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Athletes Making Weight in a Hurry

by dietitian Clare Wood

In many weight-division sports, such as weightlifting, boxing, rowing, judo, there is often a last minute effort to make your weight category. This can be a challenging and sometimes dangerous thing if it is not done correctly. The best advice is to try and to stay within 3-4kg of your weight category during your training phase, so that when the time comes to get to your competition weight it can be achieved without too much effort and risk to your health. Making weight should be achieved well before the competition, giving you time to make any adjustments to your diet and exercise.

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Making weight is all about energy balance.

weight GAIN : energy in > energy out

weight LOSS : energy in < energy out

Energy in = food and fluids consumed
Energy out = energy used doing daily activities and exercise

To lose weight food intake needs to be lower than energy expenditure, so you can try one of the following of use a combination of both.



Things to Avoid:

Things to aim for:



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Sports Nutrition Extra

Athlete nutrition isn't just about weight loss. It is important to fuel the body optimally before, during and after exercise, as well as to stay hydrated. Supplements may also be required.

Weight Loss Extra

There are no simple answers. You should keep a healthy weight, consider one of these diets, though exercise is also important.

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