Making Weight: 24 hour dehydration/rehydration

[Mike J]

I'm interested to know how much weight lifters have lost and regained during the 24 hour weigh-in time frame. How much weight do you think you can safely lose and regain before the contest, without risking strength levels?

Thanks.

[fletch]

i think its more of a percentage thing, its believed something like 5 percent of bodyweight is roughly the most you should lose if you don't want to affect strength levels.
However, i could be slightly wrong perhaps, i've never done it myself yet.

[bulldog]

no mike you cant lift as an 82.5 hows studying going

[gerthebear]

the general rule i see which is very common amongst most lifters is to gain back what ever you lost. matt kroc looses 20+lbs and gains it all back and said anytime he did bad in a meet was when he didnt regain the weight. but yoyo dieting can be really bad long term medically from what i heard so becareful how much ur loosing

[kyle]

im convinced taking a load of weight out through dehydration has to take some sort of toll on preformance,regardless of how much weight you can get back on.

[James Copping]

Matt Kroc does have a 48 hour weigh in for WPO though. Makes it much easier. I think there was russian research that suggested a loss of more than 3.5% bodyweight was detrimental to performance.

[gerthebear]

i agree, there is a difference between loosing a few lbs and loosing serious amounts of weight

[Mike J]

Studying is going ok thanks Bulldog, but there's shit loads to learn-it seems to be one of the few degrees where first years have to work hard! Looking to do the 100kg class and was thinking along the lines of dehydrating from 104-105kg to make the weight and then hopefully put it back on. I presume there must be a strength advantage to this as opposed to getting down to 100kg a couple of months out and maintaining that weight?

[cornelius parkin]

4-5% of a body weight loss is nothing, the last week before the comp just eat foods that dont stay in your gut aka red meats also lower your carbs then the day before weighin stop drinking around mid day and at night take several grams of vitamin c, in the morning if your still a little over wear a heavy jumper in the car with the AC blasting while you drive to the weighin.
After weigh in drink a rehydration drink this could be some thing special from the chemist or simple gator or power aid which i am sure will be fine on such a small drop then really pig out heavly on carbs during the day and you should be a little heavier come contest day.
JMO.

[bulldog]

i think you would be ok doing that mike speak to justin he does it well

[James Copping]

4-5% of a body weight loss is nothing, the last week before the comp just eat foods that dont stay in your gut aka red meats also lower your carbs then the day before weighin stop drinking around mid day and at night take several grams of vitamin c, in the morning if your still a little over wear a heavy jumper in the car with the AC blasting while you drive to the weighin.
After weigh in drink a rehydration drink this could be some thing special from the chemist or simple gator or power aid which i am sure will be fine on such a small drop then really pig out heavly on carbs during the day and you should be a little heavier come contest day.
JMO.

You told me you were always weaker on the platform than in the gym if I remember correctly (I may not). Maybe that could be why? You used to cut huge amounts of weight didnt you!

Saying that though to get in the 100's for last years brits I went from 102.5kg to 98kg on the day of the weigh in so thats over 4.5% and my performance wasn't hampered. I started the rehydration process with 2litres of water, 5g CEE and 100g WMS, then just ate loads of carbs for the rest of the day. I was up to 103.5kg on the actual day of the comp

[cornelius parkin]

You told me you were always weaker on the platform than in the gym if I remember correctly (I may not). Maybe that could be why? You used to cut huge amounts of weight didnt you!



Nah never cut huge amounts 2-6kg for every comp, was i a little weaker at the comp than at the gym? Yes but that had to do with many factors many of which i would just put down to inexperience aka things like not warming up correctly and the like...i only ever did 5 comps mate;)

[kyle]

gerry mcnamar, an awsome lifter that he is always makes weight before a meet,he normally goes down from about 71-72kg to 67.5kg,now,gerrys training poundages at the 71-72 are awsome as are the poundages he does at meet time but at meet time they drop a fair bit in comparison,even when occasionaly gerry competes in the 75kg class his lifts are way up in comparison,so why is it that when he makes weight and then fills back out to over his normal 71kg-72kg he has to allow for his lifts to be down???seems to me that this takes its toll.

[cuntos]

Don't talk in the past tense CP, surely you'll be back on the competition platform at some point?!

Mike, you will be fine dropping from even 107k to 100k if you weigh-in 24 hours before and rehydrate properly and yes, it will be better than dieting, cos you'll lift at 107+. DON'T use lasix or any shit like that though; you can easily drop 7k without using diuretics. I seem to remember dropping from 117k - 110k with just vitamin C and water and then I lifted pbs (I also injured myself, but you could maybe learn from my experience, rather than emulate it - lol).

[cornelius parkin]

Don't talk in the past tense CP, surely you'll be back on the competition platform at some point?!



Well you never know:) i did how ever tear my lat deadlifting last september and have only got back to pulling now so it may be a while:rolleyes:

[Pork Pie]

I'm interested to know how much weight lifters have lost and regained during the 24 hour weigh-in time frame. How much weight do you think you can safely lose and regain before the contest, without risking strength levels?

Thanks.


Just is the kiddy when it comes to making weight. I've seen the little scroat come down from 87-88kg to 82.5kg easily, then be able 90 on the day - with no ill effects. Saying that, getting it wrong can fuck you about something rotten.

My own method is to carb reduce about three days out, a little earlier than some and also to avoid sodium (harder than you might think). Eating only meats, white fish and salads really. I've never had to fuck about with Vit C or saunas thank God...

Ram in 6 litres of water a day during during this phase. About midday day before the weigh in, start sipping your water, little as possible. A good piss and a poo before weigh in and you'll be fine Mike.....

I'll be pleased and a bit sad if you aren;t in the 110kgs Mike because you're a bloody good lifter.

[Mike J]

Thanks Porkpie sounds like good advice. It would be nice to have another battle with you at 110kg, but I've got my eye on 100kg deadlift record, which I'm hoping to break at the Southerns in April. It looks as though 110kg could be the toughest class this year with you,Craig,Del and Steve Middleton all looking at 900+ and Craig and Del probably going over 1000kg!

On a side note I've got to stay fairly lean as I'm in my boxers every day for the Osteopathy degree!

[Funky_monkey]

I managed to cut 8.5kg/19lbs in 14days and didn't notice a loss in strength.

Firstly i backed down my carb intake, down to about 100g per day, as well as making sure i drank 2L water per day. Protein was high, and i wasn't afraid of taking in fats.

During wk2 i backed off the carbs completely, down to maybe 50g TOPS per day. Breakfast would be 4-6 eggs, 50g cheese. Snacks would be cottage cheese, peanuts etc. Would eat fish and chicken throughout the day.

Tuesday before weighing in i drank about 5litres water. Normal salt intake

Weds before weighing in i drank about 5litres water. Normal salt intake

Thurs before weighing in i drank about 2litres water. No salt

Fri before weighing in i drank no water, slept in a t-shirt, bin liner, 2 jumpers, thick coat, hat, gloves, joggers and jeans, 2 pairs of socks, covered with 2 blankets. No salt

Sat i wore the same clothes on the train, no water or salt till weighing in.

As soon as i weighed in, i drank 2litres of water with 1tsp salt in it plus some ribena or robinsons, ate 2 bananas. Went to a chinese cash and carry opposite and bought 2Litres soya milk (no particular reason for this, just didn't want milk to give me the runs and i saw it has plenty carbs). Came home and ate a packet of noodles every hour (including the flavouring packets inside, full of sodium) till i'd finished off all 4 packs i bought. Night time i had more chicken and fish, rice, drank plenty fruit juice.

Morning of the competition i had a few biscuits, 50g cheese and 3 scrambled eggs, as well as some more fruit juice. During the comp i can't remember eating or drinking anything.

Managed to hit PRs on all 3 lifts, felt fine. I think i regained maybe 2kg since the end of september and training's going well. Only long term (since the comp) damage is my bench is down. Squat and deadlift are just as high as they were in the comp.

[chris jenkins]

I agree with Corn, I cut out milk etc anything that will stay in your stomach for a long time. Its better to find what weight suits you and lift that weight rather than cut back and kill your strength gains.

[altug]

I think more 'anti-carb' you are more your bodyweight fluctuates.
Low-carb guys' bodyweight changes can be really dramatic without losing great deal of strength while low-fat guys couldn't do this as much.(just an anecdotal knowledge)