He weighs 123 kilograms and considers himself too light: The sumo wrestler’s huge weight-gain diet

For most people, a scale showing 123 kilograms would suggest losing weight. For 21-year-old Japanese sumo wrestler Seigo Fujinokawa, it signals the opposite. He believes he needs to become heavier and is targeting about 130 kilograms.

Fujinokawa competes in Makuuchi, the highest division in professional Japanese sumo, where some opponents approach 200 kilograms. At 1.77 meters and 123 kilograms, he is currently the division’s lightest wrestler. The gap between him and the heaviest rikishi, Atamifuji Sakutaro, reaches 64 kilograms.

His attempt to add weight receives the same attention as his training. According to L’Équipe Magazine, Fujinokawa consumes about 8,000 calories a day, roughly four times the amount needed by an average adult. He eats that enormous total in just two meals.

The goal is not simply to get heavier. He must add weight without losing muscle mass or flexibility. In sumo, extra kilograms can act like armor against impact, but speed can also decide a bout. Fujinokawa sometimes uses his smaller frame to evade an attack at the last moment and throw larger opponents off balance. In July, he needed only one second to defeat Kotoshoho Yoshinari with such a maneuver.

His daily routine begins with about three hours of training on an empty stomach. He follows the traditional keiko, including palm strikes against a wooden trunk to strengthen his hands, followed by bouts in which the winner stays in the ring while teammates challenge him one after another. As the highest-ranked wrestler in his stable, Fujinokawa attracts every challenger.

The French magazine also noted that he has not lost any of his first four bouts against yokozuna, sumo’s highest rank. His next contest, however, starts at the table: seven more kilograms to gain.