How Do Weight Cuts Differ in Thailand VS Western Countries?
Topics covered :
My experiences with both Thailand-style and Western-style weight cuts.
What Thailand-style weight cutting typically involves.
What Western-style weight cutting typically involves.
Why I suspect these differences exist.
Benefits of each style.
Which style I'd recommend for you.
Background
For a bit of context, I’ve fought, trained, and cut weight in both Thailand and the UK; and I currently live in Thailand. I’ve experienced both ‘styles’ of weight cutting personally, and also through the clients that I’ve worked with across many different cultures worldwide.
I’m a qualified nutritionist, so I understand the underlying principles and mechanisms behind the methods. These methods are what tend to be passed on by coaches and teammates, often without an understanding of the principles, AKA the reasons why a certain method works.
Just like in fat loss, if you understand the principle (calorie deficit) then you can pick any method that adheres to this (intermittent fasting, tracking, portion control, etc.).
By ‘weight cutting’, I’m referring to the fight week weight loss, typically temporary weight that comes from mostly non-fat mass and is regained after the weigh-in. This weight mostly comes from body water, glycogen (stored carbohydrate), and gut contents.
Disclaimer: Obviously, there are many exceptions and I’m making generalisations in this article based on my experiences. By a ‘Western’ weight cut, I’m referring to a typical weight cut that I would carry out with a client. Many Westerners follow poor weight cutting practices, I am not referring to those. I’m referring to an evidence-informed weight cut using the best practices available. From my experience, this style tends to be more prevalent in the West, perhaps due to the greater prevalence of nutritionists, or the popularity of MMA which typically involves larger weight cuts.
What are the differences?
Western fighters tend to gradually diet over the ‘fight camp’, then will ‘cut weight’ in the final week prior to the fight using a variety of methods, such as:
Carbohydrate restriction
Water loading/restriction
Sodium restriction
Fibre restriction
Low weight foods
Dehydration
This weight loss will come from a combination of reduced body water, glycogen stores, and gut contents.
It goes without saying that the smartest Western fighters will work with a nutritionist to ensure the weight is made in a safe and efficient way that doesn’t jeopardise their health and allows them to execute a peak performance in the ring; my totally unbiased opinion…of course.
In Thailand, fighters don’t typically ‘diet’ in the Western sense of the word, at least not from what I’ve seen. They don’t tend to work with nutritionists, and typically focus on increased exercise (often longer, more frequent running) to induce any required fat loss.
In fight week, a Thailand-style weight cut often involves:
Running in a sweatsuit.
Maybe reduced portion size or the number of daily meals.
Running in the sweatsuit (a plastic tracksuit designed to trap heat and increase sweating, also called a sauna suit) is employed in most sessions in the lead up to the fight. Fighters will ‘sweat down’ to the weight in their training session and drink back the fluid after, but it may not be fully restored and is usually with plain water, which is not optimal for rehydration.
Over the fight week, a fighter may ‘make weight’ a number of times ahead of the official weigh-in (I did). Often, you will edge slightly closer to the weight class each day as you get progressively dehydrated across the week (not recommended, more on that later).
Following this Thailand-style weight cut, most of the weight loss comes from reduced body water, as a result of dehydration.
One thing I’ve observed here in Thailand is that there doesn’t seem to be a distinction between water weight, body fat weight, and ‘other’ weight. There is frequent weighing before and after most sessions during fight prep, and this misunderstanding of the scale number can lead to confusion amongst your trainers, in some cases.
For example, if you weighed 60kg in the morning (perhaps a little dehydrated, with an empty stomach) and weighed 61kg before the afternoon session (fully hydrated, after having 1-2 meals), there may be some misunderstanding from your trainers, not realising that this isn’t body fat weight that you’ve suddenly gained in a few hours, and is nothing to worry about. If you weigh lighter in the afternoon than in the morning, you’re probably not eating or drinking enough. Just an observation, and something to be aware of.
Why are there differences?
Types of weigh-in and the recovery period differ across cultures.
Western countries typically weigh in the day before the fight, allowing a longer recovery period of 24-36 hours in most cases.
In Thailand, if you have a weigh-in at all, it will often be on the same day as the fight, very early in the morning (5-7 am), meaning there is less time to recover.
Cultural factors, however, are in my opinion the main reason these approaches differ. Ultimately, you are a product of your environment. Here is a summary of the main factors as I see them:
Thai fighters fight more frequently and begin when they are much younger. Their method is deeply ingrained, and large, complex weight cuts would affect their ability to fight so often.
Thai food is typically high carb (rice, noodles), high sodium (soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce), and relatively low in fibre already as white rice is typically consumed and vegetable portions are often small or non-existent in common dishes…
…So, the types of meals you’d need to consume for a Western-style cut (low carb, low sodium) would be hard to find, and weight loss from a low fibre diet would be minimal if their habitual fibre intake is low already.
In Thailand, people mostly eat out for a large proportion of their meals, if not all. This is because it’s cheap to do so (£1-2 per meal, often cheaper than cooking at home), and many Thai fighters eat communally with their gym, so they don’t have much control over what they’re eating.
Further, many boxers don’t have a kitchen in Thailand, especially if living in a small condo or in the gym. Cooking at home requires extra lengths and cost to do, so is not common.
When it comes to dehydration, sauna suits are the most easily available option here in Thailand. Most homes do not have baths, and saunas come with a cost. The weather is hot, so exercise in a sweatsuit is a cost-effective and viable method.
What are the benefits of each?
There are some benefits to each approach - this comes back to understanding the principles.
For a Thailand-style weight cut, frequent training in a sweatsuit leads to heat acclimation. In short, your body gets ‘better’ at sweating, allowing you to sweat a greater amount at a faster rate. Also, don’t underestimate the value of psychologically getting familiar with exposure to an uncomfortable heated environment ahead of the final cut.
The main difference I’d recommend is NOT restricting water when training in the sweatsuit, especially in hot weather (unless you’re doing it to make weight in the final 24 hours). Drink fluid during and after, you will still obtain the benefits of acclimation and won’t suffer harmful dehydration.
A Thailand-style approach could work if doing a small weight cut (up to 3-4% of your body weight). If you have a same-day weigh-in with enough time to fully rehydrate (check with a professional), you could even keep your diet fairly normal across fight week, dehydrate a little in the last 24 hours, and then rehydrate with electrolytes after the weigh-in.
To a certain extent, it’s faster to rehydrate than it is to replenish glycogen (carb) stores. That’s why only when a small magnitude of dehydration is required, this method may be more appropriate than cutting carbohydrates. Again, understand the principle, select the appropriate method. Seek the help of a qualified professional before carrying out any of the methods outlined in this article.
To put it in perspective, most people will lose 2-4% of their body weight in a hard training session, especially in a hot climate, and can easily rehydrate ahead of their next session later that day if they follow the right protocol.
The issue with this style of weight cutting arises when larger weight cuts are required (5%+ of body weight). If you have only one tool, this is your go-to tool, regardless of the situation. Again, having a method vs understanding the principle, starting to see a pattern?
So if more weight loss is required, the only option available is more dehydration. This is when it can get incredibly dangerous and can lead to serious health implications, including death.
A Western-style cut, as described in this article, is much safer. If working with a qualified professional, it should be supported by science, and grounded in principles. This means you will only use the methods appropriate to your situation and won’t have to undergo unnecessary suffering, such as restricting water more than 24 hours prior to the weigh-in (common with the other approach, definitely not recommended).
All of this translates into not only protecting your health but also a much greater chance of performing at your best in the ring, feeling strong and powerful with relentless cardio…
…Rather than feeling drained and slow, and risking not only performance decrements but also your health (it’s easier to get knocked out if you’re dehydrated), and your life if you’ve not followed a suitable protocol.
Which should I do?
It should be clear by now that a Western-style weight cut, in the sense that I’ve described it today, is the safest approach, and the one most likely to lead to peak performance.
Work with a professional if at all possible. If you’re serious about this sport, prioritising your performance is an essential component of a long and successful career.
If it’s not possible to hire a professional right now, continue to consume free content. You’ve already made a good start with this article! Consider checking out my other free content such as other articles on my website, my Instagram profile, and my Muay Thai Nutrition Podcast.