Acute weight management in weight division sports w Dr. Reid Reale

Recognized as a leading expert in sport nutrition research and practice, in particular combat sports, Reid has 12+ years experience working with elite, professional and Olympic athletes. Currently, Reid is the Director of Performance Nutrition & Education at the UFC Performance Institute and is based in Shanghai. Before joining the UFC, Reid was employed as a Senior Scientist with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute where he conducted research and provided sports science and nutrition services to elite athletes, including those in the NFL, NBA and MLB. Prior to his role with GSSI, Reid was the lead dietitian for the Australian Institute of Sport’s (AIS) Combat Centre, working with Judo, Boxing, Wrestling and Taekwondo in the lead up to the 2016 Rio Olympics and beyond. In addition to working with Australia’s best combat sport athletes, Reid also completed his PhD at the AIS which focused on weight management in combat sports. As a researcher and speaker, Reid has published heavily cited work in combat sports, and has presented this work at various sports science and nutrition conferences around the world. Reid commonly provides lecture content and training materials to dietitians, universities as well the International Olympic Committee’s Sports Nutrition Diploma course. Aside from his professional, academic and research credentials, Reid possesses a lifelong interest and participation in the martial arts, holding a third degree black belt in BJJ.

In this session, Dr Reid Reale will detail considerations around weight division optimization in combat sports, including body composition and acute weight manipulation. The session will cover weight division fit based on DEXA data, weigh-in /competition format considerations, acute weight loss physiology, and present a case study showing the application of concepts in a real life situation, commenting on individual preferences and psychology.”