Whether you're training or competing, losing weight is a crucial component of boxing. The usual rule in this sport is that you perform better the closer you are to your optimal fighting weight (forthcoming). Your physiological benefits will be enhanced as a result, in addition to the psychological benefits you'll experience. This essay will provide a very readable summary of the typical weight-loss and boxing preparation techniques.
Experts in losing weight quickly include boxers and MMA competitors. If done properly, shedding a lot of weight in the days before a weigh-in might give you a significant advantage when you enter the ring to fight 24 hours later.
If everything goes according to plan, the boxer or fighter will have the same amount of energy and strength on fight day as they did before cutting weight. It is common for a fighter to weigh 20–30 pounds less at the weigh-in than when the fight begins 24 hours later. It means a lot to weigh 10, 20, or 30 pounds more than your opponent in a battle.
To attempt and prevent this type of weight manipulation, amateur boxing fights typically schedule the weigh-in on the same day as the fight. However, this does not give you enough time to put back on the lost weight or refuel your muscles to give you an advantage in the ring.
FAQs
Keeping within 5-7 per cent of fight weight would be a good rule of thumb, e.g. 132-135lbs for a featherweight boxer or 168-171lbs for a middleweight boxer. This would allow you to drop 0.7 pr cent bodyweight each week throughout an eight-10-week camp.
Focus most of your meals on high-quality, lean protein such as fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, or Greek yogurt for the next two weeks. After that, because you need to reduce calories, you will need to go for the lower fat items. For example, rather than 3 whole eggs, take out at least 2 yolks to lower the calorie content.
Not only do fighters dehydrate themselves at least 24 hours before the flight, but they also restrict their calorie intake. To make matters more difficult, they also partake in training that would cause their bodies to sweat and lose more weight. This could be running on a treadmill or cycling in a sauna.
The most common weight-cutting technique used by fighters is to begin starving themselves of food and water in the days leading up to a fight before using a combination of sweatsuits, towels, and saunas to dehydrate the body and shed as much water weight as possible.
When fighters cut weight, they gain a size advantage over their opponent. In the realm of professional fighting, size does matter. The bigger you are, the harder you hit, the harder you will, and the more your attacks exhaust your opponent.
How To Cut Weight For Boxing
How boxers trim down before a match. We'll chat about this subject today. If you believe that all the boxers have to deal with to keep going is the punches and the wounds, you haven't seen anything yet.
Even suffering appears unimportant compared to one's life. A boxer's life involves more pain than just the wounds and bruises they receive in the ring, though.
The beginning of a boxer's life is distinct from the beginning of his boxing career. They don't merely learn a few boxing moves, train for a bout, and triumph in it. However, anyone could pursue a career in boxing.
We are discussing how boxers trim down before a match. It sounds like you are unfamiliar with the phrase. Before the weigh-in for the fight, boxers lose weight; before the bout, they regain it.
Anyone could do that; you could argue. However, if it were only two to three or five to six pounds, anyone could do it; in this case, it is 20 to 30 pounds. Surprising? It is, indeed.
Everyone is left wondering how in the world they can lose that much weight in just five days or 48 hours. However, some people are unable to drop even five pounds in a month. Now, severe results call for equally extreme action, which is precisely what weight loss entails.
Weight loss is not a restorative practice, as we've already stated, but boxers continue to practise it out of tradition. They must be within the acceptable weight range when it comes to weight. But there are also other benefits to it.
How to Lose And Cut Weight For Boxing
Long-term weight loss involves losing both muscle mass and body fat. Of course, it's always a good idea to reduce body fat. Losing muscular mass, however, might only be a good choice if the boxer's bulk is hindering her performance, substantially lowering her reach or height relative to the weight class, or placing an undue emphasis on reducing body fat in order to gain weight. But keep in mind that losing muscle is an extreme measure that is officially known as muscular catabolism; it is demanding physically and mentally.
Dieting and exercise are the two main ways to reduce weight over the long term, albeit you should aim to shed body fat while keeping muscle mass.
Tips For Boxers To Lose Weight
There are numerous strategies to reduce weight, but you are not required to do so in the least healthy manner. In addition to that, your body will already experience something akin to shock. It is, therefore, best to be cautious with it. Even if you have to put your body through a lot, you may definitely lessen the harm to some extent.
So, here are some pieces of advice on how to lose weight the most effectively for boxers.
Do not skip breakfast.
Of course, if you want to lose weight, you may need to reduce the number of meals or the total amount of food you consume, but don't skip breakfast!
The most crucial meal of the day is breakfast since it gives you the energy you need for the entire day and makes your stomach work from early in the morning.
Leaving out breakfast could have the opposite effect of what you want. You might not perform well enough during training or other workouts that will help you lose weight due to exhaustion and the lack of energy it causes.
Start early
The greatest way to lessen the harm the shift will do to your body is to acclimate it to it gradually. Do not simply begin your diet and fitness regimen one week prior to a fight because you will need to do so. To avoid having to drop too much weight so quickly, attempt to maintain a weight that is close to the range that is required.
Start eating healthily and controlling your weight as soon as you become a professional boxer.
Cut meals smartly
Consider the junk and unhealthy meals you are already consuming before making a significant commitment, like skipping lunch or becoming a strict vegetarian.
Eliminating sugar, processed foods, beer, and carbonated beverages should be a significant assistance if you lose 1 kg to 4 kg. How you should approach it isn't how so many people do it; for example, switching from eating McDonald's every day to having a very tight diet. Hard work at the gym and purging the garbage will help a lot.
Limit water intake slowly.
Most of our body is made up of water, which accounts for most of our weight. Dehydration is the primary method boxers utilise to lose weight because of this. Unfortunately, although it is the quickest and most effective weight loss method, it is also highly drastic and dangerous.
Water is essential for the health of all your cells and organs, so when its levels drop suddenly, your body responds in various ways. Dehydration can potentially cause organ failure in boxers. It also raises the danger of contracting further disorders.
However, because you have to do the necessary action, you can attempt to take the safest route. And that would be to train your body to drink less water.
Here is how much water a boxer should take in over the course of five days to safely and quickly lose weight:
- Sunday – 2 gallons
- Monday – 1 gallon
- Tuesday – 1 gallon
- Wednesday – .5 gallons
- Thursday – .25 gallons
- Friday – No water till after weigh-in at 5 PM.
As you can see, he begins out drinking a lot of water—two gallons—and then gradually cuts back until he's drinking almost no water on Thursday and Friday.
To ensure that their body enters "flushing mode," do this.
Early on, by consuming a lot of water, the body of the fighter would suppress aldosterone, a hormone that works to retain sodium and produce potassium.
And when he abruptly cuts back on his water intake in the middle and at the end of the week, his body will still be in flushing mode, causing him to urinate frequently even though he isn't drinking much.
However, dehydration alone might be more harmful if other nutrient and mineral intake is not adequately considered. As a result, you need to think about your diet's other components.
Improve your Sleep Pattern
There is no denying the link between inadequate sleep and metabolic problems.
You need to obtain a good night's sleep every night if you want to properly digest food and lose weight.
Although the quantity of sleep a person needs varies depending on their age and other physiological factors, it is recommended that they sleep for a minimum of 7 hours each day. Additionally, it's important to have a regular sleep schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time each day. Your body will be adjusted, and the metabolic processes will be controlled.
Take Hot Baths
In warm climates, we perspire frequently. However, under hot, muggy conditions, we perspire the most. Fighters swiftly lose water by taking hot baths and completely submerging everything except their nose for 10 minutes at a time because hot water gives both heat and 100% humidity.
Reduce Carbs
You won't get the high level of weight loss you seek by restricting your water intake alone. Reduce the carbohydrates you consume daily as the first modification to your healthy diet. This is so because carbs significantly influence your weight. You can then prepare your own low-carb lunch and dinner after that.
As a result, by decreasing it, you break down the glycogen cells and lose more weight. Additionally, carbohydrates help you excrete more water by using it.
Sauna
Use this delightful tool if you have access to it! The perfect way to lose weight is in the sauna. Several points to bear in mind are:
- It dehydrates, so don’t do it hours before your fight,
- Please don’t push yourself to the limit, as it might end badly, and
- Don’t do it more than ten times per week.
Keep Strength- Eat Proteins and Fats
If you faint just before the weigh-in, losing weight won't mean anything. You must therefore balance your body by consuming enough nutrients to equal the amount of nutrients you are losing. For energy, skilled boxers mostly concentrate on consuming fat and protein.
They do not retain as much water and are not as hazardous for weight gain as carbohydrates. However, you must choose a healthier version of them rather than fast food.
Flushing Food Waste
Your bowel movement may reduce your weight by an average of one pound. This is because, among other natural triggers, consuming fibre and drinking water will assist in generating bowel movements. However, reducing food waste before substantially dehydrating for the competition is preferable because bowl movement requires water and fibre intake. Laxatives would be a drastic measure because they dehydrate the body while aiding in the removal of food waste. However, given how challenging it can be to anticipate and manage their effects, we strongly advise against using them.
Sweat a lot
Here's where the images of boxers wearing rubbish bags relaxing in saunas come into play. You should exert as much sweat as you can, however, I wouldn't advise that.
The quickest and simplest approach to sweat is to take really hot baths in which you immerse your entire body for 10 minutes at a time (except for your nose).
When it's hot and humid, you perspire a lot more than when it's just hot. The bath speeds up the sweating by preventing it from cooling you off.
Then, one or two days prior to the weigh-in, you begin using the sauna as well to complete your quick weight loss.
Glycogen Depletion
Glycogen is the term for carbs stored in your body–muscles, liver, fat cells. It’s the source of quick energy, and every gram of glycogen requires 3-4 grams of stored water. Thus, decreasing your carb intake and increasing your training will help you lose several pounds of water weight while reducing your muscle size (due to glycogen depletion and resultant water loss). In practice, this can be a loss of 5 to 10 pounds of weight loss in a couple of days.
Consider Diuretics
Your last resort may be a diuretic if the situation becomes extremely dire and you aren't losing enough weight when the weigh-in is right around the corner. It is a type of medication that will enable frequent urination and the loss of necessary water. Only use this as a last option, though.
So, this is perhaps the most secure method overall for losing weight before a weigh-in. However, depending on the type of body or its state, the quantity and type of food may change.
Exercising
Your body burns more calories while you work out and gets faster, stronger, and sharper. Additionally, the volume and intensity of your strength training can help you retain muscle mass while reducing body fat. Follow the training schedule provided by the instructor exactly for exercise instructions.
How Boxers Cut Weight: The phase after the Weigh-in
The entire cutting period is meaningless if you keep yourself thirsty, deprived of nutrients, and exhausted during the fight. Even before the actual fight starts, your opponent will finish you off. Possibly, he won't even have to knock you out. Your body will do it.
Boxers then put on as much weight as they can before the bout immediately following the weigh-in. The typical wait time between the weigh-in and the fight is 24 hours. In order to rehydrate themselves, boxers commit these twenty-four hours to consume as much water as they can.
They also ingest foods, including proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and glucose beverages. They have all been avoiding these things. This makes a weight gain of about 22 pounds achievable. In this manner, the fighter, who has been carefully chosen, adequately prepares for a fight.
Understand the Cut Weight For Boxing
As boxers and fighters look for any advantages over their opponents, the custom of losing weight before matches persists in the world of boxing and combat. Some people's goal is merely to maintain their weight class in order to keep the struggle going. But let's be clear: a healthy, sustainable lifestyle has no place for rapid weight loss.
Risks Of Cutting Or Losing Weight
Short-term calorie restriction is not harmful, but if you habitually consume fewer calories than you require to maintain a healthy body weight, it can significantly negatively impact your metabolism and general health. Extreme dehydration and organ failure are possible outcomes of significant water loss from the body. Boxers should avoid making major weight cuts because doing so could have fatal consequences for their health.
Conclusion
A fight involves more than just fighting. Of all the combat sports, boxing best illustrates this. Here, even a single pound counts.
You are well aware of how difficult the game is. In front of a large crowd, the tough, muscular boxers cry and endure a thrashing on stage. Then, as if that weren't difficult enough, they must also go through a rigorous fitness and weight-loss regimen.
The boxers, though, take pride in their fame and hard-earned money because what must be done must be done. But always bear in mind that boxers' methods for losing weight are crucial because they must do so safely. If not, the technique's entire purpose loses all meaning.