The proper body proportions for a good 69kg lifter has them standing about 5’6″ with thick legs and short arms. Olympic Champion Qingfeng Lin is a great example. (on a sidenote he snatched 15kg more than I clean and jerked). I stand 5’10” tall, have less than thick legs, and arms so long they look like go-go gadget arms. At this height I should be in the 105kg class. When the 69kg lifters were announced on stage, I realized I was the tallest man in my weight class BY 4 INCHES. I am not what one would call the perfect picture of a 69kg class lifter.
I had not lifted in the 69kg class since American Open 2010 and long thought I was past competing at such a #lightweight. However, with a less than consistent training regimen heading into the Open I found myself only 4kg from 69.0 and figured I’d give it a shot. My wife took a big deep breath when I told her, knowing that I am not the most patient man when I cut weight. She’s right. It was bad enough that she had the dag-um church praying for HER patience as I cut weight.
Great idea, cut weight right before Thanksgiving. No wonder I was cranky. A couple people asked me how I managed, at 7% body fat, to cut 8.8 pounds. The answer is pretty simple. Eat Paleo and drink ALOT of water. Most of the people close to me know that I am not what one might call a “clean-eater”. So one of the best things I did to cut some weight was eat a very clean diet for 14 days and drink only water. As the meet got closer I upped my intake of water and ate 4-5 small meals a day. It worked like a charm. It’s funny how that happens. Eat well and lose weight. I should write a book.
I had bad experiences with cutting weight in the past. So bad that the last time I cut from 69kg to 62kg (the year I bomded at the American Open), my college roommate thought I had an eating disorder. He somehow believed that iceberg lettuce leaves, a hamburger patty, and a tablespoon of peanut butter wasn’t sufficient calorie intake for a day. He was probably right as I felt and looked terrible at that meet. This time around with the help of 2-time Olympian and National Record holder Chad Vaughn I was able to stand on the scale Saturday morning at 68.9 without having to starve myself.
Granted I did have to go light on the stuffing Thanksgiving Day and going hunting the week before helped me from snacking all day, but with the help of some good coaches I was able to cut 8 pounds out without destroying my energy levels or strength levels. The moral of the story is that I should be a 105kg lifter, but my body has different plans for me. The other lesson to be learned, as much as I hate to admit it, Paleo is a pretty legit lifestyle for maintaining good muscle mass and living lean. However, if you’re like me and trying to gain weight… bring on the whole milk.