To remain at the top range of your athletic port entail you need to fuel your performance. We speak often about the importance of prepping the body with the nutrients it needs to do so. Paying attention to your Macros;Proteins, Fats and Carbs is the easiest way to ensure that your daily nutrition is balanced.
Carbohydrates drive people crazy. On one hand you have me asking you to eat them for a transformative fuel source. On the other hand you here diet coaches and many weight loss swingers talking about cutting them out completely from you diet like they are the plague!
So let's talk about where and when to put Carbs into your diet....
The concept of carb cycling is nothing new if you have been in the traditional gym or surrounded by body builders for any length of time. Carb cycling is adding and restricting carbs in relation to your overall routine and more particular in your training routine.
Simply put... Carbs go in on Heavy/Hard days. Carbs get cut on lower intensity/ less activity days.
By cycling carbs on and off you can allow for weight loss to occur. As you train hard on high carb days your body is able to access the glucose (sugar) that the muscles need for maximum use. When you turn the carbs down on days after, when your body is using the remaining carbs for repair and building... The body finishes consuming carbs and goes right towards your adipose (FAT) tissue.
Cycling for weight loss is a tedious and methodical game, very precise. If you are off timing and need the extra carbs for optimal BRAIN function or muscular firing, sometimes I have heard of 'cloudy' thoughts and more of a tendency to binge eat!
What I find appealing about carb cycling is the emphasis in performance rather than weight loss. If your diet is clean and your Macro levels are being hit from a wide array of WHOLE FOODS, then the physical training in CrossFit will do the rest. If you are looking to boost your lifts or workouts on a Mon/Wed/Fri training schedule, then by all means add in a bit more carbs.
If you are adding carbs then you should think about short vs. long term fueling. If your plan is to eat 2-3 hours before a session I would suggest a complex carb like a sweet potato whereas if you need some quick carbs 1 hour before a workout then fruit or a carb supplement can do the trick. Fueling with extra carbs immediately after your train is also very important on 'high' cycling days. Repair and growth of the muscle depends on the carbs big time.
So mess around with cycling if you feel like you want a change or you are not happy with how your energy feels or if you want to try and kick a couple inches. You are a science lab, If you don't constantly tweek things, there will always be perpetual deficits!
Baseline:
Partner Hamstring Stretch
Banded Iron Cross
Hip Flexor Stretch
500m Row
12-10-8
Single Leg KB Deadlift (ea leg)
Superman to Hollow
Bent Over Row (KB ea arm)
Skill Development:
Deadlift
2-2-2-2-2
Conditioning:
15-12-9
Thruster 115/75
Toe To Bar
*This workout stimulus should be of the burny variety. I would like everyone sub 6 mins. Look for quality of movement, getting toes to bar every time.
