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How To Lose 20-30 Pounds In 5

Days: The Extreme Weight

Cutting and Rehydration SecretsofUFCFighters99 CommentsWritten by Tim Ferriss

Topics: Physical Performance

The following is a guest post by Nate Green, who works with Dr. John

Berardi, nutritional advisor to athletes like UFC champion Georges St.

Pierre (GSP).

This is the first of two blog posts entailing extreme physical

experiments. Absolutely no performance enhancing drugs of any kind

were used.

Part 1 this post details exactly how topfighters like Georges

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St. Pierre rapidly lose 20-30 pounds for weigh-ins.To refine themethod, Nate performed this on himself, losing 20 pounds in 5 days.

The unique part: Dr. Berardi and team measured key variables

throughout the entire process, including the last rehydration phase. As

Berardi put it:

We used GSPs exact protocol with him [Nate]. The idea was that by doingthis with a guy who didnt actually have to compete the next day, we could

measure all sorts of performance variables that youd never get with an

athlete about to fight.

Part 2 the next post will share how Nate used intermittentfasting and strategically planned eating to gain 20 pounds in 28

days, emulating a fighter who wants(or needs) to move up a weightclass in competition.

Cautionary Note on Part 1

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)fighters put it all out in the open for the world

to see: they kick, punch, laugh, cry, and bleed in front of thousands of

arena fans and millions morewatching at home.But even if youre a hardcorefan who knows all the stats, theres

something behind the scenes that youve probably never seen in full:

world-class weight manipulation

Done right, it can significantly increase a fighters chances of winning.

An athlete will artificially lower his weight for pre-fight weigh-ins, then

show up to the actual fight 10, 20, or even 30pounds heavier than hisopponent. Its a game changer.

Done wrong, it can make even the toughest guy lose his edge and

probably the fight. Theres serious risk of organ failure if done

haphazardly.

Even though boxers and wrestlers have been manipulating weight in

this fashion for decades, it has the air of illicit activity. And though its

legal in MMA competition, you should *never* try this at home or

without medical supervision. Excessive dehydration can kill you.

Cutting weight has no place in real-world dieting or behavior.

This is NOT an article on sustainable weight loss or healthy living.Rather, its a fascinating look at how far athletes and scientists will go to

manipulate the human body for competitive advantage.

Heres how it works

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Enter Nate

Imagine this: Its Saturday night and youre a top-rankedMMAfighter

who just stepped into the cage to fight for the 170-pound Welterweight

Championship.

Question:How much do you weigh?

The answer may seem obvious: 170 pounds, right? But if you followed

the steps of extreme weight manipulation, the real answer is that you

weigh somewhere between 185 and 190 pounds. Thats 15-20

poundsmorethan the cutoff weight of 170.

24 hoursbeforeyou stepped into the cage, however, you did in fact

weigh 170 pounds. You had to. Friday night was the official weigh-in

where you and your opponent both stripped down to your skivvies,

steppedon the scale in front of the judge, and prayed that the numberon the scale hit 170or lower.But once you stepped off that scale it was a race to gain weight.

I find this kind of physiological puppetry very interesting. Most of us

regular guys have a hard time gaining or losing just 5pounds at a time.But the top combat athletes can lose up to 30 pounds in just

5

daysleading up to the fight. Then they can gain nearly all of it back in

the 24 hours between weighing in and going toe-to-toe.

They do this to gain a massive competitive advantage. In other words,

the bigger guy who retains more of his strength, agility, and endurance

will likely win. The guy who weighs in at 170 and thenfightsat 170 often has a worldof hurt coming his way.Thats why Anderson Silvaarguably the worlds bestMMAfighter normally fights in the 185

-pound class even though he actually weighs

215 pounds. A few days before he fights, Anderson cuts 30 pounds to

make weightthen gains most of his weight back in 24hours in time forhis fight.

Georges St Pierre arguably the worlds 2nd best fighternormallywalks around at 195 pounds. He ends up cutting 25 pounds to make his

170 pound weight class, and then gains 20 of it back beforehis fight.Sneaky, huh?

Just how do these guys do it? And what does this rapid weight loss and

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weight gain do to their performance?

My Extreme Weight Manipulation Experiment

Im lucky enough to be friends with Dr. John Berardiand MartinRooney,two guys who regularly work withUFCathletes.

Recently, I told them I wanted to see what cutting weight was like.Is itreally possible for a regular guy like me to drop 20pounds in a few daysthen gain all of it back in 24hours?And if it was possible, what would itfeellike? I heard cutting weight was

one of the hardest things fighters do throughout their career. Was I man

enough to handle it? Or would I give up when things got tough?

They agreed to help me cut 20pounds in one week, and then put it allback on again in 24hours.Nervous doesnt even begin to explain how I felt.

The Smart Way To Cut Weight Fast

Before pics. Full of water and feeling happy.Now extreme weight manipulation can go horribly, horribly wrong. Even

a lot ofUFCguys dont know how to do it the smart way. Instead, they

put their bodies in real harm by doing stupid things like taking a lot of

diuretics, not drinking any water, skipping meals, wearing trash bags

while exercising (sometimes in the sauna) and generally being idiotic.

They lose weight, of course. But they also lose energy and power and

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develop one bad temper. None of which helps during fight time.

With the help of Dr. Berardi and Rooney, I decided to take a smarter

route, instead of putting my health in serious jeopardy.

I started at 190.2pounds and had 5days to lose 20pounds.Heres a breakdown of the nutritional strategies we used the sameone Georges St Pierre and other eliteMMAfighters use before a bigfight. (Remember: we know this because Dr. Berardi is Georgesnutrition coach).

STRATEGICALLYDECREASEWATERCONSUMPTION

Dropping weight fast is all about manipulating your water and sodium

levels.

For a fighter who wants to cut weight quickly and safely, heres how

much water he would consume in the 5days leading up to his weigh-in:Sunday2 gallons Monday1 gallonTuesday1 gallonWednesday.5 gallons Thursday.25 gallons FridayNo water till after weigh-in at5PM.

As you can see, the amount of water starts high with two gallons and

decreases with each day till hes drinking hardly any water on Thursdayand Friday.

This is to ensure their body gets into flushing mode.

By drinking lots of water early on, the fighters body will down-

regulatealdosterone, a hormone that acts to conserve sodium and

secrete potassium.

And when he suddenly reduces the amount of water he drinks in the

middle and end of the week, his body will still be in flushing mode,meaning hell hit the bathroom to pee a lot even though hes hardly

drinking any water.

What happens when you excrete more fluid than you take in? Bingo!

Rapid weight loss.

DONTEATMORETHAN50GRAMSOFCARBSPERDAY

Since one gram of carbohydrate pulls 2.7grams of water into the body,its important for fighters to keep their carb intake low.

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By doing this, they also deplete muscle glycogen (a source of energy)

and keep their body in flush mode.

DONTEATFRUIT,SUGAR, ORSTARCHES

These are carbs that should be avoided entirely while cutting.

EATMEALSTHATCONTAINALOTOFPROTEINANDFAT

Fighters have to eatsomething. Since theyre avoiding carbs, Dr.Berardi advises them to load up on high-quality protein like meats, eggs

or a vegetarian sources of protein. Its also the perfect opportunity to eat

lots of leafy vegetables (like spinach) and cruciferous vegetables (like

broccoli and cauliflower).

Georges St Pierre normally has his meals prepared by a private chef sohe doesnt even have to think about this stuff or make decisions.

Recommended reading: heres an entire article detailing GSPs trainingdiet.

DONTEATSALT

Since the body likes to hold on to sodium (which will hold on to water),

dropping salt helps the fighters body flush water out.

CONSIDERANATURALDIURETIC

This step isnt always necessary, but it can help when youre getting

down to the wire and still need to lose water. Opt for a natural diuretic

like dandelion root, but wait until the last 2 days to use it.

TAKEHOTBATHS

We sweat a lot in hot environments. However, we sweat the most in hot,

humid environments. Since hot water offers both heat and 100%

humidity, fighters lose water quickly by taking hot baths and fullysubmerging everything but their nose for 10minutes at a time.SITINTHESAUNA

This is the finishing touch to flush the last few pounds of water and is

only used on the last few days leading up to the weigh-in.

The Weight Cut Schedule

So if we take all of that and break it into a weekly plan, it looks like this:

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SUNDAY

Carbs: Less than 50 grams per day. No fruit, starches, or sugars.Proteinand Fat: As much as you want in 3 meals Water: 2 gallons Salt: NoneMONDAY

Carbs: Less than 50 grams per day. No fruit, starches, or sugars.Proteinand Fat: As much as you want in 3 meals Water: 1 gallonSalt: NoneTUESDAY

Carbs: Less than 50 grams per day. No fruit, starches, or sugars.Proteinand Fat: As much as you want in 3 meals Water: 1 gallonSalt: NoneWEDNESDAY

Carbs: Less than 50 grams per day. No fruit, starches, or sugars.Proteinand Fat: As much as you want in 3 meals Water: 0.5 gallonSalt:NoneSauna in afternoon

THURSDAY

Carbs: Less than 50 grams per day. No fruit, starches, or sugars.Proteinand Fat: Asmuch as you want in 3 meals Water: 0.25 gallonSalt:NoneSauna in afternoon for 30minutes, hot water bath at nightFRIDAY(WEIGHIN AT 6PM)

Carbs: Less than 50 grams per day. No fruit, starches, or sugars.Protein

and Fat: Eat 2 very small meals until weigh inWater: None till weigh-inSalt: NoneSauna until weight is met(Note from Tim:You can download the entire weight-manipulation planthat Nate used here: Weight Loss and Rehydration Protocol.)

What It Feels Like To Cut Weight

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Dry as a bone and none to happy about it.So that all looks fine on paper. But what does it actually feel like to gothrough it?

One word: Hell.

I started my cut on Sunday at 190pounds. Heres a quick rundown ofwhat it looked like.

SUNDAY 190POUNDSI carry a gallon water jug with me wherever I go, which makes me feel

ridiculous. But I have to make sure I get my two gallons of water in.

Overall, though, I feel fine. It actually doesnt seem that difficult. Im not

sure what the big deal is.

MONDAY 187POUNDSIm starting to miss the taste of salt. All of my food is bland. Now Im

drinking one gallon of water instead of two. Still not that bad.

TUESDAY 182POUNDSI go to the bathroom 13times in one day. A new record, I believe. AndIm still drinking a gallon of water.

WEDNESDAY 179POUNDSNow Im down to half gallon of water per day, which means I have to

ration it out, which feels weird.I have a little with breakfast, a little withlunch, and a little with dinner. Its definitely not enough water.

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My mouth is dry. I feel dehydrated. Im drinking straight espresso

instead of drip coffee because it contains too much water.

In the evening, I try my first hot water bath. I generally enjoy baths, but

this ones different. My apartments water doesnt get as hot as Dr.

Berardi wants it to be hot enough to cause moderate pain but notburn your hand so I fill two pots and a kettle with water, put them onthe stovetop until they boil, and pour them into the bath tub.

I get into the bath and immediately regret the decision.

10 minutes later, Im lying naked in the middle of my living room trying to

catch my breath. My eyes are rolled back intomy head. My entire bodyfeels like a giant heartbeat. I want to drink some water, but cant.

This is starting to be less fun.

THURSDAY 175POUNDSI am a zombie. A zombie who sits. Mostly in the sauna or on the couch.

In the sauna I watch beads of sweat collect on my skin. I see my

precious water run down my arms and chest and legs and know that I

wont be able to replenish any of it when I get out.

I only have .25 gallons of water to last me the entire day. Im ready for

this to be over.

FRIDAY 169.7POUNDSAT 5PMI look sick, very sick.

I spend the last 30minutes before the weigh-in in the sauna and drinkfour sips of water throughout the entire day

What Cutting Weight Does To Performance

OK, Ill save you the restof the journal entries and share someperformance data.

While the fighters are tested in competition, no one has ever really

documented how much strength or power they lose by dehydrating. (Or

how much strength and power they regain after they get all their weight

back.)

So we decided to check.

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And it turns out, losing 20 pounds in 5 days is not conducive to being

strong, powerful, or agile. (Surprise!) I couldnt jump as high, lift asmuch weight, or run as fast or as long as I had just a week before

during our baseline testing.

POWERTEST:VERTICALJUMP

Baseline: 31.7 inches After Dehydration: 27.6inchesSTRENGTHENDURANCETEST: 225-POUNDBENCHPRESS

Baseline: 15 reps After Dehydration: 5repsENDURANCETEST:MAXTIMEONTREADMILL

Baseline: 3 minutes and 14 seconds of sprinting at 8mph with 6%inclineAfter Dehydration: 1minute and 28seconds of sprinting at 8mphwith 3%inclineIts no wonder these guys try to gain all their weight back immediately

after weighing in. Theyd be screwed if they didnt.

Speaking of which

The Smart Way To Gain Weight Fast

OnceUFCathletes cut weight and weigh-in, theyd never be able to

perform at a top level. (Which is obvious from my less-than-stellar

performance in the gym).

So what do they do next?They gain as much weight as humanly

possible in 24 hours.

Heres how they do it. (And how I did it, too.)

DRAMATICALLYINCREASEWATERINTAKE.

According to Dr. Berardi, the body can absorb only about 1 liter (2.2

pounds) of fluidat maximumin an hour. So he advises the fightershe works with to not to drink any more than that. Instead, he tells them

to sip 1liter (2.2pounds) of water per hour.However, the fighters wont retain all that fluid. In fact, probably about

25% of it will be lost as urine.

So, heres the math for someone like Georges St Pierre:

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9liters (20pounds) of water to get back.11liters (25pounds) of fluid between Friday weigh-in andSaturday weigh-in to get it all back.

24 hours in which to do it. 8 of which hell be sleeping and 3ofwhich will be leading up to Saturday weigh

-in.

This leaves 13total hours for rehydration.So as soon as Georges steps off the scale, he literally slams a liter ofwater and carries the bottle around with him, refilling it and draining it

every hour until 3hours before his fight. (There isnt a bathroom in thecage.)

EATASMUCHCARBOHYDRATE(ANDPROTEINANDFAT)

ASYOUWANT

Nows also the time for fighters to load up on carbs and pull all the water

theyre drinking back into their muscles. It also helps them feel more

human and look less sickly. (Something I definitely experienced duringmy super-hydration phase.)

Dr. Berardi has his fighters eat a big meal directly after they weigh in.

He doesnt restrict calorieshis athletes can eat as much as they wantin that meal as long as its healthy food like lean meats, sweet potatoes,

rice, and vegetables. (Gorging on junk food is a bad idea.)

Then on Saturday (fight day), Dr. Berardi has his fighters eat a

satisfying amount of healthy food in a few small mealsleading up to thefight.

ADDSALTTOEVERYTHING

Since sodium helps the bodyretain water, fighters are encouraged toadd extra salt to their meals.

Heres what my super rehydration schedule looked like:

The Weight-Gain Schedule

FRIDAYAFTERWEIGH-IN

Carbs: Eat as much as you want in one meal after weigh-in and

testingProtein andFat: Eat as much as you want in one meal afterweigh-in and testingRehydration Beverage: Drink 1 liter of water mixedwith 1/2 scoop of carbohydrate/protein drink for every hour youreawake. (We used Surge Workout Fuel.)Salt: Salt food

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SATURDAY

Carbs: Eat satisfying amount in four meals before weigh-inProtein: Eatsatisfying amount in four meals before weigh-inRehydration Beverage:Drink 1 liter of water mixed with 1/2 scoop of carbohydrate/protein drink

for every hour youre awake but stop 3hours before testing.What Gaining Weight Does To Performance

Back to normal-ish.First things first: Personally, I ended up gaining 16.9 pounds back in 24hours. Not bad.

But the real question: How much strength and power do you really gain

when you super-hydrate?

Answer: A lot.

While I didnt perform as well as my baseline (when I did all the

performance tests before I started the experiment), I gotreally

close.

Which means that even though I put my body through a week of torture,

it was almost 100%.

And I totally annihilated my performance numbers from just 24hoursbefore when I was sickly and dehydrated.

I ran faster and longer, jumped higher, and lifted more weight for more

reps.

POWERTEST:VERTICALJUMP

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Baseline: 31.7 inches After Dehydration: 27.6 inches Re-hydrated: 29inches

STRENGTHENDURANCETEST: 225-POUNDBENCHPRESS

Baseline: 15 reps After Dehydration: 5 reps Rehydrated: 12repsENDURANCETEXT:MAXTIMEONTREADMILL

Baseline: 3 minutes and 14 seconds of sprinting at 8mph with 6%

inclineAfter Dehydration: 1 minute and 28 seconds of sprinting at 8mph

with 3% inclineRehydrated: 3minutes and 25seconds of sprinting at8mph with 6%incline

Lose Weight. Gain Weight. Fight.

For anMMAfighter, this is about the time when hed be getting ready to

step in the cage and fight, which means its about the same time youd

turn on the TV and see him in his corner, jumping up and down, getting

psyched and ready for battle.

How much does he weigh?

Its safe to say at least 10-30 pounds more than the weight class hes

fighting in.

And now you know the secret to extreme weight manipulation,

something 99.9%of guys who watch MMAwill never know.Pretty cool, right?

If you have questions, please put them in the comments and Dr. Berardi

and I will do our bestto answer them.###

Nates not done yet. Next well havePart 2How To Gain 20 Poundsin 28 Days: The Extreme Muscle Building Secrets ofUFCFighters.

For more about Nate and his work on building muscle and gaining

strength, check outScrawny To Brawny.