Want more out of your crossfit workout? Here's how..

Getting the most out of your Crossfit Workouts

First, what is Crossfit?

 Crossfit is not a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains: Cardiovascular and Respiratory Endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance, and Accuracy. Crossfit was developed to enhance an individual’s competency at all physical tasks. Athletes are trained to perform successfully at multiple, diverse, and randomized physical challenges. The program is structured in such a way that participants are challenged to do a certain number of repetitions in a workout in a specific time frame; the more advanced Crossfit participants will actually compete against each other to see how fast they can complete the daily workout (WOD) and post their results on the Crossfit website.

Crossfit routines and gyms are becoming more popular by the day. The workouts are very intense, and can produce great results. If you've done a Crossfit workout then you certainly know how intense and taxing they can be on the body.

Second, How do you get the most out of your efforts during a Crossfit workout?

Pre-workout supplements can maximize the efficiency of your workouts. When taken before training they can increase energy, delay fatigue and reduce muscle breakdown during exercise. This enables you to train harder with greater quality and for longer.

People often want to know if pre-workout supplements are still beneficial when doing Crossfit workouts. Let’s be honest, most people aren't in great shape and will struggle to get through a high intensity workout like Crossfit. A pre-workout supplement could be the kick in the rear that you need in order to power through your workout and get all the benefits of the workout, which you might not get if you find yourself dragging half of the time. Here's a few pre-workout suggestions from the 4x staff:

Coconut Water: Coconut Water is incredibly healthy and one of the best drinks to hydrate the body. Hydration is key - before, during and after your Crossfit workout. It's naturally low in carbs, 99% fat free and low in sugar. As well, Coconut Water keeps the body cool and at the proper temperature, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, raises your metabolism, promotes weight loss, boosts your immune system, balances your Ph, and naturally replenishes your body's fluid after exercising. Coconut Water is the perfect compliment to your Crossfit workout - pre, during and post! Try Coconut Water in lots of flavors from plain to Passion Fruit.

Beta-Alanine: Beta-Alanine is a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid that's converted to other chemicals that can then affect muscles. It’s needed for the production of Carnosine. Carnosine is needed by muscle cells to act as a buffer to control intracellular PH. When we workout, particularly when it is a high intensity workout, our bodies build up hydrogen ions that cause PH in muscles to drop. Carnosine, which is present in Beta-Alanine, helps in stabilizing muscular PH through soaking up the hydrogen ions released during exercise. Too much acid accumulation by muscles is thought to contribute to fatigue. Research shows that Beta-Alanine considerably enhances muscular endurance especially during strength training by delaying the onset of fatigue. Supplementing with Beta-Alanine allows you to train longer and harder as well as improving overall endurance. Beta-Alanine comes in both powder and capsules and can be found in combination with other aminos in some pre-workouts.

Cardio Igniter/ Pump Igniter: Skeletal muscle relies mainly on carbohydrates and fat oxidation to meet energy needs during exercise. As carbohydrates are used, glycogen is depleted; this glycogen depletion is the limiting factor for the continuation of strenuous exercise. Traditionally, athletes have tried to slow down the depletion of glycogen by consuming high amounts of carbohydrates before and/or during strenuous exercise. Although effective, there is another way to improve endurance: utilize fatty acid oxidation as an energy source. Research suggests that enhancing fatty acid oxidation during exercise promotes a reduced rate of glycogen degradation, resulting in an improved endurance capacity. Guided by the latest scientific data and research, Cardio Igniter / Pump Igniter has been designed to promote fatty acid oxidation.

Cardio Igniter / Pump Igniter is great to use prior to any high intensity training like Crossfit. Cardio Igniter helps prioritize fat as an energy source during exercise and provides both anti-catabolic and anabolic (lean mass potential) elements. Pump Igniter is great to use prior to any high intensity lifting rutine like in you typical gym. Cardio Igniter helps support energy, improve endurance, burn fat and enhance mental focus. Pump Igniter is designed to give you supported energy, more endurance, muscle growth and sustained nitrogen retention. Try Cardio Igniter or Pump Igniter in Watermelon, Fruit Punch and Blue Raspberry!

Condense: Condense pre workout supplement is a novel approach to pre workout performance-enhancement designed to expand performance capacity, utilizing patent-pending nutrient technology and peer-reviewed, human- validated, orally efficacious dosages, rather than merely and temporarily increase acute performance as with most short-sighted, stimulant-laden products currently on the market. Purus Labs has revolutionized the pre workout category, once again, by actually achieving what other companies only claim: that is, eliciting extreme vasodilation through truly enhancing endogenous nitric oxide production. This, in turn, causes a cascade of welcomed anabolic and physiologically enhancing benefits to athletes of all cloth through enhancing blood-flow, heightening substrate utilization (i.e. better nutrient absorption), preserving ATP stores, propelling oxygen delivery to myocapillaries, and reducing overall exercise oxygen cost allowing you to handle greater workloads (e.g. more weight) and exercise longer before exhaustion (e.g. more reps).

What's next? After you've completed your Crossfit workout, your recovery is just as important. Guzzle down some more Coconut Water and before you grab your foam roller, try one of these post-workout suggestions from your 4x staff.

Protein Shake: Many studies have shown that by adding a protein shake within 30-45 minutes after your WOD helps with your recovery. We couldn't agree more. The objective of post-workout nutrition is to optimize recovery by replenishing glycogen stores and providing protein to begin tissue repair. In theory, this improves the results of your next WOD, decreases hunger throughout your day, and improves body composition. Most protein shakes include vital amino acids like Glutamine which also aids in recovery. Try any of our outstanding protein brands (Myofusion, Met-Rx, Syntrax, BSN).

RE-BLD:  RE-BLD combines, the two leading creatine analogues with l-glutamine, bcaas and absoption enhancers to help muscle recover fast and beyond normal recovery patterns. RE-BLD supports lean muscle, maximizes performance, aids in producing ATP and play a major role in synthesizing muscle protein and cell-volumizing.

These are just a few suggestions from your friendly Certified Sport Nutritionists at 4x Nutrition. Stop by 4x Nutrition Center and let us help you get the most out of your next Crossfit WOD. 

Til next time,

Mikie