Questions for the Martial Artists - BJJ Weight for Comp.

[Tapeworm]

I am currently training in BJJ having recommenced martial arts after a 10 year hiatus. I am now faced with the choice of staying in my current weight class (under 88.3kgs/194.5pounds) which I am well short of the limit or trying to cut down and make weight in the lower one (under 82.3kgs/181). For BJJ I am a rank novice. First comp is in approx 6 months. There may be minor ones before this, but these I am not worried about. Of course weight is with gi, so that accounts for 2kgs/4.4 pounds.


Current situation:-
Age: 34. Weight: 83kgs (183 pounds), approx body fat 12%.


Training:-
BJJ twice a week. Conditioning/aerobic ~3 times per week (work requirement). Lifting 2x per week.

Lift stats (1RM):-
Squat: 135kgs (297 pounds)
Deadlift: 140kgs (308 pounds)
Bench: 80kgs (176 pounds)
Press: 55kgs (121 pounds)
PC: 70kgs (154 pounds)

Note: Some of the lifts are a little screwy - had surgery 6 weeks ago on my elbow to remove a bone chip. I could squat during this time but not much else. Numbers are on the up on all lifts, however.

Question:-
For those who have been in a similar situation have you found it better to hover above the cut-off of the weight class and cut back near competition or to push up strength/weight as much as possible into the next category but be stronger (and perhaps a tad more "padding")?


Cheers.

[hbriem]

As a general rule of thumb, no matter what the sport, raw novices should not worry about making a lower weight class. Just find one you're comfortable in.

Your weight and body composition will change as you train and there's no benefit in derailing that for a competition that doesn't matter.

Later on, when you're more advanced, this will change and the best strategy will be to be a little over the limit and cut back just before the weigh-in. Don't worry about it after less than a year of training though.

[OCG]

How tall are you?

You're also a rank novice lifter.

[Tapeworm]

Height:- 180cm, 5'11".

[Tapeworm]

You're also a rank novice lifter.

Compared to others who do BJJ (or similar) or to those who only lift? If the former, what are some "benchmarks" that should be aimed for?

[JCavin]

Heh, just do your own weight class.

You'll most likely end up grappling guys that are well beyond the rank of the belt they are wearing anyways(at least in most of my grappling tourney experiences). That happens a lot. It's an ego thing for them.

However, it is still a load of fun no matter what.

[Gerald Boggs]

In my current life I have little experience, but in my past life, much. If you watch your weight while training, you will be sore and tired all the time (even if you don't realize it, which was the state I was in for most of my twenties and early thirties) Enjoy the ride and the best way to do that, is to eat, sleep and not think about weight class. What happens, happens.

You'll most likely end up grappling guys that are well beyond the rank of the belt they are wearing anyways(at least in most of my grappling tourney experiences). That happens a lot. It's an ego thing for them.

This is true and adding, lots of schools hold back on the belts. I only made it to blue with four strips, before my back stopped the training. When I got my second strip from Rorion, I was training part time at a school about three hours away (nothing in my town) I was good enough for Rorion, but many of the white belts there could smoke me. They should have been high striped blues, but so the school could look good at tournaments, they were held back on ranking. There were guys there, that had been training for three years and still whites.

[Mark Edward]

Don't fucking worry about weight class until and unless you become a serious competitor. Just train, dude.

[Minno5]

I've been competing and instructing bjj for about 10-12 years...I used to cut 15-20 pounds the week of a tourney, for the last 2 years, since becoming involved in SS training I do not cut at all...my performances at the tourneys are much better and I have more energy throughout the weekend. Just my 2 cents