You wont get the chance to learn the balance and leverage changes at your meet day bodyweight. I emphasize slowly because if you try to stand up too quickly, you may get lightheaded. If done properly you can actually be a few pounds above your typical walking around weight on meet day after refueling and rehydrating giving the meet day performance boost. This is done to cause a significant reduction in water weight. The amount of salt that you consume has an impact on water retention (3). That said, some weight cutting methods, such as water and carb restriction, may lead to something known as supercompensation (1). This approach may lead to underperforming or unrealistic meet day expectations. Its not worth getting hurt or dying for. Cutting Weight Powerlifting, Strongman, Olympic Lifting. Jordan Syatt is an IPA World Record Powerlifter, 4x BW Deadlifter, and the author of Raw Strength: The Only 90-Day Peaking Program for Raw Powerlifers, which is available on his website, Use this article and list of low/zero-calorie foods and drinks, Periodization for Powerlifting The Definitive Guide, Programming for Crossfit: Powerlifting/Maximal Strength Development, JTS Classic: Maximal Strength Programming for Crossfit, Increasing Your Bench Without Gaining Weight, Scientific Principles of Strength Training. Supercompensation of muscle glycogen in trained and untrained subjects. If you want to drop some pounds to look and feel better, improve your health, or increase relative strength, thats totally fine, but you should not be doing a drastic cut like the one outlined below. It may seem arbitrary, but keeping your mind off of the hot water and overall cutting process is priceless. Eat sweet and salty foods and nothing that has the potential of causing GI distress. That being the case, see how much weight you need to lose and plan for anywhere between two days to two weeks of fast and drastic dieting prior to weigh-ins. By being too heavy, you will end up being placed in a heavier division. Blaine Sumner (Image via @thevanillagorilla92). This will be a good gauge moving forward for the rest of the cut. Thisll help to quench your thirst without regaining much water weight. So if youre a high-level lifter and need to optimize your weight cut, the approach outlined below is for you. Powerlifting is a strength sport in which weight classes are used in order to divide athletes into different divisions.

Required fields are marked *. Really hot water. If you need to lose 2-4lbs, initiate fast and drastic 2-4 days in advance. The ingredients and number of protein shakes you drink per day is honestly irrelevant so long as you continue to stick to the calorie and protein guidelines previously established. Therefore, you need to check the weight classes used by your powerlifting federation. To make an educated decision, you first need to understand how much weight you can expect to lose. Do you want to lose that much weight prior to the meet? The body will take in and hold additional fluids and blood glucose that it wouldnt normally retain.

Id note, this approach is truly sustainable and is my preferred method for lifters of all levels when long-term fat loss (not rapid weight loss) is the goal. You may wonder why an athlete would wait to the last minute to cut weight instead of having the discipline to slowly diet down to the desired weight class over weeks or in some case months. Now go out there and move some weight because Its time to get strong! Trying to cut water by yourself is one of the most dangerous and stupid mistakes you could ever make. Do you need 2x your bodyweight in protein to maintain muscle and strength? And while cutting weight isnt inherently bad, it can take your focus away from performance and put it on an arbitrary weight class. This will help pull the fluids in through to your muscles and help everything fill out. A commonly overlooked factor that can cause weight to increase in the short term is the weight of food. You want to be within 2lbs of your weight class when you go to bed the night before weigh ins, and this should have you at your desired weight upon waking. Before we discuss how, we need to discuss whether or not you really need to cut. You will simply not have enough time to fully replenish glycogen stores and, therefore, your performance in competition will be impaired. I recommend starting at 7 calories per pound and adjusting as you see fit. For more information on slow and steady, you can read this article. You should not attempt this alone or without having the necessary support. Always Optimal. Our team of experts include a board-certified physician, nutritionists, dietitians, certified personal trainers, strength training experts, and exercise specialists. For both twenty-four and two hour weigh-ins, the following water loading protocol is recommended: Staying on the topic of hydration and fluid balance, dehydration is a tactic that is commonly used to help lifters hit a specific weight. Plus, considering protein has a higher thermic effect than all other macronutrients, an emphasis on protein may actually increase your net caloric deficit resulting in even more rapid weight loss. Use casein or a mix of whey and casein as that will make a thicker and more filling shake than any other type of protein. In a similar fashion to water loading, you can manipulate sodium intake to allow you to rapidly cut weight. If you need to lose 4-8lbs, initiate fast and drastic 4-6 days in advance. You should be weighing yourself fairly regularly and have a good idea of how much weight you still have to lose. Grab at least one handful of ice and throw it in the blender. Feel free to include any extras so long as your daily calorie and protein totals are in-line with the numbers you already established. Doing this will allow you to drop a great amount of water weight thus reducing total bodyweight. Laxatives are a more extreme option that can contribute to rapid weight loss. However, a useful guide is somewhere between four and eight hundred grams. To avoid stomach upset and possibly more dehydration, slowly sip on a Pedialyte or something similar (like diluted Gatorade) over the first 30 minutes after weigh-ins while snacking on simple, easy-to-digest foods.

This should go without saying since youre a maximum of two weeks out from the meet, but reducing your training volume to the bare minimum is essential on such a low calorie diet. Blend on high for several minutes. From that point on, you will completely fast (no food, no water) until youve successfully made weight. If your answer is yes, then you have a bit more leeway with how much weight you need to lose prior to the water cut. Do NOT eat salty foods (even seemingly harmless ones like peanuts) during the cutting process. In order to get the greatest benefit from sodium manipulation, you should be adding sodium to your foods well before your weigh-in. If your answer is no, then you need to get within .5lb1lb of your weight class the night before weigh-ins. Another important aspect to consider is taking advantage of the supercompensatory effects of both carbohydrate and water restrictions. [source], 3- Sims, Stacy T.; van Vliet, Linda; Cotter, James D.; Rehrer, Nancy J. In the table below you will find both mens and womens weight classes for International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) events. If you want to have a serious chance of success in powerlifting competitions, its imperative that you make your weight class. So, when should you begin to use the sauna, and for how long? Youre going to be thirsty. The longer you blend it, the more airy and thick the shake will become. Both powerlifting and strongman often offer 18-24hr weigh-ins prior to the start of the meet. Granted, some people prefer a slower water cut in which they start 20 hours beforehand whereas others favor a faster water cut in which they start 5-10hrs before weigh-in. John Haack Demolishes a 600-lb (272.2-kg) Bench Press Ahead Of 2022 WRPF American Pro. Weight loss is highly variable from person to person, but, generally speaking, its not uncommon to lose 7-10lbs in one week of fast and drastic dieting. Hotel bathtubs tend to be fine, but some older homes and apartments dont have enough hot water to support a longer cut. Although the mechanisms of water and sodium loading that cause weight loss are similar, carbohydrate manipulation works in a totally different way. Really thirsty. Stay away from slow digesting heavy meals. If it begins dropping you need to UP your calories and keep your weight at the target. Your email address will not be published. Most , Develop strength to improve your Snatch and Clean & Jerk, A few weeks ago I attended a Crossfit Powerlifting Seminar at Crossfit 714 in Orange, CA as a guest presenter, where I helped out my , A few weeks ago I attended a Crossfit Powerlifting Seminar atCrossfit 714in Orange, CA as a guest presenter, where I helped out my friends Mark , We sat down with Team Juggernaut Weightlifting Coach Max Aita to discuss his new book, Strength Development for Weightlifting. While it may only have a negligible impact, you may have no other options. Water intake should be at 1 gallon a day the week prior to meet week with supplemented electrolytes (calcium 1000mg, magnesium 1000mg, and potassium 100mg all taken 2 times a day). This is simply not safe. As a result, water weight will reduce significantly which will impact your total bodyweight. Step 1: Make sure you have a friend with you at all times. This can boost water retention and positively impact performance. Also read how to lose fat without losing muscle. Protein shakes will allow you to meet your calorie and protein guidelines without adding much stomach content in the days leading up to the meet. It helps you salivate, which will stave off cottonmouth and subsequent thirst. Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Sciences. These two factors combined give you a false sense of strength and dont allow you to learn the impact of leverage changes due to weight loss. Water intake stays high keeping the athelete superhydrated till we cut off water at roughly 18hrs out. Have music playing the entire time youre in the bathtub and try to maintain a conversation with whoevers watching you. One of the best tools that you can use to help you shed water weight is the sauna. Never Maximal. Cutting weight is done to ensure that the lifter makes the weight required to qualify for a specific weight class.

Keep as much of your body as possible (aside from your head) under water. Refrain from eating a bunch of junk and stick to foods you eat on a regular basis. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise [source], 4- Fernndez-Elas, Valentn E.; Ortega, Juan F.; Nelson, Rachael K.; Mora-Rodriguez, Ricardo (2015-09). This gives the lifter a potential advantage over other competitors as carrying a greater amount of weight may allow them to perform heavier lifts. Take this approach to the platform at your next meet. Hitting personal records is your primary goal. The reason for this is that, by this stage, you should already be close to your target weight. Read more. Follow my instructions and youll learn how to lose weight rapidly without sacrificing your strength. That said, some federations require weigh-ins two hours before competition. These substances act on the body to loosen stools and increase bowel movements. That being said, some people (myself included) prefer this over 12 weeks in a deficit. But rapidly cutting a lot of weight while maintaining (and even gaining) strength requires strategy. To illustrate, if you want to water cut to the 181 lb weight class, you should weigh no more than 196lbs. Step 5: Dry yourself off and check your weight to see how much you lost in your first round. There are a number of different ways of inducing dehydration including exercise, hot baths, steam rooms, saunas, and wrapping up. In addition, Chris also enjoys writing on a range of health & fitness topics including strength training, plyometrics, and speed & agility training. Sodium loading aids fluid balance and reduces physiological strain of trained men exercising in the heat. When water is cut off you should take 1500mg vitamin C, 2g of Dandelion root, and 1-2 Coors lights (or equivalent light beer) as your last fluid intake. Boredom is the enemy of hunger. That said, if you are finding it difficult to make weight, you may have no other choice but to restrict carb intake. Mix in some pedialyte or Gatorade during the day and on meet day. This will provide you with plenty of time to ensure that your system is cleared out prior to the weigh-in. Before you establish your protein intake, calorie intake, and other details, you need to know how far in advance (two days to two weeks) you plan to start the fast and drastic phase. It requires no effort and is unlikely to have a negative impact on your powerlifting performance. Unfortunately this will leave you training at a weight higher than you will be on meet day for majority of your training cycle. Lets begin by considering glycogen, which is a form of glucose that the body stores within the muscle. If you need to lose 8-12lbs, initiate fast and drastic 6-10 days in advance. I bring two Pedialytes to the weigh-ins so as soon as I step off the scale, I can begin to rehydrate. Taking this into consideration, if youre willing to take the associated risks, below Ive provided the method that I use to cut water leading up to weigh-ins. 1- Roedde, S.; MacDougall, J. D.; Sutton, J. R.; Green, H. J.

I prefer almond milk because it makes a much thicker shake, but if you really need to watch your calories, then water is totally fine. increased the class to , Special strength has a role in every athletes training and the first step in incorporating special strength into a plan is to figure out what , One of the worst aspects of preparing for a powerlifting meet is cutting to make a specific weight class. But a higher ratio will keep you satiated (full) for longer periods of time. (1986-03). Once you feel up for it, head back into the bathtub for round two. However, these substances must be taken with care and under supervision. Food intake is allowed as either 4oz chicken on 2-3 occasions or a tablespoon of unsalted almond butter (or equivalent) the day prior to weighing in. Id note, keeping a pack (or five) of sugar-free gum in your pocket throughout these final hours can be a life saver. Its your bodys way of trying to convince you to eat more. More thirsty than youve ever been. While theyre all effective, in this article, Im going to describe how to do it using a bath tub (seeing as saunas and hot tubs arent always available). The following table provides a general recommendation for sodium loading: When it comes to the day of the meet, it is also recommended that you consume salty snacks. More ice = more texture and thickness. Also check Daily Water Intake Calculator. Studies have shown that even slight hypohydration can impair performance (2). If you do plan on cutting water, you may not want such a drastic approach for a full 1-2 weeks. Get out of the house and stay out as long as possible. Creatine For Women: Should Women Take Creatine? Keep a tray of ice in your freezer so you can suck on a few ice cubes before you go to bed. When in doubt, lean meats, green leafy veggies, and seltzer will fill you up for very few calories and lots of protein. Therefore, you may want to have sour candies or cinnamon products to hand in case of an emergency as these foods will help to increase the amount of saliva you produce. Of particular importance is the last 1-4 weeks when youre finally getting close to your weight class. However, while you will want to reduce water intake in the lead up to the weigh-in, you should begin by actually increasing water intake. In the slowly-dieting-down-to-a weight-class approach there are some negatives that come into play. The answer is simple: Performance. Keep gum nearby. NOT HEAVY, just enough to stimulate blood flow. So rather than focus on cutting weight, focus solely on your strength and make sure you hit personal records. This is ideal for lifters who hate rapid fat loss and would prefer to progressively lose weight over time. If you are utilizing liquid meals, its recommended to take laxatives after your last solid meal. Be aware that you must have maintained good hydration levels well before beginning water loading for this method to be effective. In this short piece Ill detail the approach I take with the lifters that I coach. Later on, Ill discuss how to cut water effectively. How much protein should you consume during a drastic weight cut? Step 3: Slowly immerse as much of your body as possible in the water. Needless to say, 6 calories per pound is a much greater deficit than 8 calories per pound, which will lead to a more rapid rate of weight loss. This compensation may boost strength and performance. If you need to call it off and rehydrate in order to stay safe and compete well call it off. Nowhere to go? Bump it up to 8 cals per pound. The absolute maximum amount of water I would say an individual can attempt to lose is roughly 8% of their total bodyweight. In order to store glycogen, the body requires approximately three to four grams of water (4). Additionally, it will reduce the amount of time that you spend dehydrated. Hitting some light training later that day after refueling and rehydrating with just a bar (I only use 1 plate) for a few 20 rep sets of Squats, Bench, Deadlifts, and Rows. Evidently, increasing the regularity of bathroom breaks will remove waste at a quicker rate and contribute towards cutting weight. You should avoid performing exercise while dehydrated as this may lead to muscle loss and consequently impair how you perform the next day. You can read the interview below, , I have been powerlifting since 1999 and competed in the 132 pound weight class until two years ago, when the I.P.F.