Abstract
The practice of strategies for rapid weight loss (RWL) involve diverse factors, such as individual expectations, social interactions, structural elements, etc., conforming to a “culture” of RWL, which must be evaluated and understood in a broad sense. Based on the need of a comprehensive evaluation of the use of RWL in practitioners of combat sports, an ad hoc questionnaire designed for this study, which includes the types and detailed descriptions of RWL strategies, that athletes currently use, the prevalence and frequency of use, the physiological and psychological consequences, the perception of the effect of RWL on their own performance and finally, the individuals who influence the adoption of this practice. One hundred and sixty combat athletes from wrestling and taekwondo disciplines, from Mexico, filled out this questionnaire. Data collected for their statistical analyses. Results revealed a RWL strategies prevalence of 96% across the participants. Our results revealed that 57% of those athletes using RWL lose more than 5% of their body mass. Across the athletes, the most commonly used RWL strategies and with higher intensity were increased exercise and training with plastic or thick clothes. The greater the relative weight loss, the greater the presence of physiological symptoms in athletes, such as rapid breathing and blood pressure. Athletes also mentioned mood states such as tiredness, sadness, confusion, fatigue and vigor, these last two positive and negative mood states are associated with the relative weight loss, respectively. Finally, the people who most influenced the adoption of RWL strategies were the coaches, parents and nutritionists. In conclusion, the questionnaire prepared for this study allowed us to obtain valuable information about the several factors, and their interactions, involved in the practice of RWL in combat athletes. This type of practice could increase health risks and decrease their performance. Therefore, here we state the importance of a comprehensive evaluation of RWL strategies that allows the development of psycho-educational and social-based interventions and programs for the promotion of proper weight maintenance, and prevention against RWL strategies, involving the individuals who influence the adoption of these practices and supporting it with the help of communication technologies.
Highlights
Combat sports are internationally practiced, and they are characterized by categorizing athletes by body mass (BM) into weight divisions or classes to minimize differences in size and strength among competitors
We found that 96% (n = 153) of the participants reported use of strategies for rapid weight loss (RWL), from this sample the relative weight loss was calculated only for 148 athletes
This allows dividing the sample in two groups: 57.40% of the athletes who practice strategies for RWL lose more than 5% of their BM, while 42.60% lose
Summary
Combat sports are internationally practiced, and they are characterized by categorizing athletes by body mass (BM) into weight divisions or classes to minimize differences in size and strength among competitors. To ensure that athletes fulfill the weight requirements, an official weigh-in is done before the competition. The weigh-in procedures are different between the diverse Olympic combat sports, such as: judo, taekwondo (tkd), boxing, and wrestling (Reale et al, 2018). The purpose of weight classes is to match athletes with similar body build to create an equal level of competition and minimize the risk of injury between opponents (Jetton et al, 2013)
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