CrossFit and nutrition

Nutrition and CrossFit
Nutrition
in
Elite
CrossFit
Improving
Performance
& recovery
In this workbookPerformance nutrition in elite CrossFit
Importance of nutrition in CrossFit
By Niall Naidoo
Introduction
Every year new exercise are being
developed in order to help pro-
mote physical fitness. CrossFit
training has become a popular
form of exercise in the past couple
of years and has even developed
in a competitive sport. CrossFit is
an exercise training program that
aims to improve fitness through
utilization of a constant variety of
functional movements.
Athletes need to understand that
on match day he or she needs to
be properly fueled in order to per-
form at his/her best.
Nutrition requirements for Cross-
Fit have not been established for
the sport as yet. Based on the
physical demands which include
rowing, sprinting, powerlifting,
gymnastics, calisthenics and
weight lifting- we can integrate
the nutrition guidelines across all
sports to determine some form of
requirements. This workbook will
be reviewing the latest nutrition
guidelines for CrossFit and endur-
ance athletes for 2015.
This workbook is to be used as a nutrition
education tool for Niall Naidoo (registered
dietician) patients. Please contact naidooni-
all@gmail.com to use material.
Event day nutrition
Everyone has their own secret on
what works on race day. Find out
what the latest scientific recom-
mendations say.
Supplementation
Find out what supplements
work best for your diet and on
race day.

Nutrition guidelines to improving performance and
recovery in elite CrossFit Niall Naidoo RD (RSA) 2015
Nutritional requirements
of elite athletes
The main priority of an athlete is to meet
their energy, protein, fat and carbohydrate
requirements.
Energy intake:
Athletes that have adequate nutrient in-
take have been shown to have improved
physical performance. Therefore it is im-
portant to eat the right foods and balance
of protein, carbohydrates and fat in order
to perform optimally.
Energy & weight: Realistic weight goals:
 A realistic healthy weight gain or loss
can be between 250-500g per week.
 An increase of 2100Kj will allow for a
weigh increase.
 Eating more than required (positive en-
ergy balance) will result in weight gain
 Eating less than required (negative en-
ergy balance) will result in weight loss.
Hydration
Replacing the fluids that are lost.
Dehydration is classified as a loss of
>2% of body weight which is know to
diminish aerobic and mental perfor-
mance.
It is well established that physical
activity causes water and electrolyte
loss. The key to any high intensity
physical activity is replacing the fluid
and electrolyte lost during the exer-
cise. The athlete should ideally take
their weight pre and post exercise to
assess how much fluid is lost. The
goal after the race event is to re-
place the fluid lost to achieve the
weight pre-exercise.
Fluid recommendations
~1 l.h-1
Average liter per hour lost of fluid
during a high intensity cycle.
450mg.h-1
Of sodium is needed to maintain
plasma volume
250ml
Of fluid is recommended every 15
minutes to maintain hydration
Potassium
In small amounts in electrolyte
drinks is recommended

Protein requirements
The building blocks of muscle
Protein is an essential nutrient in all
codes of sport to help build and main-
tain muscle mass. CrossFit require more
then the average individual to improve
performance and prevent muscle dam-
age post race.
Protein turnover in the muscle is an on-
going process which provides the foun-
dation for skeletal plasticity in response
to the degree of imposed high intensity
loading (resistance exercise). Re-
sistance exercise has a stimulus effect
on the increase of muscle protein syn-
thesis as well as muscle protein break-
down.
Protein balance is measure of the
amount of protein taken in vs. expend-
ed. Numerous studies have shown that
resistance exercise produces a negative
protein balance while the ingestion of
amino acids have shown to stimulate
protein synthesis post exercise and al-
lows for recovery.
Protein requirements:
Strength trained athletes have a higher
protein requirement as well as intake as
compared to other sports. The general
guideline for athletes undergoing
strength training include twice the rec-
ommendation of a normal person.
In my personal experience I find that
CrossFit benefit between 1.5-2.3 g/kg
depending on the intensity of their
training requirements, gender and body
composition effects the protein require-
ment.
HIGH PROTEIN SHAKE
Ingredients
1 scoop whey protein
1 banana
10 almonds
1/2 cup low fat milk
1 handful of ice
Mixing
Add contents to blender
Switch blender on for 5-10
minutes depending on de-
sired consistency
SEMI ELITE VS ELITE
ANTHROPOMETRICS
CHARACTERISTICS
77.6 VS 79 Kg
Average weight of semi elite vs
elite athletes
1.8 VS 1.8
Average height of semi elite vs
elite athletes
23.8 kg.m-2
Average BMI of semi elite &
elite athletes
15.7 vs 10.2 %
Average %body fat of semi elite
vs elite athletes

High protein foods
Top 10 high protein foods to add to your shopping list
1# Chicken breast
Chicken breasts have 30g of
protein per 100g

Carbohydrates
The driving force in every professional athlete
Carbohydrates are considered to
be the primarily fuel in an athlete
performance. There has been
much controversy surrounding car-
bohydrate and performance. In the
1980’s David L. Costil demonstrat-
ed that a high carbohydrate diet
improved performance and de-
layed fatigue. However since then,
low carbohydrate and other con-
troversial diets have plagued the
sporting world.
A diet which is high in carbohy-
drates lead to the storage of this
fuel in the form of glycogen in the
liver and muscle of an athlete. Car-
bohydrate stored in the glycogen
can be accessed by body during
exercise and therefore have been
shown to improve performance.
The availability of carbohydrates to
muscle can be a limiting factor in
performance in exercise that ex-
ceeds 90 minutes. Recent research
has shown that carbohydrate load-
ing 5-7 days prior to the event has
been shown to be beneficial as it
ensures maximum muscle and liver
glycogen storage.
Carbohydrates before a
race event:
The carbohydrate intake prior to
and during endurance performance
is considered to be especially im-
portant if the exercise is started
with depleted muscle glycogen
stores. Considering the different
kinds of ingested carbohydrates,
glucose is preferably oxidized in the
skeletal muscle. During exercise
loads lasting longer than an hour,
carbohydrate feeding of 30-60g.h-1
results in a delay of physical fa-
tigue. According to the maximum
glucose uptake the digestive sys-
tem averages 1g.min-1
or 6g.h-1
.
Recent finding of state that in con-
trast to solitary intake of glucose,
mixed intake of glucose and fruc-
tose ratio of 2:1 reportedly opti-
mized oxidation rates of carbohy-
drates. Therefore a combination of
glucose and fructose can raise the
carbohydrate resorption from 60 to
90g.h-1
. A carbohydrate feeding in
small quantities every 15-30 min is
considered beneficial during a con-
tinuous endurance exercise.
Carbohydrates to add to
your shopping list
Rolled oats
Brown bread
Sweet potato
Brown rice

Fat
Making the right fat choices make the difference
Fat is an important metabolic fuel
and performs many physiological
functions in an endurance athlete.
Fats provide energy, aid in nutrient
absorption and maintain core tem-
perature.
It is important to focus on provid-
ing essential fatty acids, maintain
energy balance and replace intra-
muscular triacylglycerol stores are
extremely important. Amenorrhea
is common in females that have
low body fat. Therefore it is im-
portant to never remove fat from
your diet in an attempt to lose
weight or body fat.
Omega 3 has been shown to im-
prove mental performance and pre-
vent injury. It is recommended that
athletes fat intake should contrib-
ute 20-30% of total energy for the
day.
In my personal experience I find that a
fat intake between 0.5-1.2g/kg is bene-
ficial depending on gender, body type
and level of competition. It is im-
portant to remember never cut fat es-
pecially for women.
Some good fats to add to
your shopping list
Peanut butter
margarine
Supplements
Additional nutrients to meet an athlete specific nutrient requirement
Athletes have been searching for
the supplement that will provide
them with a competitive ad-
vantage over fellow rivals. Since
many pharmaceutical ergogenic
aids have been banned by respec-
tive governing bodies of sport.
The marketing of nutritional sup-
plements with health and perfor-
mance enhancement claims are
becoming increasing available in
south Africa.
The information stemming from
research surrounding perfor-
mance and requirements for elite
athletes remain relatively unclear.
Supplements are generally under-
stood to include sports drink, en-
ergy bars, meal replacement and
other exotic products that are on
sale to athletes.

Whey VS. Casein
“the convenient way of meeting high protein needs”
The protein requirements for athletic
sportsmen have been well documented
through all codes of sport. Often foods
high in protein are high in fat which is gen-
erally thought to be unacceptable by ath-
letes. Protein supplementation allows
athletes to consume high amount of pro-
tein with a considerable lower amount of
fat.
Rugby players have been reported to re-
quire 1.6-2.1g/Kg depending on their posi-
tion. Protein are nitrogen- containing sub-
stances that are formed by amino acids.
They serve as the major structural com-
ment of muscle and other tissues in the
body.
Proteins contribute to the overall energy
intake of an individual as well as contrib-
ute to the production of hormones, en-
zymes and hemoglobin. For protein to be
metabolized and used in the body they
need to be broken down into their sim-
plest form, amino acids. Twenty amino
acids have been identified as with human
growth and development.
The primary role of dietary protein supple-
ments is for the use in various anabolic
processes in the body. Numerous studies
have reported that high intensity training
leads to an increase in protein require-
ments (Hoffman JR & Falvo MJ, 2004).
Whey protein concentrate vs
whey isolate:
The processing of whey concentrate re-
moves the water, lactose, ash and some
mineral. When compared, whey concen-
trate has more of a biologically active pro-
tein and therefore making them a very
attractive supplement for an athlete.
Whey protein isolate are the purest pro-
tein source available (Hoffman JR & Falvo
MJ, 2004). Whey protein isolate contain
protein concentrations of 90% or higher
therefore proving more protein with a
significant lower fat content (Hoffman JR
& Falvo MJ, 2004).
Casein protein:
Casein is the major component of protein
found in bovine milk accounting for nearly
70-80% of its total protein and is responsi-
ble for the white color found in milk
(Hoffman JR & Falvo MJ, 2004). Milk pro-
teins in general provide have important
physiological functions which include im-
proving the uptake of nutrients and vita-
mins as well as providing biologically ac-
tive peptides (Hoffman JR & Falvo MJ,
2004). Similar to whey protein, caesin is a
complete protein with the addition of cal-
cium
and phosphorous (Hoffman JR & Falvo MJ,
2004). In 1989, the Food and Agriculture
Organization as well as the World Health
Organization (WHO) developed the pro-
tein digestibility corrected amino acid
score (PDCAAS) to measure protein quali-
ty. When casein protein was analyzed it
was found to have a score of 1.23 as com-
pared to whey protein having a score of
1.0.
Casein is a unique dietary supplement
which is found in milk in the form of mi-
celle which is a large colloidal particle.
Athletes have capitalized on casein ability
to form a gel or clot in the stomach. The
ability to form a gel or clot provides an
efficient nutrient supply as it provides a
slow release of amino acids into the blood
stream which can last up to several hours.
Therefore this allows a better nitrogen
retention ion and utilization by the body.

BCAA
The potential of branch chain amino acids to prevent
muscle damage
Branch chain amino acids are rela-
tively new to the CrossFit scene
despite them being commercially
available. They have been shown
to improve performance on two
levels; first via amino acid regula-
tion of muscle protein metabolism
and second, with regard to central
fatigue hypothesis.
Recent investigations of this na-
ture have addressed the potential
for mixed supplements that pro-
vide both amino acid and carbohy-
drate to help delay fatigue. A
study proved that a CHO and pro-
tein beverage improved perfor-
mance. There was a significant im-
provement on cycling time to fa-
tigue and reductions in post exer-
cise muscle damage.
In my experience working with en-
durance athletes, I find that adding
BCAA into a carb-electrolyte iso-
tonic drink like energade and drink
it through the race. It is important
to find a good quality BCAA.
Always look for a product that sup-
plies 10g of BCAA with a high con-
centration of leucine. The product
that I recommend is the cellucor
BCAA as it fits the supporting liter-
ature that I just discussed, espe-
cially when combined with ener-
gade.
Some good fats to add to
your shopping list
Cellucor BCAA
Energade
Event day recipes
Quick, nutritionally adequate, easy to cook to recover
Sweet Breakfast Burrito
Serving 2
Time: 5 minutes to prep
Ingredients:
3 flour tortillas
1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup fresh berries
2 tablespoons plain Greek yoghurt
2 tablespoons toasted nut mix
Drizzle of honey (optional)
Method:
Divide the oatmeal between the
two tortillas. Top with your favorite
berries, a dollop of yoghurt, and a
small handful of toasted nut mix.
Tuck in the short edges and tightly
roll the burrito length wise.
Energy: 319 cal, protein: 10g, carbs: 51g, fat: 10g

References
All research articles are between 2011-2015.
[1
]
Hottenrott K, Hass E, Kraus M, Neumann G, Steiner M & Knechtle B, "A scientific nutrition
strategy improves time trial performance by approximately 6% when compared with a self
chosen nutrition strategy in trained cyclists: a random cross-over study," Applied physiology,
nutrition and metabolism, vol. 37, pp. 637-645, 2012.
[2
]
Chilbkova D, Knechtle B, Rosemann T, Tomaskova I, Chadim V & Shortall M, "Nutrition habits
in 24- hour mountain bike racers," SpringerPlus, vol. 3, pp. 1-11, 2014.
[3
]
Miller SL, Maresh CM, Armstrong LE, Ebbeling CB, Lennon S & Rodriguez NR, "Metabolic re-
sponse to provision of mixed protein-carbohydate supplementation during endurance exer-
cise," International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, vol. 12, pp. 384-397,
[4
]
Baar K, "New ideas about nutrition and the adapation to endurance training,"Sport Science
Exchange , vol. 26, no. 115, pp. 1-5, 2013.
[5
]
Stellingwrff, "Case study: nutrition and training periodization in three elite marathon run-
ner," International Journal of Sport Nutrition and exercise metabolism, vol. 22, pp. 392-400,
[6
]
Brewer CP, Dawson B, Wallman KE & Guelfi KJ, "Effect of repeated sodium phosphate laod-
ing on cycling time-trial performance," International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise
[7
]
Macdermid PW, Stannard S, Rankin D & Shillington D, "A comparative analysis between the
effects of galactose and glucose supplementation on endurance performance,"Internation-
[8
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Beneke R, Leithauser RM & Ochentel O, "Blood lactate diagnostics in exercise testing and
training," The international journal of sports physiology and performance, vol. 6, pp. 8-24,
[9
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Saunders MJ, Kane MD & Todd MK, "Effects of carbohydrate-protein beverage on cycling en-
durance and muscle damage," Medicine & science in sports & exercise, vol. 10, pp. 1233-
1238, 2004.

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