Just like your training and nutrition needs, cutting weight for a meet is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. And, surprise... it’s not for everyone.
 
Cutting Weight Like A Pro
 
Since some competitive weightlifters train slightly heavier than their weight class, cutting bodyweight without sacrificing performance for competition day becomes a matter of planning strategically and flexing some willpower muscles.
 
As you’re aware, the rules of a weightlifting meet require athletes to weigh in one or two hours before the start of the competition. With such a small window of time to rehydrate and replenish energy stores, your weight cut needs to be realistic and safe.
 
Are you ready to get started? These tips will help you get organized for your weight cut, but you need to be prepared for some mental challenges along the way.
 
But, before we dive in to these weight-cut strategies, let’s talk briefly about setting yourself up for success in the months ahead.
 
Months Ahead: Trim the Fat
 
Once you know when your meet is scheduled, you should work backwards. Do you have 12 weeks, eight weeks, or less to get your target weight? By now, you should know what weight class you’ll be entering (and not be walking around too far away from that). If you’re not sure, you need to read Picking The Right Weight Class & When It’s Time To Change first.
 
Ideally, a couple months before your competition, you should start trimming the fat from your walking around weight. The goal here is to reduce your weight by lowering body fat percentage while maximizing muscle mass. Remember, that hard-earned muscle is not only responsible for your power and strength, but also protects your body from injury. Lose muscle during your weight-cut and chances are, your performance will suffer, and your body can breakdown.
 
Depending on where your walking around weight is starting from, it could take a few months to reach your target competition weight, or very close to it. The more time you have to plan ahead, the better. A safe body fat loss is between a half a pound to one pound per week.
 
The simplest way to start decreasing body fat is by removing sugars and processed carbs. Then dial in your individual macronutrient needs. For most, this means working with a nutrition coach who can hold your hand through this process and get you to your goal body weight on time.
 
Whatever you do, don’t put it off. Severe diets, especially when combined with over-training, can cause your body to hold on to fat stores and leave you feeling weak in the long run, exactly the opposite of what you want.
 
One Week to Competition: What is An Attainable Goal?
 
So, let’s say you trimmed down the fat, but you’re still not quite there. How much weight can you expect to cut in that final week?
 
Dr. Yvonne Giunta-Lambros, MD, FAAP, who is the Division Director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Northwell Health, Staten Island University Hospital, suggests that cutting weight is not a sustainable long-term plan and should only be considered for serious athletes who are attempting to win at their weight class. “If not done properly, you could compromise health, strength and performance for weight loss,” she said.
 
She reminds us that a slow weight loss should begin about three to four months before, as mentioned above. This is the healthier and more sustainable way of losing the weight as opposed to the rapid water cut over the last few days and hours before weigh in.
 
Search online and no doubt, you’ll find a whole slew of methods to lose water weight, fast. Many of them are dangerous and stupid (for example: laxatives, colonics, etc.). There is no good reason to attempt something which can end up backfiring on you in the long run.
 
Although some athletes may attempt to lose up to eight-10 percent of their total body weight in the week before a meet, Giunta-Lambros suggests that a more realistic and attainable goal would be around two to three percent.
 
Keep in mind, the following are general tips to use as a starting point, and while these recommendations are relatively safe, they don’t come without risks.
 
Risks that, Dr. Yvonne Giunta-Lambros, has seen firsthand. “I have seen several patients come in with severe dehydration. With that, there is risk for kidney injury or failure and must be treated in the hospital with fluids/electrolytes and rehydration.” She recommends that anyone who is on a strict diet secondary to renal disease or failure, diabetes, electrolyte disorders, etc., should be very cautious when trying to acutely cut water weight. “This could completely alter their electrolyte balance and push them into acidosis, dehydration or even renal failure.”
 
Last Minute Techniques
 
OK, now what you’ve been waiting for: last minute weight-cut techniques.
 
According to Brianna M. Diorio M.S., FDN-P, Clinical Nutritionist, “most of the weight that is lost for weigh-in day will be due to lowering glycogen stores and losing water weight.” But, realize that everyone has individual differences that is going to affect how they lose fat, body weight, water weight and how it affects their performance and training load. That’s why it’s best to do a test cut and approach it with the guidance of a coach who can customize the following to meet your specific needs. (Ladies: remember that hormonal changes cause you to retain or release water at different times during your cycle. It may  be worth trying your test cut in the same time in your cycle as the real cut might be.)
 
Here are a few common last-minute techniques to consider:
 

• Water manipulation. Front-loading and then slowly tapering water intake can help you with last minute weight loss (see sample schedule below for more information on this).
• Sodium manipulation. Similar to the water manipulation, when your body gets used to excreting a lot of sodium, it will keep doing this even when salt intake drops. For a brief period of time, more sodium will leave the body that what enters. As it leaves, it will draw additional water from the body. Tread carefully here; your body requires a certain amount of salt in order to function properly. The National Heart Lung and Blood Association reports that 500 mg is a safe daily minimum intake of sodium. (See detailed sample schedule below).
• Hot Epsom salt baths. The magnesium and sulfate in Epsom Salt not only help soothe sore muscles but can also help you destress and relax. Go ahead, draw yourself a hot bath, add in your Epsom salt and place a towel at the bottom of the door to create a sweaty, steam effect. Just avoid staying in there too long (10-15 minutes is plenty); get out before you feel weak and drained.
• Increase body temperature. Layer up while you sleep to help your body sweat more the night before your competition. Just make sure you’re not too uncomfortable that you ended up disturbing your sleep. Losing water weight will not be worth it if you’re not rested enough to perform. Some people lose up to one kilo during the night as they sleep. Knowing exactly how much weight you’ll lose during this time is extremely useful, so be sure to keep record of this ahead of time.
• Destress. The week prior to a meet should be focused on resting the body (from excessive stressors such as overtraining, mental stress, lack of sleep etc.). So, remember to take a few moments to decompress.

 
Sample Water Manipulation Schedule:
According to the Precision Nutrition Certification Manual: The Essentials of Sport and Exercise Nutrition, the most successful water manipulation and weight cutting practices use the physiology of fluid balance. By manipulating their fluid, carbohydrate and sodium intakes, athletes can drop water weight quickly and effectively for competition.
 
Disclaimer: *Nothing is worth risking your health over, so always consult with a doctor first, especially if you have any underlying health concerns.
 
Use this sample schedule as a guide to mold as your own:
 
Seven and six days before the competition

• Double your usual water intake. For example, if you’re drinking two liters (eight cups) per day, start drinking four liters (16 cups).
• Double your usual sodium intake. Consider adding salt to meals and even small amounts to drinking water.
• Do this for two days.

 
Five days before the competition

• Cut your water intake back to normal. So if you started with two liters per day, go back to two liters now.
• Decrease your normal carbohydrate intake by about -20-30 grams. To maintain enough caloric intake, adjust your macronutrient breakdown as needed.
• Keep your sodium intake higher.
• Do this for 24 hours.

 
Four and three days before competition

• Cut your water intake in half. So, if you started with two liters per day, now you’re down to one liter.
• Keep your carb intake and fiber intake low (for many people, this means eating between 50-100 grams of carbohydrates per day). By doing this, you’ll begin to lose muscle glycogen as well as three to four grams of water per gram of glycogen lost.
• Decrease your sodium intake, but not too low. Cut all extra salt out of your diet and avoid foods high in sodium (keep your eye on some of the main sodium culprits including any processed foods, deli meats, cheese, energy drinks, chips, rice cakes, nuts, etc.).
• Do a short, light cardio session to encourage blood flow.
• Do this for two days.

 
Two days before the competition

• Cut your water intake in half again. So, if you started with two liters, now you’re down to 0.5 liters (two cups).
• Keep your carb intake low (50-75 g).
• Keep your sodium intake low.
• You may consider taking a probiotic if your gut is feeling out of whack to maintain digestive health and balance.
• Do a short light cardio session to encourage blood flow and sweat.
• Do a short sauna session or Epsom salt bath (~15 minutes in the evening).

 
1 day before the competition

• Cut your water intake in half one more time. So, if you started with two liters per day, you’d be down to 0.25 liters.
• Keep your carb intake low (50 g).
• No sodium.
• Pop a gut-friendly-bacteria probiotic.
• Do a short light cardio session to encourage blood flow and sweat. But don’t expend too much energy this close to your competition: that’s a no-no. Keep it low-intensity.
• Do two short sauna sessions or Epsom salt baths (~15 minutes in the morning and the evening).

 
Day of weigh-in

• Do one short sauna session or Epsom salt bath (15-20 minutes in the morning).
• Depending on weigh-in time, eat very small meals until weigh-in of protein and fats; limiting sodium.
• Never use excessive dehydration to lose weight; but if you still have weight to lose, keep it to just small sips of water until AFTER weigh in.
• When it’s getting close to weigh-in time, recheck your weight. If you’re slightly under, weigh yourself again with a bottle of water in your hand. Empty it out until the scale hits the magic number. Now, you know you can start sipping on some H2O to get a head-start on the rehydration process.

 
After weigh-in

• Start re-hydrating immediately but keep it gradual to avoid GI upset. You have a two-hour window, and you must be 100 percent rehydrated when you step onto that platform. Make no mistake, if you’re not hydrated, your performance will suffer.
• Sip. Don’t chug. Aim for no more than 1.5 liters of fluid rehydration per hour (include carbohydrates, electrolytes, sodium).
• Choose fluids wisely. According to Dr. Yvonne Giunta-Lambros, choose a rehydration solution with a very acute balance of sugar and sodium, such as Pedialyte, which contain sodium, glucose, potassium, chloride and zinc. She states, “Other products may have a higher concentration of glucose and not enough sodium which increases the risk of dehydration even further. And most commercial sports drinks have a higher amount of glucose and less sodium.”
• With such a short window of time to eat, drink and digest, it’s wise to choose nutrient-dense, yet easy-to-digest, foods after the weigh-in. Resist the urge to gorge. I know you’ll be hungry, but rather than pummeling your digestive system with food, opt for smaller meals with foods that you’re used to eating (now is not the time to try something new).

 
Remember to Record Your Progress
This is a no-brainer. Just as you track your training, you have to track how your weight is adjusting in order to ensure you’ll hit your target weight on competition day. This should include:

• What you weigh and what time (am/pm)
• What you’re eating and how much (Note: carbs, protein, fat, sodium)
• What you’re drinking and how much
• Your training schedule
• How you feel (mood, stress, feelings of hunger…or rather, hangry)
• Any other strategies you’re using to manipulate your weight (Sauna, Epsom salt bath, etc.)

 
The more notes you take, the better.
 
Bottom line
 
Do a test cut before the big day. Keep a detailed record of what worked for you - and to what degree. That will be an invaluable resource, so you know how your individual body reacts to these various methods for the next time you need to cut weight.
 
Read More:
Ask Greg: How Do Lifters Stay Lean?
Ask Greg: How Important is Bodyweight for Weightlifting?
Bodyweight & Weightlifting Competition