By Ken Anugweje

Last week this column discussed the influence of athletes’ physique in performance.  Physique is determined by the body weight, height and fat distribution on the athlete’s body. While the height of an adult athlete cannot be changed, inappropriate body weight and fat distribution can hamper optimal performance in sports.

Competitions in several sports are held in categories determined by the weight of the participant. Some of these sports include boxing, judo, taekwondo, karate, wrestling and weightlifting. In these sports also, technical considerations may require that an athlete moves up or down to another weight class. These considerations may be the presence of another competent team-mate for that weight class or the need to avoid an obviously stronger opponent in a particular weight class. In some other sports that do not have weight categories, athletes may be required to switch to new positions and so, may be expected to reduce or increase their weights.

The practice in which athletes lose weight so that they can compete in sports events is called ‘making weight’. There is regular evidence that many athletes experience a lot of difficulty achieving their anticipated weights. In most cases, athletes are found to be over the weight limit a few days to competition. In a few other cases, athletes below the weight limit. Athletes whose weights are higher or lower than their categories during competitions are usually disqualified from these competitions. The fear of disqualification usually motivates athletes to embark on occasionally drastic measures, especially to lose as much weight, as quickly as possible. In addition, some athletes lose weight in a momentary manner prior to the official weigh-in, hoping to regain the weight before the competition. This enables such athletes to gain advantage by competing in categories lower than the athletes’ respective training weights. In some sports, for example judo and wrestling, this practice has become part of their culture.

The risks associated in making weight are aggravated by some factor which include the duration and intensity of the competition, the number of qualifying bouts, ambient temperature and relative humidity at the venue, and the frequency of competition.

Several methods are in use for weight loss by athletes. The method chosen at any time depends on the following:

a)fluid restriction

b)food restriction

c)increased exercise

d)fasting

e)sauna or wind-cheater suitsf)laxativesg) emetics (to induce vomiting)

These methods are used singly or in combination of one or more others. For instance, an athlete may combine fluid restriction with increased work-outs, food restriction with sweat suits of may practice fasting alone.

There have been report of deaths attributed to athletes’ efforts to lose weight. Other reported effects include lassitude, fatigue, frequent colds and reduced athletic performance. However, there is scarcity of information on all the risks which follow drastic unregulated weight loss in athletes. It is important to have a written guide for trainers to assist their athletes make weight safely and productively.

The athlete’s guide should emphasize the following:

i.Rationale for making weight

a)Too much weight for weight category?

b)evolving trends in competition in a particular sport?

c)demands of a new position or role in team

d)to be quicker and stronger in chosen sport

ii.Desired goals

a)to build muscles?

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b)to lose body fat?

c)to control weight due to body water?

iii.  Strategy

a)training progrmme required to achieve weight-loss goals

b)nutritional plans including fluid restriction

c)supplement use to offset the loss of micronutrients, especially the effect of restricting sodium intake during fluid restriction

Dangers of Rapid Weight Loss

The major dangers of rapid weight loss in athletes are (i) Dehydration and (ii) Malnutrition

Dehydration is usually marked by the excessive loss of body water and electrolytes which may result in impaired functions of vital organs of the body, particularly the kidneys and the brain. Loss of body water affects the elasticity and contractility of the muscles and also impairs the ability of the body to regulate body temperature. Dehydration that corresponds to about 2 percent decrease in the body weight may result in the reduction of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) by as much as 20 percent. This is a lot of reduction of aerobic capacityand generally, poor performance.  The WBC junior welterweight championship fight between our ObisiaNwankpa and Jamaican SaoulMamby in Lagos in 1981 perfectly illustrate this.Nwankpa was over the limit at weighing in and had to shed the extra weight by running several laps of the stadium tracks. He led the fight up until the 7th round and ran out of gas. He was knocked down twice and lost the fight on points. This was a fight his opponent had no chance of winning.

Malnutrition involves inadequate intake of calories as well as other macronutrients and micronutrients. In these conditions for the athlete in training, lean body mass (which is muscle) weakens, easy tendency to fatigue and reduced physical performance.

In situations where unregulated weight losses have happened, several measures can be taken to aid the recovery of the athletes from the untoward effects of the weight loss.

These strategies include:

i.Rehydration

Fluids and electrolytes should be consumed to replace those lost through dehydration, especially in a hot environment. Replacing about 150 percent of the volume of fluids that was lost has been found to be very effective. For this purpose, fluids with electrolytes are recommended over plain water.  Rehydration is faster with electrolytes. Besides, the osmolality of the blood is not disturbed when appropriate electrolyte solutions are used. With plain water, the osmolality of the blood is disturbed. In lay language the blood will be too dilute.

ii.Carbohydrate Build Up

It has been established that weight loss in athletes by whatever method is accompanied by a reduction in the carbohydrate stores in the muscle. Restriction of food and fluid as strategies for making weight (about 60%) of glycogen store in the muscle and the liver. To aid the recovery of such athletes, they are advised to consume high glycemic index carbohydrate-rich foods as soon as signs of the consequences of drastic reduction in body weight are observed.

•To be continued next week, even as you Keep Attacking

Ken Anugweje is a proffesor of Sports Medicine at the University of Port Harcourt

In general, making weight has become unavoidable in many sports. Allowances should therefore, be made to accommodate fluctuations in the weights of athletes from the off-season, through the pre-season, to the competition season. Athletes and their coaches should avoid drastic short term weight loss effort and adopt well-planned long-term strategies to achieve competition weights. For weight-division sports, making weight should be avoided if the weigh-in is very close to competition time because there may be insufficient time to carry out adequate nutritional replacement strategies.

One of the methods employed by athletes to make weight is the use of diuretics.

Diuretics, commonly known as “water pills” increase the passage of blood water in urine. They are used in the treatment of certain types of hypertension and heart failure and are inexpensive and readily available. However, they are very prominent on the WADA prohibited list. They are regarded as masking agents that are used to conceal the use of other prohibited substances. Many athletes have been penalized for the use of diuretics.