Nutrition, Weight Management, and Recovery
What this domain tests
Fueling for training and competition, safe weight-making, rehydration after weigh-in, and recovery practices a coach can legitimately supervise.
Core rules
- Energy availability drives performance and health; chronic low availability impairs adaptation, bone health and mood.
- Protein around 1.6-2.2 g/kg per day; carbohydrate periodized to load, roughly 3-10 g/kg depending on training volume.
- Losing more than about 2% of body mass through dehydration degrades performance and cognition.
- Gradual weight making runs 8-12 weeks at roughly 0.5-1% of body mass per week; acute manipulation in the final 24-48 h stays under about 5% and needs supervision.
- After weigh-in, replace 125-150% of the fluid deficit with sodium-containing fluid over 2-4 hours, alongside carbohydrate and protein.
- Recovery basics: 7-9 h sleep, 20-40 g protein before sleep, session-RPE and HRV monitoring.
Worked example
A 77 kg fighter is 5 kg above the limit with six weeks to go. Reasoning: 5 kg over six weeks is about 0.8 kg per week, roughly 1% of body mass - inside the safe gradual range, so no sauna or rubber suit is needed. Plan: modest calorie deficit, protein held near 2 g/kg, carbohydrate reduced on non-training days, weekly weigh-in trend rather than daily scale anxiety.
Traps that cost marks
- Sauna and plastic-suit cuts in fight week.
- Competing after severe dehydration because the athlete made weight on the scale.
- Coaches prescribing supplements or therapeutic diets beyond their scope.
- Ignoring disordered-eating red flags in a fighter who cuts repeatedly.