Lightweight rowing demands weight management. Doing it wrong costs health and speed. Doing it right is a skill — and it starts weeks before weigh-in.
He needs to make 72.5 kg by Saturday morning. He weighs 75 kg on Monday. He panics, cuts food to near-
starvation, and runs in garbage bags. By weigh-in he makes weight. By race time his glycogen is depleted,
his reaction time is delayed, and he races at 85% capacity. He made weight and lost the race. There is a
Gradual weight-management planning tied to competition calendar and health markers.
Koral & Bhambhani (2014) showed that rapid weight loss (>3% body mass in <72 hours) impaired rowing
performance by 5–8%, while gradual weight loss over 4–6 weeks preserved performance in lightweight rowers. The
difference is simple: rapid cuts lose water and glycogen (performance fuel), while gradual cuts lose fat (non-
Lightweight rowing demands weight management. Doing it wrong costs health and speed.
“Making weight is a skill, not a sacrifice. Plan it over weeks, not days. Your body will thank you at the start line.”
— Noah Wickliffe, Flowbase
The Flowbase AI Coach builds a week-by-week weight management plan calibrated to your competition calendar. It
tracks daily weight, adjusts caloric targets based on training load, and flags when a cut is proceeding too
The Flowbase AI Coach turns research into personalized guidance.
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