Fueling For The Olympic Lifter

One of the hardest things about weightlifting is trying to figure out how to fuel yourself properly for training. Some of the cycles you’ll experience are so incredibly difficult you’ll often question your ability to stay awake long enough to prepare any kind of food. Let alone figure out what you should be eating. Let’s look into how we would properly fuel a competitive weightlifter who trains 5-6 days a week. 

Carbohydrates are the bodies main source of fuel and without them we will never be able to train at our full potential. The important things to consider when looking at carbohydrates are the quality of the food and the amount of carbohydrates taken in. For the athlete carbohydrates should be in the form of veggies, fruits and starches. Preferably organic or local if possible. The amount of carbohydrates is also important and should be dictated on how much you’re doing for that particular day. We like to keep it in the 2-3g per pound of bodyweight range. Both the quality and quantity keep you fueled with the right foods and the right amount of foods! 

For protein we need to again look at quality and quantity. Beef should be grass fed and grass finished if at all possible to ensure the highest amount of omega 3 fatty acids are available. This should be the full fat version. If grass fed and grass finished meat is not available then opt for the leanest cut available as this meat will be higher in omega 6s. 

Turkey and Chicken should be free range if all all possible and fish should be wild caught. Pork is an acceptable choice as well though it can be a bit inflammatory. For the quantity of protein we need to consume we’re looking at 1-1.5g per pound of bodyweight. This is a lot of protein so it is acceptable to include protein shakes to consume more if needed. We recommend Gnarly Nutrition and you can use the code stoneage for a discount. 

Add fats in for flavor, 10-20g of BCAAs for recovery as they are involved in cell replication and repair and Creatine before bed to stimulate the release of growth hormone and give a similar response that high intensity exercise would while you sleep. 

Follow these simple rules and you’ll be fueled for a successful weightlifting career. It won’t make the work any easier, but it will ensure that you’re properly prepared to endure the workload!