My fellow masters weightlifters and younger hobbyists—this one’s for you.
Nobody likes feeling stuck in the middle.
I get it. You’re a weightlifter. This lifestyle, your friends, even your identity—all tied to the sport. Your weight class has been part of that identity. You’re a competent athlete, maybe competitive at the Virus Weightlifting Series or Masters Nationals. You can qualify for Finals, maybe even Nationals Week. Sometimes it’s just cool to say, “I compete in the Olympic class.”
But now the IWF hates you. They changed the classes. Again.
Then they personally set out to ruin your life by changing the 98kg class to 94kg. Again.
You console yourself by imagining Norik Vardanian coming back to reclaim the American snatch record (you should’ve been at the 2016 Olympic Trials—it was electric).
Then you check your scale.
You are solidly in between two new weight classes. Your perfect 80kg body now makes you a light 86—or you’re staring down the dreaded cut to 77kg. You were a flawless 97.9, ready to slay demons, and now your options are being an underfed 94 or pretending you actually want to fill out 110.
Stop right there. Take a breath.
There is another option.
It might take time to get comfortable with the idea—but it’s valid: let your body sit where it is. Stop obsessing over your weight.
There’s a belief among hobbyist weightlifters that they must fill out their weight class to the gram, or cut down dramatically every meet. That mindset works for international-level athletes, but for the rest of us? It’s a false choice.
Karlos Nassar won a European Championship and broke world records weighing 93.35kg in the 96kg class.
Liu Huanhua totaled a monstrous 418kg at the 2023 Asian Games, including a 233kg clean & jerk—all while weighing just 100.8kg in the 109kg class*.
The majority of us will feel—and perform—better when we’re eating enough to train hard and recover well. Most lifters have a natural bodyweight that feels good. It’s okay to live there.
So what if you weigh in a few kilos lighter than others in your session? If you PR your lifts, open heavier, or go 6-for-6? That’s what actually matters.
We tell youth, juniors, and beginners not to cut weight while they’re learning and growing—and for good reason. As Donny Shankle says, “Ya gotta eat.”
Well, guess what? That applies to us “in the middle,” too.
Talk to your coach. Get their input. They want you to succeed. That might mean forgetting about the number on the scale and instead focusing on eating the right things, in the right amounts, so you can walk into the gym—and onto the platform—ready to give your best.
Want to learn more about nutrition, weight classes, and performance?
Check out:
- The Barbell Drop podcast, Episode 24, hosted by Angelo Kelly and Cory O’Connor, featuring Alexa Snyder of 1Kilo Weightlifting
- Better Than Yesterday podcast, Episode 238, hosted by Angelo Kelly, featuring Alexa Mina of Cedars Nutrition
*The 2023 Asian Games used the Tokyo Olympic weight classes, meaning there was no 102kg class. Liu Huanhua’s 233kg clean & jerk and 418kg total were unofficial world records.
