Abstract
ObjectiveTo observe the effect of rapid weight loss (RWL) methods over 3 days on muscle damage in judokas.MethodsEighteen judokas participated in this crossover study, meaning that judo athletes were subjected to exercise-only phase (4 days) and RWL phase (3 days). Subjects were tested for myoglobin, creatine kinase, aldolase, hemoglobin, and hematocrit values on seven consecutive days. These biomarkers served as indicators of acute muscle damage.ResultsDuring the exercise-only phase, no significant changes were observed. Myoglobin (Mb) (p < 0.001), creatine kinase (CK) (p < 0.001) and aldolase (ALD) (p < 0.001) significantly increased only during the RWL phase, as well as hemoglobin (Hb) (p < 0.001) and hematocrit (Hct) (p < 0.005) values. It was detected that peak values for muscle damage biomarkers were reached on the sixth day, while Hct and Hb values were the highest on the seventh day of the study.ConclusionOur study showed significant muscle damage induced by RWL. The prevalence of RWL use by judokas is high but firm scientific evidence is lacking in the evaluation of the current practice of it. Therefore, further knowledge must be gained to evaluate the effectiveness of RWL on performance and its impact on judokas’ wellbeing.
Highlights
Active elite combat sport athletes regularly experience rigorous training regimens to succeed in competition, which often results in muscle damage (MD)
Serum myoglobin levels significantly increased during the rapid weight loss (RWL) period (F = 10.615, p < 0.001), with the levels exceeding the reference values on the sixth and seventh day (Fig. 1b)
Our study provides evidence that skeletal muscles are damaged to a significant extent and that athletes who undergo rapid weight loss (RWL) and strenuous exercise would likely not be able to perform at peak levels during competition
Summary
Active elite combat sport athletes regularly experience rigorous training regimens to succeed in competition, which often results in muscle damage (MD). It has been reported that nearly 90% of judokas engage in RWL on multiple occasions per year [3]. In other combat sports, including mixed martial arts [4,5,6], jujitsu [5, 7], Brazilian jiu jitsu [5], boxing [8], taekwondo [5, 7, 8], kickboxing [5], and wrestling [5, 8], 60–80% of athletes have reported to engage in some form of weightcutting. As in other combat sports, judokas often employ radical approaches to induce RWL, applying methods such as reduced fluid intake, caloric deficiency, increased physical activity, plastic suit training, heated room training, and sauna [3, 8, 9].
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