Weight cutting is a fact of life in modern MMA and also in many jiu-jitsu and submission grappling competitions. And the person who does it correctly usually has an undeniable advantage.

But it can also be very dangerous if done wrong – people have sabotaged their performance, gone into kidney failure, and even died after cutting weight badly.

So if you’re going to cut weight you need to do it safely, and you need to have a plan!

Today you’ll get a super-interesting and very detailed discussion of high level weight cutting in MMA with my friend Ben Zhuang (BJJ black belt, strength and conditioning expert, gym owner).

We talk about the specific steps a competitor needs to take to make weight for MMM (when he has 24 or more hours to rehydrate) and what’s possible when someone is competing in BJJ or submission grappling under same-day weigh in rules.

As a special bonus you’re also going to get the complete plan used by UFC fighter Mickey Gall in his most successful weight cut to date!

In episode 163 of my podcast (The Strenuous Life Podcast) Ben and I go through an exact plan for cutting weight safely, effectively replenishing your body after a weight cut, the differences between cutting weight for day-of vs next-day events.

To listen to this episode you can subscribe to The Strenuous Life Podcast using the podcast player that you almost certainly already have on your phone, and it’s 100% free.

For example, if you have an iPhone then it’s the purple app with the antenna-like thing in it; just click the Apple Podcasts link below to go to the right place and hit ‘subscribe’.

Here are the links to find the podcast on various players – the weight cutting episode with Ben Zhuang is #163…

Or you can listen to the audio here:

A Sample Weight Cutting Plan…

And finally, Ben decided to share something really special with my listenership and readership…

It’s the actual weight cutting plan MMA fighter Mickey Gall used to prepare for UFC Fight Night 135 on August 25th, 2018.

In most of his previous fights Mickey had cut to 171 and only managed to get back to the low 180’s by fight night. This time Mickey was back to 200 lbs when he stepped in the cage to fight, so this was a huge improvement.

Not surprisingly, he ended up finishing his opponent with a rear naked choke in a little over a minute into the first round.

Check it out, and if anything seems counter-intuitive or confusing then make sure that you listen to the entire episode with Ben above!

Mickey Gall Weight Cutting Plan for UFC Fight Night 135

Walk around weight: 200

Fight Weight: 171

Maximum Starting Weight (5 days out from weigh-in day): 188

Ideal Starting Weight (5 days out from weigh-in day) 180-184

Weigh-in procedure: 32 to 34 hour Weigh-in

Day by Day Weight Cutting Plan

SUNDAY (5 days before weigh-in)

A. Gut Content Elimination – Low fiber diet, no more than 10g of fiber

B. Glycogen Depletion – Low carb diet, no more than 50g of carbohydrates

C. Sodium Elimination – Consume normal amount of sodium

D. Water Loading – 2.3 to 3 Gallons of water

MONDAY

A. Gut Content Elimination – Low fiber diet, no more than 10g of fiber

B. Glycogen Depletion – Low carb diet, no more than 50g of carbohydrates

C. Sodium Elimination – Consume normal amount of sodium

D. Water Loading – 2.3 to 3 Gallons of water

TUESDAY

A. Gut Content Elimination – Low/No Fiber diet, consume 0-3g of fiber

B. Glycogen Depletion – Low carb diet, no more than 50g of carbohydrates

C. Sodium Elimination – Eliminate sodium from diet

D. Water Loading – 2.3 to 3 Gallons of water

WEDNESDAY

A. Gut Content Elimination – Low/No Fiber diet, consume 0-3g of fiber

B. Glycogen Depletion – Low carb diet, no more than 50g of carbohydrates

C. Sodium Elimination – Eliminate sodium from diet

D. Water Loading – 2.3 to 3 Gallons of water

THURSDAY

A. Gut Content Elimination – Low/No Fiber diet, consume 0-3g of fiber

B. Glycogen Depletion – Low carb diet, no more than 50g of carbohydrates

C. Sodium Elimination – Eliminate sodium from diet

D. Water Loading – No more than 30oz of water

Active or Passive Dehydration can be done Thursday night based on individual preference

or time constraints the following morning.

FRIDAY

Wake up early and with enough time for active or passive dehydration if needed.

If underweight: Consume small amounts of food and water making sure to stay on weight.

If overweight: Consume nothing until weigh-in. Begin active and/or passive dehydration methods depending on preference.

Methods of Dehydration

Active Dehydration

Low intensity cardio, drilling, mitt work, etc. wearing extra layers or sweat suit. Check weight and repeat, or switch to passive dehydration.

Remember that active dehydration or sweat loss due to exercise affects performance to a lesser degree than passive dehydration methods. Active dehydration lets go of water via extra cellular fluid where passive dehydration tends let go of water from all compartments.

This is the caveat with this: although it is more beneficial physiologically to exercise in order to sweat and lose water weight, you do not want to add additional exercise that could tax the body in a way that could fatigue you.

So personal preference is probably what’s most important here.

If you feel conserving energy is more important. Go with passive dehydration. If you feel that the effects of passive dehydration affect you too much,or you’re going to have a light training session anyway. Go with active dehydration.

It is likely you should use a combination of both and as long as you are not cutting an extreme amount of weight using passive dehydration (10+ pounds). Either should be fine and neither should not affect performance.

Passive Dehydration

1. Sit in hot tub for 10-20 minutes (Ideal temperature between 102-106 degrees)

2. Dry off completely, check weight

3. Wrap full body in robe/towels. Lay down and relax until sweating stops.

4. Repeat. (If sweating stops, apply Albolene or Sweet Sweat to encourage sweating)

Mickey Gall Preferred Foods During Weight Cut

Proteins/Meat

Salmon, Chicken Thigh, Ribeye Steak, Eggs

Oils/Fats

Butter, Avocado Oil, Olive Oil, Mayonnaise, Cashew Butter

Low Fiber/Low Carb Vegetables and Fruits

Canned Asparagus (check carb content), Canned Beets, Canned Mandarin Oranges, Apple Sauce, Canned Tomatoes

Grains

White rice/breads in low amount

Snack

Milk Chocolate, Butter Coffee

Sample Daily Menu During Weight Cut

Meal 1: Coffee with 2 TBSP Butter, 4 Hard Boiled Eggs, Canned Beets (small portion)

Meal 2: Ribeye Steak pan fried in oil and butter, Canned Asparagus (small portion), White Rice

Meal 3: 1/2 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, 1/2 Slice of White Bread w/ Cashew Butter

Meal 4: Chicken Thigh, Canned Tomatoes, White Rice

Meal 5: Salmon w/ Mayonaise, Canned Mandarin Oranges (small portion)

Remember that calories do not matter at this point – it is more about restricting and ultimately eliminated fiber, consuming very few carbs, eliminating sodium, and the water load. Eat as much as you need to stay full but do not overeat.

The weight will be slowly coming off during this week and on Thursday up until Friday morning is where you will see the most weight loss.

Replenishing the Fighter After Weigh In

The weigh-in is between 9am – 11am on Friday. The fight is around 32-34 hours later. Focus on replenishing water, electrolytes (sodium/potassium), and carbohydrates.

1. Immediately after making weight. Drink 20oz of water mixed with 2 packets of Drip Drop OR 20oz of Pedialyte. Consume this immediately, no need to sip. Any temporary discomfort lasting a few minutes is worth getting rehydrated ASAP.

2. Within 30 minutes drink a protein shake w/ 20-30g protein and eat salty snacks that also replenish carbohydrates. Example would be salted pretzels. Your favorite cereal here would not be a bad choice for carb loading and milk is a good source of potassium.

3. Drink 32oz of water per hour (stop 3-4 hours before bed to avoid sleep disturbance).

4. Start loading up on carbohydrates with solid meals up until 4-5 hours before fight time. Find carbohydrates that are palatable but not also loaded with fat. Now is the time to eat less fat and more carbs instead of limiting carbs.

Troubleshooting the Weight Cut

1. Maximum Starting Weight (MSW) vs. Ideal Starting Weight (ISW). MSW is the absolute or near-absolute highest weight you should feel comfortable cutting from. There may at most be a couple of pounds of leeway so 190 may be the true absolute max.

Cutting MORE than 10% of bodyweight should be avoided as you will unlikely be able to replete fully given 24 hours. We have 32-34 hours but I still wouldn’t push it past 10% bodyweight loss.

2. Start getting the body accustomed to sweating the week leading up to the weigh-in week AND during the weigh-in week. This is to prepare for the final active or passive dehydration session before the weigh-in.

If the body is accustomed to sweating, it will begin sweating sooner and the weight cut will seem easier. More conditioned athletes will usually sweat sooner and sweat more than less conditioned athletes.

Ben would like to thank Dr. Reid Peale for exposing him to many of the weight cutting ideas he uses today.

More with Ben Zhuang and I…

Ben and I have done a previous podcast (click here for that) that got a lot of great feedback, and also co-wrote an extensive article about strength training for BJJ.

Go here to check out the 6 best strength training exercises for BJJ and download the free PDF guide that Ben and I put together.

Also Follow Ben Zhuang on Instagram as @coachbz

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