I've always been fascinated by how fighters can gain and lose so much weight is such a short peroid of time. What are some of the bigger weight differences between weigh-in weight and fight weights?
Also, do these fighters return from the weigh-in and just start eating whatever the hell they want or what?
I've never heard of amateurs having to lose so much weight. They usually fight at a weight confortable for them, the important thing is to be fit and trained. When they turn pro, it's usually seen that they begin training in a different way and unless they are still growing, it's then they take off weight and go to a lower division than originally intended.
In the pros their is a lot more at stake a lot more high tech and a lot more money which means a lot more risk taking , the idea from a trainers perspective is to be as big as you can at the weight , simply because on ground floor being bigger is an automatic advantage , the trick is to not choose a weight so low that in order to make that weight you need to fast right through the camp , you want to be as big as fast and strong as you can at the lowest possible weight , over your best weight you are slower and stronger , under it you are weaker with your timing going off and your flat , trouble is most guys assume they can make a certain weight and try to first at weigh-in time , and then when the fight comes they are as flat as a tack .
For instance if you can make 147 and you take a fight at 140 the difference will come in muscle mass which is what holds most of the water , whatever your system could lose in water weight to make 147 will stay the same , actually its a little less you can lose to make 140 because your body mass is smaller than it is making 147 , so if you dry out to 147 and you needed to be 157 the night before , then you would need to be around 147 the night before to dry out to 140 .
Its not a universal set scale some guys can loose a lot of water some cant , some can be huge for the weight class some cant , its all about muscle density , bone density and your own hydration system and of course who is training you and what they know about weight , methods used in making weight range adjusting your sodium intake by pre loading and then cutting out all dietary salt with will cause your body to release fluid , some spitting and your good to go , the sauna and sweat suit is starting to take away from your performance , and for the desperate like Margo diuretics whichs means your too light to fight anywhere near your true best .
ODH was a classic example of going to light , he reduced his muscle mass and shrunk his stomach to the point that once his body dried out to make weight it would not take in fluids other than IV , thats why he gained only 2pds in the last 30 hrs , major major cock up on his teams part .
Weight manipulation and getting all things right or wrong can win and lose any fight at any level , its that important .
One way these guys are able to dehydrate themselves is by going into "flushing mode". This practice consists of drinking around 3 gallons of water 5 or 6 days before the weight in, so this way all they drink is going to get out because they have to use the restroom A LOT. Also they eat little carbs in order to achieve a carb super compensation at the end. After 5 days of eating little carbs and drinking water like crazy, they stop drinking water, but their bodies are still at flushing mode so they keep going to the restroom every 10 minutes. Also then they start to eat a lot of carbs because carbs take about 3 grams of water to get into the muscle, and as there's almost no water because they are pissing every 10 minutes then the water comes from other sources such as the water that the body normally has below the skin, and that's why boxers are ripped as fuck...
Of course after all this they're extremely dehydrated and they have to get all the fluids again in order to get a better performance in the ring.
One of the biggest differences ive seen was I think Clottey when he fought Corrales(rip). The fight was at 149 and apparently (according to the commentators) Clottey rehydrated 21lbs to 170 :eek:, and Chico rehydrated 11lbs.
I know Rios usually kills himself to make 135; anyone know what he usually weighs in the ring?
Chavez jr had like a 15 pound weight advantage against zbik.
Some fighters use diuretics, sauna suits, saunas, lower fluid intake and starve themselves.Sometimes guys take maybe a saline laxative a couple days b4 a weigh in to lose those last few pounds. It's a drastic and dangerous practice and if you don't do it correctly you could take off more weight than you intended to and also make yourself very weak..
Then maybe the guys may drink some pedialite and chicken soup after they've weighed in. If you haven't made weight the "right way" you don't really wanna eat something too heavy right away.
Do you fight pro or amature?
I've never heard of amateurs having to lose so much weight. They usually fight at a weight confortable for them, the important thing is to be fit and trained. When they turn pro, it's usually seen that they begin training in a different way and unless they are still growing, it's then they take off weight and go to a lower division than originally intended.
From what i know it's all poop weight. You just poop everything u have inside and it can pretty much get rid of like 10 pounds or something then you just vomit the rest. Im not sure this is what my crew does and we dont fight professionally so i dont know. But i lose a lot of weight before for fights.
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4126/5192221149_9558ae40b1.jpg
From what i know it's all poop weight. You just poop everything u have inside and it can pretty much get rid of like 10 pounds or something then you just vomit the rest. Im not sure this is what my crew does and we dont fight professionally so i dont know. But i lose a lot of weight before for fights.
Do you fight pro or amature?
Yea pretty much. For me it's like a disease. I walk around at 140-146 and fight at 126. Every fight I promise myself I won't binge eat afterwards and just can't help myself not to.
It's all mental, the fact that I know that I have the freedom to eat whatever I want sets me spiraling out of control. I can't stand it but I can't help myself either. Sometimes I don't even want to eat the certain food but the fact that I know I'll have to cut weight again in a couple of months makes me want to eat it just so I take advantage of it.
I basically have no control/will to tell myself "ok I'll be ok with just this Sinckers bar and that's it for the day." Anyone else have this disease lol?
Yea pretty much. For me it's like a disease. I walk around at 140-146 and fight at 126. Every fight I promise myself I won't binge eat afterwards and just can't help myself not to.
It's all mental, the fact that I know that I have the freedom to eat whatever I want sets me spiraling out of control. I can't stand it but I can't help myself either. Sometimes I don't even want to eat the certain food but the fact that I know I'll have to cut weight again in a couple of months makes me want to eat it just so I take advantage of it.
I basically have no control/will to tell myself "ok I'll be ok with just this Sinckers bar and that's it for the day." Anyone else have this disease lol?
They dehydrate themselves and lose water weight. One of the biggest weight in /fight night differences that I know of was Gatti vs Gamache. Gatti came in at 160 for a 140 pound fight. I was watching the McClellan vs Jackson 2 fight and I remember one of the announcers saying that the G-man is around 180... that was for a 160 pound fight. After the weigh in... I think fluids and electrolytes are consumed in a hurry and possibly have a little more priority over food.