Weight Plateau

[Kellen Bassette]

I have been trying to drop a weight class for a while, but I am having no luck. I've been within a few pounds of 145 for about 9 months now.

When I first decided to get into fighting shape, I weighed about 165, I dropped to 145 like it was nothing and have been stuck their ever since. I'm 5'6" and most of the guys fighting at 145 go about 5'9" or 5'10" it seems like. I don't want to deal with the reach disadvantage and I'm trying to get to 135.

I'm working out about 4 hours a day, 5 days a week right now. On Saturday I do about 2 hours and I take Sunday off.

I've recently started replacing foods with lower calorie versions; i.e. changed 2% milk to 1%, white bread to a lower calorie wheat bread, replaced most of my snacks with fresh fruit...but I'm still stuck between 143 and 145. If I eat any less than I do now I'm always hungry.

Anyone got any advice on this? I really don't want to cut weight. I would like to be at my target weight or within 2 pounds. It's too stressful for me to worry about making weight when I want to focus on training. I feel like 135 isn't extreme at my height and body type, but my weight has barely moved in 9 months.

[Scott R. Brown]

The only thing you can do is cut calories. It would appear your natural weight for your activity level is 145 however.

Maybe go ahead and compete at that weight and look for innovative ways to close the distance against those with longer reach.

I had the same sort of problem in my younger days. Most of the people I sparred against were over 6 foot plus and I run about 5'9".

But I learned to close distance and create distance quickly to compensate out of necessity. Although if you are grappling the smaller wing span may actually help you!

[Brule]

What Scottrbrownr said. Try at the higher weight and see, it would be worth it for the experience.

PS: I have the opposite problem, can't get to 145 and stuck at 140-143 no matter how much I eat. Of course, it's due to a health issue.

[GoldenBrain]

I agree with what Scott said.

I'd just add to drop all dairy and wheat products and replace the milk with Silk original unsweetened coconut or almond milk. The coconut has 50 percent more calcium and less calories than milk and is better for you anyway. We really shouldn't be drinking milk after infancy in my opinion. And, we probably shouldn't be drinking cows milk at all since it was designed for the calf and not the human.

You are putting in the hours already for the workout but maybe add more variety to the types of exercises you are doing to keep your muscles guessing so they won't plateau.

Good luck!!!

[Kellen Bassette]

Try at the higher weight and see, it would be worth it for the experience.


I have been. I've done alright but it seems like I tend to be the smaller guy. I really thought I would see better results putting these kind of hours in. I may be stuck with staying at this weight or drastically changing my diet. :(

[Kellen Bassette]

I'd just add to drop all dairy and wheat products and replace the milk with Silk original unsweetened coconut or almond milk.

I'll give it a shot...I didn't want to cut milk completely, because I love it and need the calcium for conditioning...but if this stuff has more calcium and tastes alright I'm game...

[GoldenBrain]

You won't be sorry. I cut milk years ago. It's really not even the best source of calcium but it is a great source of steroids and antibiotics. Broccoli and other veggies are great sources of calcium and the coconut milk is delicious. If you eat cereal then I'd also suggest a switch to oatmeal rather than gluten rich processed cereals. I use the coconut milk in my oatmeal instead of water for a sweeter taste and I also add cinnamon and raw honey. I'd also recommend chia seed for calcium and wolf or goji berries for vitamin C. Shelled hemp seed is great as well for protein. Chia, hemp seed and goji berries have just about all the vitamins that a person needs. Also, stay away from the soy milk unless it's in small quantities. It has phytoestrogens which are okay in small quantities but they add soy to everything now just like corn. Both are not good in large quantities in my opinion and high fructose corn syrup is just crap so watch that as well.

Sorry for being long winded but I feel these are great nutrition suggestions for everybody.

[JamesC]

I agree with what Scott said.

I'd just add to drop all dairy and wheat products and replace the milk with Silk original unsweetened coconut or almond milk. The coconut has 50 percent more calcium and less calories than milk and is better for you anyway. We really shouldn't be drinking milk after infancy in my opinion. And, we probably shouldn't be drinking cows milk at all since it was designed for the calf and not the human.

You are putting in the hours already for the workout but maybe add more variety to the types of exercises you are doing to keep your muscles guessing so they won't plateau.

Good luck!!!

Blasphemy. I work for a large dairy company. You want my kids to starve? You *******!














J/k

[GoldenBrain]

Blasphemy. I work for a large dairy company. You want my kids to starve? You *******!














J/k



:D

I'm sure ya'll do just fine. Each to their own I say. I see people at the grocery story pulling milk off the shelf like it's about to be discontinued. Of course they are usually a little larger in girth than those grabbing for the coconut milk. ;)

[Scott R. Brown]

My wife is from the Philippines where they have a lot coconut milk, she says it give you loose bowels, so start slow and see how you tolerate it. When I tried it, I got an upset stomach.

She says she only uses it for cooking!

You don't have to give up milk. I am a huge milk drinker myself, usually between 1/2-1 gallon a day for most of my life. I will be 54 in two months.

I have no ill effect from milk and never have. The biggest milk drinkers on the planet are the Dutch and they are also the largest people, in general, on the planet. There is probably some connection there.

If you still want to drink milk just go to 1% or non-fat and watch the total calories carefully.

[Scott R. Brown]

:D

I'm sure ya'll do just fine. Each to their own I say. I see people at the grocery story pulling milk off the shelf like it's about to be discontinued. Of course they are usually a little larger in girth than those grabbing for the coconut milk. ;)

Not me, or my family.

I am a muscular 200# and all of my kids are skinny. Even my 5 year old daughter who drinks 1/2 gallon of whole milk a day.

My 16 year old son drank nearly a gallon a day as a 5 year old and drinks that much now still. He is 6'2" 170#.

I gained my last 15# on pepsi, for the caffeine because I worked 6 nights a week for the last 10 years. I have always had a hard time putting on weight before the pepsi though.

As I said above, I have drank 1/2 - 1 gallon a day for most of my life. When I was a child my parents had to limit my milk consumption at dinner because I would drink two glasses before I would eat anything.

For most of my adult life I would keep the gallon next to my chair at the dinner table and my glass is NEVER empty til the end of the meal. As soon as it gets 1/2 full i refill it.

[Scott R. Brown]

You won't be sorry. I cut milk years ago. It's really not even the best source of calcium but it is a great source of steroids and antibiotics. Broccoli and other veggies are great sources of calcium and the coconut milk is delicious. If you eat cereal then I'd also suggest a switch to oatmeal rather than gluten rich processed cereals. I use the coconut milk in my oatmeal instead of water for a sweeter taste and I also add cinnamon and raw honey. I'd also recommend chia seed for calcium and wolf or goji berries for vitamin C. Shelled hemp seed is great as well for protein. Chia, hemp seed and goji berries have just about all the vitamins that a person needs. Also, stay away from the soy milk unless it's in small quantities. It has phytoestrogens which are okay in small quantities but they add soy to everything now just like corn. Both are not good in large quantities in my opinion and high fructose corn syrup is just crap so watch that as well.

Sorry for being long winded but I feel these are great nutrition suggestions for everybody.

My oatmeal breakfast consists of:

1/2 cup whole oats
2 eggs cooked in with the oats
raisins cooked in with the oats
peanut butter added after cooked
apple sauce added after cooked
for added taste at times, cinnamon, or real vanilla, or rarely honey.

And of course a LARGE glass of milk that is never empty until the oatmeal is finished

When I was younger it was one cup of whole oats!

[GoldenBrain]

Not me, or my family.

I am a muscular 200# and all of my kids are skinny. Even my 5 year old daughter who drinks 1/2 gallon of whole milk a day.

My 16 year old son drank nearly a gallon a day as a 5 year old and drinks that much now still. He is 6'2" 170#.

I gained my last 15# on pepsi, for the caffeine because I worked 6 nights a week for the last 10 years. I have always had a hard time putting on weight before the pepsi though.

As I said above, I have drank 1/2 - 1 gallon a day for most of my life. When I was a child my parents had to limit my milk consumption at dinner because I would drink two glasses before I would eat anything.

For most of my adult life I would keep the gallon next to my chair at the dinner table and my glass is NEVER empty til the end of the meal. As soon as it gets 1/2 full i refill it.


I believe that's more from the protein in milk. It's a better source of protein than it is for calcium. The way I understand it is that it takes more energy for the body to digest protein than calcium which is why most of the calcium in milk is excreted rather than absorbed. Broccoli is a better source of calcium than milk but you shouldn't eat it raw because it can mess with the thyroid. Chia seed is an even better source of calcium, something like 7 times the amount per serving as a glass of milk.

As for the coconut milk, it's not exactly like from a coconut. It's made the same way as almond or soy milk so it's just like drinking milk except that it's sweeter and has a mild coconut flavor. I've never had bowel issues with it and for lactose intolerant people or people who just don't like milk it's a great alternative.

I grew up on milk but as I got older I found it harder to process, so that's the main reason I switched.

[Kellen Bassette]

For most of my adult life I would keep the gallon next to my chair at the dinner table and my glass is NEVER empty til the end of the meal. As soon as it gets 1/2 full i refill it.

That is exactly like my father, milk never goes back in the fridge 'til dinner was over. Of course there were 9 kids so we had to have 2 gallons out. I love milk, but I've really cut back on it. I only have about an 8 oz glass at lunch and dinner now...I was drinking considerably more for most my life.

[GoldenBrain]

My oatmeal breakfast consists of:

1/2 cup whole oats
2 eggs cooked in with the oats
raisins cooked in with the oats
peanut butter added after cooked
apple sauce added after cooked
for added taste at times, cinnamon, or real vanilla, or rarely honey.

And of course a LARGE glass of milk that is never empty until the oatmeal is finished

When I was younger it was one cup of whole oats!

That sounds delicious! I'll try this one tomorrow, minus the large glass of cow milk that is.

[GoldenBrain]

Even though I don't drink regular milk anymore I have notice the price is just outrageous. It's more expensive than gasoline.

[Scott R. Brown]

That sounds delicious! I'll try this one tomorrow, minus the large glass of cow milk that is.

It is important to cook the raisins in with the oats because they absorb the water and puff up. They taste really good that way.

Oh yeah, in my younger days I would add shredded coconut at times as well!

[Scott R. Brown]

Even though I don't drink regular milk anymore I have notice the price is just outrageous. It's more expensive than gasoline.

Yeah, but I mostly live off the stuff, so I have to deal with it!

[IronFist]

Even though I don't drink regular milk anymore I have notice the price is just outrageous. It's more expensive than gasoline.

Shop at super WalMart, not the grocery chains.

Or maybe gas is just cheap where you live. It's $3.75+ in the Chicago suburbs and $4.25+ in the city.

[GoldenBrain]

Shop at super WalMart, not the grocery chains.

Or maybe gas is just cheap where you live. It's $3.75+ in the Chicago suburbs and $4.25+ in the city.

Ouch! Gas is a little cheaper here in Texas. I just filled up the tank a couple of days ago and it was $3.29 per gallon. We do shop at Walmart and I could be wrong but it seems that a gallon of milk was around $4.00. Regardless, both prices are to high. Inflation is a *****.

[JamesC]

Ouch! Gas is a little cheaper here in Texas. I just filled up the tank a couple of days ago and it was $3.29 per gallon. We do shop at Walmart and I could be wrong but it seems that a gallon of milk was around $4.00. Regardless, both prices are to high. Inflation is a *****.

I live in arkansas and work for Hiland. The price of milk is up mostly because of the draughts both of our states have had the last few years. Less grass growin means more money spent on hay.

We have a small Walmart express near my home that sells milk at a loss for the traffic it brings into the store. 2.00 a gallon. :P

[Raipizo]

I hardly ever drink milk, usually just with cereal and that's maybe about 6 oz. usually just drink water or tea. You're probably going to stay that weight, although you could still lose some weight just probably not as quickly. You've probably gained a lot of muscle weight and as you know muscle is heavier than fat.

[Shaolin]

I have been trying to drop a weight class for a while, but I am having no luck. I've been within a few pounds of 145 for about 9 months now.

When I first decided to get into fighting shape, I weighed about 165, I dropped to 145 like it was nothing and have been stuck their ever since. I'm 5'6" and most of the guys fighting at 145 go about 5'9" or 5'10" it seems like. I don't want to deal with the reach disadvantage and I'm trying to get to 135.

I'm working out about 4 hours a day, 5 days a week right now. On Saturday I do about 2 hours and I take Sunday off.

I've recently started replacing foods with lower calorie versions; i.e. changed 2% milk to 1%, white bread to a lower calorie wheat bread, replaced most of my snacks with fresh fruit...but I'm still stuck between 143 and 145. If I eat any less than I do now I'm always hungry.

Anyone got any advice on this? I really don't want to cut weight. I would like to be at my target weight or within 2 pounds. It's too stressful for me to worry about making weight when I want to focus on training. I feel like 135 isn't extreme at my height and body type, but my weight has barely moved in 9 months.

I'm assuming we are talking weight cut for an actual fight (boxing, kickboxing or MMA) not a tournament (jiu jitsu or karate)?

Weight cutting should be easy and stress free. I see so many guys following bad advises or just plain don't have the proper knowledge to make it successful.

If you're doing an 8-10 week training camp leading up to your fight, all your work is done in that 8-10 weeks. Meaning, with the amount of training you're currently getting, your metabolism should be very high by the time cut/fight week rolls around.

First, it is going to be very difficult to maintain high enough energy levels to properly train and recover from training with a low calorie diet during your fight camp. With your goals of competing at 135lbs you should be training at 155-165lbs.

Cut/fight week. Let's say you have a fight on a Saturday night, your training camp should end the previous Saturday. There is no benefit of full out training during fight week. You could end up tired/drained, even more nervous and end up psyching yourself out, or injured and have to pull out which would be a waste of all your hard work. Fight week is reserved for not only dieting down and cutting but more importantly recovering and relaxing.

Dieting down. Again, basing this off of an 8-10 week camp of 5-6 days per week at 4 hours per day with a fight on a Saturday night. Your diet starts Monday morning. For the entire week you can eat nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables, egg whites and lean, skinless chicken breasts. You can only drink water (we'll come back to this). This diet can get very rough very fast if you're not creative with the food options. Use as much seasoning as desired on your vegetables and chicken. Bake or grill the chicken. Brush them with a bit of olive oil.

Avoid/cut out:

all dairy products
yokes from the eggs
condiments and toppings
breads and grains
as much sodium as possible
all fats

Yes the diet can be very boring and bland, but the weight will easily melt off.

Water. your goal is to try to consume between 1 1/2 - 2 gallons of water per day. Your trying to do whats called super hydrating. Consume large amounts of water right to the point where the body feels it's taking in too much then when you actually cutting the water weight will come off easily.

You can supplement a low/no fat/carb high protein shake throughout the day as well in between meals.

By Thursday you'll notice most of your weight has come off in the form of body fat and now it's time to start the actual cut. Let's say you have a same day weigh in at 4pm on Saturday. You're going to do a 40hour water cut, meaning starting at 12am Thursday night/Friday morning you stop all water consumption. Your body will naturally expel the rest weight you need to come in on target.

It is okay to swallow your saliva. You don't need to spit, the water will go away, don't worry.

To help speed up the process a bit, go to a sauna, do 15 minute intervals on, 15 minutes toweling and cooling off for 2-3 sets on Friday.

Do not be stupid and jump on a treadmill in a sauna suit for and hour, you'll only risk injury and fatigue.

Starting Friday at 4pm you'll do a 24hour food cut, meaning you'r now consuming absolutely nothing until after weigh-ins.

Check your weight Saturday morning, you should be within 3-5lbs of making weight. You can do another session in the sauna but be careful to only do 2 sets tops this time or your risk fatigue or possible injury.

After you've weighed in consume a bottle of Pedialyte (or the eqaute brand). Keep it on ice cause it tastes like crap warm. Eat a little bit of carbs and protein. Avoid fatty or greasy foods cause you'll either want to vomit or crap yourself. Don't eat and drink until full, eat just enough to curb the pains (you can pig out after you win your fight). Stop eating and drinking at least 1 1/2 hrs before show time, not before your fight, before show time.

During cut/fight week it's good to warm up a little and stretch but remember you're supposed to be recovering and reserving your energy. Avoid sparring and classes, at this point your not going to master anything and get any better before your fight anyways. That work should've been done during the training camp.

Recover, recover, recover, that is your goal. Get as much sleep as possible during fight week. Take naps throughout the day.

This is a general run down of dieting/cutting, there is a ton more detail to get into.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I have been trying to drop a weight class for a while, but I am having no luck. I've been within a few pounds of 145 for about 9 months now.

When I first decided to get into fighting shape, I weighed about 165, I dropped to 145 like it was nothing and have been stuck their ever since. I'm 5'6" and most of the guys fighting at 145 go about 5'9" or 5'10" it seems like. I don't want to deal with the reach disadvantage and I'm trying to get to 135.

I'm working out about 4 hours a day, 5 days a week right now. On Saturday I do about 2 hours and I take Sunday off.

I've recently started replacing foods with lower calorie versions; i.e. changed 2% milk to 1%, white bread to a lower calorie wheat bread, replaced most of my snacks with fresh fruit...but I'm still stuck between 143 and 145. If I eat any less than I do now I'm always hungry.

Anyone got any advice on this? I really don't want to cut weight. I would like to be at my target weight or within 2 pounds. It's too stressful for me to worry about making weight when I want to focus on training. I feel like 135 isn't extreme at my height and body type, but my weight has barely moved in 9 months.

When I fought kyokushin, we didn't have weight limits so being light was not that great.
When I did boxing or any other weight category MA I fought at my natural weight that I maintained because of the type of training I had to do to be competitive.
I never tried to fight in lower weight classes because I always felt "weaker".
I went from 135 to 155 and was always 5'-6" and always tended to fight taller guys.
No biggie.
You fight your fight, they fight theirs and the best fighter at the time, wins.

[Kellen Bassette]

@ Shaolin....I've done a few MT fights...I've never really cut weight other than eating light a couple days ahead of time...I train at 145....I never did the running in suit or sauna thing before a fight because I was worried about being weak and tired. If I could drop 10 pounds over a week with a strict diet, I think that would be a lot better for me than trying to cut it all in 2 days or keeping a diet that makes me crazy for 3 months.

I just don't have much experience at all in cutting and I'm worried about doing it wrong and paying for it in the ring. I appreciate the advice. I know a lot of these guys have got the cutting down because they all look like they should weigh a lot more than they do.

@ Sanjuro...I've always been the smaller guy it seems like...I've sparred the bigger guys forever and I'm not afraid of it...just looking to start doing tournaments instead of single bouts. If all goes well and I have to do 3 fights in a day, I'd like to have as much advantage as I can, knowing the other guys are doing the same thing....

PS did you see that Kyokushin KO I posted in the MMA thread? That wasn't you doing that kick was it? :P

[Shaolin]

I walk at between 190-195 solid and cut to 170lbs. I drop down to around 178lbs and get down to about 3-5% body fat, then I only have to cut 8lbs of water. I've always felt energetic and strong in my fights.

[Kellen Bassette]

I walk at between 190-195 solid and cut to 170lbs. I drop down to around 178lbs and get down to about 3-5% body fat, then I only have to cut 8lbs of water. I've always felt energetic and strong in my fights.

It seems like you got a pretty good system for doing it...

So on your diet week are you still running the first few days of the week, doing light drills, or just totally taking the week off training?

[Shaolin]

I personally take the week off. I'll take walks and stretch a little but that's about it. As I stated before I put all my work in during the camp. Fight week is a recovery week for me, physically and mentally.

[SevenStar]

I noticed this hasn't been said yet - you may not be training intensely enough. This could be hindering you in two ways:

1. If you can train 5 hours multiple times per week, it can't be that intense. 1 to 1.5 hours and i'm spent on really intense days. Sometimes it doesn't take that long. Upping the intensity may rev your metabolism up a little more.

2. Training for longer than an hour at a time can have a negative impact in the body. The bosu views working out - particularly cardio - as stress. The body's reaction to stress is to produce Cortisol, which is like pac-man and you're muscles are the power pellets; Cortisol eats away muscle tissue.

How are your workouts currently structured?

[Kellen Bassette]

I noticed this hasn't been said yet - you may not be training intensely enough.


About 2 hours of that is intense training.

My current daily workout usually goes like this...

Go to the public gym, 30-45 minutes of weights, run 2 miles,

Then head to my fight gym, bags, thai pads, clinch, sparring and specific sanda/thai drills. This is usually pretty intense and takes about 2 hours.

Then in the evening I do a traditional class between 1 and 2 hours. Typically not so intense.

[SevenStar]

What specifically are you doing with the weights? I'd switch the 2 mile run for sprints, 3 days per week.

What's the boxing gym routine and how often do you change it?

Also, I wouldn't do the traditional class daily. I'd probably drop 2 days and figure out how to up the intensity with the weights and fight training. Not permanently, just while you're trying to cut.

How frequently do you eat?

[Kellen Bassette]

I'm really new to the weights, I just added them in because I got laid off about 2 weeks ago. My job is all heavy manual labor, so I don't do any lifting while I'm working, I figure it's a better use of my time to train the more fight specific stuff, since I spend all day carrying heavy things...

Now that I'm laid off I was concerned about not getting any strength training so I've been lifting with my brother for the past couple weeks to supplement. He works a different muscle group everyday...we'll do like biceps, next day tries, next day abs, next day lats, I really don't know what the names of the lifts are. I just copy him and he tells me if I'm doing them wrong. He usually does about 5 different exercises, some machines, some dumbbells, some free weights. Usually 3 sets of reps on most of them..it's not very intense and takes about 30 to 45 minutes to do.

I haven't been pushing myself on the weights, I do enough so I'm always sore the next day, but not bad. Never enough that I don't feel like hitting the bags. I know I could do more weight than I have been, but I was concerned if I overdo it I'll be getting diminishing returns on the kickboxing. As I said, I don't know much at all about weights. Not really sure what kind of regiment I should be doing, I just wanted to keep my strength up since I'm not carrying blocks, planks and throwing bags of mortar all day now.

After that I run 2 miles...(doing that on treadmill on the hill settings) gonna start with the sprints outside real soon...weathers starting to break, we're still in late winter here, but most the snows gone...

At the boxing gym I start off with heavy bags. Either 3 minute or 5 minute rounds, depending on the other people I have to work with, 1 minute breaks. I do 5 rounds of bags. Go pretty good on them, the last 30 seconds of all rounds I try to go all out, as hard as I can. I make sure I wind myself in the last 30 seconds of every round.

Next I do Thai pad sparring, usually hold a few rounds, then I hit them a few rounds. Same thing as the bags, try to really amp it up the last 30 seconds. Pads seem to always be more of a workout than the heavy bags...after that, usually work clinch for 15 minutes or so. Usually pretty tired by the end of clinch work...then do 3 or 4 rounds of sparring...after, (or sometimes before sparring), we'll work on some partner drills...that goes however long it goes...the whole session is almost always 2 hours, we'll take about 2 rounds off over the course the session..when putting the cups on; or right after we finish pads, to catch a breather...

Pretty much the same routine everyday....just change up whatever specific partner drill we do.

In the morning I have a cup of coffee and a couple little, crappy store donuts, (190 calories between them.) Then I workout, get home and have lunch around noon. Eat Dinner about 5, may have a couple snacks in between and after the traditional class in the evening.

[bawang]

i dont think its healthy to force urself below 140 pounds. thats a little extreme.

[Lee Chiang Po]

I have been trying to drop a weight class for a while, but I am having no luck. I've been within a few pounds of 145 for about 9 months now.

When I first decided to get into fighting shape, I weighed about 165, I dropped to 145 like it was nothing and have been stuck their ever since. I'm 5'6" and most of the guys fighting at 145 go about 5'9" or 5'10" it seems like. I don't want to deal with the reach disadvantage and I'm trying to get to 135.

I'm working out about 4 hours a day, 5 days a week right now. On Saturday I do about 2 hours and I take Sunday off.

I've recently started replacing foods with lower calorie versions; i.e. changed 2% milk to 1%, white bread to a lower calorie wheat bread, replaced most of my snacks with fresh fruit...but I'm still stuck between 143 and 145. If I eat any less than I do now I'm always hungry.

Anyone got any advice on this? I really don't want to cut weight. I would like to be at my target weight or within 2 pounds. It's too stressful for me to worry about making weight when I want to focus on training. I feel like 135 isn't extreme at my height and body type, but my weight has barely moved in 9 months.

Forget about counting calories. If you want to lose that extra few pounds, eat all the meat you want and stop eating grains, milk, and fruits. Fatty meats are the best, and fat does not make fat, so you are safe. What makes fat is carbs only. The more sugars the worse it gets. Once you get the pounds like you want them, start adding some of the other stuff back slowly. You will see just how much you can tolerate before you start putting it back on.
You can survive and prosper on meat alone.

[Shaolindynasty]

Different things work for different people based on body type activity levels etc. However, there is a mathmatical formula for losing weight. Back during my competition years I tried lots of bad diet advice. Judging by what you wrote(and others) there are some mistakes and misconceptions about weight loss here. Truth be told there is really now way around it, in order to lose weight you have to know your caloric needs to maintain your current weight then you have to take in less than that amount. I wrote a pretty lengthy article about it on my blog so check it out. http://hungsingmartialarts.blogspot.com/2012/11/kitchen-kung-fu.html

I also agree with sevenstar that short training durations are preffereable to long workouts. I try to keep all my personal workouts around 1 hr and ramp up the intensity. Just for being effiecient its much better. I can squeeze in more volume of work in 1 hour now than i used to when i trained for time i.e. "I train for x amount of hrs per day"

Another valuable resource for training tips is this blog http://rosstraining.com/blog/

[Linghu Xuanang]

Different things work for different people based on body type activity levels etc. However, there is a mathmatical formula for losing weight. Back during my competition years I tried lots of bad diet advice. Judging by what you wrote(and others) there are some mistakes and misconceptions about weight loss here. Truth be told there is really now way around it, in order to lose weight you have to know your caloric needs to maintain your current weight then you have to take in less than that amount. I wrote a pretty lengthy article about it on my blog so check it out. http://hungsingmartialarts.blogspot.com/2012/11/kitchen-kung-fu.html

I also agree with sevenstar that short training durations are preffereable to long workouts. I try to keep all my personal workouts around 1 hr and ramp up the intensity. Just for being effiecient its much better. I can squeeze in more volume of work in 1 hour now than i used to when i trained for time i.e. "I train for x amount of hrs per day"

Another valuable resource for training tips is this blog http://rosstraining.com/blog/

Your article is pretty good and helped a lot, cheers! But I am not sure about something yet... My weight is 178 pounds now and I'll fight in 170 pounds on July, the weigh-in is one day before. Any idea about the effect of keeping 1 day without food and water before the weigh-in? I am not sure if that's enough for losing 8 pounds for the weigh-in.

[Shaolindynasty]

Your article is pretty good and helped a lot, cheers! But I am not sure about something yet... My weight is 178 pounds now and I'll fight in 170 pounds on July, the weigh-in is one day before. Any idea about the effect of keeping 1 day without food and water before the weigh-in? I am not sure if that's enough for losing 8 pounds for the weigh-in.

Whats the actual weight class? Its usually like 170-179 in which case i wouldn't worry about cutting weight at all.

I'm actually against cutting weight for a comp thru dehydration. I advise eating lean in the months leading up to the fight(or year round). In my experience not only does cutting weight that way cause physical stress but imo takes away the athletes mental focus to some degree. I think both physical and mental stress needs to be considered when deciding whether or not the benefits of cutting the weight outweigh the negative aspects. That is really up to your coach and you to decide as its not something that someone can tell with out direct experience with the person.

Honestly if I was still competing I would do things different. I would have learned more about the science behind dietary habits and eat lean year round that way the weight wouldnt be an issue. Lacking discipline in the kitchen was my biggest downfall at that time.

[Linghu Xuanang]

Whats the actual weight class? Its usually like 170-179 in which case i wouldn't worry about cutting weight at all.

I'm actually against cutting weight for a comp thru dehydration. I advise eating lean in the months leading up to the fight(or year round). In my experience not only does cutting weight that way cause physical stress but imo takes away the athletes mental focus to some degree. I think both physical and mental stress needs to be considered when deciding whether or not the benefits of cutting the weight outweigh the negative aspects. That is really up to your coach and you to decide as its not something that someone can tell with out direct experience with the person.

Honestly if I was still competing I would do things different. I would have learned more about the science behind dietary habits and eat lean year round that way the weight wouldnt be an issue. Lacking discipline in the kitchen was my biggest downfall at that time.

It's from 159 to 170 pounds. I'll follow your advice, but my plan was to not cut much weight, just a wee bit. Lyoto Machida, MMA fighter, he's known for not cutting weight, and we can see his cardio and KO power are pretty good. I was just thinking about cutting what is possible in one day, not in a whole week like some fighters do.

[Kellen Bassette]

Thanks ShaolinDynasty, I read you blog...good stuff. Everyone has giving me lots of stuff to think about for sure!