We recently came across an interesting experiment by Nate Green examining the extreme weight-cutting practices used by some professional MMA fighters.
The experiment demonstrated something that matters far beyond combat sports: rapid weight loss is not the same thing as improving body composition or performance.
Green dropped roughly 20 pounds in five days through aggressive manipulation of hydration, carbohydrate intake, sodium, food intake, and sweating. The scale moved dramatically—but his physical performance deteriorated with it.
After the cut, his vertical jump fell, his bench-press endurance dropped from 15 repetitions to only 5, and his treadmill performance was dramatically impaired. After rehydrating and restoring nutrients, much of that performance returned.
That is the part of the experiment we find most useful.
Losing Weight Isn't Necessarily Losing Fat
When body weight changes rapidly, much of what is moving on the scale may be water, glycogen, intestinal contents—and potentially lean tissue—not body fat.
For an athlete, preserving functional muscle becomes especially important whenever calories or food intake are restricted.
And this is where targeted essential amino acids can be useful.
Where FUNDAMINOS Fits
FUNDAMINOS provides the essential amino acids the body needs to support muscle protein synthesis without requiring a large meal or large amount of total food.
That makes essential amino acids particularly interesting during periods when:
- calorie intake is reduced,
- appetite is lower,
- total protein intake becomes harder to maintain,
- athletes are attempting to preserve lean mass,
- or training demands remain high despite reduced food intake.
The goal isn't to make an extreme dehydration strategy healthy. It isn't.
The lesson is almost the opposite.
If you're intentionally reducing body weight, you want to protect the biological assets that actually produce performance—especially muscle.
A lower number on the scale means very little if strength, power, recovery, or lean tissue decline along with it.
Performance Tells the Story
Green's experiment also demonstrated how quickly performance could rebound once hydration and nutrients were restored. After rehydration, his bench performance improved from 5 repetitions back to 12, and his treadmill performance actually exceeded his original baseline.
That distinction matters:
Weight is an outcome. Performance and body composition tell you much more about what happened biologically.
Whether you're an athlete trying to make weight or simply trying to become leaner, the better objective is not just losing pounds.
It's improving body composition while preserving muscle, strength, recovery, and performance.
That's exactly why we developed FUNDAMINOS™: targeted essential amino acid support for the tissue you don't want to sacrifice while pursuing the weight you do.