S4E13 // MMA Fight Island – Physical Demands, Hydration & Weight-Cutting w/ Dr. Reid Reale, PhD

Summary: In Season 4, Episode 13 Dr. Marc Bubbs interviews Dr. Reid Reale, PhD, Performance Nutrition Manager at the UFC’s Performance Institute in Shanghai, China. EPISODE SUMMARY: 3:30 – Reid’s background exercise science and nutrition 4:00 – Physical demands of MMA and competition format 7:45 – Resting metabolic rate (RMR) in adolescent athletes 9:45 – Performance testing at the elite MMA level 15:00 – Transportable RMR devices; worth the price? 17:40 – Academy vs. professional MMA fighters 21:30 – The current evidence-base for MMA fighters 23:40 – How to think about weight-cutting: what can you manipulate? 28:00 – Energy intake leading up to weigh-in 32:40 – Use of water-loading protocols to make weight 35:40 – Hydration testing methods – general to more specific 41:10 – The evolution of research in MMA