Cross Training nutrition : Knowing What to Eat to Max Your Performance


Before looking at CrossFit nutrition, it is important to appreciate that CrossFit as a training system has been a catalyst for lots of people to re-invent their lifestyle. It has successfully changed the health outlook, built confidence, and rewarded participants with love for working out. This transformation can be attributed to two key aspects of CrossFit. The first is the workouts and the dynamism associated with them. The second and the most important is CrossFit nutrition, the subject matter being addressed here.

Having a proper diet is important and critical to your training. This is because it gives you the fuel with which you can power your workouts, improve your general health, as well as have a healthy recovery. The question is, what sort of diet and nutrition profile should a typical CrossFitter have.

There are lots of different recommendations which are tied to people’s goals, physique, experience, and their current health status. Because of this, the answer is always relative. However, it helps to begin the discussion by focusing on the middle ground which consists of safe and easy recommendations for everyone.

Key Nutrition Guidelines

According to CrossFit HQ, the nutritional guidelines recommended are based on a split of macronutrients with 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and lastly 30% fat. The focus is on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole foods, and lean proteins. Processed foods and those with high glycemic index must be avoided at all costs.

The Zone Diet

The 40/30/30 split is commonly associated with the Zone Diet. This diet is designed to give you adequate amounts of carbohydrates to fuel your intense workouts, fats to maintain a well-functioning nervous and hormonal system, and protein to build and maintain your body. There is so much that can be spoken about the Zone Diet, but the bottom line is it ensures a balance of nutrients without eliminating any category.

The Paleo Diet

The focus of this diet is on whole foods. The concept underlining Paleo Diet has it that our evolution as humans didn’t prepare our systems the many processed foods that we find ourselves running after today. Instead, the body system thrives on naturally available foods, and that is what it has been doing for thousands of years. For this reason, the Paleo Diet as an integral component of CrossFit workout is primarily composed of animals and plants that you could easily foliage or hunt.

High Glycemic Carbohydrates

The Paleo Diet has an added advantage of reducing the problems caused by the intake of high glycemic carbohydrates. Proteins and fats usually have low glycemic index, but carbohydrates depending on their complexity can have varying glycemic indices. The low glycemic carbohydrates include fibrous vegetables and complex ones such as whole grains. These are much slower to be absorbed thereby causing a moderate insulin response.

CrossFit nutrition can help you attain both higher performance and a healthier life. You can push yourself beyond the limits in your workout of the day, but if your body doesn’t need fuel enough, you may not see much improvements.



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