Methods and magnitudes of rapid weight loss in judo athletes over pre-competition periods

Abstract

Purpose. The study aimed to analyse the methods and magnitudes of rapid weight loss (rWL) in judo team members in distinct periods before the biggest state competition in Southern Brazil. Methods. Twelve male judo athletes took part in the study. The data collection was performed in three periods: (1) three months before the biggest state competition, (2) one week before the competition, (3) the day prior to the event. Anthropometric assessment and the rapid Weight Loss Questionnaire were performed. Student's t-test and ANOVA were applied, with the significance level set at p < 0.05. Results. The main results showed that the majority of athletes reduced 7.1 ± 6.8 kg and started to lose weight to compete 13-16 years earlier. Increasing exercises (91.7%) and restricting fluid intake (41.7%) were the most frequent methods of weight loss. The judo coach/sensei was the person who most influenced the rWL procedure (58.3%). The athletes reduced 5% of their body weight (p < 0.01), 2.4% of their body fat (p < 0.01), and 2% of their fat-free mass (p = 0.04). Conclusions. We conclude that rWL was a common and premature practice in the athletes in the study. The most common methods were increasing exercise volume and restricting fluid and food intake. The coach/sensei was the most influential person in this practice. The judo athletes presented decreases in body fat and fat-free mass during the period prior to the competition.

Prevalence of Rapid Weight Loss Practices and Their Profiles Among Non-Elite Combat Athletes in Kuching, East Malaysia

“…J. Sport Tourism 2019, 26(1), [14][15][16][17][18][19] practised RWL reported that they would take less than 7 days to reduce their weight before competition. This finding is consistent with the results of a study conducted among taekwondo athletes, where the body weight reduction was within the range of 4-6 kg; however, in terms of the duration of reducing weight, our study reported a shorter duration (7 days) compared to the 10-20 days in the taekwondo study [29].…”

“…J. Sport Tourism 2019, 26(1), [14][15][16][17][18][19] tionnaire enquired about the respondents' awareness with respect to the adverse effects of practising RWL.…”

“…J. Sport Tourism 2019, 26(1), [14][15][16][17][18][19] A prevalence of RWL as high as 60-90% was observed in several studies that investigated wrestling and judo competitions [5]. Such practices are commonly found at higher competition levels, where more aggressive weight management strategies are used.…”

“…In addition, Pettersson et al [18] discovered that in order for combat athletes to cope with pressure, self-doubt, and anxiety, they would focus on controlling their diet and body weight as part of a self-disciplinary approach. The results of a study conducted in Brazil among judo athletes practising RWL showed that it was harmful, but the adverse effects were temporary and could be normalised within a short period of time [19].…”

The effect of rapid weight loss on body composition and circulating markers of creatine metabolism in judokas

“…The most frequently used RWL methods were dehydration and decreased energy intake (Artioli, et al, 2007), which were accompanied, as any RWL method usually is, by many adverse health effects (Sagayama, et al, 2014) and various biochemical, hematological and hormonal disturbances (Filaire, Maso, Degoutte, Jouanel, & Lac, 2010;Khodaee et al, 2015;Shimizu, et al, 2011). Specifically, a 7-day RWL negatively affects fat-free mass (Jlid, Maffulli, Elloumi, Moalla, & Paillard, 2013;Kons, Athayde, Follmer, & Detanico, 2017;Sagayama, et al, 2014) and might distress kidney function (Kanda, Muneyuki, Suwa, & Nakajima, 2015). In contrast with the plethora of papers focusing on boxing or wrestling (for a review, see Fogelholm, 1994), only few studies investigated the effects of RWL in judo athletes.…”