Ok let me be honest. This blog post wasn’t supposed to be a one-way rant against weight-cutting. Actually, it was supposed to be a point by point, evidenced-based approach to weight cutting safely. However, after recently cutting too much weight for the IBJJF European Championships and not being able to see my opponent straight, that blog post had to go in the bin.
That’s not to say that you can’t successfully cut weight for the sport of Jiu Jitsu. In principle, weight cutting allows you to improve your power to weight ratio relative to your opposition. I.e you will be bigger and stronger than your opponents.
But let me be crystal clear. Weight cutting is fucking dangerous. Worse, it can be and has been fatal. In a few rare cases, fighters have died on their quest to beat the scale. That aside, many more fighters have suffered the drastic consequences of fighting whilst in a severely depleted state.
To understand the perils of weight cutting a bit better we need to break it down a bit more. Broadly speaking, the science of weight cutting can be split into two phases. First, the chronic phase – a long-term reduction of weight over a number of weeks and months. This is almost entirely dependent on dieting – as the weight won’t go without a net calorie deficit. Second, the acute phase – a rapid reduction in weight in the 24-72 hours before the weigh in. This phase is the one that is likely to impact performance.
There is some debate as to how much dehydration the body can tolerate without being compromised, but some estimates put it as low as 2%. In plain English, that would mean that a 70kg athlete couldn’t drop more than 1.4kg in water weight without experiencing the detrimental effects of a weight cut. These include dizziness, light-headedness, fatigue and loss of coordination and balance.
Nonetheless, some experts think that this estimate might be a bit conservative. So let’s be generous and say that an athlete can tolerate a 2%-5% (acute) weight cut and still perform at their best. Now for an MMA fighter, 2-5% in the acute phase is child’s play; as they often have over 24 hours to rehydrate and refuel. In contrast, for Jiu Jitsu athletes, specifically those competing under IBJJF rules: the weigh in occurs directly before the fight. That means you have to be ready to compete the second you hop off the scale. So anything towards the higher end of that 2-5% seriously risks screwing up your performance.
If you fall into that bracket, you’re probably better off moving up. You might not be the biggest at your new weight class, but size ain’t everything. If you’re still adamant on making the cut, there a few biological loopholes you can use. In short, cut out anything that increases water retention: salt, creatine, carbohydrates and fibre. Beyond that, you’re gonna have to resort to more cowboy methods of cutting weight: “water loading” and heat exposure. Heat exposure definitely works but again, it’s risky. As for water loading, drinking a gargantuan volume of water to make you need the toilet 19 times a day; here we are verging on wild west territory. The science of water loading is very fishy and the evidence is almost entirely anecdotal. If it works for you, it might be worth a try but again it risks jeopardizing your performance and indeed your health.
To round off this post let’s also consider the “chronic” phase of the cut. If you are a kilo over the limit and you’re currently gorging on 5 tupperwares of rice and chicken a day, by all means give a portion of chicken thighs a miss and make weight easy. However, if you’re living through a torturous existence on egg whites and spinach I’d probably argue that it isn’t worth it.
Going through a full analysis of your diet is definitely beyond the scope of this post but one thing is clear: you need the calories to perform in training. If you’re consistently not replenishing your fuel reserves, you simply won’t be maximising on your primary objective: improving your skills. If you do the maths, you may be shocked to see how many weeks of your training are spent in a depleted state, particularly if you cut weight regularly. Even more worryingly, you are more likely to get injured and your immune system will take a battering. From my experience, I can expect a truck load of niggles and grizzly skin infections after I pick up my training and drop the calories.
In my last cut, a recurrent injury and a nasty episode of ringworm really put the utility of my “green tea and oxygen diet” in perspective. Not just for how I was feeling in that moment but also long term. I always knew the key to success in any endeavour was consistent, focused effort over a prolonged period: beyond a single competition or training camp. When I really deeped it, felt stupid to put my health, learning and fitness on hold for a comp which I underperformed in anyway. If you’re reading this post, you might need a similar rude awakening to reassess what weight class you want to compete in. At some point, it should become clear how much weight is too much to shift, particularly if you’re looking like Gollum when you spud fists with your opponent. I think that’s the key here; I’m not condoning weight cutting for MMA, but it definitely makes more sense to cut weight if you’re able to down a bucket load of coconut water post weigh-in. If you’re weight cutting for Jiu Jitsu competition, you’re far more likely to have to fight on an empty stomach and with a mouth dryer than a flip flop. Say no to weight cutting for Jiu Jitsu.
