Weight Classes

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the late post this week, been a bit hectic with lots of clients stepping on stage or in the ring!
After the latest article on Combat Clinic a few people have been asking me about what 'being in shape' is or more specifically, what would the best weight class be. Since this is a question that I get asked a lot, I thought I would pop up a blog on my opinion on the factors of picking a weight class.
Firstly, as I don't know you, I strongly advise having a talk with your coach or consulting an individual.

Shoot me an E mail with pictures of you from the front, back and both sides along with your sport, height and age and I can always give you a GUESS of what you should be looking for (no charge for guesses lol).

Firstly lets have a brief chat about weight classes and what they mean to most people. For the purpose of this discussion, we will talk about weight classes with a same day weigh in. Day before weigh ins lead to all types of weight manipulation methods that are well beyond the scope of this mini article.

Also I am going to talk about dropping to a weight class as this is generally the most sought after goal.

The first thing that I talk to all my athletes about, is that the goal of picking a weight class is to be the strongest, fastest, fittest person in your weight class. This for most people means being as lean and as muscular as possible (less fat = more muscle you can carry, therefore be stronger in your class). So if you are out of shape, you need to get this under control. Start a sensible diet that will allow you to shed fat while keeping muscle. Continue this plan till you can see your abs and have no love handles. When you are in this shape, most people are roughly 5-10 pounds away from an ideal weight class.

Ok, so you are about to enter an event that has a same day weigh in and you are wondering what class to enter. Things to consider;

• How far away is the event?
• How serious is the event?
• What shape are you in?

The answers to these questions will gauge which class you enter. For example if it is a small grappling comp that you are entering for something to do on a weekend, the weight that you are at first thing on that morning is probably the best. However if you are entering a tournament 12 weeks away and you are carrying a few extra pounds, you have the time to drop 12-16 pounds. This means you can make an educated decision about which to enter.

The point here is that you should have a long term plan to be the best fighter possible. Does this mean that you shouldn't enter an event or competition till you have reached your goal? It's up to you.

Personally, I think it is a good idea to compete as you are dropping weight purely to gain experience. 
Weight classes is a very tricky (and sometimes touchy) subject. Combat sports is the only sports that have weight classes and it is sometimes hard to explain to someone who doesn't compete how important they are.

Many average fighters have become great fighters when they found the right class for them. Pick yours carefully and reap the rewards!

As always, if you have any questions I would love to hear them!

Stay healthy,


Mike