[Case Study] Off-Season Weight Loss Strategies for Cricketers

Cricket Matters | Expert Cricket Coaching, Mindset & Performance Tips

In this episode, Josh Kennedy and James Breese discuss proven off-season weight loss strategies for cricketers. James shares his personal journey of shedding weight while maintaining performance, along with actionable tips that cricketers of all levels can implement.

You’ll Learn:

• Why "you can’t out-train a bad diet" and how understanding your maintenance calories sets the foundation for sustainable weight loss. Discover how small changes in your calorie deficit can yield big results over time.
• The impact of daily steps, weight-vest walks, and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) on fat loss, and how these simple habits can accelerate progress.
• How intermittent fasting can be a flexible strategy for managing calories without feeling deprived, along with tips on tailoring it to suit your lifestyle and needs.
• How using a weight vest can trick your metabolism into maintaining a calorie deficit more effectively, based on the Gravitostat theory, without needing to drastically reduce food intake.

Key Takeaways:

• Knowing your maintenance calories through trial and error is the key to creating a sustainable deficit. Use online calculators as a starting point, but fine-tune based on your unique needs.
• Focus on a high-protein diet and adjust your weekly calorie average to balance occasional indulgences while staying on track.
• Even with occasional slip-ups, maintaining an overall weekly deficit ensures progress. Adjust the next day’s intake to balance any overages.
• Daily walks, especially with added weight, contribute significantly to fat loss and help maintain a consistent calorie deficit without over-restricting food.
• The off-season is the best time to focus on weight loss for cricketers, enabling optimal performance levels before the pre-season.

Quotes:
"You can’t out-train a bad diet. Nutrition is the foundation of weight loss."
"It’s not about perfection. One bad day doesn’t ruin your week—adjust and keep going."
"The best time to lose weight for cricketers is in the off-season, not pre-season or in-season."
Read more on our blog here!

Find James on:

• Instagram: @jamesbreese
• Twitter: @_jamesbreese

To learn more about Cricket Matters and download your FREE copy of The High-Performance Handbook, please visit www.cricketmatters.com

Chapter

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. You Can’t Out-Train a Bad Diet (00:01:00)

3. Flexible Dieting and Intermittent Fasting (00:07:50)

4. Daily Activity: Steps and Weight Vests (00:10:50)

5. Optimal Timing for Cricketers to Lose Weight (00:15:00)