When talking about supplements, there are natural and artificial. Most of the supplements you find in stores are a balance between the two. However, for top benefits, you should go for natural supplements which can be found in organic and healthy food sources. When you include supplements in your CrossFit diet, your body gets all the inevitable substances it requires such as antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Loading with vegetables and fruits is important, but even then, you can miss out on some components of your nutrition. Supplements help in giving your body those nutrients you can’t easily get from your ordinary foods. The following are some of the supplements you should have in your nutrition mix. Maca Maca is a plant grown in Latin America especially the mountains of Peru. Botanically, it is classified as a member of the cruciferous family from which vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage are derived. The supplement is made by drying the maca roots and then grinding them into powder form. This nutrient is also available in other forms such as liquid extract and capsules. Maca roots are known for their protein and carbs content. Their fat content is low, and they contain a fair amount of fiber. In maca, you will find some essential vitamins and minerals including copper, Vitamin C, and iron. There are numerous benefits that come with maca including support for your learning ability and memory, mood enhancement, and anti-depressive effects. Spirulina This blue-green alga has a specific taste and grows naturally around the world. You can find it in Africa, Mexico, Hawaii, in salty lakes and oceans. In terms of nutrients, spirulina has vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, A, C, D, and E. in addition, you will find lots of minerals in it such as phosphorus, manganese, selenium, zinc, and sodium. With its ability to remove toxins from the blood and bind metals in your body, this antioxidant can enhance your CrossFit gym performance by reducing muscle fatigue. If you want to last longer during training and burn fat, this magic green supplement should be on your list. Wheatgrass This grass can be found in moderate climatic zones such as the US and Europe. It is available in the form of fine green powder or liquid. In terms of nutrition, wheatgrass contains vitamin A, C, E, and chlorophyll. Minerals that play a key role in the body system such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, and iron can be obtained from this supplement. The role of your immune system in giving you a good gym performance cannot be underestimated. Wheatgrass improves digestion, boosts your immune system, and enhances oxygen levels in your body. This reduces fatigue. Matcha Green Tea There is no major difference between the regular green tea and matcha tea. However, the way matcha is grown is unique. The shaded environment in which matcha green tea is grown enables it to gain higher levels of beneficial compounds including EGCG and ECG antioxidants which protect the body against free radical damage. Much like other green teas, matcha powder helps in treating depression, reducing cholesterol, blood glucose, and cancer cells. During CrossFit workout, matcha tea gives you the much-needed endurance and better muscle recovery. You cannot afford to skip this natural supplement.

There is no doubt that CrossFit athletes are always looking forward and busy in laying strategies for 2018. Gym memberships are likely to skyrocket, and every treadmill occupied. Every person has their own set of goals such as weight loss and diet restrictions. However, after a few months, feelings of discouragements come in, and before you realize it, the same old habits you wanted to kick out are slowly streaming in. Bad goal setting is one of the main causes of laxity and derailment in CrossFit training. Athletes tend to focus on the byproducts such as muscle gain and weight loss instead of taking an honest look at themselves and assess where they are vis-à-vis where they want to be. Why Weight Loss/Muscle Gain Resolutions Never Work Upon a deeper analysis of the failures athletes frequently run into, there are some things that stand out as the main obstacles. Narrow Focus Unless you are a physique model or competitive bodybuilder, making your focus too narrow can lead to discouragements. Physique models and competitive bodybuilders dedicate their time as well as effort to sculpt their bodies in ways that appeal to their professions. To them, this is a career and a lifestyle. If you are not in this field, adopting such a lifestyle of diet and exercise can lead you down unhealthy paths. Mentor readiness is crucial in this type of program and lack of it can lead to unhealthy eating habits and body dysmorphia. Slow Results We are a generation that is after quick results, be it in muscle gain or weight loss. The problem comes when results take longer than expected to make people impatient. You must understand that muscle gain and weight loss take time. If you constantly monitor the scale for even the slightest movements in the needle, you can become disheartened. Lack of Adherence to Programs Most often than not athletes find themselves going over the deep end in exercise and CrossFit diet which in the end ruins their discipline with the programs they are following. If you spent a greater part of the past year not eating well, being inactive, or making poor lifestyle choices, if you go the extreme opposite the following year, you are likely to experience some undesirable effects. Even rubber bands have a stretching limit beyond which they snap. How to Make Your Resolutions Work Successful athletes understand that muscle gain, and weight loss is just but byproducts of much bigger things. Instead of directly seeking these results, these athletes look forward to new skills, improved movements, and PR lifts. They set for themselves physical challenges and constantly program their fitness. Before you get into the CrossFit gym, you must have a physical goal(s) that you want to accomplish. Over the next few weeks, refine your goals and make them tangible. The usual SMART Approach to goals applies even in CrossFit. Set specific goals that can be measured, attained, and which are realistic enough for the time duration you have. This will limit frustration and enhance your proficiency.    

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.

Olympic weightlifting is not a sport you would naturally pick up and succeed from the word go. This doesn’t mean that you cannot transition easily into formal competition lifts. However, it takes great sacrifice and an enormous number of hours to continue progressing after the initial surge of success. Many Olympic weightlifters will tell you that the sport requires focus because disappointments will come to push you towards the quitting line. To succeed in Olympic weightlifting, below are things you should start doing. Squatting with Integrity Weightlifting places huge demands on the maximal strength of an athlete. A majority of lifters on the other hand sacrifice integrity in the squat so that they almost perform a hybrid low bar to move more weight. The main purpose of squatting in weightlifting should be to enhance your jerk, clean, and snatch. This is because squatting is the ultimate strength movement to help you build a stronger and more forceful base. Don’t Train Too Heavy Athletes who go too heavy risk impacting negatively on their power output, increase injury risks, and affect their technique. The recommendations for athletes is for them to spend most of their training in the 70-85% of maximum for about 2 to 4 reps for snatches, cleans, and jerk variations. You can also use squats in the same loading, but with higher rep schemes so as to allow for enhanced volume. To prepare you for heavier lifts, integrate lifts over 85+% into your program. Follow a Program It helps to have a set program complete with progression, loading schemes, regressions, as well as methodical tracking and analysis. For the rudimentary lifter, performing daily WODs including weightlifting movements may be sufficient. However, this may not fully address your specific concerns, needs, as well as provide you with sufficient frequency to develop psychological adaptations and skill. Learn to Exert Maximal Tension Lifters who fail to harness tension end up in unbalanced pulls and setups. This imbalance may kickstart a cascade of weightlifting faults. It is therefore important that you develop, harness, and exert tension and balance upon a loaded barbell. The best way to address this is to become highly aware of both your setups and receiving positions throughout your strength work and lifts. Mobilize Your Hips When doing overhead squat, front squat, clean, snatch, and split jerk, the hips can be a culprit for poor movement. Hips may result in poor squatting strength, health, and mechanics. Because of the importance of squatting to weightlifting, athletes should prioritize hip movement and health. Implementing static stretching routines, mobility CrossFit training, and controlled range of motion movements can help you in your overall joint development and connective tissues health. Other tips you may want to look at include varying your intensities, training every lift almost daily, recording your lifts, joining a weightlifting club, and seeking out the services of a qualified coach.

Any effective training must be accompanied by the right mix of nutrition. Much like the unpredictability of CrossFit WODs, diet also varies from one person to another. When you mention fats, people mistake them for unhealthy components which should, by all means, be withdrawn from the diet. The kind of fats which should be avoided at all costs are the trans fats. This type of fats comes in two categories: artificial and naturally occurring trans fats. Artificial trans fats are added to make food taste better. They are tempting but should be replaced with healthier meals. In the body, trans fats raise your cholesterol level which in turn enhances the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Trans fats are commonly found in foods such as pie crusts, frozen pizza, crackers, cookies, stick margarine, cakes, droughts and others. The healthiest fats are monosaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids. The former lower the bad cholesterol while the latter help in fighting inflammation, blood clotting, and high blood pressure. Healthy fats are important for cell growth and brain function. The following are some of the best sources of healthy fats. Tuna, Salmon, and other Fish Tuna and Salmon are known for their omega 3 fatty acids and healthy fats. They help in boosting cardiac health. The recommended intake is approximately 12 ounces a week. This is approximately 2 meals. The reason why the quantity is limited is, the increased intake may expose you to such substances like mercury which are often found in small amounts in seafood. Avocado A medium-sized avocado contains about 23gms of monosaturated fats. Also, it gives you about 40% of your daily fiber needs. Naturally, the avocado is cholesterol and sodium free and contains lutein which is an oxidant that protects your vision. Taking a half avocado at one time is recommended because of the high amounts of calories. Canola Oil and Olive Oil Olive oil contains polyphenols which help in fighting cancer. It also contains monosaturated fats such as oleic acid which plays a key role in strengthening the heart. Increasing the amounts of olive oil in your CrossFit diet boosts the level of serotonin in your blood, a hormone associated with satiety. On the other hand, canola oil has a healthy 2.5:1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids. This dietary ratio enables you to battle arthritis, cancer, and asthma more effectively. Nuts Getting a quarter cup of cashews, pecans, almonds, or pistachios gives you a good loading of healthy fats. Pistachios have carotenoids, zeaxanthin, and lutein which are important for eye health. Macadamia and cashews contain much fat, and therefore you should watch your serving. Eggs Eggs are famous for their role in lowering bad cholesterol levels. They also contain choline, a macronutrient that attacks the gene mechanism responsible for triggering the body system to store fat around the liver. Other foods containing healthy fats to include in your CrossFit nutrition are Greek yogurt, cheese, coconut butter, chia seeds, nut butter, and dark chocolate.

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.