190 lbs in 2013 & 230 lbs in 2015
190 lbs in 2013 & 230 lbs in 2015

Making Weight – Eating for Your Goals
Written by Bryan Miller

In 2013, I won the NorthWest Regional and while I was competing in theĀ 2013 CrossFit Games, I discovered that I had some major holes in my fitness. I needed and wanted to change in order to become a better athlete. Standing next to my competition that summer, I realized I needed to be stronger, and definitely had to add muscle to my frame if I wanted to improve on my Games placing.

In 2013, I weighed 190lbs. My lack of muscle mass and strength was apparent during the Clean and Jerk ladder event where, after PRing my Clean and Jerk at a whopping 305lbs (not so whopping compared to most there), I was forced to sit on the grass watching most of my competition lift some impressively heavy weight that I was nowhere near lifting.

The silver lining of sitting out was that I was able toĀ lookĀ at the successful Games competitors with similar physiques (6ā€™2ā€) including the likes of Tommy Hackenbruck, Nate Schrader and Chad McKay. Guess what – all of those guys are between 210-220lbs with 8-10% body fat.

After the 2013 season, I decided to bulk; I added both strength and muscle mass to my frame. My 2014 goal was simple: gain weight. At the 2014 Regionals I knew that, thanks to my weight gain, I wouldnā€™t have the aerobic capacity required to qualify. But, I won three events and ended up 9th in the Southern California region. Between the 2013 and 2014 seasons, I put on another 10-15 lbs of bodyweight with probably 6-10 lbs of lean body mass. I also added 30 lbs to my snatch in just one year!

Progress yes, but enough? No.

The 2015 season started with a shoulder injury (this happened snowboarding) just before the Open. Knowing that I was not going to compete individually in 2015, I saw this as an opportunity to continue what I started in 2014. My 2015 goal was to get my legs as strong as possible. To achieve it, I ballooned up to 230 lbs. I had a legit and affectionate nickname of ā€œChocolate Milk Belly.ā€

After the 2015 Games, I decided I was ready to make a run at competing as an individual for the 2016 season. I modified my diet and started hitting conditioning again pretty hard at the end of the 2015 summer, and I ended up leaning out to about 210 lbs. I just recently PR’d my snatch at 290 lbs, so a lot of the strength that I gained is still there.

The lesson? Donā€™t be afraid to lose some of your ā€œbreathingā€ abilities; that will come back faster than you think, and the extra strength will pay dividends.

 

2016
2016

 

My Advice
#1:Ā Find successful athletes who are roughly the same height and body type as you and use them as a guide for your weight to strength ratio.

#2: Understand that the road to the CrossFit Games isnā€™t alway a straight line. Gaining 40lbs (eating becomes a chore), skipping a year of competing and then getting back into super Open shape isnā€™t easy, but when your goals are clear then the path to get there is too. You will never make the Games if you look like a triathlete! Put on some muscle and maximize your potential!

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Derek Rampersaud
Derek Rampersaud
March 27, 2016 4:47 pm

I second Christopher’s thoughts. Would love to hear some more specific bulking advice as that’s much needed on my end as well.

Christopher Camp
Christopher Camp
March 26, 2016 8:34 am

do you have advice on how and what to eat to bulk heavy properly? or coaching i could pay for? i need this pretty badly.

Christopher Camp
Christopher Camp
March 26, 2016 2:54 pm

thanks mary. wonderful news.

CFInvictus
CFInvictus
April 7, 2016 9:27 am

Hey @disqus_JG1yShjhHX:disqus! Shoot an email to info@invictusathlete.com and they can guide you to someone who can help you with this!

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