Traveling is often associated with minimal activities, and no one can imagine that you can realistically train on the go. Time limits and other activities override the need for training, and you may find yourself through with your trip without a single workout. This can be concerning especially where you spend most of your time traveling either for work or other reasons. The secret to success in training on the go is to plan adequately. The following are some workable tips to enable you to do some CrossFit workouts on your trip. Preparations before Leaving A few things you should do before starting your trip include: Packing Your Gear Having your training gear is in itself an incentive to workout. In case you are wondering what exactly to pack in your bag, think about the following: • Shoes and Workout Clothes – Have at least a set of shoes, bottom, and top. Travel plans are not 100% predictable, and you can take advantage of those opportunities to train. • Jump Rope –This is a bit lightweight and small in size which means you can carry it wherever you go. • Protein and Shaker – The danger of buying your own protein supplements while traveling is that you may be forced to pay more. To avoid such cases, carry your own from home. • Download a Tabata Timer App –The beauty with tabatas is that they are short duration workouts which you can do at any point. The apps are free, and you can download one before you leave for your trip. Training at a Hotel If the hotel you are in has a fitness center, you can easily put together a CrossFit training schedule and get working. This is not as difficult as it may sound especially if you have been in the habit of planning your workouts. CrossFit by its nature is a varied, functional movement done at high intensity. It is all about getting more work done within a short duration. Your exercises do not have to be complicated. Utilize to the max, whatever workout equipment the hotel provides. Some hotel fitness centers may not have pull-up bars or kettlebells, but they may have bumper plates and barbells. Dumbbells These can give you one of the toughest workouts. You may find yourself in a hotel fitness center with poorly designed afterthoughts such as ceiling height and ergonomic features. If you are confronted with such a situation, you can decide to exercise outside. Pool You can use a pool for a WOD. Access to this facility is almost guaranteed in many hotels. The only caution you should exercise is that pool decks can be slippery and using a wet towel as a mat is recommended. This will give you a much better grip on your bare feet. Stairwell The hotel’s stairwell is a piece of equipment you are not likely to see in a CrossFit gym. You can take advantage of this and do interval training. However, because some stairwells are grimy, it is suggested that you put on gloves for your workouts. Irrespective of your options, training while traveling boils down to the personal determination. There are lots of options, and your planning will go a long way into making your workouts worthwhile.

If you want to take your CrossFit training to the next level, you should boost up your commitment to nutrition. When it comes to fitness diet, there is no substitute for quality nutrition. Depending on your lifestyle, biology, training, and goals, what you eat will differ from one person to the next. If you respect your body enough and you want the best out of it, focus on quality. Refined Simplicity Nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated; you can keep it simple by picking the best ingredients that maximize your health and athletic performance. Take it upon yourself to strip away anything unnecessary so that you remain with the basic building blocks of nutrition. When you overcomplicate your diet, it may lead to failure. Simply, stick to your plans as long as they take you to your goals. There are 5 types of fitness foods that can help you in perfecting your nutrition. Coconut Oil Adding this to your daily nutrition will give you amazing levels of energy, help you burn fat, lower oxidative stress, improve cognitive function and digestion. If you are vegan, you have every reason to include coconut oil in your diet because it contains saturated fats which are a natural source of energy.You can blend coconut oil with matcha green tea or coffee and use it as a pre-workout drink. Alternatively, you can use the oil for cooking especially in roasting and sautéing. Bio Protein You can use this as a post-WOD fuel. After a severe workout, your body needs to recharge and maximize recovery. Bio protein is perfect for breakfast as it boosts neurotransmitter production, satiates hunger, and stabilizes energy levels. In muscle building, bioprotein supplies you with amino acids to help in the process. Nuts and Berries You can eat berries anytime, but the best timing is when you are in an intense training cycle. Nuts are packed with lots of nutrients including essential fats thus making it a perfect snack. Berries, on the other hand, contain fiber, polyphenols, and anthocyanins. They are a great addition to any CrossFit diet. Protein Porridge For a perfect start to your morning, try protein porridge. It has virtually every ingredient you are looking for to start off your training. You can add berries and nuts to form a meal that will take you through the day. Chia Seeds This is a superfood which you can easily throw into your smoothie or morning yogurt. Every athlete knows that chia seeds enhance concertation, give you a good amount of proteins, and contain anti-oxygens which are crucial in reducing inflammation and reducing muscle soreness. As always simplicity is the key to CrossFit nutrition. Using available foods, you can make your super diet that will help you power through your workouts and get that excellent performance.

Strategists will tell you that it is much easier to make a plan than to stick to it. People make excuses whenever they are inconsistent with their training and all this affects their outcome in CrossFit training. It all starts with a goal which most people tend to have. The next step is to have a plan that joins the dots from where you are to where your goal is. The third and final step is to work towards attaining the goal through the plan that you have set. This is where most people fail. There will always be athletes who are successful and others who are not. The separator is almost always consistency. Experts say believe that you are what you consistently do on a regular basis. Lack of consistency means you may reach your goals, but it will take a little longer. Applying this approach to CrossFit, there are 3 crucial areas that the spotlight of inconsistency shines on: training, recovery, and nutrition. Training There are two main dimensions of training. The first is the quality of training and the second is the volume of training. The quality of training is all about your approach and mentality. If you do not push yourself hard enough during CrossFit workouts, your peers who challenge themselves will certainly be better than you one day. The nature of human beings is that we do not want to step out of our comfort zones, but the whole essence of CrossFit is to make you uncomfortable so that you can achieve great goals. The second aspect of the volume of training is about decision making. How you prioritize your time will determine the hours you put into the box. Approach each day with a clear focus and plan on what you want to achieve. Recovery Recovery touches on rest as well as active recovery. If you train hard, it is important you plan your day so that you get enough sleep. If you are such person who doesn’t really care, the hours you sleep, and you still want to get up and train in the morning, you may experience inconsistencies in your performance. Target 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Active recovery, on the other hand, is about mobility work and stretching. This part of recovery is important because it enhances your performance and reduces instances of injury. Good functional movements require that you have a consistent warmup and cooldown schedule even if it lasts 10 minutes. Nutrition Having a consistent CrossFit nutrition is not as difficult as training. This is because we all love food and are clear on what we want. You need strict guidelines on your macros, and as you prepare your meals, you must be conscious about muscle building and fat loss. It all boils down to your plan and the commitment you put into it. Go for long-term solutions that you can comfortably stick to. Consistency and excuses cannot coexist. You always have to do your best because this will set you apart as a successful athlete in CrossFit.

When you join CrossFit as a beginner, you will be introduced to a wide range of exercises amongst them crunches, deadlifts, and burpees. Not all the CrossFit workouts will appeal to you, but if you can fall in love with burpees and include them in your daily routine, the benefits will be worth it. The origin of burpees dates back to 1939, and the name is derived from a gentleman called Royal H. Burpee. The reason this workout was created was to determine the physical fitness of the participants. Back in the days, burpees did not include a push-up in the middle and at the end didn’t have a jump. That notwithstanding, this move was still dreaded then. Working on Your Form The first thing you should do when you step into the box is to ensure your form is on point. There is the option of the modern burpee and the old school version carried forward from the 1930s. If you want to do a proper burpee, you should start from a standing position and then gradually squat and place your hands on the floor right in front of you. Stretching your feet behind you and assume a push-up position. Do one push-up and bring your legs forward back into the squatting position and then launch into a jump. To a beginner, burpees are somewhat awkward; they mimic a frog-like movement. However, the challenge is worth it. For 15 days, you can just complete 3 sets of 10 burpees each. In between your sets, you can slot in a one-minute rest. Going forward, you can reduce the time of rest by 15 seconds every 3 days until you can comfortably do 30 burpees all at one with no rest in between. Timing is important because it brings in the element of discipline. Try and stick to the same time daily. You could wake up at 7.30 a.m. if that works well for you. Get a convenient timing. What Will Happen to You If you can follow the above CrossFit training routine for 15 days straight, you will experience tremendous improvements in various areas of your physique. Some of the likely improvements include: Running Faster for Longer If you do about 9 minutes per mile on a typical day, 15 days of burpees will boost up this speed. You will feel your lungs clear, giving you the space to go on for longer. You may even find yourself running 5 miles and more which is awesome bearing in mind where you started. More Energy Burpees release endorphins which boost your system giving you the impetus to carry through your day. It is established that endorphins remaining in your system long after your workout, make you feel good. Starting your day with extreme physical exercise helps in waking up your system without relying on stimulants such as caffeine. The other benefit of burpees is that it will give you a sense of strength and power. In the CrossFit gym, mental strength will push you through even when your body doesn’t feel like it. There are days you will struggle, but on the overall, the progress will be commendable.

The squat is a common type of CrossFit workout which gives your body an all-around exercise. Squatting is simply bending your hips and knees while the bar is on your upper back. While squatting, ensure you keep your knees out and your lower back neutral. To complete the squat, come back up from the lowered position and lock your knees and hips at the top. The reason squats are known as compound exercises is that they work on your entire body. To move the weight, your legs bend and straighten as your abs, and lower back muscles stabilize your trunk. The shoulders, upper back, and arms are responsible for balancing the bar on your back. Therefore, a lot of muscles are worked up all at the same time and not just your legs. Compared to exercises such as bench press and overhead shoulder press, the squat works more muscles, especially when having a heavier weight. Squat Pains As it is with many workouts, the possibility of injury in squats is not remote at all. When doing squats, you may experience some pains, and it helps to know what they are all about. Neck Pain If you hold the bar wrongly, squats can hurt your neck. Your muscles must support your weight and not the spine. If you squat with a loose upper back, the bar will stress your spine which is dangerous. Instead, you should squeeze your upper back before unracking the bar in the CrossFit gym. During your squats, stay tight so that the bar won’t move on your back and roll over to your neck. Never use a foam pad, wrap a towel around the bar, or a manta ray. These wrappings put the bar higher and further away from the hips. This, further makes it easier for you to lean forward, therefore, hurting your back. Simply hold the bar right without band-aid solutions. Wrist Pain Holding the bar with your hands will certainly hurt your wrists. This is because holding the weight presses your wrists down and bends them back thereby stretching them past their normal range of motion causing pain not just to your wrists, but also to your elbows. One of the ways to avoid this is supporting the bar with your upper back muscles which are bigger and stronger. Another cause of wrist pain is holding the bar too low. When you squat low bar, it must rest between your rear shoulders and traps. If it rests at low, it will slide down as you squat. This will force your hands to hold it back which causes wrist pain. You can temporarily use wrist wraps to give you support, but at the end of it all, it is your form and equipment that you have to fix. Knee Pain This pain occurs when your knees cave in or travel too far forward. When squatting, push your knees to the side and your hips back at the same time. Go down gradually until your hip crease is below the top of your knees. Squatting like this strengthens the muscles around the knees thereby enhancing support for the knee joint. Other types of squat pain include hip pain, lower back pain, groin pain, and elbow pain. If you concentrate on your form during CrossFit training, most of these pains will go away.

When you switch up your CrossFit diet and workout routine, you expect some changes in your muscle growth process. However, this progress may decline or even come to a halt despite your continued efforts. The question many CrossFitters ask is, what causes such a decline in muscle growth? Numerous factors are influencing the ability of your body to pack on gains. Some of these contributing factors include diet, fitness program, sleep schedule, and even your state of mind. Knowing which of these affect you can help in putting you back on the road to packing more muscles. Inadequate Sleep If you are not getting quality sleep every night you go to bed; your muscle growth process will be affected. Sleep inadequacy increases the level of cortisol hormone which wreaks havoc on your human growth hormone. Also, the ability of your body to store glycogen is inhibited, and this has a negative impact on muscle growth. To fix this, target about 71/2 hours of sleep every day and keep your stress levels low as you go to bed. Insufficient Protein Intake If you want to add more muscle, you need to increase your protein intake. The reason is simple; protein has amino acids which are the compounds responsible for repair and buildup of muscle tissue. Failure to consume enough amino acids may hinder muscle growth. As part of your CrossFit nutrition, include approximately 7.7 grams of protein per kilogram of your bodyweight. This means, if you are weighing 200 pounds, your protein intake should range from 109 to 154 grams daily. You can combine both plant-based and animal-based proteins to fuel your muscles. Alcohol Intake Muscle growth tends to be hindered by excessive intake of alcohol. When you drink too much of alcohol, your body system summons the antioxidants used for muscle growth and instead redeploys them to metabolize the alcohol. To fix this, it would be a lot of good to cut out alcohol altogether or limit yourself to 1 or 2 indulgences per week. Also, take several glasses of water so that you can reduce the number of drinks you consume in total. Too Much Cardio Cardio is great for fat loss, but if you overdo it, it can suppress your muscle growth process and instead initiate a muscle-burning or catabolic state. Remember your goals are to increase in strength and size and these cardio workouts must not dominate your workout. You may include high-intensity interval training workouts and some cardio sessions into your workout of the day program, but your priority should be in weight training first. Dehydration It is good if you focus on ingesting proteins and carbs to bulk up, but to stay hydrated is equally important. Water is critical for the digestion process which means if you don’t get enough of it, it negatively impacts the digestion process. Your muscles will lack the essential nutrients, and your CrossFit gym performance will dive. Ensure you train all muscles not just the trophy muscles and mix things up. CrossFit is good at this, and if you maintain the discipline, you will get the best results.

CrossFitters who are true to the spirit of rigorous training activity may experience a sense of boredom on rest days, and this can dampen the benefits meant for such a day. There is a feeling somewhere at the back of your head which is hard to shake off making you believe that there is something that you are missing out on by taking a rest. It is important to know that though stamina, strength, and speed are important in CrossFit training, rest is equally vital. You can only go for so long before your body begins to rebel in an attempt to recover. By varying the way, you rest, your body can have ample time to recuperate while at the same time keeping your mind at ease. Dangers of Not Taking Rest Days Unless you are cut from a different stone, your body requires a break at some point. CrossFit as a sport is structured in a way that breaks down muscle so that it can rebuild them up. However, if the rest period is not integrated, the muscle breakdown initially meant for a good cause can begin hindering development. Strength loss, fatigue, and injury are concerns that come up when you are too active at a level that is intense and demanding. Overtraining will hinder your physical abilities and can also have a detrimental effect on the state of your mind. If your body doesn’t operate to the expected standards, your mind begins taking a toll leading to irritation, frustration, and lack of concentration. This is why you are not doing anybody a favor by taking a day off. When Should Rest Days Be A majority of CrossFit training experts are of the opinion that rest days should be planned for the 4th day. This means 3 days of workouts and 1 day off. People with little flexibility in their schedule patterning rest days this way gives them a fantastic option which ensures the body gets some relaxation. On the other hand, if you have a tight schedule that only leaves specific days open, having 2 days rest per week is a good option. You can either set these days in advance if you love prediction and regularity. Thursdays and Sundays can be your days off. That said, it is important to listen to your body. If you are feeling run down, it may help laying low for that day waiting for your body to be up again. Spending Your Rest Days There is no script cast in stone that outlines how rest days should be spent. Remember this opportunity is to help you ease your tight muscles and get the maximum possible recovery benefits. Even though you are not in the CrossFit gym, you can incorporate some light cardio, stretching, and a little bit of yoga just to spice things up. If you love adventure, you can consider swimming, hiking, or just walking around trying to work up your heart rate.

Many people claim that dairy, gluten, carbs, or even wholefoods are giving them issues. Surprisingly, some of them didn’t have problems with those foods early in life. The question is, could there be a reason for this? Experts in CrossFit training have observed that excessive dieting just like excessive exercise may force the body to adapt to the stress that is constantly being exposed to. There is no doubt that our bodies are super adaptive machines, but this can work against us depending on the scenario. For instance, an adaptation imposed by diet may favor or work to your disadvantage. Dietary Distress Cycle Going on a fad diet or moving back and forth between diets can cause digestive distress and many other negative symptoms. There is a cycle which develops carrying with it the element of food intolerance. When you are exposed to a new diet, your hormones which include glucagon and insulin change. This, in turn, causes a change in metabolism and negative symptoms which then make you go back to your old diet. The old foods may also react with your body leaving you either helpless or with no option other than getting back into your new diet. Carbs Not Serving You Well Most of the people who have problems with carbohydrates never had them before. In fact, they used to load decent amounts of carbohydrates without any signs of negative health effect. However, somewhere in the course of their life, they try out a fad diet from which they start experiencing digestive issues such as acid reflux, bloating, and lethargy. In some cases, these people have been told that the problems they are experiencing are as a result of adaptation or detox of the new diet. Others believe that the reactions they are experiencing are because of their age and their bodies cannot handle the same foods they did before. Getting on to the Wrong Diet When you start seeing problems with your CrossFit diet, it could be that you are on the wrong diet. For instance, ditching animal products can cause a lot of metabolic adaptations. Increasing the number of vegetables and cutting down on meat can push the stomach into an alkaline state which works to reduce stomach acids. If you avoid fats and all of a sudden you introduce higher amounts of fat in your diet, can make you queasy. When you are on a low-fat diet, your gallbladder adapts. If you re-introduce fats at higher levels, it creates confusion and puts you at a greater risk of gallstones. The above scenarios are quite common, and chances are high you may have encountered one of them. The bottom line is, if you don’t have a diagnosed medical condition, it is a good idea to revise your CrossFit nutrition and establish a healthy relationship with your diet. Listen to your body and not just the diet app or guru.