Weight regain and handgrip strength during official judo competition

BACKGROUND: Judo is a weight-categorized sport and one of the most difficult challenges for elite judo athletes is to achieve excellent physical fitness and maintain an optimal body mass. The purpose of this study was to examine body composition and maximum isometric handgrip strength fluctuations during weight regain period and during official judo competition.METHODS: Data were collected on a total 108 judo kas (51 females and 57 males). Athletes were tested during an official Serbian judo championship. Anthropometric characteristics and body composition data were collected during official weigh-in and one hour before the start of the competition. Handgrip strength was measured 15 minutes before the official weigh-in, one hour before start of the competition, and after the first fight.RESULTS: Results of the present investigation indicate that male judokas from first five official weight categories gained a significant amount of body weight from the official weigh-in to just before competition. Similar observations were seen in female judo athletes as well. However, significant decrease in handgrip strength within weight category for both hands was noted after post-match vs. pre-match. Interestingly, values recorded before first fight were unexpectedly lower than the corresponding values recorded before the official weigh-in.CONCLUSIONS: After an official weigh-in, majority of athletes regained weight. Also, the results obtained through this study suggest that a judo fight significantly reduces the handgrip strength of both hands. Notably, both genders invested considerably more effort during weigh-in day, than in pre-match measurement.