The Science of Weight Cutting: What Combat Athletes Get Wrong About Making Weight

Weight cutting is one of the most misunderstood parts of combat sports — and one of the most dangerous when done wrong. On the Building a Fighter podcast, Dr. Austin Schoen talked with sports dietitian Alex Lamond, who's worked with Australian boxers, Muay Thai champions, and Jiu Jitsu national champions, about what actually happens to your body during a cut and how to do it without wrecking your performance.

1. A cut isn't just "eat less" — it's a science

Weight cutting done right accounts for your starting body composition, timeline to weigh-in, sport demands, and recovery window before competition. Random restriction and last-minute sauna sessions aren't a strategy — they're a gamble with your performance on fight night.

2. Heat acclimation changes what your body can safely handle

Athletes who train in heat regularly adapt their sweat response and cardiovascular efficiency over time, which changes how they should approach water loading and dehydration protocols. A cut plan that ignores this is working against your physiology, not with it.

3. Water loading protocols are precise, not guesswork

There's a real science to water loading before a cut — timing, volume, and tapering all matter. Done incorrectly, it either fails to create the intended effect or leaves an athlete dangerously depleted heading into weigh-ins.

4. Female athletes need a different conversation entirely

Cycle-related fluid shifts, hormonal timing, and communication style all change how a cut should be planned and discussed with female athletes. A one-size-fits-all approach — built around male physiology — routinely gets this wrong.

5. Nutrient timing matters more after the cut than during it

The window between weigh-ins and competition is where a lot of fighters lose the benefit of an otherwise well-executed cut. Rehydration, electrolyte replacement, and strategic carb and protein intake in those hours are what determine whether you show up to compete at full strength or running on empty.

Cutting weight safely isn't about toughing it out — it's about having a plan built on your body, your sport, and your timeline. If your current approach to making weight feels more like survival than strategy, that's worth a conversation. Explore our coaching programs at buildingafighter.com, or listen to the full episode with Alex Lamond on the Building a Fighter podcast.