How Much Does Bodyweight Impact Sports Performance?

August 26, 2021 by
Photo Credit: Chagdrick Berger (instagram.com/undeniablemedia)

This week, Noah Ohlsen posted about his intention to drop 20lbs following the 2021 CrossFit Games. He felt he was too heavy to execute at his best despite eating for performance during the training season.

This brings the question of body weight as it relates to performance in CrossFit into sharp focus. Can a lower body weight and body fat percentage greatly improve athletic performance?

As it turns out, there has not been a great deal of research done in this area. Much of the existing research has been done on weight class sports, such as wrestling, weightlifting, and Jiu-jitsu to understand and optimize weight reduction tactics prior to competition.

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