Crossfit and supplementation
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A sporting discipline that has seen a real boom in members and participants, a new way of doing fitness, even if deep down not exactly a "recent" one. Let's get to know crossfit even better, along with the supplements that can support us before, during or after the WOD.
To be honest, it is not really a sporting discipline as such, but rather an approach, a different way of interpreting well-known fitness exercises, a philosophy, a much more stripped-back format than the idea of the gym as we traditionally know it.
Right from the early days, in the 1970s, the idea had emerged of combining different physical stimuli in a single training session in order to condition the body from several points of view, with little or no use of the most common gym equipment.
Crossfit sessions, which only saw a real global boom after 2008, are built around specific moments of training aimed at preparing the body, improving a specific movement or training specific strength, performing a certain sequence of exercises chosen each time and, finally, recovering from the effort. What makes the training sessions distinctive is their overall organisation, always divided into the four moments described above, and the density of the effort involved, especially in the central phase, the specific work phase.
"Density of effort" means performing training exercises with few if any rest periods. Following the most classic principles of high-intensity training, known as HIT, this central part of the crossfit workout is a complex set of training stimuli that, in addition to muscular strength, explosive strength and strength endurance, bring into play biochemical processes linked to energy production that affect the person's metabolism.
Just as the type of effort does not really amount to a new sporting discipline, the nutrition and supplementation for this kind of activity do not differ much from the recommendations for other sports either. If anything, these recommendations cover more needs than those for much more specialised or less varied athletic movements.
Because crossfit involves whole-body movements that call for elasticity, strength and endurance, it requires energy and protein support, but also key micronutrients to limit oxidative processes and/or improve body composition and the body's recovery times.
The Crossfitter should certainly pay attention to the phase before the effort, trying to approach the start of training with a full load of energy but without too much weight in the gastrointestinal tract. The last meal should be at least a couple of hours before the start of the warm-up with, if necessary, a small pre-workout snack in the form of an easily digestible energy bar, to be eaten in whole or in part up to 30 minutes before the start, or a fast-release gel to be taken just before the effort.
During the activity, the athlete can certainly rely on products that can sustain the level of effort from an energy point of view, from a fluid and electrolyte point of view and from a tonic and energising point of view. An isotonic electrolyte drink should be the essential basis throughout the whole workout, especially during sessions expected to be longer and involve greater sweat loss than others.
The energising tonic, of which READY 112 from our range is an excellent example, can instead be considered the right support for improving the tone and explosiveness of certain specific athletic movements or moments of the WOD that are particularly intense, thanks to the presence of stimulating ingredients, such as caffeine and guarana, and others that improve muscle oxygenation levels, supporting contractile activity, such as arginine, carnitine and beta-alanine, among others.
At the end of the training session we cannot let our guard down, especially if some time has passed since the last meal. A protein shake is just what we need. The choice is yours: very fast protein sources almost completely free of other macronutrients, or more complex protein sources, made from blends of proteins, including from different sources, for a more gradual release and absorption over time. The latter in particular could be very helpful when the session takes place in the middle of the day and lunch is skipped as a result.
Beyond all this, the greatest attention should also be paid to the micronutrients that can lower the body's general levels of inflammation which, especially in the most active sportspeople, could be significant, or to the health of specific areas such as bones and joints. A varied diet rich in small oily fish and vegetables, preferably green leafy ones. Worth mentioning for these purposes are SUPER OMEGA 3 and NORINCOL.
To be honest, it is not really a sporting discipline as such, but rather an approach, a different way of interpreting well-known fitness exercises, a philosophy, a much more stripped-back format than the idea of the gym as we traditionally know it.
Right from the early days, in the 1970s, the idea had emerged of combining different physical stimuli in a single training session in order to condition the body from several points of view, with little or no use of the most common gym equipment.
Crossfit sessions, which only saw a real global boom after 2008, are built around specific moments of training aimed at preparing the body, improving a specific movement or training specific strength, performing a certain sequence of exercises chosen each time and, finally, recovering from the effort. What makes the training sessions distinctive is their overall organisation, always divided into the four moments described above, and the density of the effort involved, especially in the central phase, the specific work phase.
"Density of effort" means performing training exercises with few if any rest periods. Following the most classic principles of high-intensity training, known as HIT, this central part of the crossfit workout is a complex set of training stimuli that, in addition to muscular strength, explosive strength and strength endurance, bring into play biochemical processes linked to energy production that affect the person's metabolism.
Just as the type of effort does not really amount to a new sporting discipline, the nutrition and supplementation for this kind of activity do not differ much from the recommendations for other sports either. If anything, these recommendations cover more needs than those for much more specialised or less varied athletic movements.
Because crossfit involves whole-body movements that call for elasticity, strength and endurance, it requires energy and protein support, but also key micronutrients to limit oxidative processes and/or improve body composition and the body's recovery times.
The Crossfitter should certainly pay attention to the phase before the effort, trying to approach the start of training with a full load of energy but without too much weight in the gastrointestinal tract. The last meal should be at least a couple of hours before the start of the warm-up with, if necessary, a small pre-workout snack in the form of an easily digestible energy bar, to be eaten in whole or in part up to 30 minutes before the start, or a fast-release gel to be taken just before the effort.
During the activity, the athlete can certainly rely on products that can sustain the level of effort from an energy point of view, from a fluid and electrolyte point of view and from a tonic and energising point of view. An isotonic electrolyte drink should be the essential basis throughout the whole workout, especially during sessions expected to be longer and involve greater sweat loss than others.
The energising tonic, of which READY 112 from our range is an excellent example, can instead be considered the right support for improving the tone and explosiveness of certain specific athletic movements or moments of the WOD that are particularly intense, thanks to the presence of stimulating ingredients, such as caffeine and guarana, and others that improve muscle oxygenation levels, supporting contractile activity, such as arginine, carnitine and beta-alanine, among others.
At the end of the training session we cannot let our guard down, especially if some time has passed since the last meal. A protein shake is just what we need. The choice is yours: very fast protein sources almost completely free of other macronutrients, or more complex protein sources, made from blends of proteins, including from different sources, for a more gradual release and absorption over time. The latter in particular could be very helpful when the session takes place in the middle of the day and lunch is skipped as a result.
Beyond all this, the greatest attention should also be paid to the micronutrients that can lower the body's general levels of inflammation which, especially in the most active sportspeople, could be significant, or to the health of specific areas such as bones and joints. A varied diet rich in small oily fish and vegetables, preferably green leafy ones. Worth mentioning for these purposes are SUPER OMEGA 3 and NORINCOL.
