‘Making Weight’: The Perception and Impact of Weight Management on Female Boxers

Introduction Boxing is a weight categorised sport in which athletes are expected to be weighed prior to competition so that the athletes are matched with similar size, strength and power attributes. By obtaining and maintaining a certain weight may result in boxers typically engaging in extreme weight loss practices to ‘make weight’, irrespective of their overall health and well-being. Therefore, this research aimed to establish the experiences and perceptions of weight management of female boxers how they engage with ‘making weight’ practices and the impact on their overall well-being. Methods In-depth semi-structured one-to-one interview’s were conducted with five elite level female amateur boxers over a digital, online platform. A six-stage thematic analysis was used and data collated into themes and sub-themes. Results Data identified 5 key themes and consisted of: emotions surrounding weight gain; long-term behavioural impacts; guidance and justifications; comparison to other boxers; and weight management methods. These accounts highlighted the long-term impact engaging in such weight loss methods had on female boxers both physically and psychologically. Conclusion Typically, boxers engaged in strict and extreme weight-loss behaviours due to negative emotions surrounding weight gain. Significantly these behaviours and emotions have a long-term impact and continue after retirement from boxing.