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Check out the DCF news for the week of December 11-17

DCF News

Who is Greg Glassman?

If you’re new to CrossFit you may not know much about the beginnings of CrossFit, or the man behind it. Greg “Coach” Glassman is the founder and CEO of CrossFit, Inc. His personality is straightforward and analytical, and he doesn’t shy away from speaking his mind with colorful language. As such, he is abrasive to some people. But who is this man behind the CrossFit mask? 

Glassman was born in 1956 in the San Fernando Valley, and contracted polio as an infant, which had long-term consequences to his health. With a rocket scientist as a father, Glassman was raised to analyze everything in terms of math, data and the scientific method. Since he couldn’t play contact sports, Glassman became a gymnast and began coaching gymnastics while still in high school. It was during that time that Glassman began mixing power lifting, gymnastics, and calisthenics into short, intense workouts that left him exhausted and gasping for air. He realized how important natural, functional movements were, and began randomizing them in his workouts, more along the lines of what might be required for survival in nature. He called his mix of fitness methods “CrossFit.”

 After high school Glassman began personal training at various gyms, and by the ‘90s was getting quite a reputation for his unorthodox methods (sprinting, then deadlifts? Unheard of!) that left his clients lying on the floor, but coming back for more. He got kicked out of many gyms for being too “disruptive,” but was hired by the Santa Cruz Police Force to train their officers. Glassman began posting his workouts online, creating CrossFit.com, which quickly went viral. His classes became popular in multiple police forces and military bases, and as word of mouth spread, the CrossFit movement grew exponentially. The first CrossFit affiliate was opened in 2000 in Seattle. Glassman began teaching seminars regularly, and formalized the affiliation process. CrossFit affiliates started popping up all over the US. As of today, there are over 13,000 CrossFit gyms worldwide! 

 These days, Coach is more concerned with taking down huge corporations that are detrimental to society’s health, most recently Big Soda. Glassman even pulled the plug on millions of dollars’ worth of funding for the CrossFit Games, in order to focus more on the obesity epidemic. Although many people see the CrossFit Games as the pinnacle of the CrossFit movement, Coach would disagree. To him, getting people off the couch and into a more capable body is the real goal. He says, “For each athlete who’s gone to the Games, we have 15 people who’ve used CrossFit to lose 100 pounds or cure their diabetes.” That’s the real message. 

 No matter your perception of Coach as a person, he’s the father of CrossFit and was the first to define Fitness in scientific terms, to increase Fitness with constantly varied functional movements, and then to test and prove that Fitness. He has undeniably created a huge ripple effect in the health industry. CrossFit is for everyone, even if Greg Glassman isn’t! 

 

 References:

 https://www.inc.com/magazine/201307/burt-helm/crossfit-empire.html

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-the-cult-of-crossfit

 https://www.maxim.com/maxim-man/crossfit-greg-glassman-exclusive-2015-9

 https://www.menshealth.com/health/a23663806/greg-glassman-crossfit-health/

Pre and Post Workout Nutrition

Let’s talk about nutrition for workouts!   If you want to perform at your absolute best each day, nutrition could be THE THING that separates you from the pack. What we eat matters.  Food can help us to fuel and recover from our workouts.  It does not have to be rocket science, and it does not have to involve counting macros either, but we should be paying attention to what we are putting into our bodies to get the most out of our training.   If you ever feel like you are hitting a wall during a workout, experiencing nausea, or noticing slower recovery, then taking a deeper look at your workout nutrition could really help you out!

It is not as important what you eat right before or after a workout, but what you are eating throughout the entire day that matters most. The more diversity you have in your diet of whole foods, varied protein sources, and micronutrients from fruits and vegetables, the better! Nutrient timing for a workout can help, but it is not going to radically change your performance or physique if you are eating low nutrient foods the rest of the day.

The recommendations that will be laid out will apply to ‘most’ people following a standard diet.   Of course, every body is different and just because one thing works for one person, does not mean it will work best for you.  It is always worth testing a few things out with both foods and nutrient timing to find what makes you feel and perform your best. 

Let’s get into some of the science first. The human body prefers to use carbohydrates as its primary energy source, for mind and for muscles.[1] It is the most readily available and the easiest for it to access.  The role of eating carbohydrates before exercise is to provide immediate and lasting energy, preserve muscle and liver glycogen, and stimulate the release of insulin (when combined with protein) which improves protein synthesis and prevents protein breakdown.  This is why it is most common to place extra carbohydrates before and after your workout, along with a little bit of protein. [2]  We try to keep fats lower in our pre and post workout meals because they tend to slow digestion and interfere with the absorption of the carbohydrates.[3] 

A good goal for pre workout nutrition would be to eat a mix of high and low glycemic carbohydrates with some lean protein, in the 1-2 hours before your workout. For a great list of high and low glycemic index carbs click HERE. The high glycemic carbohydrates will be easy to access right away, while the lower glycemic carbohydrates absorb more slowly and can provide lasting energy without spiking insulin. To keep fats on the lower end we would want to avoid things with higher fat contents around the workout windows. Examples of items high in fat could be anything more than 1 TBS nut butter, 2+ pieces of bacon/sausage, 2+ whole eggs, certain protein or meal replacement bars, beef burgers, pastries, breakfast burritos, fried foods, lots of cheese or full fat dairy. Some ideas for a pre workout meal could be:

  • skinless chicken breast/turkey + rice or sweet potato + steamed leafy greens or veggies

  • cold soaked or instant oatmeal + nonfat Greek yogurt + half banana

  • rice cake, bagel or whole grain toast + 1 TBS nut butter + jam + part of a whey protein shake

Note: If you are short on time and need to eat within 15-30 minutes of a workout, opt for something fast digesting and small, like a Fuel for Fire squeeze pack, dates/figs, applesauce, or a banana. Alternately, you could have a whey protein shake or BCAA drink here and try get more carbohydrates in AFTER the workout. 

Speaking of after the workout, what are we looking for in a post workout meal?  We want to aim for a similar set up here and eat/drink something with both lean protein and higher glycemic carbohydrates within 1-2 hours following training to replenish our depleted glycogen quickly and prevent protein breakdown. This will help us maintain and build our muscles! 

We have lots of options at the gym to fill your needs if you forget to plan out your meals, such as Ascent Protein (whey – fast absorbing, and casein – slow absorbing), Fuel for Fire, Kill Cliff/Fit Aid drinks and MUSH overnight oats.

Any suggestions in this post are from my own education and experience as a nutrition coach. You should always consult with your doctor if you need specific guidance or recommendations on your nutrition.

Happy Training!

-Coach Amy Locati

[1] Alan Aragon, The Lean Muscle Diet (USA, Rodale, 2014) 23.

[2] St. Pierre, Brian, Precision Nutrition ,“Workout Nutrition Explained”, Accessed October 2019. https://www.precisionnutrition.com/workout-nutrition-explained

[3] Working Against Gravity, Nutrition Guide, Accessed October 2019. https://www.workingagainstgravity.com/nutrition-guide