How Team USA Fuels Its Best Weightlifters

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Weightlifters are professional athletes, but they don’t always receive royal treatment. At this year’s World Championships, we learned some competitors don’t usually have personal dietitians—and many have no idea how many calories or grams of protein they’re eating. 

In the United States, it’s a different story: USA Weightlifting employs a full roster of professionals that handle coaching, counseling, and everything in-between. 

Meagan O’Connor, who has been the dietitian for Team USA for over eight years, handles the nutritional needs of America’s strongest. We spoke about USAW’s approach to fueling a diverse and decentralized roster, common nutritional errors for weightlifters, and more.

Below, you’ll find our conversation with Team USA weightlifting dietitian Meagan O'Connor.

Prior to her role at USA Weightlifting, Meagan, who has a Master’s in Nutrition & Dietetics, worked as a sports dietician for organizations like the Chicago Cubs, White Sox, and Charlotte Hornets. 

Weightlifting House (WH): What are the main priorities of your role on Team USA?

Meagan O’Connor (MO): “USA Weightlifting is a decentralized program, with athletes who live all over the country and train with their own personal coaches. We do come together for international competitions and training camps, but I mainly work with National Team Program athletes virtually or through in-person visits. 

It varies by the lifter’s needs, but I typically focus on nutrition education, medical nutrition therapy, supplement recommendations, body composition assessments, or individualized meal plans.” 

WH: What is your role when the team travels internationally?

MO: “The entire High Performance team—including our head coach, sports psychologist, biomechanist, team doctor, and more—travel to provide continued support to the athletes, before, during, and after competition. 

We never know what the food will look like in each country, so I pack a large suitcase full of different shelf-stable snacks and supplies. While we’re in-country, I help conduct daily weight checks, assist the athletes with making weight, and attend the athletes’ training sessions as well.”

WH: What's a team favorite food or snack for your weightlifters?

MO: "The most popular foods seem to change slightly with each trip. But for the most part, it's got to be beef jerky or meat sticks."

WH: How do weightlifters differ from athletes in other sports with regard to their nutritional behaviors?

MO: "Athlete needs vary by sport. Endurance sport athletes need more carbs than strength sport competitors, for example. Weightlifters need more carbs and protein than, say, baseball players. Individual roles or positions within sports also affect things, as does being in-season."

WH: What supplements are mandatory or strongly recommended for athletes on Team USA? 

MO: “There are no mandatory supplements, and what I recommend will depend strongly on their individual needs. However, if I were to name supplements that most weightlifters could benefit from: Creatine monohydrate, protein powder (whey or casein), caffeine, and electrolytes.

Weightlifters should make sure their supplements are third-party tested, so you know what you’re putting into your body.” 

WH: Do you have to change your approach to working with a super-heavyweight athlete who has no weight cap?

MO: “Supers may not have to worry about the weight on the scale, but we still have to ensure they’re adequately fueling their bodies for performance and recovery. They’re still athletes, so their nutritional needs are more rigorous than non-athletes. 

We still have to focus on building their plates with high-quality foods, timing meals around training, and practicing mindfulness about eating. Most people are shocked to learn how much fuel these athletes need to perform.” 

WH: What kind of caloric ranges are you prescribing?

MO: "It changes for each lifter, but a super-heavyweight might need 4,000 calories daily, while a much lighter athlete only needs half of that."

WH: How do you approach an athlete needing to change weight classes?

MO: “First and foremost, we always consider the athlete’s long-term health. Beyond that, we look at their current body composition, their responsibilities outside of the gym, how much time they need to cut, their age, and more. 

The athlete’s competition schedule plays a big role, too. We have to make sure they’re changing classes along a realistic and compatible timeframe.”

WH: What’s the most common nutritional pitfall for weightlifters, in your opinion?

MO: “In general, I think people struggle with all the misinformation and fear-mongering on the Internet about nutrition. I try to keep an open mind when people come to me holding certain beliefs so I can find out where they got their information and, if necessary, explain what they can do better from a scientific standpoint.” 

WH: How do some weightlifters perform so well without tracking nutrition?

MO: “Elite athletes are the best in the world at what they do. They’ve been training for a long time and, essentially, could do so in their sleep. The truth is, some athletes may not have had the privilege, ability, or education necessary to understand how nutrition can benefit their performance. They’re able to compete at a high level in sport because they’re gifted. 

However, athletes who don’t pay attention to their nutrition may not realize how much better they could feel if they made even small changes to what they put in their bodies. Most people don’t realize how bad they were feeling until they start making these changes.”

WH: Are weightlifters receptive to nutritional supervision?

MO: “For the most part, yes. I always try to meet them where they are. Some don’t benefit from tracking their meals—they might do better with nutritional education, plate visualization, timing, etc. 

Tracking is a helpful tool for many athletes to make sure they’re getting enough nutrients, or when planning a weight cut. It’s something we’ll use to fine-tune things if an athlete already has their bases covered.”