My 2015/2016 Weight Plan

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ICYMI, I've been racing at World Championship Trials all week! A link to results should be posted on the US Rowing website and available from herenow.com.
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Good weight management has been a foundation to my athletic success. I've found a place where I can put the scale away for a month or two in the fall and winter, but still get myself within 100 grams of my target weight on race day. I'm really proud of how I've achieved precision without obsession.

A big part of that is knowing the plan in advance. So, here was my weight plan for the past season, with feedback for myself below.

I came out of 2015 Seniors Trials in June. I weighed in around 56kg (123 pounds), but I played a lot of tricks with salt and carbs to get there. I pretty quickly came up to 58kg and then put the scale away and slowly gained weight until September.

THE PLAN
Start: end of September - 133-134 pounds

--> two and a half weeks to lose 1-2 pounds
**October 17 - Head of the Charles - 132 pounds

--> 3 weeks to lose 2 pounds
**November 7 - Fall Speed Order - 130 pounds
**November/December/January - 132-136 pounds

In preparation for trials, I scheduled weigh-ins about every two and a half weeks, starting February 10th. These were just for me—no coaches involved—but the weigh ins helped me stay accountable.
--->10-12 weeks to lose 10 pounds

Weigh in reminder in my training log...

...and weight recorded the next day.

Weigh-in date --- goal weight --- actual weight
Feb 11 --- 60kg (132.2lbs) --- 60kg (132.2lbs)
Feb 29 --- 59kg (130.0lbs) --- 60kg (132.2lbs) <-- oops!
Mar 18 --- 58kg (127.8lbs) --- 59kg (130.0lbs)
April 5 --- 57kg (125.6lbs) --- 57.8 kg (127.6lbs)
April 19 --- 56kg (123.4lbs) --- 56.5kg (124.6lbs)

**April 21-24 - Olympic Trials - 55-56kg / 121-123 pounds
[n.b. to make this weight, I did NOT lose 2-3 pounds of fat in two days. I lost some water weight via reduced salt/carbs and sweat out 1-2 pounds in the mornings, pre-weigh-in.]

--> come up to 125-126 quickly, then slowly gain 2-3 pounds
**July 18th - Worlds Trials - 128-129 pounds

THE GOOD
I did better than expected managing my weight in December and January when I was visiting family. I didn't have a scale for most of that time, and came back late January at 133-134 pounds despite copious holiday eating.

I fell behind on weight loss in February, but instead of freaking out, I adjusted my plan. Instead of the original plan of losing 1kg every 2.5 weeks, I adjusted my goal to 1.2kg every 2.5 weeks, or about a pound a week. Since my original plan was a little generous, I ended up losing weight in a very sustainable way.

March through July have gone great. I didn't lose too much muscle coming down to 56kg. That has allowed me to add muscle compared to where I was in February, as I come up to single racing weight. What fun.

THE BAD

I really struggled with the October and November portion of the plan. Losing weight as it gets colder is always difficult for me, and I had to work harder than expected to make weight at Head of the Charles. Coming down another 2-3 pounds for speed order was even less fun, and as a result my weight bounced up really quickly afterwards.

THE UGLY

Even though I came down to weight smartly, I haven't had my period since February. Boo! Although my doctor has said it is ok for to lose my period for months at a time, it's still concerning. I have to imagine that if my body can't perform its natural functions, it is barely handling the training load I'm giving it. I was hoping that I would get my period back as I came up to 128 or 129 pounds, but as of yet no luck.

I am also having trouble accepting the way my body is changing. At 123 pounds, I felt like a certifiable badass—I looked the way I expect an elite athlete to look. Now at 129, although my muscles are bigger, my muscle definition is significantly reduced. Clothing fits differently, as well, and is oftentimes uncomfortable because my summer wardrobe is sized for me to be 125 pounds. I would also feel embarrassed to have been at 123 in April and struggle to make 130 in July, even though my body has clearly indicated that 130+ is a happier weight for me. These are emotions and self-criticisms I need to examine, because I train to go fast, not to look good.

Looking super lean at 125lbs for 2015 Elite Nationals.

If you race as a lightweight, I'd love to hear how your plan is the same or different. Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome! This is something that not a lot of lightweights address publicly, and I get a lot of questions about it.

About Post Author

Michaela

Michaela is a lightweight rower based in New Milford, CT. She writes about life as an elite athlete and always travels with snacks.

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