Living the life of a professional fighter is not a stroll in the park. It is demanding with lots of rules and requirements as regards weight and other things. Speaking of body weight, wrestling organizers like the UFC are very organized with their weight class category.
This means there are minimum and maximum weight requirements for every weight class. UFC fighters are supposed to measure up to their respective classes. No more or less as this would be considered an infraction and comes with penalties.
For example, the maximum that wrestlers (fighters) in the featherweight class can weigh is 145 lbs (pounds). A wrestler supposed to fight in this class that weighs 160 pounds would have to cut down by 15 pounds before weigh-in time.
Summary
Healthy and Unhealthy Ways of Cutting Down Body Weight
Athletes that fight professionally, and even some that engage in other related performance activities go about weight loss using various approaches. Sadly, some of these athletes go about this the wrong way and face unpleasant consequences. It is for this reason information on how wrestlers (fighters) can cut down weight in a safe and healthy manner is important.
Here in IST Health’s weight loss segment, we will discuss some healthy and unhealthy ways a wrestling athlete can lose weight.
Healthy Ways Wrestlers Can Lose Weight
The goal should not only be to fit into the weight range of your weight class as a wrestler. Beyond this, the right step would mean that your strength, endurance, coordination, energy, and performance (at large) are not compromised as you cut down body fat. To help make sure of this, here are some tips to help professional fighters lose weight:
Start Weight Cutting Slowly
Many wrestlers (fighters) who cut down weight in an unhealthy manner do so because they violate this rule. They do not start on time and try to lose so much body fat in a very little while. It is important to start on time so that you do not feel stuck a few hours, one day, or a few days before your weigh-in. It is even important to be conscious of this rule during the off-season.
Avoid Dehydration
Dehydration is another unhealthy approach to cutting down weight. Although it can tilt the scale in your favor, deriving the body of water takes its toll on your performance during training and the actual event. Just to put things in perspective, you can see a 60 percent drop in performance levels when your body gets dehydrated by 6 percent.
This is not in any way a good way to go about cutting down weight for your upcoming weigh-in as a wrestler. Besides this, there are mild to severe implications of dehydration. This stresses the importance of drinking sufficient amounts of water every day. So, drink enough water to stay hydrated and avoid the adverse effects of dehydration
Proper Nutrition
You need to keep track of your intake of calories as contained in your diet. Make sure the calories that you consume every day would eventually work in your favor. We recommend that you make a conscious effort to keep track of your intake of calories every week. You can even engage the services of a competent diet expert (nutritionist or dietitian) for this purpose.
But while you are at it, don’t starve yourself. This is so that your strength, coordination, endurance, and performance at large will not be adversely affected.
In other words, your diet should consist of the right food classes and foods. For example, you need to eat a good amount of protein to build your muscle mass. Also, eating the right amount of carbs (carbohydrates) will ensure that you have a good supply of energy-offering nutrients.
Sleep Well
You can cut down on your weight with quality and consistent sleep. This is besides the other performance-enhancing benefits of sleeping well. For example, quality and consistent sleep can contribute to improved muscle mass.
By taking all this and more advice from your sports nutritionist or dietitian seriously, you can lose so much weight in a month and even less as a wrestler. So, take note of this going forward.
We have other information on our website’s weight loss segment that you will find helpful. For example, you can find out how to get rid of arm fat fast.