before the competition, meaning a fighter who has weighed in at 170lbs on a Friday may enter the fight on the Saturday weighing 190lbs. Weight cutting is a skill which professional fighters must master to allow themselves the best advantage possible going into a bout, the bigger a fighter is the harder they can hit. There are many techniques that fighters can use to dehydrate the body and fighters will have their own routine to lose the weight. Techniques may include low intensity exercise while wearing a sauna suit, bath slats, laxatives, using a sauna and decreased water intake. Regardless of the techniques used there are numerous risks associated with losing large amounts of weight in a short time such as poor performance, elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure and increased risk of injury. Cutting weight should never be attempted with a knowledgeable coach and medical supervision. The body is made of mostly water, so when dehydration of this level occurs you put it into a state of shock, and it will not function correctly leaving you tired and weak. Fighters must ensure they know exactly how much weight to lose and put back on. Three key things to consider when training for a fight throughout your training program are to eat clean, cut weight slowly and stay hydrated.