Lockdown Newsletter – Week 11

The food you eat before, during and after a high intensity workout can not only affect your performance but your comfort as well. It is important to remember that we are all individual and what works for one person may not work for another.

Getting the right energy at the right time is important to provide the energy resource you need without overtaxing your digestive system. As humans our go to source of energy is glucose (as discussed last week), so focusing on quality carbs which our bodies can convert for immediate energy is key. On top of this, we want to be able to convert any reserves into glycogen to store in our muscles for future use. Post workout, we need to replenish our glycogen stores in order to aid recovery so that we are ready for our next workout.

Knowing what to eat and planning ahead should be based on intensity, duration and type of workout. Some activities burn energy rapidly while others require a slow, steady fuel supply.

We’ve been discussing pre-workout fuel a lot in the Nutrition Lockdown catch-ups (Thursday, 5.30 come and join in) and it’s got me thinking. What is the best pre-workout fuel for CrossFit? Looking at the most recent scientific studies I could find, most recommendations for carbohydrate intake are based on the needs of endurance athletes, and in particular, male endurance athletes (Kendrick et al. 2017). For strength-and physique-based athletes, sports nutrition research and recommendations have focused on protein ingestion, with far less attention given to carbohydrate. Throw CrossFit into the mix and you are switching between endurance and resistance exercise protocols which use two different energy pathways and may necessitate different carbohydrate needs. It makes knowing what to eat, or whether to eat at all, very confusing! Our debate on Thursday certainly showed polarized views and is clearly lacking evidence.

Several recent studies examining carbohydrate restriction suggest although it may not impair strength adaption during a resistance training program, it is important to consume enough carbohydrate, especially during the days leading up to testing as this may enhance max strength and strength-endurance performance (Cholewa et al. 2019). Current literature also suggests a daily carbohydrate intake of between (3-7g/kg) for resistance training in order to prevent glycogen depletion and facilitate performance and adaption. Furthermore, while not affecting performance, a combination of carbohydrate and protein pre-training, has seen significantly greater levels of insulin and lower levels of our stress hormone cortisol (Baty et al. 2007).

So, what to eat…

If you’re stuck on ideas, it’s worth planning a smart pre-workout snack which contains both carbohydrate and protein. This will ensure you have enough energy to perform and protein to reduce muscle degradation.

Pre-workout snacks/meals are best consumed 1-3 hours before training. How much you need very much depends on your size but anything between 15-45g protein with around 30-45g of good quality, low fibre carbohydrate. The type of carbohydrate also matters. CrossFit, in general, is short but intense and because of this, it provides a place for lower-GI foods that provide the energy you need to power that barbell up and over your head. If you are someone who is prone to stomach discomfort, then stay clear of high fructose snacks as these are common offenders.

Snack Ideas:

Banana and cottage cheese or Greek yogurt
Toast/ with nut butter
Low fibre fruit: banana’s/grapes/oranges/berries + protein
Porridge
Rice cakes with low fat cream cheese + boiled egg
Cereal e.g Lizi’s high protein granola + plant milk
Smoothie with banana, plant milk and half scoop protein powder (whey/plant)

So, to finish, if you have a fuel plan that works for you – great! However, if it’s something you have never really considered or if you are finding that you are lacking energy or shot half-way through a session, it might be worth considering the above. As the saying goes, ‘80% nutrition: 20% exercise”. The food we eat is no laughing matter and getting the right nosh pre-workout will not only give you the energy you need while training but affect your overall ability to recover too.

Feel free to get in touch with any questions or access to references. Questions can also be asked in person at the weekly Lockdown Nutrition Programme meeting.