The Complete Guide to Handstand Push Ups
Handstand Push-Ups in Competition Handstand push ups first made their debut in the 2015 CrossFit Open. The early years of their inclusion in competiti...
When Kyle decided to enter a USA Weightlifting meet as a Masters athlete, his goal wasn’t just to show up and lift. His plan was to compete in the 88 kg weight class, chase American records, and do it while balancing ongoing CrossFit training, a serious running block, frequent travel, and normal family life. From a nutrition standpoint, this immediately required a more intentional approach. This wasn’t a cosmetic cut or a short-term challenge. It was a deliberate, performance-driven weight cut layered on top of real training demands, with very little margin for error.
Kyle was walking around between 202 and 206 pounds, and the weight class required him to weigh in at 193.6 pounds. That meant a cut of roughly thirteen pounds.
In Kyle’s CrossFit season, bodyweight usually lives in a narrow range without us having to obsess over it. He’s not someone who balloons up easily, but he also isn’t someone who can eat freely without consequences. To stay at 202–206, he has to eat a lot of food, and that level of intake doesn’t always feel great for him.
So when the meet goal came up, we agreed immediately: weight management had to start right away. But that didn’t mean slashing calories or chasing the scale aggressively from day one. We were still in early September and he was still training hard. He had international travel scheduled six weeks out from his meet, and he was still chasing a 5K PR.
The first phase was focused on getting Kyle comfortable training at a high level within tighter macro ranges.
We created a 13% calorie reduction, with most of the decrease coming from carbohydrates. The goal early was simple: start trending in the right direction without compromising training quality or recovery. That meant keeping protein high, keeping carbs sufficient to support running and lifting, and being patient.
Kyle was still training hard across multiple disciplines, so through September and into October, the deficit stayed modest. Enough to create momentum, not enough to create suffering. That phase wasn’t flashy, but it was critical. It kept him performing well and set the stage for what came later.
At six weeks out, the cut became real.
At that point, we pushed Kyle into a deeper deficit by cutting overall calories by 20%. All macros came down a little, but we adjusted the carb intake the most by 28%. Kyle was still eating enough carbohydrate to support his running and lifting. Protein stayed high to preserve muscle mass.
We used a carb cycling strategy based on training demands rather than holding intake static day to day. Carb cycling works best when training stress varies across the week. High-output days require more carbohydrate to sustain performance and speed recovery, while lighter days require less. By matching intake to demand, we were able to support Kyle’s training while still maintaining a controlled calorie deficit.
On hard run days (2 sessions per week), carbohydrate needs were highest, and Kyle ate around 375g of carbs. These sessions demanded high output, and underfueling would have quickly shown up as poorer pacing, slower recovery, and compromised lifting sessions later in the week.
On double-session days (3 sessions per week), he sat closer to 350g of carbs. This level supported recovery between sessions, maintained energy across the day, and helped manage hunger without adding unnecessary stress.
On easier days and rest days, overall energy demand was lower, so intake dropped to 300–330g of carbs. This created a modest calorie deficit while still providing enough fuel to support recovery and maintain training quality.
This approach allowed bodyweight to trend down without sacrificing strength, power, or session quality, and helped avoid the “flat” feeling that often appears early in a cut.
In reality, Kyle had never followed a structured, intentional cut like this before. That meant we started cautiously, made small, calculated adjustments as we progressed, and continuously monitored his performance, recovery, and body responses to guide each decision.
Throughout the entire process, Kyle’s feedback guided everything. Session quality, recovery, mood, sleep, daily energy, hunger, and body weight trends all informed adjustments. This is what separates strategic carb cycling from rigid dieting. It’s not just putting someone into a deficit and calling it a day. It’s about listening to the athlete, respecting the demands of training, and adjusting with purpose.
| Phase | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) | Primary Context |
| 9 weeks out (Sept → early Nov) | ~200 | ~300-375 | ~90 | Small deficit while running hard, lifting, and preparing for travel; priority on performance and recovery |
| 6 weeks out (early → late Nov) | ~190 | ~330 | ~85 | Deeper deficit begins; running still present, 5K PR focus, carb cycling 300-350g based on training |
| 3 weeks out (late Nov → meet) | ~190 | ~300 | ~75 | Final push toward weigh-in; running removed, weightlifting prioritized |
Throughout the process, we watched his daily trends closely.
When things were going well, bodyweight trended down steadily and training numbers stayed strong. The clearest confirmation came when he PR’d his 5K about three and a half weeks out from his meet. That told us we were fueling enough to support high-level output, even in a deficit.
As the meet approached, the signs that things were getting harder showed up exactly as you’d expect. Fatigue crept in, recovery felt slower, joint achiness increased, and hunger became constant. All of these side effects are normal in a cut, and they can also carry a significant mental load.
At that point, the goal isn’t to eliminate discomfort. It’s to understand whether the discomfort is serving the process or eroding it. What made that easier to navigate here was that the goal itself mattered deeply to Kyle. When an athlete (or a client) is clear on why they’re doing something, discomfort becomes information, rather than something that automatically needs to be avoided.
Five weeks out, we dropped protein to 190g, kept carbs 330g, and brought fats down to 85g. Once the 5K PR was done, we removed carb cycling and pulled creatine. Thanksgiving Day became a strategic refeed, which helped mentally. I still had him log his intake, but he had genuine flexibility in food choice. That refeed helped reenergize him for the last and hardest push of the cut.
After returning from Thanksgiving travel, he entered the final phase. Protein stayed at 190g. Carbs came down to 300g. Fats dropped to 75g. That fat drop was when the cut began to feel serious. Hunger increased noticeably and daily life required more discipline.
From the beginning, we knew we’d use a water cut during the week leading into the meet. This was not an aggressive attempt to dehydrate, but as a short, controlled way to make weight while preserving strength, energy, and recovery.
We started water and sodium manipulation six days out from weigh-in. Water and sodium were increased and kept high for most of the week. Kyle didn’t track precise numbers. He salted his food (which he usually doesn’t), added Redman’s Hydration for extra sodium, and doubled his plain water intake.
Forty-eight hours before weigh-in, carbohydrates and fiber were reduced. Lowering carbohydrates reduced stored glycogen and the water bound to it, while lowering fiber decreased gut content. In the final 24 hours, sodium was pulled back and fluids were slowly restricted. Because of the earlier hyper-hydration phase, body weight continued to drop even as intake decreased. There was no last-minute panic to drop weight and no need for aggressive sweating.
Immediately after weigh-in, Kyle started refueling. He started with a shake that had 5g of creatine, 60g of carb powder, ½ scoop of Redman’s Hydration, 1 scoop of Enteromend, and 6g of taurine. He also ate two waffles with jelly and four gummy packets and a small serving of granola.
During the meet he used gummy packets, half a banana, one scoop of carb powder, and a small amount of LMNT.
Kyle’s body responded extremely well to the water and sodium manipulation. He dropped roughly seven pounds in just over twenty-four hours without needing to sweat it out. That’s not something to take lightly, but it worked exactly as intended.
Kyle told me he was hungry about four million times. That’s not an exaggeration. Balancing my role as his wife with my role as his nutrition coach meant holding empathy and discipline at the same time, even when that wasn’t comfortable.
Our family routine didn’t change much until about two weeks out. As his training shifted to evening lifts around 5pm, I took on more of the nightly kid activities, along with cooking dinner and handling the reset for the next day. Our days became longer and more demanding, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll always be the first to support him and carry extra load when he’s chasing meaningful goals.
What people don’t see when they look at outcomes is how much of a cut like this is built on small, unglamorous decisions made every day. They see records and weigh-ins. They don’t see the constant hunger and fatigue, the restraint, the ongoing communication, or the trust required on both sides to stay aligned all the way through.
This wasn’t just a successful cut. It was a demonstration of what’s possible when nutrition is treated as a strategic component of performance rather than an afterthought.
The goal was straightforward: arrive on meet day with Kyle prepared, adequately fueled to perform at a high level, and light enough to compete in the weight class he chose.
We achieved that, and that’s why this process mattered.
Photo Credit: Matt Helms
10 Rounds for Time:3 Cleans @ 225/155 lbs15 Wall Ball Shots 10/9 feet @ 20/14 lbs30 Double-Unders Time Cap: 20 minutes
