Luke Barnatt gained a unanimous decision win over Collin Hart at The Ultimate Fighter Finale, Saturday, April 13. Barnatt weighed in at 185 lbs via The Dolce Diet the day before.
Cutting weight has long been ingrained in the culture of professional combat sports. Today the vast majority of fighters still seek to exploit the day before weigh-ins and by cutting weight, give themselves a clear size and strength advantage over their opponents. Believe it or not, some fighters worry more about making weight than they do about their opponent. Cutting weight can undoubtedly be a cruel process and it’s no secret that it isn’t always undertaken in the most professional manner. Some athletes will practically starve themselves, use saunas or sweat suits and some have even taken drugs amongst other drastic measures in order to reach their goals.
One man who is well acquainted with the process of cutting weight is Mike Dolce. Dolce, a Las Vegas based nutritionist who also describes himself as a longevity coach, is regularly hired to assist elite mixed martial artists with their cut. Vitor Belfort, Gray Maynard, Rampage Jackson and Johny Hendricks are just some of the world-class fighters who have reaped the rewards of Dolce’s expertise in recent years. Dolce’s interest in nutrition is a longstanding one and originally evolved alongside his own athletic pursuits as a wrestler, powerlifter and mixed martial artist. Here he gives an introductory overview regarding his philosophy on the art of cutting weight.
“Really there’s no magic pill,” says Dolce. “It’s about maintaining a professional approach, not just in the build up to a fight but throughout an athlete’s entire career. It’s that blue-collar mind-set and making simple healthy choices. Three weeks before the fight my fighters are at about 7% body fat and throughout the entire process remain the epitome of perfect health. It’s all done in cycles, three weeks, six weeks, nine weeks, setting goals for each week. I call it ‘skewing’. I tell my athletes they’re skewing in the right direction and that we’re always getting better day-by-day.”
‘The art of cutting weight is a matter of peaking. It’s a very scientific process but in general, I try to bring a healthy and practical approach. So many fighters look dreadful on the scales because they’re so dehydrated. Unlike some others, my fighters stay hydrated throughout the entire process of cutting. The day of the weigh-in is never going to be easy, no matter what. However, the day before the weigh-in, the fighter should be fine.”
According to Dolce, the process of cutting weight remains stigmatised because of the somewhat primitive methods that are still in use.
“It’s unfortunate that the art of cutting weight hasn’t evolved much in the history of professional combat sports. The sports themselves have evolved whether it’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or western boxing but cutting weight for many is still seen as a crude process. Take Brandon Rios (lightweight boxer) for example. He turns up to press conferences in plastic suits. Can you believe it? Two days before a fight and he’s still wearing those plastic suits to try and sweat it out.”
Ultimately for Dolce, a healthy weight cut is about more than what happens in the weeks leading up to a fight. The choices made in between camps are crucial, not only to the weight cut itself, but so that combat athletes can make the most out of what is essentially a very short career. He uses the example of two world-class boxers to highlight the consequences of positive and negative lifestyle choices.
‘Take Ricky Hatton for example. He was an extremely gifted and capable athlete whose career ended too soon because he didn’t take care of his body in between fights.” Hatton, the former light-welterweight champion who retired recently at the age of thirty-three was infamous for his massive weight-gain in between fights. “Then you have a guy like Bernard Hopkins at the other end of the scale,” says Dolce. “He’s forty-eight years old, takes great care of his body and as a result is still competing at the highest level and could be fighting well into his fifties.’ In fact, just days after this interview, the forty-eight year old Hopkins won the IBF light-heavyweight crown against the thirty-one year old Tavoris Cloud. In doing so he broke his own record to become once again, the oldest man in boxing history to win a major world title.
In an ideal world as espoused by Mike Dolce, combat athletes would incorporate cutting weight into their everyday lives whether there’s a fight coming up or not. It’s a tough ask for those who like to kick back in between fights but look at Bernard Hopkins and Dolce’s message is clear. Discipline and dedication are much more than just sports clichés – they’re the building blocks of future victories.
For more information on Mike Dolce and The Dolce Diet – visit http://www.thethedolcediet.com
Click to View Original Article Posted on MuscleAndFitness.com
Photo by Ed Mulholland Twitter: @Muls96
Kris shared his inspirational weight loss story with us via Mike Dolce’s Twitter page @thedolcediet and his transformation is incredible! Way to go, Kris!
@TheDolceDiet Thank you for giving us the tools for better health. As of today, down 100 pounds since August 20 2012 ~@krisv79
You asked for it and The Dolce Diet answered! Now you can get all of Mike Dolce’s #1 best selling books PLUS the Dolce Diet Signature T-shirt made famous at weigh-ins around the world in one great package! Introducing The Dolce Diet GOLD PACKAGE!
The GOLD PACKAGE includes The Dolce Diet: LIVING LEAN, The Dolce Diet: LIVING LEAN COOKBOOK, The Dolce Diet: Three Weeks to Shredded and The Dolce Diet Signature T-shirt!
PLUS, for a limited time we’re offering FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING! Begins shipping Nov. 15!
Check out this video where Mike answers over 65 different questions on a variety of topics asked by members of The Dolce Diet Facebook page! Feel free to ask your own question and join in the fun!
We’re thrilled to announce #1 bestsellers The Dolce Diet: LIVING LEAN and The Dolce Diet: LIVING LEAN COOKBOOK are now available in 18 additional countries via the iTunes iBookstore!
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Venezuela
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Canada
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States
by Mike Dolce
The increased popularity of Mixed Martial Arts has the words “weight cut” falling off people’s lips like it’s a trend. In fact, the weight-cut process walks a very precise, often dangerous line between what is healthy and what is hapless, and should not be taken lightly – pun definitely intended!
I define a weight cut as a temporary reduction of the body’s water volume. Keyword here? TEMPORARY!
A weight cut is something an athlete does for a weight-class delineated competition. This athlete is typically already at a healthy bodyweight with an ideal ratio of lean mass to bodyfat while training for his or her competition.
Weight loss, is something most people pursue in an effort to become healthier, leaner and to create the ability to live a more vibrant, fuller life. Weight loss focuses on the elimination of non-functional weight – the weight that is bogging you down and getting you nowhere! It interferes with our function as a healthy and thriving individual.
If you weigh 195 lbs. at 20 percent body fat you have 39 lbs. of body fat and 156 lbs. of muscle, bones, skin and organs, or functional weight.
At 20 percent body fat you have no idea what your abs look like and are at a high risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and early death.
Now, if you weigh 195 lbs. at 10 percent body fat, you look absolutely amazing. You only have 19.5 lbs. of nonfunctional fat, most of which is insulation from the environment, protects your joints and ligaments and serves as readily usable energy. You also have 175.5 lbs. of functional bodyweight, which is quite a lot compared to the chubbier version of yourself.
How different is 20 lbs. of muscle? I like to tell people to picture a 16 oz. steak sitting on your dinner plate. Now multiply that by 20 and stick them all over your body like Lady Gaga’s meat dress. Yes, 20 lbs. of lean muscle is quite substantial.
What does 20 lbs. of body fat look like? A great visual would be to fill up two entire gallon milk jugs of butter and cottage cheese, plus another two liter soda bottle of the same and pour it in a backpack, or better yet a REALLY BIG fanny pack sloshing around your hips! How would it feel slugging around that load of lard???
For the average man, we should maintain body-fat levels at approximately 10 percent. I don’t care if you are happy being 12 percent or you say, “I’m too old to be lower than 15 percent,” – that is your preference. You can drive around in a ’89 Honda Accord with low miles, but have you seen that new Cadillac CTS Coupe?!
Professional athletes should be around 7 percent for competition purposes. With my athletes, I make sure they are at 7 percent body fat three weeks before competition so we can increase their calories as competition nears. In essence, we feed them onto the scale.
The last couple pounds, (or dozen pounds depending on the athlete), is simply a matter of adjusting electrolytes, stimulating their metabolism and managing their digestive environment. A much simpler way of putting this is to feed them familiar, nutrient dense, easy to absorb foods, at even intervals, but not so much to slow digestion, in fact, just enough to speed it up.
Ladies, you should aim for 20 percent body fat as your daily walk around weight and closer to 16 percent for most higher levels of athletics.
This means the average 130 lb. woman at 20 percent body fat would hold 26 lbs. of non-functional body fat and 104 lbs. of functional lean mass weight.
That same female, if she were a competitive athlete, would best be suited in the vicinity of 16 percent body fat, would carry 20.8 lbs. of non-functional body fat and 109.2 lbs. of functional lean mass weight.
It means, do you really want to look your best or are you going to be happy with just looking a little better, which is fine but it is well below your potential.
Let’s face it, life is much more enjoyable with your clothes off! Before you drag this article into the gutter, I’m referring to the confidence you feel when you walk into a room with a tight waistline hidden behind your little black dress or form-fitting suit.
Who doesn’t want to be the first one in the pool with zero reservations about pulling off your shirt?
Why wouldn’t you want to keep the lights on when you are, umm, getting undressed?
The point is, aim for your best, enjoy where you are but always strive to do better.
Take it from me. I used to weigh 280 lbs. while training as a power lifter. This was my choice, and even though my ego was constantly gratified with bigger numbers on the barbell and trophies on my mantle, I hated the feeling of my belly sitting on my belt as I drove in my truck.
Once I decided to change my goals and purse a longevity-based lifestyle, I immediately began to love myself. I had enormous energy, a much improved sense of self and also the confidence of setting a goal and seeing it all the way through to the end.
Above, is a picture of the new me at 195 lbs. at 5 percent body fat, and the old me who once weighed 280 lbs. at 22 percent body fat!
Many of us, myself included, must be focused on fat loss and functional bodyweight. Not “cutting weight.”
If you’re beginning your weight-loss journey and would like more information about my methods, please check out The Dolce Diet: LIVING LEAN, available in paperback and eBook at Amazon, Amazon UK, iTunes, Barnes & Noble and The Book Depository.
It’s here! The companion cookbook to Mike Dolce’s #1 international bestseller The Dolce Diet: LIVING LEAN will be available Friday, July 6 for instant download on Nook and Kindle for $9.99 (USD).
The Dolce Diet LIVING LEAN Cookbook features 100 new recipes that are interchangeable for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as snack and dessert options.
Mike Dolce is known for his whole-foods approach. All the recipes in the cookbook are all-natural and most feature Vegan, Gluten-Free, Health-Minded and Athlete variations.
The Dolce Diet LIVING LEAN Cookbook will be available for download in the iTunes iBookstore by mid-July. A print version will follow at a later date, to be announced.
