The time that a mixed martial arts fighter spends on the fight itself is quite short. In fact, a fight like the one he is going to star in Ilia Topuria in Abu Dhabi It can last half an hour at most. However, his preparation goes up to minutes before stepping into the octagon. One of the most important processes is that of dehydration and subsequent rehydration.
To achieve compliance in the weighing and achieve the 65.8 kg (145 lb) limitTopuria and any fighter must undergo a weight cutting process, which entails not only undergoing a calorie deficit extreme, but also dehydrating to the limit, with a process of extreme sweating that leads to losing a good part of the water that the body accumulates, both in the glycogen (carbohydrates processed by the body) of the muscles as in the rest of the body.
Once this weigh-in is completed, the fighters must recover all the weight lost to return to a peak point where they get into the ring in full condition to fight, in this case literally, for victory. That’s where it begins rehydration process.
David Rojasnutritionist and sports advisor for fighters like Joel Álvarez and Dani Bárezexplains it to ABC with a simile: “It’s a trompe l’oeil: it’s like taking a grape, crushing it and leaving it dry and then hydrating it again.” And once lost 6-7 kilos that Topuria needs to be at the optimal point, then he must recover them. The time for this, since the official weigh-in is on Friday and the fight is on Saturday night, is just 24 hours.
The intelligence of the body: this is how it rehydrates
If it takes a long week to lose all that weight, how is it possible to achieve it in a few hours? The answer is the intelligent design of the human body.
“When you are dehydrated and the body is empty, the synthesis of carbohydrates and the way in which it is receptive is very high,” says Rojas. «It is a natural survival process: in an extreme situation, the body needs nutrients and immediate hydration. This is achieved by doing the process in reverse to the previous one, but with caution,” he explains.
«When you are dehydrated and the body is empty, the synthesis of carbohydrates and the way in which it is receptive is very high»
David Rojas
Nutritionist and sports advisor
«We must reverse the process. Once the weight is given on the official scale, we begin with serum, mineral salts and water to rehydrate. It should be done little by little, in sips, in a time of between 45 minutes and an hour,” he explains. Why that time? Whoever had a gastrointestinal problem Strong knows it well.
«The body’s capacity will depend on the degree of dehydration. Anyone who has suffered from it knows that they have to start little by little with serum, liquids, a soft diet… Allow a period of time for the stomach to settle and give the digestive system time to adapt to the reabsorption of carbohydrates. », he explains.
There is no specific time for this, and each athlete has certain times. There are some, for example, who have to cycle serum up to two or three times.
Once hydration has been recovered, solid food begins. And this will be done at the necessary times and as many meals as are required. That’s where the work of nutritionists and technicians who accompany athletes, in this case Ilia Topuria, who have perfectly measured their ability to recover glycogen.
«If I know that my muscles have the capacity to obtain X amount, and I have 48 hours until the event, and in that time I can do 8 solid foodsI divide the amount of carbohydrates into those 8 meals. That, together with water, causes the weight lost in the days before to be recovered,” explains Rojas.
Once achieved, and always under supervision, the fighter is in optimal condition for combat.
Is it advisable to gain an extra kilo?
The rehydration capacity of athletes is high, but it is not advisable to overdo it. The body of an elite fighter, such as Ilia Topuria, is used to performing perfectly within specific parameters: not too little weight, not too much.
Therefore, in this weight recovery process it is not advisable to gain more weight than you lost. «It is comparable to a sports car. You have one that is super efficient because it has 150 HP and weighs 1,000 kilos. “Will it be the same or more efficient if instead of moving 1,000 kilos it has to move 1,200 with the same 150 HP?”, exemplifies Rojas.
Extra weight at the time of combat causes the fighter to move slower, strike with excessively rough movements or less effective reflexes. «You have to regain the lost weight, no more, no less»David Rojas ditch.
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