Sports Nutrition Athlete Case Study

Erin O’Flaherty

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

November 17, 2020

Olympic Weightlifting is a long-standing Olympic sport. It is a strength sport that includes lifting

the max amount of weight with certain movement patterns and guidelines. The sport has many nutrient

concerns that are common among athletes that are strength based, weight based, and train indoors.

These concerns include, but are not limited to protein intake, carbohydrate intake, vitamin D status, and

weight loss or gain for competition.

One of the largest concerns among strength sports is getting an adequate amount of protein. It

is often thought that more protein will mean greater muscle synthesis, but there is a limit to proteins

benefit (Lewis-McCormick & Bassler, 2018). Studies have classified optimal protein intake to be 20-25

grams per siting or 0.25 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. One of the most important

aspects of protein is timing. After exercise is found to be the most beneficial time to support muscle

synthesis and remodeling, especially within the first two hours after exercise, but synthesis may be

increased for the 24-48 hours following training (Burke & Deakin, 2015, p. 98)

Another important aspect to protein ingesting is optimizing glycogen stores after training.

Glycogen stores are replenished through the intake of carbohydrates post exercise. This stored

carbohydrate in the muscle is a direct fuel source for the working muscle and is important to replenish

for future training and training fuel. When carbohydrate amounts are lower than what is needed for

optimum glycogen storage, co-ingestion of 20-25 grams of protein can increase glycogen stores. An

important note with carbohydrates is not all training will completely deplete muscle glycogen and

carbohydrate intake may need to be scaled according to an athletes training protocol (Burke & Deakin,

2015, 420-437).

For Olympic Weightlifting, training occurs in doors for multiple hours at a time. With indoor

athletes, a micronutrient of concern is vitamin D. Vitamin D is acquired through sun exposure and is

found in very few food sources. In the general population, insufficient or deficient vitamin D status is
common. With indoor athletes having limited outside exposure due to training, it is a common concern

within this athletic population. Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium uptake, bone remodeling,

skeletal muscle functioning, inflammation and immunity. Each of these features is important to maintain

in good status so no interference with training, performance, or competition occurs (Burke & Deakin,

2015, pp 242-251).

Weight manipulation is a common practice used to benefit or dominate against the competition

in weightlifting. Athlete’s often gain or cut weight in order to compete in a weight class that may be less

competitive or gives the athlete a better opportunity to win. Weight gain is also common throughout an

athlete’s career. To increase the longevity of a career or when body composition has become too low to

maintain, athletes go up in a weight class (podcast).

In this case study, we will review a 25-year-old female Olympic Weightlifter. She is of elite status

and is beginning the process of weight gaining until the Olympics in July of 2021. Currently, it is

hypothesized that the athlete can gain 5 kilograms or more in the proceeding 8 months to become

closer to her weight class weight cap at 87 kilograms. The biggest nutritional concerns of the athlete are

adequate protein and carbohydrate intake and timing, and vitamin D status.

Weightlifting

Olympic weightlifting was first seen in the 1896 Olympics. On and off appearances of the sport

were seen from 1900-1920. This is when it became its own event and has since been the longest

standing sport in the Summer Olympic Games (Olympic Weightlifting, 2020). The modern sport of

weightlifting is comprised of two strength movements, the snatch, and clean and jerk. Each athlete

battles to lift the highest amount of weight within their weight class. The current Olympic weight classes

stand at 61, 67, 73, 81, 96, 109, 109+ kilograms for men and 49, 55, 59, 64, 76, 87, 87+ kilograms for

women. Non-Olympic weight classes, which are used at all local to international level meets outside of
the Olympics are 55, 61, 67, 73, 81, 89, 96, 102, 109, 109+ kilograms for men and 45, 49, 55, 59, 64, 71,

76, 81, 87, 87+ kilograms for women (USA Weightlifting, n.d.).

Weightlifting weight classes are changed every so often due to the sport’s long history of doping

and based on the number of medaling events the International Olympic Committee awards the sport for

each Olympic Games. The weight class adjustments are often seen in the preceding years after the

Olympic Games and were reset after the 2016 games in Rio, in 2018 (USA Weightlifting, n.d.).

Olympic qualifications in the sport of weightlifting occur in a group of years referred to as a

“quad.” This past quad leading to the 2020 Olympics had three qualification periods in which an athlete

had to complete a minimum of six times, twice in each period. The periods were from 01 November

2018- 30 April 2019, 01 May 2019- 31 October 2019, and 01 November 2019 - 30 April 2020. Each

athlete was required to compete twice at their intended Olympic weight class for Tokyo, 2020 Olympics

and the remaining qualifying meets could be at their preferred weight class. Positions were solidified, at

least in the United States, when the Tokyo games were postponed a year due to the Coronavirus

pandemic. This changed the last qualifying period requiring athletes to compete once in the period of 01

October 2020- 30 April 2021. This qualification alteration stripped athletes of their Olympic positions,

giving others the chance to fight for an Olympic spot for their country.

Not every country is guaranteed a spot in weightlifting at the Olympics. The number of spots

awarded to each country is determined at international events such as Worlds and the Pan-American

Games, leading up to the Olympics. A full team consist of 4 men and 4 women, which the USA was

awarded for the first time since 1996.

The other way to qualify for the Olympics is by ranking the highest via Robi points. Robi points

are based on a mathematical equation based on the amount of weight lifted by an athlete and the rank

of the event at which the weight was lifted at. Each major event is classified as a Gold, Silver, or Bronze

event. Gold events are World’s, Silver events are held by the International Weightlifting Federation, and
Bronze events are Nationals and certain international meets. If an athlete has the highest Robi points,

but their country is not awarded slots, a certain number of slots are saved and awarded to those

individuals. The last qualifying rule is there may not be more than one athlete from each country in each

weight class. The qualifying process is very intricate and has been modified considerable over the past

several years (International Weightlifting Federation, n.d.).

Case Study Subject

Jane Doe is a 25-year-old, elite Olympic weightlifting female for the United States. She currently

stands at 5’7” and weighs 76 kilograms. She was qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as an 87-

kilogram lifter and was awarded a slot for Team USA. Due to the 2020 pandemic, her spot has been

stripped and she must requalify in an international event in the time period of 01 November 2020 - 30

April 2021.

As she prepares for an international competition and the Tokyo Olympics, she will need to begin

to gain weight and fill out her weight class as much as possible.

The athlete is currently training out of her garage or a local gym located near Orlando Florida.

Neither locations have access to air conditioning and most of the training takes place in the middle of

the day. In addition to training inside, she is a full-time college student that spends the majority of the

hours outside of training, inside doing schoolwork.

The athlete is white with history of anxiety and depression. She currently does not have any

significant health history, nor is on medication. She had a previous back injury approximately two years

ago, but the diagnosis is unknown to the public. She has no other current or previous injuries.

She does not have any dietary restrictions, and cooks or preps most of her own meals. She has

been at weight maintenance for the past several months at 76 kilograms. She will need to begin to gain

weight for the Olympics and requalification period. The goal is a 5-kilogram weight increase, bringing her
bodyweight to 81 kilograms. Due to her Olympic weight class being 87 kilograms, she may gain more

than the 5 kilograms if desired but will need to be cognoscente of changes in training and movement

patterns.

Currently, the athlete’s training cycle uses undulating periodization, or the high-low approach.

Typically, there are two forms of undulating programs, weekly or daily. Weekly is characterized by the

training stimulus being consistent throughout a whole week and changing the following week. Whereas

daily, the training stimulus changing each day. A training stimulus could be the manipulation or focus on

volume, intensity, power, strength, or hypertrophy, for example (Tammam, 2014).

For this athlete, exact training prescription is unknown and communication with coach is highly

desired to understand training intensities that will affect nutrition prescription. The information

gathered via social media, would classify her training as a blended undulating approach with a high, or

strength and power focus on 3 training sessions a week (starred below), and a low, technique focus

training session twice a week. It appears the exercise intensity also increases each week but may be

dependent on the current mesocycle.

A mesocycle is a block of weeks that has a specific overarching goal, such as strength.

Mesocycles build upon each other to create a macrocycle, the whole training program for that athlete’s

season. Although length of each cycle varies coach to coach and sport to sport, typical mesocycle

lengths are 2-6 weeks, and macrocycle lengths are a year (Brown & Greenwood, 2005). For this athlete,

her mesocycles are 4 weeks in length, 3 weeks of rigorous training and 1 week being a deload or back off

week. Her macrocycles are hypothesized to be one year in length, with the end of the cycle maximizing

strength and power for Worlds. With the sport of weightlifting being all-year round, she may have more

than one macrocycle with the need for peak performance to occur at multiple times in a year.

The athlete’s deload week is used as a recovery from the previous 3 weeks of rigorous training

and occurs during her menstrual cycle. Some research has shown that muscle fatigue was greater during
the menstruation phase of the menstrual cycle (Pallavi, et. Al. 2017). The timing of the deload during the

menstrual cycle is to avoid any adverse symptoms of menstruation conflicting with training such as

abdominal or pelvic cramping, low back pain, headaches, irritability, bloating, breast soreness or fatigue

(National Institutes of Health, 2017).

Below, is a chart of the athlete’s current training schedule. Meet dates, except for the Olympics

are currently unknown. Many meets, including international, are getting moved to online formats. The

athlete has the tools to utilize the online competition format, but the international meet that will be

used to qualify for the Olympics is currently unknown.

Monday* Morning and Afternoon Training Sessions

Nutritional Plan

The athlete’s daily calorie needs were calculated at 3,130 kilocalories a day using the Mifflin-St.

Joer equation with an activity factor of 1.9, and a bodyweight of 87 kilograms. This equation was chosen

because of the researcher’s familiarity with the equation. Comparison daily energy expenditure

calculations were made with the Harris-Benedict, World Health Organization, and 35 kilocalories per

kilogram bodyweight with all calculations being within 100-200 kilocalories of the original calculation.

Protein needs of the athlete were calculated at 0.25 grams of protein per kilogram bodyweight

at each meal. This calculation came out to be 21.75 kilocalories per meal, or 22 grams of protein per

meal. Protein ingestion was based around workout schedules and with an ingestion goal of every 2-3

hours.
 Studies have demonstrated that myofibrillar protein synthesis and a net protein balance was the

greatest with protein ingestion of 20 grams every 3 hours in comparison to other protein ingestion

timing (Burke & Deakin, 2015, pp. 94-105). If she were to ingest 22 grams of protein every two hours,

assuming 9 and a half hours of the day are dedicated to sleeping and associate sleeping and living

activities such as brushing teeth and showering, the athlete would consume 154 grams of protein per

day. Current research recommends daily protein intake for serious athletes to be 1.2-2.0 grams per

kilogram bodyweight with most emphasis on protein dosage and timing (Lewis-McCormick & Bassler,

2018). 154 grams of protein would be approximately 1.77 grams of protein per kilogram bodyweight. A

protein intake at 1.77 grams per kilogram bodyweight would also assist in extra calories needed for

weight gain over the next eight months until the Olympics.

The protein consumption rate of 22 grams every 2 hours will demand protein supplementation

during training. This supplementation will be in liquid form for ease of consumption and to eliminate

long training breaks that would be required if protein consumption was via food. Protein consumed

during training will promote protein sparing during exercise, assist in keeping the athlete in a positive

protein balance, and possibly promote muscle protein synthesis that may occur during prolonged

training sessions over two hours in length. A carbohydrate solution will also be ingested alongside

protein during training to support energy metabolism demands and, in theory, spare protein from being

used as a fuel source during long intensive training sessions.

Carbohydrate fueling is an important aspect of training to prevent hypoglycemia and support

energy metabolism demands during exercise. Carbohydrates have been proven to enhance exercise

performance throughout different types of athletes but is especially recognized in prolonged training

states. A carbohydrate rate of 60 grams every hour of training is prescribed based on a study which

resulted in the greatest performance being in the supplementation range of 60-80 grams of

carbohydrates per hour. This rate of carbohydrate ingestion during training will also satisfy her fluid
needs to mitigate dehydration from training. After her last training session of the day, the athlete is

recommended to do an electrolyte replacement formula to replenish the electrolytes lost via sweat,

especially in the Florida heat. The electrolyte replacement formula will have 50 mmol per Liter of

sodium. Outside of the carbohydrate and sodium drinks, water is the encouraged beverage.

The carbohydrate drink used during training will have a composition of mixed carbohydrates

that use different uptake transport systems. This allows the greatest uptake and utilization of

carbohydrates due the rate of digestion and different transport systems. Outside of training, a

carbohydrate to protein ratio of 4:1 will be expected at all meals, which is approximately 88 grams per

sitting (book). All protein sources ingested through food or liquid will be complete protein sources.

Complete protein sources have more bioavailability, meaning there will be greater uptake and utilization

of the protein ingested (Burke & Deakin, 2015, pp. 94-105, 420-450).

Due to Olympic Weightlifting being an indoor sport and the athlete being a full-time college

student, vitamin D status is a nutrient of concern. Vitamin D is important for immune function and the

uptake of calcium for bone health. Low vitamin D status has also been linked to decreased muscle

strength, which can severely hinder her performance and training. A vitamin D supplement of 600 IU’s

or 30 minutes of sun exposure daily is recommended. If possible, vitamin D status should be measured

to determine if a higher dosage to improve in insufficient or deficient that could be present in the

athlete (Burke & Deakin, 2015, pp. 251-252, 321-322).

Expected Outcomes

The expected outcomes of the athlete are to gain weight at a slow rate. A gain of 1 kilogram a

month is acceptable. At this rate the athlete’s bodyweight is predicted to be at 84 kilograms or an 8-

kilogram weight increase. It is expected that nutritional intake will support myofibrillar synthesis, energy

and fluid demands, and promote favorable weight gain.

diet and vitamin D supplement or sun exposure of 30 minutes a day. Whole, nutrient rich foods are

recommended, but the athlete is welcome and often encouraged to eat “fun” foods, such as ice cream,

that will increase daily calories.

The athlete’s daily protein and carbohydrate intake will range from 746 - 926 grams and 2,984 -

– 3704 calories. Her total calorie intake is estimated to range from 4,000 – 4,500 kilocalories a day, when

fat is taken into consideration. Bodyweight will need to be monitored daily to ensure adequate calories

are being consumed to support weight gain.

In addition to weight gain, strength gain is expected to increase due to adequate calorie intake

of protein and carbohydrates, as well as with the increase in weight.

Discussion

For this athlete, weight gain is a necessary aspect of the sport. The main goal with the 5

kilogram plus weight gain is to continue proper movement patterns of the snatch, and clean and jerk. As

the body changes in shape, maintaining movement with different composition may be difficult, hence

the reason to aim for 1 kilogram a month. This difficulty was previously seen by the athlete when gaining

weight to qualify for the Olympics. The athlete reported movements feeling different with bar speed and

path being changed as her bodyweight increased.

The second goal for the athlete is to consume adequate calories to increase weight. The athlete

has reported difficulty gaining and maintaining higher bodyweights. Her daily calorie needs were

calculated to be 3,130 kilocalories a day and by adding an additional 1,000-1,500 kilocalories a day, this

will ensure the athlete is in calorie surplus.

Protein is recommended at a rate of 0.25 grams of protein per kilogram bodyweight, or 20-25

grams per serving. 22 grams per serving was calculated for the athlete using the 0.25 grams of protein

per kilogram bodyweight. This protein recommendation was to be consumed seven times a day, with a
total of 154 grams of protein daily. If the athlete is struggling to gain weight and needs more daily

calories, increasing her protein to 25 grams per serving is recommended. This increase in protein would

be at a rate of 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram bodyweight which remains in the recommended ranges

of protein intake for athletes (Burke & Deakin, 2015, pp. 94-105).

Recommendations for carbohydrate cycling has been made to match athlete’s training protocol

based on substrate needs for each session. This athlete’s carbohydrate cycling will be determined by

how many hours she is training. She will ingest a mixed, liquid form of carbohydrate at 60 grams an hour

to support training energy demands. A mixed form of carbohydrate is to promote absorption and

possibly spare protein during long training sessions. On her two training session days, her carbohydrate

intake will be higher than single session days (Burke & Deakin, 2015, pp. 420-437). On rest days, the

athlete is encouraged to eat a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein to remain in calorie surplus, and

substitute calories taken during workouts through enjoyable snacks. At minimum, rest days should

remain in a caloric maintenance level with aim to be in a calorie surplus.

Vitamin D levels of the athlete would be useful data. Due to weightlifting training being an

indoor sport, ensuring the athletes vitamin D levels are not depleted is extremely important. Vitamin D

regulates immunity, muscle function, bone health and calcium uptake. If any of these systems began to

decline due to low vitamin D status, this would greatly impair the athletes training, performance and

overall health. A vitamin D supplement at 600 IU’s daily is recommended if the athlete is unable to get

outside for 30 minutes a day (Burke & Deakin, 2015, pp. 251-252, 321-322).

Overall, this athlete is expected to make weight for the Olympics and see an improvement in

performance and weight gain. It is worth noting, all supplementations of protein and carbohydrate will

be the brand Xendurance. The athlete is sponsored by this brand and has passed all of her drug tests.

Switching supplementation is not advised due to lack of supplement regulation and possible gut
irritation if formula is switched. Other supplementation to consider is creatine, which can be slowly

loaded at 3 grams a day for 28 days (Burke & Deakin, 2015, p.522).

Contact with client should be made weekly to tract weight and any side effects that may be

present with the weight gain. Adjustments to diet prescription should be made as deemed fit by the

client and dietitian. Communication with the coach is highly recommended to gain understanding of

exact training protocols. If all expected outcomes goes as planned, this athlete will gain 5 kilograms or

more over the next 8 months and dominate the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Sources

Brown, L.E. & Greenwood, M. (August 2005). Periodization Essentials and Innovations in

Resistance Training Protocols. ProQuest.

https://search.proquest.com/openview/acb8f4a35461a474a4cc258b5f2e73a4/1?pq-

origsite=gscholar&cbl=44253

Burke, L. & Deakin, V. (2015). Clinical Sports Nutrition (5 th edition). McGraw-Hill Education.

International Weightlifting Federation. (n.d.) Tokyo 2020 Qualification System Modified

Guidelines. November 17, 2020, from https://www.iwf.net/wp-

content/uploads/downloads/2020/05/Tokyo-2020_Qualification-System_Modification-Guidelines.pdf.

Everett, G. (Executive Producer). (2016-2019). Weightlifting Life – Greg Everett & Ursula Garza

[Episode 13]. Catalyst Athletics. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weightlifting-life-greg-everett-

ursula-garza/id1135991554?i=1000379572208

Lewis-McCormick, I. and Bassler, R. (2018, January 18). Industry-Presented Blog: Half a Dozen

Nutrition Myths DEBUNKED. American College of Sports Medicine. https://www.acsm.org/blog-

detail/acsm-certified-blog/2018/01/18/half-a-dozen-nutrition-myths-debunked

National Institutes of Health (2017, January 31). What are symptoms of menstruation. NIH.gov.

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/menstruation/conditioninfo/symptoms

Olympic Weightlifting. (2020, October 29). In Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_weightlifting

Pallavi, L.C., Souza, U.J.D., & Shivaprakash, G. (2017). Assessment of Musculoskeletal Strength

and Levels of Fatigue during Different Phases of Menstrual Cycle in Young Adults. Journal of Clinical

and Diagnostic Research, 11(2), 11-13. Retrieved November 17, 2020, from

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_li

st_electronic_sources.html
 Tammam, A. J. (June 2014). Comparison between Daily and Weekly Undulating Periodized

Resistance Training to Increase Muscular Strength for Volleyball Players. ResearchGate.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280105544

USA Weightlifting. (n.d.). Bodyweight Categories. November 17, 2020, from

https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Weightlifting/Weightlifting101/Weight-Classes