*Disclaimer – This information is not offered as medical advice. Please seek the advice of a physician before any type of physical activity. Cutting weight can be dangerous. This information is intended to be presented as hypothetical in nature and not meant to be adhered to as a course of action by anyone. RAPID DEHYDRATION IS DANGEROUS AND BOTH BRAIN DAMAGE AND FATALITIES ARE NOT UNCOMMON.

This regimen is intended for competitions where weigh-ins are orchestrated 24 hours before the event. This process must be followed carefully because, as mentioned above: dehydration can cause serious injury, coma, and death. Also, never cut weight alone. Additionally, it is always a wise idea to make what most wrestlers and MMA participants call “practice cuts” before the real final cut before weigh-ins. A practice cut will give a very close approximation of how the final weight cut will go. Aim for 85% of the total final cut. Another note: None of these cuts are simple. They are all physically taxing, fairly uncomfortable to put it mildly and should be handled with care.

The procedure is begun the day before weigh-ins by decreasing the amount of water taken in to about 1/4 to 1/3 of what you normally would consume until about 16 hours before weigh-ins. Try to drink purified water or distilled water. After that 16-hour mark, don’t drink any more water. (During the cut, you can gargle water or chew on and spit out ice chips, but do not drink!)

Let’s sweat! Many high school and college grapplers might be acquainted with hopping in the sauna wearing plastic or rubber suits and running and riding exercise bikes to make weight. But the new, slected way to sweat for Powerlifters is in a bathtub of hot water and a bathroom filled with steam. What you do is make the bath water as boiling hot as humanly possible and still be able to get in. Submerge yourself completely except for your nose and mouth and just chill for 15 minutes. Set a timer and have a friend with you for safety. Get out of the tub and let the shower run as hot as it can go and stay in the bathroom for another 15 minutes. The hot water and the steam lead to you to perspire more because there is no evaporation and your core temperature remains elevated. After the 15 minutes in the bathroom steam, exit the bathroom for a 5-minute break in cooler air. If you feel faint or dizzy, cool your body by pouring cold water over you head. Furthermore, don’t exercise. You are going to deplete the energy you need he following day for your competition. Sweating and urinating should be enough to lose all the weight that you need.

Do not take a shower before weigh in because a shower will add 2-3 pounds of water to your body because your skin will soak in the moisture from the shower.

After weigh in, begin to rehydrate.

Rehydration sounds like it would be no problem after the weight cutting, but it takes determination as well. The minute you step off of the scale, you should drink a mix of Pedialyte and water. You should drink about a gallon of a 1:1 mix in the first 10 to 15 minutes after weighing in. Up until you compete you should continue to drink purified or distilled water, Pedialyte and eat food to gain back your weight. Start to eat about an hour to an hour and a half after weight-ins. You should eat a good supply of carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, baked potatoes and vegetables. You should also add in a little protein, but not higher than a 4 carb to 1 protein ratio. You should be eating every 2 hours and drinking regularly. If you have lost, say 15 pounds. You need to consume *at least* 15 pounds of food and water combined to gain back the weight you lost. Some people even recommend consuming small amounts of hand lotion to assist your body in the rehydration process. The glycerin hand lotion allows for faster water absorption and therefore, increased oxygen supply to the muscles.

This technique is not at all recommended for Brazilian ju jitsu Gracie Jiu-Jitsu competitions like The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Worlds or Pan Ams as weigh-ins occur at matside directly before the competition begins. And remember, whether you take part in Brazilian Jujitsu Mixed Martial Arts Training, weightlifting or wrestling … no medal is worth your life.

About Rodrigo Vaghi: Rodrigo started his Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 14, in the original Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro. Vaghi’s instructors were Grandmaster Helio Gracie and his sons: Rickson, Royce, Royler and Rolker. After many years of training with the Gracie Family, Rodrigo has become a close family friend and black belt instructor representing the undisputed champion of the Gracie’s: Rickson Gracie. Rodrigo Vaghi is the proud owner of Vaghi Martial Arts and head of its MMA St Louis Brazilian Jiu Jitsu St Louis Program.

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