Weight Management

Archtkd

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How do you folks out there manage weight for competition purposes, especially when you or your students have wild weight swings. Specifically how do you determine the best weight you or your student should fight in? How close to major competition do you set weight targets? I'm asking this because I currently have swings of as much as 10 pounds , up or down, on a weekly basis.

My weight is currently swinging between 182 and 192 pounds. Water intake/sweat is a big factor, but I don't seem to have any way to stabilize this. If I can't be sure whether I'll be a middle weight or a heavy weight tomorrow how will I know what my student will be on the day of competition?
 

terryl965

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For me we start about6 weeks before any major competition with making sure they stay in the catoagory we put them in. It is wieghing in on a daily basis and making sure they stay withen the daily routine of eating.

As far you I would suggest you stay in the middle wieght division since you can get below the 1856 mark. A few minutes in a thermol suite or just the sauna the night before will make sure you are under the day before you fight and if you wiegh in in the a.m. early you have all day to get the liquids back into your system and make sure your body is rested and ready to go. I am assuming you are wieghing in the day before competition like at National.
 

rlp271

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As the poster above me said, since you can sneak into middle weight, do it. If it's at the lower end of your weight swings, and it mostly has to do with water, then make sure you weigh in after going for a long run, sweating a lot, and maybe cooling down then going to the sauna. Don't hit the sauna while your body is already extremely hot from the workout, it can be dangerous. Then rehydrate after you weigh in. That's how quite a few people make weight for competitions. If it's a day of weigh in, then you have to make sure you get under the night before, go in slightly dehydrated and then drink lots of Gatorade and eat a few salty foods. Just enough so you can get your energy level back up, but not enough to feel bloated. If you can lower your body fat % and gain a bit of muscle, it will reduce the amount you swing.
 

ATC

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The way you ask the question would take a really complicated answer and believe it or not I really don't want to write that much. It would take pages to do so.

One thing I can tell you is that you need to be weighing yourself twice a day. Once when you wake right after your morning bathroom stop, and once again at night right before you get into the bed. Those should be the only times you weigh yourself.

If you use those two times to weigh yourself then you should not see the 10 pound swings you are seeing. Almost everyone will fluctuate weight throughout the day.

So again just as a tip, weigh only in the morning and then again at night. You should find that your weight will be close to the same weight each morning and your night weights should be fairly close also.

Example:
Monday
8:00am you weigh 183 lbs
11:00pm you weigh 190 lbs

Tuesday
8:00am you weigh 185 lbs
11:00pm you weigh 191 lbs

Note that the morning weights are very close to each other as are the evening weights. Your weight will fluctuate throughout the day as you workout and sweat, drink water, and eat. Each day will be different as you may not workout as hard each day nor will you eat the same each day. Water or liquid intake each day will vary as well. This is why you need to weigh only during the day and night. Before any food, liquid, and workouts, and after food, liquids and workouts.

Then when weighing in for a tournament you can do so during the day time or as early as possible before food, liquid, and working out. Most times you weigh in the day before so you will have plenty of time to hydrate and carb up.

fighters can gain on average 10-15 lbs overnight after weighing in. That is the liquids and carbs the night after weigh ins and the day of the fight.
 
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Archtkd

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Thanks all for the very good advice. It's really heart warming to learn from kind people, who are far away and very busy, but yet have some time to share their experience with other Taekwondo enthusiasts. I've been puzzling about this weigh issue for a few months.
 

terryl965

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Thanks all for the very good advice. It's really heart warming to learn from kind people, who are far away and very busy, but yet have some time to share their experience with other Taekwondo enthusiasts. I've been puzzling about this weigh issue for a few months.

That is one of the great thing in TKD is that common thread that hold all of us at a higher level.
 

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