What To Eat Before CrossFit Workouts?

What you eat before CrossFit exercises may have a strong correlation with the results you get after weeks or months of training.

It is important to follow a strong, balanced diet that meets the requirements of the body, because CrossFit exercises greatly drain energy, and many people (especially beginners) fall into the trap of poor nutrition, of course due to the lack of sufficient experience in the field of nutrition.

Today, I will present to you the various nutritional elements that you should eat before going to CrossFit exercises, as well as some tips and the importance of following a healthy diet.

First, How Many Calories Should You Consume a Day?

Calorie consumption depends on the duration of exercise and body weight. 

Some CrossFit athletes consume more than 4000 calories per day, but they have an intense and difficult exercise schedule that requires abundant amounts of energy.

The simplest way to know how many calories you should eat during the training day (1 to 2 hours) is to multiply your body weight in pounds by 15 and outside will be the number of calories your body needs.

What About Rest Days?

The average person needs to consume at least 1,500 calories on a day without physical activity or any activity that requires some energy.

====> list of the best natural foods that contain proteins, fats, carbohydrates and the number of calories they contain. < ===== 

Is it Advisable to Eat Before Your Morning CrossFit Workout?

In this case, it depends on some of the fitness goals that you seek, for example, if you are undergoing CrossFit training in order to lose some weight, it is recommended to fast before morning exercises.

And in case that you seek to maintain your current weight while building a strong fitness, you need a healthy breakfast before the morning exercise because the body needs some energy, and with an integrated healthy breakfast, this will give you more energy to train for a longer period.

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Time Between Eating and Exercising

In order to better manage energy stores and get more benefit from meals during CrossFit exercises, it is recommended to wait between 1.5 to 3 hours between the meal and exercises, if you rely on a snack before you workout then be satisfied with 30 min between snack and the workout.

Remember: if you wait for a longer period, your stomach may start emptying, and this may negatively affect your performance, and also if you start exercising immediately after eating, you may suffer from some side effects (vomiting, sluggishness, bloating) as well, so be sure to adhere to 1.5 to 3 hours. (1)

What is The Best Food For Pre CrossFit ?

You need to rely on some natural foods that contain important proportions of carbohydrates and proteins, because carbohydrates are a major source of fast-burning energy and are the secret behind strengthening muscles, and for protein, it is considered as an essential muscle activator during intense CrossFit exercises.

Best Meal Before Your Morning CrossFit Workout.

Example of breakfast meal before CrossFit

BREAKFAST AT 6am	TARGET CARBS	TARGET PROTEIN	TARGET FAT	TARGET CALORIES
eggs with oats, cranberries, bananas, wholemeal bread, some caffeine mix with protein powder.	105g	45g	10g	690 cal

Best Meal Before CrossFit Evening Workout.

LUNCH AT 12:30pm	TARGET CARBS	TARGET PROTEIN	TARGET FAT	TARGET CALORIES
few ounces of red meat, such as beef. Cooked vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, beans. Cooked white or brown rice.	110g	50g	10g	730 cal

What About CrossFit Night Exercises?

Night exercises are not recommended at all because the night is intended for sleep, rest and muscle recovery.

The best time to exercise is early in the morning, or in the afternoon between 1 and 4 pm.

Dinner will be at seven in the evening (a light meal in the range of 300 to 400 calories.), then go to bed at 10 pm.

Note:

This type of meal is intended for an experienced CrossFit athlete of over 6 months who weighs approximately 160 lbs and trains for about 2 hours in one session.

It is Better to Eat Before or After CrossFit ?

A study was conducted for this purpose, two groups of people were appointed, the first group performed exercises before eating, and the second group ate before exercises.

The results were that the second group had more effective expectations during exercise compared to the first group that ate after exercise.

What Meals Should You Focus On Before CrossFit ?

In fact, you should focus on all the main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), but since the best times to exercise are in the early morning, or afternoon, so you should focus more on breakfast and lunch, you should never skip it because it is a fuel for the body.

====> High carb sources for pre CrossFit < ====

====> 7 Healthy Meal Ideas For Pre CrossFit Workouts < ====

Takeaway

The results that you want to get with CrossFit depend greatly on your diet. If your diet is healthy and balanced and you respect your eating times and exercise times, you will definitely get satisfactory results.

It is important to fill your belly with some proteins and carbohydrates. 1.5 to 3 hours before exercise, you should allow the food to settle in your stomach in order to perform well and benefit from energy greatly and continue with the long CrossFit sessions without feeling too tired.

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