You want a six-pack and the quickest way to get there is to eat less food! But what are you sacrificing? The body has over 600 muscles and if you aren’t eating enough to fuel them, they will not grow! If your goal is to have a 6 pack, and that’s it, then this blog is not for you. If you’re interested in eating for performance and have sustainable lifelong eating habits, then keep reading.
I can remember when I first started Crossfit and had no interest in what I was eating. I would follow basic “bodybuilding” eating habits, I always ate breakfast, got plenty of protein in, and drank all the water. Of course, I would go full cookie monster on the weekends and have ice cream on the daily. Not too long after doing crossfit, I wanted more and I joined the crazy people doing “extra stuff on the side” quickly realized something needed to change. I was taking daily ass whoopins, and didn’t know why. I did my research, found out Crossfit puts nutrition at the base of the triangle for a reason. 
Eating for performance is unique.
Muscle building is an anabolic process, which means the body is creating tissue! As I said before, the body has a large system of muscles, so to create more than you already have you need more food (calories) It is important to eat the right combination of high quality food while still going HAM in the gym! There are a lot of “fad diets” out there that might work for a while or might get you results quickly. That’s just not sustainable and not healthy in the long run, and I don’t know about you but I do crossfit so that I can live longer, be stronger, and be able to do the same things I am doing now when I am 100.
Below are a few science proven facts about nutrition that will increase performance, build strength, burn fat and help you live a long, happy, healthy life!
EXTRA CALORIES
If you are not eating enough calories to support number 1, your general health, and number 2 extra calories to support your output in the gym, your body will start breaking down muscle. This process will cause the number on the scale to go down and you will see abs, but this is not the way to accomplish long-term success.
To build muscle, the body needs extra calories, and this number changes from person to person. It’s not the same for everyone, and there are a lot of factors that go into finding these numbers. There are also a lot of websites out there that you can plug in your height and weight and it’ll give you some numbers. What they don’t take into account all the lifestyle factors and workout intensity. If you are interested in finding a more accurate range of numbers please reach out to me!
BOOST JUICE
When it comes to eating for performance and body composition, there are always strategies and supplements that can provide an extra boost.
First and more importantly if you are not drinking water please start. In the bodybuilding world it’s best to get on stage dehydrated. Being dehydrated creates the look of lean muscles, but this is deceptive. Muscle tissue actually stores more water than fat tissue. If you want your muscles to grow, you have to drink H2O!
Creatine seems to have a bad rap, and it should not. The science is proven if you want to perform better, and recover faster you should be taking creatine. Creatine is naturally produced in the liver and kidneys. We can also get it when digesting meat and fish. It is a big hit in the Vegan and or Vegetarian world because they do not consume meat. Creatine has been proven to improve high intensity exercise performance and increase training adaptations.
Please define your goals first, then decide and experiment with what works best for you and your body. Choose foods and supplements that are in line with your goals and results. If you are struggling to match your food intake with your goals please reach out to me!
