r/judo • u/callmejudoguy • 15h ago
Beginner Judo is making me skinny
Judo is making me skinny, I dunno if I’m losing muscle mass but my arms are so much skinnier compared to when I started. Is this a good or bad thing?
13
u/Emperor_of_All 15h ago
Yeah it is concerning, but judo is not making you "skinnier". It is always a calculation no matter what happens in life. It is simply caloric intake vs caloric output. For your body mass you have to maintain a certain amount of calories. So intake - exercise = net calories.
So my guess would be you are eating the same and then starting judo. You will need to up your calorie intake on the days you do judo, 1 session of judo from online estimates is between 300-800 calories burned.
If you are losing muscle mass it is concerning because it would mean that you are essentially starving yourself. Muscle is one of the first things to go because muscle is highly caloric in your body.
3
u/Sintek 12h ago
Yea. I wore my smart chest tracker for a few times of Judo training.
5'10" 200lbs 26% body fat.
Average calories estimated across 6 different days of training was 718 calories over 2.25 hours
I have gained significant muscle and less body fat. I weigh a little less (190 lbs) so the calories burned per session are probably lower loke around 550 now but.. If you do the work and out in the effort. You're not getting skinny..
5
u/noonenowhere1239 15h ago
How exactly were you built before you began Judo?
All exercise will make you lose weight if you have weight to lose.
Also, size doesn't equal strength.
Were you lean and muscular before? Or a bit flabby?
1
u/callmejudoguy 15h ago
I had a bit of a belly but bigger arms off lifting but I stopped lifting a few weeks before judo. Generally I’m a slim build
9
u/Baron_De_Bauchery 15h ago
Then it could be that you stopped lifting rather than judo causing it. It's not necessarily good or bad. Strength is good in judo but that's also relative to your weight.
6
u/BackflipsAway 12h ago edited 2h ago
Ok, so you stopped lifting, and your arms are getting smaller? Are you sure it's the Judo making your arms smaller and not just the reduced amount of exercise?
If you are losing a concerning amount of mass tho consult your doctor, better safe than sorry.
1
u/BikePlumber 10h ago
Yes, cancer often uses a lot of calories and can cause unwanted, rapid weight loss.
0
u/callmejudoguy 12h ago
I do 3 hours of hard randori a week so I think that could be it
7
u/BackflipsAway 12h ago
I mean randori doesn't exactly equate the same thing as lifting weights, that is a lot of cardio tho, so might be both
1
3
u/beretta_lover 12h ago
wrong question. the right question is "is your judo getting better?"
everything else is not important
2
2
u/GlitteringWinter3094 13h ago
We will need a lot more information here. Have you lost weight? Have you lost strength? The basic answer is to consume more calories to support your training. Make sure you focus on protein, and are getting enough carbs to train hard.
1
1
u/miqv44 7h ago
might be bad, judo generally is lower on cardio so you should be gaining muscle mass not losing it. Worth paying a visit to a doctor. Maybe you're not eating enough protein to support your training.
1
u/zaccbruce Shodan + BJJ Blue 1h ago
Lower on cardio? I'm interested to know what your training looks like. I wore my chest strap for an easy-ish session - 1.5 hours, average heart rate of 148, max 190, low of 85 (start of session). With uchikomi, nagekomi and randoori that's a pretty decent interval session.
1
u/Reasonable_Alfalfa59 14h ago
A judo class burns like 1000kcals depending on your size. All things equal that's gonna add to a weight loss
34
u/Darkmegane-kun 15h ago
If you’re getting stronger than it means you’re losing fat, if you’re not well you’re not eating enough. Pick up the fork and eat more protein.