Just started Crossfit

[zwr250f]

I'm 36yrs old, 6', 190lbs. I've done 4 days of it so far, and about to start in on the official schedule. I've never joined a gym in my life, always just worked out at my own pace, and can't stand the P90X/Insanity stuff, because I lose focus at home, so this has been perfect for me. Nutrition wise, what do I need to be doing to get the most of my workouts? Recovery foods/drinks? Things to help with the soreness? I want to drop 10-15lbs thru this program, anything I need to do to help that. I've been eating healthier for the past year, but I have 2 kids so it's not always easy with their busy schedule and my poor cooking skills!

[ssorange]

I'm 36yrs old, 6', 190lbs. I've done 4 days of it so far, and about to start in on the official schedule. I've never joined a gym in my life, always just worked out at my own pace, and can't stand the P90X/Insanity stuff, because I lose focus at home, so this has been perfect for me. Nutrition wise, what do I need to be doing to get the most of my workouts? Recovery foods/drinks? Things to help with the soreness? I want to drop 10-15lbs thru this program, anything I need to do to help that. I've been eating healthier for the past year, but I have 2 kids so it's not always easy with their busy schedule and my poor cooking skills!

 

For muscle soreness, I would suggest trying a creatine supplement. As I remember it takes about 10 days of loading doseages before it becomes effective.  Comes in a crystalline form which works best when mixed with a juice type drink because the insulin spike helps the uptake, but juice is not manditory.  Works great for me!  Creatine will also helps with strength; it really helps me break through plateaus.  Like with any supplement, do some research and see if it is right for you.  

[bdog325]

Chocolate milk is a good recovery drink so you don't crash. Plus it's not totally unhealthy.

My whole family currently is Paleo. I actually think it is delicious and I feel way better. It is really not hard to do. The only hard part is being gluten free. The key is just to not keep gluten In the house.

The kids love it, the parents love it, and you can eat as much bacon that you want because of the science behind it.

[jaxadam]

I try to go to crossfit 6 times a week.  We are a crossfit box, but we're also a strength and conditioning place, so in addition to working on a lot of the crossfit techniques and WODS, we have a lot of olympic lifting and strength portions, so I'll try to give you some advice on what works for me.

 

Paleo is a pretty big thing in the crossfit world.  I think it's definitely got some good, but it doesn't adequately meet all of the demands MY body needs (i.e carbs).

 

My wife has done the paleo challenges at our gym; I haven't done strict paleo but I've been very supportive in our eating/cooking being damn close while she did them.  This is going to be your biggest source of nutrition, with supplements coming second.  We stick to non-processed clean foods for a majority of our diet, but we have cheat "meals" or cheat "days".

 

As far as supplements go, I'd steer clear of creatine, especially the older "loading" versions.  I've taken just about every form of creatine out there, and while it does work pretty good, I don't think you're going to see a benefit from it as much as you will with BCAA's for soreness.  

 

My supplement plan looks something like this:  BCAA's before and during workout, whey isolate post-workout, and casein before bed.  In particular I favor Intek BCAA's, Metabolic Nutrition whey, and Xtreme Formulations Ultra Peptide 2.0.  I drink more caffeine than I probably should, and I could be getting some dehydration from it, but I try to drink plenty of water, and no soft drinks/fruit juices/etc.

 

Here's where I sort of divide myself from the rest of the crossfit community's ideal nutrition.  I try to incorporate carbs, and sometimes in the form of rice and pasta.  In a variety of exercise regimens I've done over the years, I just have a better level of function, endurance, and injury resistance when I'm eating carbs.  I'm not talking about a pan of baked ziti every night, but potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, and some pastas I'll have infrequently.

 

Robb Wolf  has some good information on paleo and diet guidelines.  Now don't get me wrong, I don't have any problems with paleo, but for me I'm a paleo + carbs person.  Ironically, paleo shuns dairy and legumes, yet the world #1 crossfitter Rich Froning swears by milk and peanut butter, so go figure... 

[bdog325]

I try to go to crossfit 6 times a week. We are a crossfit box, but we're also a strength and conditioning place, so in addition to working on a lot of the crossfit techniques and WODS, we have a lot of olympic lifting and strength portions, so I'll try to give you some advice on what works for me.

Paleo is a pretty big thing in the crossfit world. I think it's definitely got some good, but it doesn't adequately meet all of the demands MY body needs (i.e carbs).

My wife has done the paleo challenges at our gym; I haven't done strict paleo but I've been very supportive in our eating/cooking being damn close while she did them. This is going to be your biggest source of nutrition, with supplements coming second. We stick to non-processed clean foods for a majority of our diet, but we have cheat "meals" or cheat "days".

As far as supplements go, I'd steer clear of creatine, especially the older "loading" versions. I've taken just about every form of creatine out there, and while it does work pretty good, I don't think you're going to see a benefit from it as much as you will with BCAA's for soreness.

My supplement plan looks something like this: BCAA's before and during workout, whey isolate post-workout, and casein before bed. In particular I favor Intek BCAA's, Metabolic Nutrition whey, and Xtreme Formulations Ultra Peptide 2.0. I drink more caffeine than I probably should, and I could be getting some dehydration from it, but I try to drink plenty of water, and no soft drinks/fruit juices/etc.

Here's where I sort of divide myself from the rest of the crossfit community's ideal nutrition. I try to incorporate carbs, and sometimes in the form of rice and pasta. In a variety of exercise regimens I've done over the years, I just have a better level of function, endurance, and injury resistance when I'm eating carbs. I'm not talking about a pan of baked ziti every night, but potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, and some pastas I'll have infrequently.

Robb Wolf has some good information on paleo and diet guidelines. Now don't get me wrong, I don't have any problems with paleo, but for me I'm a paleo + carbs person. Ironically, paleo shuns dairy and legumes, yet the world #1 crossfitter Rich Froning swears by milk and peanut butter, so go figure...

Love Robb Wolf. Milk and peanut butter are for sure incorporated in at least once a day. Plus I love peanut butter.

I would also look into bulletproof coffee. It taste delicious and teaches your body to use it's own body fat.

[rah7777777]

I just hit 3 months with Cross Fit, really enjoy the working out.

I did paleo for about a week and gave that up. My wife and daughter or vegetarian and it just turned into a hassle. I'm not vegetarian but she does most of the cooking (and it's honestly good stuff she makes but not close to paleo)

Haven't done any supplements.

Just show up and workout 2x a week. Definitely made some improvements!

[clutchless]

Seat time is seat time.

Crossfit is crossfit.

Paleo is stupid.

I coach Crossfit. Don't let Crossfit take over your life. Fitness isn't a sport and being good at fitness is not functional.