Why Most Fighters Make Weight Cuts Harder Than They Need To.
Every time I cut weight, the same thing happens. People are amazed by how smooth these cuts are. But the same goes for when I help people cut weight; they are amazed at how easy this process can be. The truth is, it all comes down to preparation.
The belief that you need to suffer in order to make weight is a ridiculous one. It’s ridiculously stupid to make something way harder than it needs to be and to be proud of that. You’re not disciplined; you’re just proud of being an idiot.
Cutting weight is obviously something that you feel, but checking all the boxes means that it’s actually not that hard.
Losing 8% of your body weight in fight week isn’t that hard, but—and this is a big BUT—you need to know what you’re doing.
Let’s take a look at all the boxes you need to tick in order to have an easy weight cut. Because, believe it or not, whether or not you’ll have an easy cut depends on what you do outside of camp.
You lay the foundation before you have a fight coming up and set yourself up for a successful weight cut.
The weight cut checklist
Fixing nutrition outside of camp
The following scenario is one that I’ve seen a lot over the time that I’ve been coaching people. Most people wing it when it comes to nutrition, like mentioned before. This obviously comes with a price. They damage their metabolism, which makes the weight cuts harder and harder over time. It is at this point that they start contacting me.
The only issue is that they contact me close to fight week, so there is basically no time to undo the damage. In a perfect scenario you fix your nutrition while you have no fight camp coming up. In a less perfect world you fix it while being in camp while being a couple of weeks away from fight week.
This is still a lot better than trying to fix it 2 days before fight week. Weight cuts become easier when your body is properly fueled, and it also becomes easier to maintain your weight. Another net positive is that your performance will go up.
By fixing it first, you help yourself in the long run.
This will require you to either work with a nutritionist or study nutrition by yourself. My advice would be to work with a nutritionist and study alongside that. But that is just my 2 cents.
At this point you’re a race car fueling yourself with water expecting to perform. Guess how that’ll go. You might get around the block, but that’s it.
Heat acclimation
What is heat acclimation?
Heat acclimation is teaching your body to sweat but also getting it used to being in the heat. Not doing this could result in a very uncomfortable weight cut. People that don’t do heat acclimation and suddenly cut in a sauna suit in Thailand will know what I’m talking about. Suddenly you feel like you’re in an oven, and it doesn’t feel good.
The consequences could be detrimental, including overheating, which could lead to an impaired performance but also heat stroke. Yes, people have died cutting weight.
So weekly I’d go to the sauna. A hot tub or just training with more layers works as well. Although training layered would be the least favorable option since it is harder to control the temperature.
Here’s what heat acclimation actually looks like in practice during a real cut…
Heat acclimation and cutting weight
The last weight cut I had was the easiest one I ever had. The trainers wanted me to start cutting at 4 pm, but I refused. It was scorching hot, but weigh-ins weren’t until 1 p.m. the next day, so I had time. So I had time and used it to my advantage.
It was 7 p.m., and it was cooling down. Everyone else was done training, and I was about to cut weight. I zipped up my suit and started my routine, and an hour later—1.75 kg gone. My training partner was baffled. He was there when I did the cut and said, “It looked like you put in no effort whatsoever, yet you lost all this weight.” He was baffled, but this is the magic of heat acclimation.
Aside from that, my sweat rate went up. Last time I cut weight, I lost 1.5 kg doing the same thing, but it was way hotter. The only asterisk I have to add here is the results from this will vary. Some people increase their sweat rate; others do not that much.
Heat acclimation is what most people are missing in and outside their camps.
Having numbers to work with.
Now when we combine the 2, we have something very valuable. We have numbers to work with. The nutrition part is obviously self-explanatory. Calculating a calorie deficit or preparing for a weight cut suddenly becomes really easy.
But what is less talked about is the numbers we have when doing heat acclimation. What does that give us? It gives us an exact number for our sweat rate. For my last weight cut, I had cut 400 grams the morning of the weigh-in. I knew how much I lost in an hour, so I could calculate how long I had to be in the sweat suit to be perfectly on weight.
Knowing your sweat rate makes your life so much easier. There is no unnecessary suffering. You make the weight and can start rehydrating. Doesn’t that sound way better than blindly cutting weight and not knowing where you’re at?
When your body is already under quite a lot of stress due to the weight cut, the last thing you want is more stress on top of it.
If your next cut sucks, remember that it was a choice and not a sign of toughness. Suffering for the sake of it isn’t a sign of intelligence.
Takeaway
- Fix your nutrition before camp.
- Get used to the heat early.
- Know your sweat rate.
- Stop bragging about suffering; stop pretending to be David Goggins.
If you want help implementing this properly, here’s how I work with fighters, hobbyist or people that just want to get in shape.
Nutrition coaching
Over the years, I’ve helped fighters heal their metabolism, lose weight effectively, and fuel their bodies for peak performance. If you’re struggling with weight loss, underperforming due to poor nutrition, or dealing with a damaged metabolism, DM me “nutrition” on Instagram to get started.
In my 3-month coaching program, I’ll guide you through:
- Healing your metabolism.
- Losing weight sustainably without burnout.
- Learning how to fuel for performance when maintaining and losing weight.
- Cutting weight safely for a fight (only for fighters).
I only take on 3 clients every 3 months. If you want one of those spots, DM me ‘nutrition’ on Instagram or Twitter.
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram.
Until next time.
Alex
Further reading
- Eat, Sleep, Overtrain, Repeat → I cover the truth about underrecovery (most people call it overtraining).
- The Issue with Eating Out in Thailand → Aimed at Muay Thai fighters, but useful for anyone training here.
- The Nutrition Mistakes Killing Your Performance (Part 1)
- The Nutrition Mistakes Killing Your Performance (Part 2)
- The Nutrition Mistakes Killing Your Performance (Part 3)
- Zero To Alpha Wisdom #31: no risk, no story
