The Importance of Electrolytes

Electrolyte balance in the body may be affected differently depending on what kind of weight cutting you do. Specifically, two electrolytes, sodium and chloride, can become imbalanced during extended periods of fluid restriction.

Not only are sodium and chloride lost rapidly, but so is potassium. As the major positively charged electrolyte inside cells, potassium is important for health and energy. It is also partially responsible for the fluid volume inside cells. For this reason, the researchers in the new study measured both sodium and potassium balance.

Study Design

In the new study, twelve men and women had their urine tested on three different occasions for volume and electrolyte balance. After the test, they ate and drank very little for 24 hours. After the 24-hour period, they provided another urine sample once every hour. They also consumed one of three different beverages in a random order:

1. A calorie-free flavored water was the placebo.
2. The same flavored beverage, but with table salt in it at the amount of 50mmol/liter, which is quite a bit.
3. A beverage with potassium chloride in it instead of the sodium chloride, in the amount of 30 mmol/liter.

The drinks were divided into six servings, which the participants consumed every twenty minutes. 

Results

The 24-hour period of fluid and food restriction resulted in an average of 2.1% decrease in body mass. As a result, the fluid balance of all three electrolytes was also severely disrupted.

When consuming each beverage, the amount of urine produced following the recovery period was highest with the placebo drink, followed by the potassium drink, and then lowest with the sodium drink. This means that the salt drink was the best at helping the body retain fluid, although the potassium drink was better than the placebo. This is important for speeding up the absorption of both fluids and electrolytes after a weight cut.

Not surprisingly, the potassium drink also helped restore potassium balance, and the sodium drink restored sodium. Both of the beverages also balanced chloride levels.

Ultimately, if you plan to cut weight through fluid and calorie restriction, your water levels and electrolyte levels each need to be restored. The researchers recommended consuming food in addition to at least a sodium replacement drink. Both sodium and potassium might be even better.

Learn more about your electrolyte replacement options: Best Electrolyte Powder

References:

1. Lewis James, et. al., “Effect of electrolyte addition to rehydration drinks consumed after severe fluid and energy restriction,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000657

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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I’m writing this article, so you don’t have to put yourself through that same torture.

Why You Should Care About Cutting Weight

I think it’s fair to say a large portion of Breaking Muscle readers are participating in some type of combat sport. Whether that’s wrestling, MMA, Brazilian jiu jitsu, or muay doesn’t really make a difference. In fact combat sports are some of the fastest growing sports in the world:

• From 2007 to 2009 the UFC increased their total number of fans in the United States by about 14%.¹
• From 2007 to 2012 the number of International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation tournaments has more than tripled.²
• Girls freestyle wrestling is the fastest growing sport in New York City.³

One common thread that ties most combat sports together is weight-class based competition, and consequently, the practice of weight cutting. But weight cutting is not a practice that’s solely relegated to combat sports. It’s also done by jockeys, rowers, and gymnasts.

So, if you’re training in a sport where you have to cut weight to compete, definitely read on. But even if you’re just dedicated to strength, conditioning, and wellness, it’s still helpful to know how hydration and dehydration can affect your body.

Let’s learn the science behind this surprising weight cutting truth: drinking a ton of water and saving your weight cut for the last day is actually better than gradual dehydrating. In this case, slow and steady does not win the race.

The Role of Vasopressin

The tiny reason behind this big weight-cutting truth, is an antidiuretic hormone called vasopressin. This hormone plays a key role in maintaining the water volume in the space between your cells.

An important facet of vasopressin’s function is how it reacts to dehydration. Even mild dehydration causes an increase in vasopressin secretion, which stimulates urine concentration.⁴ In other words, as soon as you’re even a little bit dehydrated, the body kicks in water conservation mechanisms. On the other hand, a state of super hydration reduces the production of vasopressin and thus your body begins flushing out your excess water through more frequent urination and higher propensity for sweating.

Cut Weight, the Right Way

I’m working with sports nutritionist and boxing world champ Chris Algieri to develop a detailed, step-by-step, guide to cutting weight correctly. But for now, here’s how Chris approached making weight for his championship fight at Barclay’s.

Chris told me he was feeling full and hydrated until about 24 hours out. He followed up a solid nutrition and hydration plan with a hard weight cut the day before and spent almost zero time with restricted water intake. The right approach to the weight cut showed in Chris’s fight. Even in the twelfth round, it looked like he could go twelve more.

A typical weight-cutting meal for Chris.

The key? Maintaining (maximum) hydration until about 24 hours before weigh-ins. You have to drink water early and often. Here is Chris’s water-intake guide, which you can follow leading up to a fight or a match, starting from five days out:

• Day 5: 2 gallons
• Day 4: 2 gallons
• Day 3: 1 gallon
• Day 2: 2 liters
• Day 1: 1 liter
• Pre-Weigh-In: Sips as needed

Next, you have to sweat, sweat, sweat! But, don’t use passive water-loss strategies – like diuretics or Epsom salt baths – these can be dangerous and deplete water from places like joints, leading to poor performance and higher chances of injury. Instead, dress warm and work out. Generate sweat by practicing the skill sets needed for your sport. This way you’re improving while making weight.

Refeed and Rehydration Strategies

Even more important than your cutting program is how you recover from your cut and prepare for the competition. Dehydration is the number one limiting factor in athletic performance.

But post weigh-in, it’s not just about water. You have to get carbs and consider macronutrient kinetics, i.e. the speed at which your body absorbs nutrients. That means no fats, fibers, or meats after weigh-ins, they slow down the absorption in your gut. Instead have liquid carbs and liquid proteins – specifically, fast-digesting carbs that are low in fiber like Vitargo.

One final, interesting bio-phenomenon to consider in you reefed strategy – warm foods cause vasodilation, meaning nutrients will absorb faster. Fancy a warm tea, anyone?

Wrap-Up

We’re curious – what do you cut weight for? Cutting weight is never fun, but it certainly shows passion for your sport if you’re willing to put yourself through the experience. What type of strategies do you use and how will you adjust them after reading our breakdown? Post your thoughts to the comments below.

References:

1. Kelsey Philpott, “The UFC Fan Base,” Payout, the Business of MMA, November 29, 2010, accessed May 15, 2014.
2. Caleb, “Jiu-Jitsu is Growing… But How Much?,” The Fightworks Podcast, December 12, 2012, accessed May 15, 2014.
3. “Girls Wrestling Facts,” Beat The Streets, accessed May 15, 2014.
4. N. Bouby and S. Fernandes, “Mild dehydration, vasopressin and the kidney: animal and human studies,” Accessed May 16, 2014, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2003) 57, Suppl 2, S39–S46. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601900

Photos 1&4 courtesy of Shutterstock.

Photo 2 by JSPHOTO John Shartrand (Owner: John Shartrand) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Photo 3 courtesy of Chris Algieri.

The post How to Cut Weight the Right Way appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

If you’re new to weight-classed sports, let me explain what weight cutting is. Weight cutting is the acute loss of (mostly) water weight beginning either the morning of weigh-in or sometimes as much as a two days beforehand, depending on the methods used and how much weight to be cut. Preparations for the weight cut may begin a week before the weigh in. A poor weight cutting strategy is to use cutting methods to reduce as much weight as possible. Nevertheless, this is often the method chosen, despite its negative effect on health and performance. The best strategy is to cut a modest amount of weight, and have a robust plan for rehydrating to ensure optimal performance and health.

In this study, the researchers were concerned with the consumption of a liter of water to improve hydration after a bout of weight cutting. While this is important information for coaches and athletes who cut weight, the purpose of the study was even more substantial. Fifteen years ago, the NCAA implemented the Weight Certification Program (WCP) following the death of three wrestlers in 1997 from weight cutting. The WCP establishes a minimum weight a wrestler may be for a season to reduce harmful weight cutting practices. However, many athletes try to cut weight for the WCP as well, in order to get a lower minimum weight.

The WCP accounts for this in part by using urine specific gravity to determine the dehydration status of the wrestlers. Specific gravity is a measure of the percentage of solutes in urine. More solutes means more dehydration. If a wrestler fails this part of the WCP, they have to wait at least 24 hours to retest, in order to give them enough time to rehydrate.

The researchers wanted to know the effects of immediate consumption of one liter of water on athletes who tested one hour after weigh in. The athletes only lost a little over four pounds, which was not a huge amount considering the average wrestler tested was 170lbs. However, this amount was almost enough for them to fail the WCP test for dehydration. One hour after consuming one liter of water, their hydration status actually worsened on average, giving them a failing score.

This study suggests acute rehydration is generally ineffective at producing a hydrated status when limited to one liter of water. For those seeking the healthiest possible methods for weight cutting, this is important to keep in mind. For those who failed a WCP, the results of this study should be an eye opener to the health consequences of cheating the system and attempting to reduce your minimum weight for a season.

References:

1. Paul Cutrufello, et. al., “The effect of acute fluid consumption following exercise-induced fluid loss on hydration status, percent body fat, and minimum wrestling weight in wrestlers,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000339

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Rehydration After Weight Cutting: Water Doesn’t Cut It appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The goal for this article is to provide you with some tips on safe weight cutting – not just for the full-time competitor but for the competitor who has to deal with work, family, or school. Many competitors unknowingly cut weight the wrong way, and even worse they cut weight in a way that is dangerous. No matter who you are, your health is your number one priority.

Making Weight in the Real World

Depending on the event, weigh-ins can be the same day or the day before the competition. The “water trick,” as it is commonly referred to, is a great method for cutting weight when day-before weigh-ins are allowed. However, the first phase of this requires consuming two to three gallons of water per day and some people find that difficult while at work. In addition, the final day before competition requires restricting water and food and that also does not play out well when you have to work all day. When fluid and food are restricted mood tends to be negatively affected.

So, for someone who has to deal with work and family I suggest the same strategy for both types of weigh-in. The solution is to plan out your competitions in advance. Instead of doing a dramatic weight cut, you are better off bringing your weight down slowly over eight to twelve weeks. For competitions that pop up last minute, compete at your current weight. If you decided a week before a competition to compete, then just compete at your walking around weight. There is no need to put your body under any additional stress.

Bringing Weight Down Slowly

Nutrition is complicated. I could spend months writing about this topic alone. Instead, I will focus on some common mistakes I see when competitors cut weight.

Mistake #1: Caloric Restriction

First, severe calorie restriction. When you compete you want to perform your best. When calories are kept too low, then performance goes down. Other people choose to keep calories normal, but they train like crazy. This is no good either. There needs to be a balance. Your goal is to eat enough that performance does not suffer and your weight is going down. The sweet spot is different for everyone. To ensure you are on the right track, pay attention to your performance. Is your performance suffering? I know this is subjective, but it’s key in determining how much or how little to eat. Then use the scale. Is your performance good? Is the scale going down? If so, you found your sweet spot. Keep it there. This may take some playing around with.

Mistake #2: Macronutrient Restriction

Second, competitors try to make weight by eliminating a macronutrient group. Protein, carbohydrates, and fats are important for health and performance. Every macronutrient serves a purpose. Proteins help to rebuild and repair muscle tissue. Carbohydrates replenish glycogen. Fats are needed for hormones and cell membranes. Instead of eliminating a group, you should change the timing.

Proteins and fats should be consumed up until training time. After training, carbohydrates can be consumed. Consuming carbohydrates post-workout spikes insulin. The spike in insulin drops cortisol. A drop in cortisol after training is a good thing and it can help you sleep. Immediately after your training session consume a liquid meal of whey protein. For an added bonus, add in some leucine and creatine. When you get home eat some protein and carbs with your family or friends. This way you will not be relegated to sitting at the table with them, but eating salad and chicken. There is nothing worse when you are cutting weight than sitting around with your friends or family watching them eat. Worse yet is having to explain to others why you are not eating the potatoes and just having a salad.

Some competitors choose to eliminate fat. At first this may seem like a good idea since fat is nine calories per gram. Fat is more calorie dense than protein and carbohydrates. The problem is fat is critical to your health and performance. I am not talking about eliminating bad fats. Everyone should do that. It’s the elimination of all fats that is the problem. Every type of fat has its place. Saturated fat is important for hormone production and omega-3s are important for cell health and reducing inflammation. There is a time and a place for every macronutrient. Fat is no different. Coconut oil, for example, provides the bodies with medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are available almost instantly for your body to use as energy. During periods of carbohydrate restriction increasing your intake of coconut oil will improve your energy. Since you will not be eating a lot of carbohydrates during the day, add some coconut oil to a few of your meals leading up to your training session.

The Advantages of Starting Early

When you start your weight cut early you have some advantages over the competitor who waited until the last minute. If your weight cut is planned out in advance, you will hit your goal weight the week before your tournament. This gives your body time to get used to your new weight. Believe it or not, a few extra pounds here and there is going affect the timing of your movements. Second, by bringing down your weight slowly there is no need to dehydrate or restrict food. In the later rounds of a competition, dehydration and food restriction can have a major impact on performance. Dehydration by as little as 2% will have an impact, and fluid loss greater than 5% of body mass results in a 30% reduction in performance.¹

Part of competition is mental. For me, knowing I have put in the time to make weight properly gives me a mental edge. There is nothing better than meeting an opponent in the later rounds of a tournament who is dehydrated and hungry. If I did my job right I will be able to push a pace that is going to be hard to deal with for someone who is dehydrated.

Closing Thoughts

Competing in Brazilian jiu jitsu is an amazing experience. It teaches you a lot about yourself and weaknesses in your game. For some it can be a source of stress. Constantly thinking about what you are eating and drinking takes a mental toll on anyone. By planning your tournament season early you can bring your weight down slowly, allowing you to avoid the moodiness and stress that can come from calorie and fluid restriction.

Your number one goal at a competition is performance. When calories are low and fluid is restricted, performance will suffer. There is nothing worse than losing a match because you were tired. Losing a match because someone is better than you at Brazilian jiu jitsu is going to happen. Losing a match because you are too drained from your weight cut should not.

References:

1. Asker Jeukendrup and Michael Gleeson, Sport Nutrition-2nd Edition, (Human Kinetics, 2010).

Photos by Ana Nieves.

The post Making Weight in the Real World: How to Cut Weight When Life is Busy appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

For those readers unfamiliar with the term, cutting weight is the practice of rapid weight loss prior to competition. Fighters dehydrate themselves in order to compete within a specific weight class. Individuals can lose up to 30lbs within a 48-hour period. In a professional bout, after weigh-ins, fighters are given 24 hours to rehydrate before the competition. This means that a fighter weighing in at 170lbs on Friday could show up to the Saturday fight weighing 190 or 200 lbs.

Weight loss of this magnitude can create a huge advantage for the competitor and have a large effect on the outcome of the fight. When fighters cut weight, they do so in order to gain a size advantage over their opponent. In the realm of professional fighting, size does matter. The bigger you are, the harder you hit, the harder you are to hit, and the more your attacks exhaust your opponent. The fighter who masters how to effectively cut weight will always have the upper hand.

As mentioned before effectively cutting weight is a skill. There are many techniques used to dehydrate the body and in my experience every fighter has his or her own routine to lose the weight. Techniques include low intensity exercise while wearing a sauna suite, sitting in a sauna, Epsom salt baths, laxatives, diuretics, and decreased water intake. Regardless of the techniques utilized there are numerous risks associated with losing large amounts of weight in a short amount of time. Some of these risks include poor performance, elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, and increased risk of injury. Cutting weight should never be attempted without a knowledgeable coach and medical supervision.

Since your body is made mostly of water, when dehydration of this level occurs you put it into a state of massive shock. If there is one thing your body hates, its being dehydrated. Everything stops functioning the way it should and you become tired, weak, and brittle. Even performing seemingly simple tasks takes the life out of you. Fighters have to make sure they know exactly how much weight they can cut and put back on to ensure an optimal performance. It’s terrible to see an experienced fighter cut too much weight and lose the bout because of it.

In amateur fighting cutting weight becomes even more dangerous. Amateur fighters are expected to make weight and compete within several hours of weigh ins. Due to the short amount of time between weigh in and competition, amateur fighters need to take every precaution they can to avoid cutting too much weight, for both health and performance reasons.

Below are some tips that can help you make weight for an amateur bout:

1. Eat Clean

If fighting is a goal then you must eat healthy and stay close to your competition weight. There is no excuse whatsoever. Eating healthy is part of the job description not an option. If you are serious about being an athlete, your career starts with what you fuel your body with. I recommend staying within five to ten pounds of your competition weight at all times. If you are unsure on what to eat, educate yourself through reading, talk to your coach, and schedule an appointment with a nutritionist.

2. Cut the Weight Slowly

Whatever you do don’t leave all your weight on until the last week of the fight. Cutting ten pounds of water weight before an amateur bout is foolish and will probably land you in the hospital. Make sure to start your dieting at the beginning of the fight camp and avoid water-retaining ingredients such as sodium. Also make sure you constantly check your weight. This will allow you too get an idea of how much weight you lose on a daily basis. The more information you have about how your weight fluctuates the easier it will become to manipulate your weight in the future.

3. Stay Hydrated

During your fight camp make sure to drink water all the time. If you are training twice a day you must consume a lot of water. Only begin to cut back your water intake a few days before the fight. Remember dehydration equals a weak body. The last thing in the world you want is to feel weak when fighting someone. I guarantee the outcome will not be in your favor.

Photo 1 by fightlaunch (Flickr: WEC 47 Weigh Ins) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Photo 2 courtesy of Shutterstock. 

The post Making Weight: Why Fighters Cut Weight and 3 Tips for Doing It appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

A recent article in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition reviewed over fifty studies related to weight cutting in combat sports to overview its impacts on athletes. They broke down each study into results like prevalence of weight cutting, and physiological and psychological effects. They even looked at success rates.

Although wresting is known for weight cutting, the sports of judo, jiu jitsu, and Taekwondo reported similar prevalence in weight cutting to wrestling (the range was about 57 to 89% of athletes in the sports studied). It is also about as common in women as it is in men. One potential severe issue that was uncovered is regarding age. Judo practitioners were noted as beginning weight cutting at adolescence. The younger age of starting regular weight cutting was associated with more severe health impacts later on.

When cutting weight, the most common amount was 2 to 5% of bodyweight, but 40% of all athletes had lost 5 to 10%, and some lost even more. It is important to note, however, these results were self-reported. Many athletes seem to exaggerate their weight cutting ability, at least in MMA and wrestling, where I have the most experience as a coach. It’s important for athletes to not get caught up in stories about extreme RWL, and focus on their own performance and health needs.

RWL has many noted psychological effects including “decreased short-term memory, vigor, concentration and self-esteem as well as increased confusion, rage, fatigue, depression and isolation.” Each of these could have a negative impact on performance. The negative impacts on physical performance, on the other hand, are not as well demonstrated. When there is very little or no time allowed to regain weight, anaerobic performance is stunted. With time to recover from RWL, the physical detriment is not very prominent. However, it is possible that RWL increases the risk of injury.

While many men may outright reject the idea, frequent weight loss and thinking constantly about body weight is a sign of an eating disorder. Many combat athletes think obsessively about their weight even when their body fat is already quite low, and also have a greater tendency to binge. It’s no wonder the researchers learned that combat athletes are more obese on average after ceasing participation in sport than other athletes.

Many people reading this will think, “Okay, it’s bad for me, but it will help me win.” Success is a less studied aspect of weight cutting, but in regional wrestlers it does seem to improve success. However, it’s important to note this could be due to motivation to win. An athlete with the motivation to put in skill practice, physical conditioning, and aggressive competition is also more likely to seek out some weight cutting as a method to improve chances. This would demonstrate an increased prevalence of weight cutting in successful athletes even if they are not related otherwise. An association doesn’t always mean a cause. Indeed, other studies in higher levels of competition have been mixed.

RWL is not going anywhere any time soon. Although many organizations are taking on stricter rules regarding this, many of the rules may simply increase the extremes of weight cutting behaviors. As an athlete or a coach, it’s important to focus on keeping your weight cutting under control, and maintaining a weight close to your competition weight year round. Active weight cutting is also more aggressive than passive weight cutting, which can often be just as effective in my experience as a coach. If you need to cut weight, look for a trainer that does not recommend extreme weight loss and extreme methods.

References:

1. Emerson Franchini, et.al., “Weight loss in combat sports: physiological, psychological and performance effects,” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9:52 (2012)

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Weight Cutting In Sports: Is It Truly an Advantage? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

In the 82.5kg class I was a bit rangy. I knew that Tommy Kono was only 168cm and Gyozo Veres only 165. I would sometimes lift at 90kg but never any better than at 82.5. (Even at 90kg I was a bit tall). I could still perform my best lifts even after five kilo train-downs. Because of that my Sinclair score was better at the 82.5kg weight class. People suggested I move up to 90 or even higher since I certainly had the height to go there. But I stubbornly tried to stay in the 82s (even though I sometimes didn’t make weight) thinking I could keep making progress. My fat percentage was higher when I went to the 90s so I reasoned, “Since fat cannot move iron, why get fatter?”

While this statement is true on the surface, it is not necessarily so when trying to lift at one’s strongest and most efficient bodyweight. During my own pubertal growth spurt I had gained 15kg (all lean) in the ninth grade. I figured future growth could all be lean if I watched my diet. I didn’t realize how this was undermining my progress.

Meanwhile I had entered university. There, like all business students before and after me, I learned about the concept of “diminishing marginal utility” in my economics courses. This is just a fancy microeconomics term for “the law of diminishing returns.” It works in all aspects of life. We learned how it applied to demand curves. After some extrapolation I saw that weightlifting totals are also subject to it. They rise fast with little work in one’s novice days, and then move progressively slower and slower even as one works harder and harder.

What I was slower to realize was that the same phenomenon was also operative in managing one’s bodyweight. What this means in our sport is after a certain point one cannot gain more muscle without simultaneously adding more fat. This gives rise to the “lean-to-fat gain ratio” phenomenon, which will not be consistent over age and weight ranges. To illustrate, skinny young kids will have an almost 100:0 ratio of muscle to fat gain – 100% muscle, 0% fat. Older and more experienced athletes will experience a less favorable ratio, perhaps 50:50. An elite level super who is already 135kg may have to put up with a discouraging 10:90, and that may be the best he can hope for. As a consequence fat percentages rise, especially as one goes up the weight categories.

At this point many will ask “Why don’t these lifters just diet the weight off, or do some cardio? After all, athletes in other sports like wrestlers can keep their fat percentages low.” This could indeed be done, but what then happens is as the diet proceeds some of that hard earned muscle will also disappear along with the spare tire. If cardio is the reduction method of choice that will cut the fat, but the exercise will cut into the energy needed for weight training and also train the body in unwanted ways, cancelling any strength gains. This is not to suggest the opposite extreme – of eating unwisely and gaining too much fat – since that will result in speed, balance, and flexibility losses. Weight gains should be slow and steady.

Back to my experience. In time I found 82.5kg harder to reduce to each time until one time I just couldn’t do it. My body would not take it any more so its weight finally started to rise, whether I liked it or not. I grew right through the 90s and had to lift as a light 100kg. At 93kg I finally did lift significantly more. I was a bit softer there, but I felt and was much stronger. I eventually got the message that the body needs to get bigger if it is to get measurably stronger. All the while I had been laboring under a delusion. That was the fact that since my Sinclair was higher at 82.5, that was where I should lift. I never tried to see what I could do if I permanently went to 90. I didn’t notice my lifts were not able to increase even at 90 since I was constantly fighting bodyweight. It was all I could do to make weight, leaving my body so depleted I could not lift more than last time. Once I realized I was not a natural 82.5, I started to lift more appropriate poundages without also constantly trying to starve myself.

The body seems to have an optimal bodyfat percentage in order to perform efficiently. That percentage will differ with the sport and also within the sport. If it is too low it will be hard to maintain strength. If it is too high it will penalize movement patterns. At the margins the body is less efficient in converting its fuel. Large lifters with a large amount of muscle will naturally have higher bodyfat percentages.

Unfortunately I retired from active competition at that time and never had enough time left to profit more from this lesson. Today’s younger lifters can learn from my mistake though. The big lesson is to match your category to your height. Don’t force your bodyweight into a lower category so you can win gold in a meaningless local meet. Think long term about where you should be as an elite lifter. Let it get there slowly but give your body some fuel if it is screaming to grow.

In summing up, fat per se still cannot lift iron, but it is something one has to live with when arriving at their strongest and efficient bodyweight.

The post Choosing the Best Weight Class For Lifting appeared first on Breaking Muscle.