Five rounds for time of 20 Double unders, 20 Wall ball, and 20 Burpees. Your heart is pounding; you can barely catch your breath. Keep going, you tell yourself, your almost there. Your legs are burning as you complete your last set of burpees. You yell, "Time!!" and can't help but fall to the ground. Shit... the fan is on the other side of the gym.
The life of a CrossFitter is just that; you push yourself with not just all you've got, but more than what you've got. You move as fast as you can in your WOD's, but sometimes, it's not as fast as you would like. You add more weight to the bar, only to find you cannot lift what you thought you could. You look in the mirror at that extra layer of fat on your belly that is really only visible to you. However, your significant other tells you that you are a bonafied hottie. What the hell is going on here?
No matter what your goals are, whether it is to lose weight, get stronger, increase your athletic ability, get buff, or just decrease your times on your WOD's, you need good nutrition as a supplement to your training. Every single one of us will plateau in our training if we don't eat well. Simple as that. There's your answer.
The reason why eating well will keep you from hitting a plateau is because you will have more than enough energy to complete a WOD like Fran (21-15-9 Thrusters & Pull-ups). You will also be supplying your body with the perfect ratio of protein, carbohydrate, and fat, which will, in turn, allow your body to function at its optimum level as well as provide tons of energy. The result of eating well and high intensity exercise is a longer, healthier, happy life not to mention you will look your best and be in the best shape of your life. Let's not forget that one.
The phrase 'eating well' means something different to everybody. For some, it may mean not eating junk food or prepackaged food with preservatives. To others, it means eating a strict combination of the Paleo and Zone Diets.
The Paleo diet, which is based on the diet of 'Cavemen' in the Paleolithic era, is super simple: meat, vegetables, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. The Zone diet is a low carbohydrate diet based on the glycemic index and your 'block' prescription. They are both very effective diets that become a lifestyle, rather than a yo-yo diet.
CrossFitters from all around the country have experienced the benefits of eating such a diet. Their times get better. They have more energy; they reach 375lb max deadlift PR for the first time; they lose that extra layer of belly fat for the first time in their lives. If they fall off the wagon for a week or two, they feel the effects immediately while completing a WOD.
So the next time you're struggling during a WOD, ask yourself, is CrossFit really all I need to reach my goals?
