title: Muscle contraction velocity, strength and power output changes following different degrees of hypohydration in competitive olympic combat sports.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is habitual for combat sports athletes to lose weight rapidly to get into a lower weight class. Fluid restriction, dehydration by sweating (sauna or exercise) and the use of diuretics are among the most recurrent means of weight cutting. Although it is difficult to dissuade athletes from this practice due to the possible negative effect of severe dehydration on their health, athletes may be receptive to avoid weight cutting if there is evidence that it could affect their muscle performance. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate if hypohydration, to reach a weight category, affects neuromuscular performance and combat sports competition results.
  
  
  METHODS
  We tested 163 (124 men and 39 woman) combat sports athletes during the 2013 senior Spanish National Championships. Body mass and urine osmolality (UOSM) were measured at the official weigh-in (PRE) and 13-18 h later, right before competing (POST). Athletes were divided according to their USOM at PRE in euhydrated (EUH; UOSM 250-700 mOsm · kgH2O(-1)), hypohydrated (HYP; UOSM 701-1080 mOsm · kgH2O(-1)) and severely hypohydrated (S-HYP; UOSM 1081-1500 mOsm · kgH2O(-1)). Athletes' muscle strength, power output and contraction velocity were measured in upper (bench press and grip) and lower body (countermovement jump - CMJ) muscle actions at PRE and POST time-points.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At weigh-in 84 % of the participants were hypohydrated. Before competition (POST) UOSM in S-HYP and HYP decreased but did not reach euhydration levels. However, this partial rehydration increased bench press contraction velocity (2.8-7.3 %; p < 0.05) and CMJ power (2.8 %; p < 0.05) in S-HYP. Sixty-three percent of the participants competed with a body mass above their previous day's weight category and 70 of them (69 % of that sample) obtained a medal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypohydration is highly prevalent among combat sports athletes at weigh-in and not fully reversed in the 13-18 h from weigh-in to competition. Nonetheless, partial rehydration recovers upper and lower body neuromuscular performance in the severely hypohydrated participants. Our data suggest that the advantage of competing in a lower weight category could compensate the declines in neuromuscular performance at the onset of competition, since 69 % of medal winners underwent marked hypohydration.
authors.affiliation: Human Performance and Sports Science Laboratory, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain ; Exercise Physiology Laboratory, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Pallarés
authors.affiliation: Human Performance and Sports Science Laboratory, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez-Abellán
authors.affiliation: Human Performance and Sports Science Laboratory, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: López-Gullón
authors.affiliation: Human Performance and Sports Science Laboratory, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain ; Exercise Physiology Laboratory, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morán-Navarro
authors.affiliation: Human Performance and Sports Science Laboratory, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De la Cruz-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Exercise Physiology Laboratory, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mora-Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes / Q000523:psychology; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001835:Body Weight; D001914:Boxing; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D003681:Dehydration / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016139:Martial Arts; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D015995:Prevalence; D013546:Sweating; D013894:Thirst; D016482:Urinalysis; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance; D015431:Weight Loss; D014952:Wrestling
keywords: Bench press; Hydration; Olympic wrestling and boxing; Taekwondo; Urine osmolality