Bodyfat and performance

[Big Dave]

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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[0ni]

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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This goes against the usual dogma you hear "he who lifts the most weight wins" but your primary concern really should be hitting the highest bodyweight multiplier you're capable of.
Powerlifting is scored by coefficient. If you're 105kg and 15%, you're going to most likely get crushed in the 110kg class, you'd be doing yourself a disservice NOT competing at 100kg or you could be crushing shit at 90kg. Matt Stenzel did nearly exactly this and recently hit an 800kg total at 90kg a good 75kg more than anyone else

At my last meet, If I had not dieted down into another weight class then I would have come in second place overall. I dieted down then cut water and lost a total of 8kg (5kg of this was water) and despite this screwing my bench and me only hitting my opener, I won by a large margin.

If you look at any top raw powerlifter in the 110kg class and lower, they will most likely be very lean

 

[jzpowahz]

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)

 

[chocchillimango]

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)

100% In fact the lower your weight class, the more it matters. Less BF for the same BW makes a huge difference. Basic.

 

[cunniff1981]

I agree with all the comments from powerlifting. Strongman isn't so much an issue. In fact having a gut can be benificial in some events, you can roll the log and continental an axle better with a power pouch. It does make stones harder if you have short arms though. So there are advantages and disadvantages, but the main rule is weight moves weight. Yoke and truck pull are easier at heavier weights.

 

[Goosey]

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.

 

[chocchillimango]

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.

In my weightclass in PL it makes a difference (ie 47/48kg class depending on your fed lol).

 

[0ni]

Fat will aid the performance of the squat and bench press
But the improvement does not outweigh the hit on the coefficient score

 

[Big Dave]

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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[0ni]

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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Personally speaking when I dieted from the mid 70s to 67.2kg in a few weeks I was hitting 120kg in training then missed 115kg in a meet twice. That's a 4.5% decrease. But the 200kg squat I did in the meet was better than the 200kg I did in training and I also hit 252.5kg in the deadlift at the end of the meet where my best was 255kg in training but I had not squatted 200kg or benched before then which takes a lot out of you.

So provided the cut is done sensibly and managed well, you should not really lose a lot of strength and if you do, your bodyweight:strength/power ratios will increase and you'll be more athletic or competitive in a weight class as a result

 

[Goosey]

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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Makes sense that an athlete needs a certain % of body fat! I'd also like to know what the minimum would be.

 

[Bench Polkov]

Fat will aid the performance of the squat and bench press
But the improvement does not outweigh the hit on the coefficient score

This is the balance you have to choose.

 

[0ni]

Also one thing that wasn't mentioned, If your lean mass is say 80kg, at 10% body fat your weight will be 89kg
This will make you fairly uncompetitive in powerlifting. Going by the IPF weight classes you would have the choice of 93 or 83kg. Lets say your genetics only allow you to have 80kg of lean mass, you have the choice of cutting to 85kg and rocking 6% body fat or putting on another 6kg and being 95kg and being a fat 16%

Which will make you more competitive? You'll have to play round to find your bodyweight sweet spot. Unfortunately not everyone has a genetic limit of muscle mass that falls right on the boundary of a weight class!

 

[D1cko]

I'm of the opinion that it shouldn't matter what MY bodyfat is, I'm happy with the levels I have, I have no desire to be ripped or under 10%. My goal is to simply put on mass at a reasonable rate and get stronger. I believe I'll need to be around 125-130kg to properly fill out my frame.
The minute my pants/shorts get a little tight, I cut a little. I weighed in at 105 kg a little over a year ago. I'm now 117kg and still wearing the same clothes....

 

[spartacus]

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.

 

[Bazza20]

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.

I agree with this.

Keeping calories as high as possible while cutting is the key. Most people start too low and are too quick to drop even further when cutting and end up losing a lot of strength.

I think a fair amount of it is due to following what people on gear do. It's much easier for them to lower calories and drop weight fast while keeping strength and muscle. When doing it without gear slower is better.

If you don't allow yourself to get fat even a kg a month can be a good aim for cutting.

I never intentionally factor in high calorie days when cutting I find they just end up happening. Wether it be holidays or wanting to smash a family pizza after a game of footy.

 

[Big Dave]

Makes sense that an athlete needs a certain % of body fat! I'd also like to know what the minimum would be.

I would peg a minimum at around 12%. In field events it's very rare to see anyone competitive coming in less than 15%.

Also from what I have seen injury risk seems to increase when you hit sub 10%. Most bodybuilding injuries occur when dieting right down for contest prep. This would indicate that low bodyfat puts you in a sub optimal state for performance.


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[spartacus]

do you mean throwing. some jumpers are quite lean, almost sickly (high jump especially).

 

[jzpowahz]

I hang around bodybuilders and powerlifters too much I think as most "lean" rugby league players I see look pretty podgy to me. But if it works for them then it works.

I know Dan Baker (Broncos S&C coach) was saying that they give their players weight targets. If they aren't met, then they won't be on the team basically.

 

[0ni]

Low calories is only detrimental to muscle mass and strength if it's in the long term
2-4 weeks of low calories won't do shit