Hi all
This sort of came up in another thread but to avoid an off topic hijack I'm setting this up to collect people's views.
The question is what level of bodyfat is ideal for peak performance in various strength sports eg. Powerlifting, strongman weightlifting, field athletics etc.
And second to this how would this help with weight class selection for sports where this is an issue. Should we really diet down to hit a lower weight class?
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Leverages do change when you diet down to lower BF levels but you'd be a fool to think a guy at 80kg at 20% BF is going to be stronger than a guy at 80kg and 10% BF.
I know Critta was 7.9% a week before Nats. He could have got tanned up and stood on a BB stage on comp day. Performances speak for themselves.
The only class at GPC Nats where I saw any guys with higher BF%'s win are 140 and SHW. (same thing applies for the females basically)
I don't think the fat levels of a power lifter or OLY lifter interfere with performance and would often aid the lift.
any other activities on the field though one would need to be as lean as possible.
Coming from an athletics background where there are no weight classes you certainly see a lot more of people aiming to achieve absolute peak performance you see a lot fewer competitors coming in been extremely lean.
So for those with experience, what sort of performance decrease do you usually see when dieting down for a weight class, 5-10%?
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Coming from an athletics background where there are no weight classes you certainly see a lot more of people aiming to achieve absolute peak performance you see a lot fewer competitors coming in been extremely lean.
So for those with experience, what sort of performance decrease do you usually see when dieting down for a weight class, 5-10%?
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Fat will aid the performance of the squat and bench press
But the improvement does not outweigh the hit on the coefficient score
bodyfat is an issue for any sport where weight is a factor, not just sports with weight divisions, but also running, swimming and so on.
Getting lean while maintaining strength is possible, but very difficult, especially without gear.
Having said that, some burly sprinters run fast looking a bit overweight, and slow up considerably when they seek the abs.
Very important to be flexible and do a zig zag diet where a periodic increase in calories is desirable while losing weight just to replenish your muscles and reverse catabolism. Much more likely to lose muscle if negative calories persist over time, so take note of your poundages and how you feel.
Personally, I have experienced both sides. I once lost 7kg over 8 weeks and ran exactly the same time for 200m, I also lost 5kg and smashed my best 400m time.
Also, although complicated by the reality I was previously stronger, I lost 4kg in 2011 but increased my bench 7.5kg.
My simple rule is to keep calories as high as possible, but the right amount to lose around 0.5kg per week. The greater the deficit, the more likely muscle will be lost.
Also, my interpretation of literature, keep protein higher as a proportion of calories when dieting. When eating more, both carbs and fats help spare protein.
Makes sense that an athlete needs a certain % of body fat! I'd also like to know what the minimum would be.
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