Weightlifting
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The Best Way to Grow a Weightlifter
Why Cutting Weight in Youth Lifters Is a Problem
One weightlifting issue that has bothered me for a considerable amount of time is the practice of cutting weight for juvenile and adolescent lifters. It happens with adults as well, but they should be able to figure out whether or not it poses a problem for athletic health.
When I first started coaching, I was working with junior high (middle) school lifters. I took them to Junior Olympic competitions, which were restricted to juniors in two-year age increments. At these competitions, it was quite normal to find coaches and parents employing various means to dehydrate their starving athletes in order to qualify them for certain bodyweight classes.
Realizations Through Coaching Experience
Not knowing any better, I got swept up in the process for a few years, at which point I began to think about the process. It became obvious to me that the sport was about gaining muscle and strength and lifting the most weight possible. I noticed that the best lifters were shorter than civilians of comparable bodyweight. I stopped requiring my juniors to cut weight in order to lift in a specific bodyweight category.
A Lesson from the 1972 National Junior Olympic Championships
The convincing incident for me was at the first National Junior Olympics Championships in 1972. Ricky Lujan was entered in the 14–15-year-old age division in the 181 ¾ lb. class. He weighed in at 166, and the bodyweight limit for the next lowest division was 165 ¼. Ricky was coached by his dad, Hank Lujan, who had been the Cuban national coach, and he wisely saw no reason to dehydrate his son. Not having to lose weight, Ricky was energetic and broke all the national records.
Since then, I’ve never cut weight for any of my athletes unless they were fully mature and he or she just needed to lose some water weight.
Consider Adult Competition Weight from the Start
I think it would be helpful to consider the bodyweight category that the athlete will compete in as an adult. For this reason, I’m providing the following tables with appropriate height ranges for competitors.
Men’s Bodyweight Categories by Height
| Bodyweight Class | Height Range |
|---|---|
| 60 kg | 155 ± 3 cm |
| 65 kg | 156 ± 3 cm |
| 71 kg | 161 ± 3 cm |
| 79 kg | 164 ± 3 cm |
| 88 kg | 171 ± 3 cm |
| 94 kg | 172 ± 3 cm |
| 110 kg | 181 ± 4 cm |
| >110 kg | 186 ± 6 cm |
Women’s Bodyweight Categories by Height
| Bodyweight Class | Height Range |
|---|---|
| 48 kg | 150 ± 3 cm |
| 53 kg | 152 ± 3 cm |
| 58 kg | 155 ± 3 cm |
| 63 kg | 157 ± 3 cm |
| 69 kg | 159 ± 4 cm |
| 77 kg | 163 ± 4 cm |
| 86 kg | 172 ± 4 cm |
| >86 kg | 178 ± 4 cm |
Use Growth Predictions to Guide Athlete Development
Pediatrics being what they are, we can pretty accurately determine an adolescent’s adult height, and from that, choose the most effective bodyweight category from these tables.
Starvation and Dehydration Undermine Long-Term Growth
Do coaches really think they can maximize the growth of an athlete by periodically starving and dehydrating him or her? Of course not. I’ve been around long enough to have observed some athletes who failed to achieve their full potential because of the practice of cutting weight. Weightlifting requires healthy, well-fed athletes.
