The reason I am addressing hydration right now is, I have heard reports that have stated, ?Julio Cesar Chavez Jr? weighed in at 180 LBS. during his fight against Zbik, because of rehydrating him.
On June 4th 2011 Julio Cesar Chavez Jr entered the boxing ring against Zbik weighing 180 LBS. This was 20 LBS. heavier then he weighed the day before when he made the middle weight cut off limit at 160 LBS.
Now critics/analysts are saying that I had Julio cut 20 LBS. to make weight and are curious if this is healthy for Julio Cesar Chavez JR.
These critics/analysts have no clue about what they are talking about and it should be the fighter or the coach that speaks on what really happens.
The truth is Julio?s natural weight was around 170-172 pounds the day of the fight. We hyper-hydrated Julio Cesar Chavez JR. immediately after the weigh in, throughout the day of the fight, and all the way up to a specific time before the fight. The reason was so he would actually have more fluid in his body then the body technically needs.
Ingesting water in excess of immediate requirements before exercise in a hot environment offers some protection against heat stress and it improves cooling by increases sweating while delaying dehydration. The result of this has the biggest effect on the heart. This will produce a lower heart rate, which leads to more energy during the fight. Or not gassing out.
Most people do not take into consideration the lights above the ring put out a lot of heat. This heat alone causes you to sweat more. It can be 90 degrees in the ring.
If you lose two percent of your bodyweight through transpiration, your performance declines.
We all know the boxer is going to sweat in the ring. We purposely over-hydrate him, so he is running at optimal levels throughout the entire fight.
The process of hyper-hydration really begins during training. We get the fighters used to is, so it is not an uncommon feeling when they enter the ring.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. weighed in at 169 pounds after the fight. So he lost 12 pounds of water during the fight.
Now all this being said, this has to be done by and expert. I am not recommending fighters start hyper-hydrating themselves. The reason?
Too much water can cause water poisoning. When you consume too much water the normal balance of electrolytes in the body are pushed outside the safe limits, which is potentially fatal.
This is not something someone wants to experiment with. You must have a trained person who has the education behind them to understand what they are doing.
