Post WOD Nutrition
-by Chris Plentus

So you're hooked. "Tabata," "AMRAP" and "Fran" all mean something to you and you can thank (or blame) it on CrossFit. You live for refreshing your internet browser at 10pm just so you can see the WOD for the next day. You are a CrossFit addict. Hopefully a CrossFit KoP addict.

So how do you make the most of your time and energy so you can PR like crazy (as a newbie) or reach a new plateau (as a veteran). One of the many (overlooked) ways is paying attention to post workout nutrition.

The body has several energy systems it uses to get work done. I won't get nerdy on you, but basically there are three:
1. Creatine phosphate/ATP - think 1 rep max effor lifts, like a deadlift. You are using explosive energy for less than a second.
2. Anaerobic/glycolysis - think metcon. Most would take anywhere from 5-20 minutes and you are burning muscle glycogen while doing it.

3. Aerobic/oxidative - think endurance athlete. They can burn energy at low efforts for hours on end. If I asked you to run for 2 hours straight, you would hate me, but you could most likely do it.

Your body will generally use these energy systems in this order, often overlapping. For example, on a 400 meter run, you will generally use your ATP first, then kick into glycolysis once the ATP is used up, then over to oxidative around the 250-300m range. If you've ever felt a "wall" during a wod, it is probably because you are at the crossover of one of these stages.


All pathways are hit in CrossFit, but the second is an important one and let's be honest, most popular. How many times do you find yourself in a love/hate relationship with the WOD? Think Fran, Helen, Elizabeth, and all of those other fun girls. Anyway, this is the one where we want to refuel as soon as we can after a WOD. Why? To replace that muscle glycogen that was burned during the WOD. Your body is screaming for fuel and you do NOT want to piss off the angry glycogen gods. By feeding your muscles what they want, they will get stronger and recover QUICKER. Who wants to be sore for days on end? I know I don't. I want to get back in that box and kill those WODs. Quicker recovery means more consistent training which means being stronger and faster.

So what should you be eating? The simple (and frustrating) answer is that it depends on the person! You need to assess your goals and figure out what is going to work best for you. Do you want to lean out? Do you want to gain mass? What kind of WOD was it? You also need to look at other factors such as lifestyle, cost, and transport. Will you have time to create a post wod shake or will you have to buy something from Wawa? How much are you willing to spend? Are you able to keep things refrigerated? Below are some very general guidelines to help you figure things out.

TYPE OF WOD
Post WOD fuel is most useful after a metcon. Strength days are fine to have some protein, but not completely necessary, especially if you are having a regular meal afterwards. It's after that sweaty metcon where you are panting and lying on the floor that you want to get something in your system ASAP. (think 45 minutes at the most) If it's Fran and it took you 4 minutes, your stores of glycogen get depleted faster than someone who does it in 15 minutes. In other words, intensity matters! The harder you go, the quicker your ATP and then glycogen stores get used up. It's possible to go into an aerobic/oxidative state if the first two stages are hit hard. If, however, you use the example of the 400m run, you can imagine that jogging will not hit your ATP and glycogen that hard, therefore, not requiring as much refueling.

BODY COMPOSITION
Those looking to lean out should have less carbohydrates post WOD. Those looking to maintain leanness or gain mass should have higher amounts of carbohydrates. Also consider how long the WOD was or how hard you worked. Harder, sweater work = more carbohydates.

RATIOS
Protein and carbohydrates, maybe a little fat. Typically fat slows down the digestion process, but here you WANT fast digestion. Shakes and liquid food are not the best during a regular meal because they have more surface area and thus get absorbed quicker. Post WOD a shake or liquid is perfect to get that in your system as fast as possible. More protein is needed if you lifted weights or used more muscles in a WOD. More carbs are needed the longer or harder you go in a WOD.
EXAMPLES
-For someone looking to lean out, they might have about 10-30g protein/10-20g carbs post WOD
-For someone looking to gain mass, or a lean person looking to maintain glycogen stores, they might have 10-30g protein/30-50g carbs post WOD
James "OPT" Fitzgerald actually suggests ratios based off body fat for specific WODs on his blog here. He's a numbers guy and I've learned a lot about Crossfit and post WOD fueling from this guy. Check out his FAQs for really great info.

Robb Wolf is another great resource for all things nutrition. Seriously, download his podcasts and listen to them in the car on the way to work. The guy knows an incredible amount of information. He recommends that you get about 50% of your carbs in during the post WOD nutrition. Why? Because your body can "sneak" these carbs in without causing a big insulin response. After about an hour though, you're back to pretty much normal.

WHAT TO EAT/DRINK
-Some people are huge fans of chocolate milk! It has a great ratio of protein/carbs and even though it has a little fat, it also has other great nutrients for muscle recovery and growth. Plus, it's so easy to obtain and keep. No preparation, just need to keep it refrigerated (and even then some folks are ok with warm milk)
-Sweet potato/whey protein - Most folks would recommend something like this. I add applesauce in the mix and it's delicious. The recipe is at the bottom. OPT is a fan of whey potein from pastured cows. I personally just get the whey protein from Costco.
-some fruit* with deli meat or jerky.
-applesauce and a cheese stick

-ready-made drinks like MuscleMilk or bars like Power Bars

*some folks are against having fruit post WOD. The reason is that the fructose in fruit will replace liver (hepatic) glycogen first, not the muscle glycogen you are looking to replace. Personally I don't think it's a terrible choice especially for the ease of having fruit on hand, but if you have the freedom, go with the sweet potato or milk option.

All in all, you need to find what works for you and your lifestyle. If you can carry around a cup of sweet potato/protein mix, good for you. If you need to stop at the Wawa on the way home from the box to have some chocolate milk, that's ok too. It's going to depend. But make sure you are refueling after those sweaty (sexy) metcons!

Chris P.'s Post WOD fuel

4 cups sweet potato, peeled and sliced*
1 cup apple sauce*
~120g whey protein*
1 Tbsp. cinnamon (if unflavored protein. I have chocolate protein so I don't need cinnamon for taste)
*this is a lot of protein as a personal preference. This recipe will make about 4 cups of mixture and for someone my size (150 lbs., ~13% bf) I personally want 30g protein/50-60g carbs per mixture. You can play around with the numbers assuming that 1 cup sweet potato or applesauce has about 60g carbs.

1. After peeling and cutting the sweet potatoes, put them in a microwaveable container and add about 1 Tbsp. water. Cover (allowing venting) and put in microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. This will soften the sweet potato.
2. Add sweet potato, apple sauce, protein, and cinnamon in blender or food processor.
3. Blend until desired consistency.
4. Store in refrigerator. I've kept containers for a couple of weeks at a time without the mix going bad, but try to eat it sooner than later.

There's a new smoothie in town...

What You Need:

1/4 cup Brazil nuts
2 Medjool dates, pitted, or 1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 tablespoon raw cacao nibs or powder
1 cup filtered water

What You Do:

In a blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.

Plentus's Pumpkin Muffins (made with coconut flour)

These turned out very small, about 1.5 inches thick, kind of flat, but moist. Be sure to refrigerate ones you don't eat right away.

Ingredients:

Six eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup coconut flour
4 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted (or butter)
3 Tablespoon honey (I used a dark, multi-floral one)
3 Tablespoon agave nectar (could double either honey or agave if you don't have this)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Spices (we usually use some nutmeg and cinnamon, but if we had cloves and ginger we'd use the same amounts as for a recipe for pumpkin pie)
Non-stick spray

Instructions:

Mix together eggs, pumpkin, oil, honey, agave, vanilla, and spices. Mix baking powder with flour, and add slowly to the egg mixture, mixing until lumps are gone. Spray muffin pans with non-stick stuff. Divide between 12 muffins, about 2Tbs. of batter in each one. Cook at 400F (205C) for 15 - 20 minutes.

(Use 4Tbs. batter for a normal sized muffin, and double the info below.)

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 146
Protein: 5g
Carbs: 9g - 4g fiber = 5g usable carbs
Fat: 9g

Recipe of the day from Evan's Kitchen:
"Egg Hunt"

2 dozen quail eggs (look in the oriental grocery!!)
1 to 1.5 lbs. grass fed ground beef
1 large egg (omega 3 enriched if possible!)

Options for the ground meat: Its up to you!
chopped up sun dried tomatoes
garlic
rosemary
any other spices you may like or combination

Directions:
Hard boil the quail eggs
Place them in a pot a water with enough to cover them. Bring water to boil for 3 minutes. Cool eggs immediatley.
Peel all the eggs and set aside.
Mix the ground meet and the Omega 3 egg and any spices you like.
Take a small amount of meat and 1 quail egg.
Form a small patty with the meat and place the quail egg in the center.
Wrap the meat around the egg until its completely encased.
Should look like a nice size meat ball.
Place the meat balls on a baking sheet (use a silicone sheet, parchment paper, ect..)
Bake in the oven for 30 min at 350 deg F.

You can eat these warm or cold, dip them in whatever. Serve with a big ass salad.

Check out this link Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative.

Inflammation Combat:
Omega 3 Fatty Acids – Fish is your key source of two key omega-3 fatty acids – eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA). These are major anti-inflammatories. EPA and DHA are essential building blocks for the body’s anti-inflammatory prostaglandins (e.g., prostaglandin E1) and for turning off Cox-2 and the body’s pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, and TNFa). In addition, omega-3 fatty acids block the activity of an enzyme that breaks down joint cartilage. Mackerel, salmon, trout, sardines and tuna are good sources of these fatty acids.

Curcuimin – Curcumin is the active ingredient of the Indian spice turmeric. Over the last few decades hundreds of small scale studies have proven scientifically what Indian people have known for centuries; that curcumin has the ability to halt or prevent certain types of cancer, stop inflammation, improve cardiovascular health, prevent cataracts and kill or inhibit the toxic effects of certain microbes including fungi and dangerous parasites.
(Arora RB, Basu N, Kapoor V, Jain AP. Anti-inflammatory studies on Curcuma- longa (turmeric). Ind J Med Res 1971 Aug;59(8):1289-95).

Green Tea – Researchers at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, recently reported that the antioxidant polyphenols in green tea had anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting Cox-2 and TNFa. Genistein inhibits prostaglandin E2 and Cox-2, and quercetin inhibits the activity of inflammation-promoting “adhesion” molecules. It’s likely that Pycnogenol, grape seed extract, and other flavonoids work through similar mechanisms.
(School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 6, 1558-1564, December 2004).

Ginger – The popular herb ginger contains over 500 different compounds, many of which have anti-inflammatory properties. Suppression of inflammation is attributed to suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines produced by synoviocytes, chondrocytes, and leukocytes. Ginger suppresses prostaglandin synthesis through inhibition of cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2. A ginger extract (EV.EXT.77) derived from Zingiber officinale and Alpina galanga inhibits the induction of several genes involved in the inflammatory response. (Setty AR, Sigal LH. Semin. Arthritis Rheum. 2005 Jun;34(6):773-84.

Vitamin C – Vitamin C has long been recognized for its anti-inflammatory properties. In a study published in the March, 2006 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, High blood levels of Vitamin C reduced signs of inflammation by 45 percent. The study was conducted at a London university and involved over 3200 men between 60 and 69. Researchers looked at C-reactive protein and t-PA, both markers for inflammation levels in the body. High blood levels of Vitamin C were also predictive of lower risk of blood clots, as indicated by factors such as blood viscosity. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 83, pp. 567-574),

Why Grassfed Animal Products Are Better For You
A Quick Review of the Fats That Make Up Your Body
All food fats are a blend of the different types, saturated and unsaturated. Unsaturated fats include poly- and monounsaturated fats. omega-3s and 6s are types of polyunsaturated fats, called essential because we have to get them from food, our bodies can't manufacture them from other fats.

The Story on the the Good Fats and Bad Fats
Whereas cellular proteins are genetically determined, the polyunsaturated fatty acids composition of all cell membranes is to a great extent dependent on the dietary intake.
There are many kinds of fats in the body. Some of the most crucial fats are in the list of compounds that make up the cell walls for all of the body's cells.
After isolating these fats scientific experiments determined that if the ratio of omega 6 fats to omega 3 fats exceeds 4:1, people have more health problems. This is especially meaningful since grain-fed beef can have ratios that exceed 20:1 whereby grass-fed beef is down around 3:1.
Similar ratios are also found in all grain-fed versus grass-fed livestock products.
Grassfed products are rich in all the fats now proven to be health-enhancing, but low in the fats that have been linked with disease.
If you want to read a comprehensive review of omega 3 fats along with 78 references to the clinical literature you can read Omega 3 Oils.

Why are Omega 3 Fatty Acids Important For Your Health?
Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for normal growth and may play an important role in the prevention and treatment of:
· coronary artery disease
· hypertension
· arthritis
· cancer
· other inflammatory and autoimmune disorders

Your Body Can't Make These Fats So You Have to Get Them From Your Diet
Omega 3 and omega 6 fats are not interconvertible in your body and are important components of practically all cell membranes.
Whereas the proteins in your cell are genetically determined, the unsaturated fats of all your cell membranes is to a great extent determined on what you eat.
Therefore you need sufficient amounts of dietary omega 6 and omega 3 fats and they need to be balanced for normal development.
Your Diet Has Evolved From Your Ancient Ancestors
On the basis of estimates from studies in Paleolithic nutrition and modern-day hunter-gatherer populations, humans evolved on a diet that was much lower in saturated fatty acids than is today's diet. Furthermore, the diet contained small but roughly equal amounts of omega 6 and omega 3 fats.

Plant Fat Ratios
In the past 100 years there has been a rapid and unprecedented change in our diet. The modern vegetable oil industry was developed, and it is based on oil from seeds rich in omega 6 fats. Modern agriculture increased production by emphasizing grain feeds for domestic livestock, and grains are rich in omega 6 fats. Therefore, aggressive, industrialized agricultural management techniques have decreased the omega 3 fat content in many foods: green leafy vegetables, animal meats, eggs, and even fish.
This imbalance where omega 6 fats levels exceed omega 3 levels can be seen by comparing wild edible plants and wild animals and birds with products of modern agriculture. Products of modern agriculture frequently have drastically lower omega 3 levels. It is estimated that man evolved with a omega 6 to omega 3 ratio of one to one from both meat and vegetable sources.
Today the vegetable sources have an estimated omega 6:3 ratio of 10 to one. The modern diet of meat, fish, chicken, and vegetable oils has a ratio estimated to be 20 or 25 to one.

Eggs and Beef Fat Ratios
Chickens that eat vegetables high in omega 3 fats, along with insects and lots of fresh green grass, supplemented with fresh and dried fruit, and small amounts of corn
Range fed eggs have an omega 6:3 ratio of 1.5 to one whereas the "supermarket egg"has a ratio of 20 to one.
Modern agriculture's emphasis on increased production has led to the development of chicken feed that is being reflected in the out-of-balance ratio of fatty acids in the "supermarket egg."
North Dakota State University conducted a study on the nutritional differences between grass-fed and grain-fed bison. The results of that study closely followed that of the egg studies. The grass-fed bison had omega 6 to omega 3 ratios of 4.0 to one, and the grain-fed bison had ratios of 21 to one.
Additional studies by others clearly show that the longer cattle are fed grain, the greater the fatty acid imbalance. For instance, after 200 days in the feedlot grain-fed cattle have omega 6 to omega 3 ratios that exceed 20 to one. Many cattle are fed 200 days or more in the United States.
With the scientific data that has been published concerning omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids, we must assume grass-fed beef is far better for human nutrition than grain-fed beef. If so, then having access to grass-fed beef can be very beneficial for one's health.
And since REAL Beef has been raised naturally, without hormones, and without having been fed antibiotics during the final phase of their lives, they have added benefits.

Why Not Get Your Omega 3 Fats From Fish?
Fish, while generally a leaner food choice than beef, is heavily promoted as a good source of the omega-3 fats.
The problem with fish is that over half of the US burns coal to generate electricty and 80,000 pounds of mercury is dumped into the oceans every year as a result.
Nearly all fish are contaminated with mercury. It has gotten so bad that even the conservative US government warns pregnant women to avoid eating fish. Additionally, it is my recommendation to avoid all fish, unless you are absolutely certain that it has been tested in a laboratory and shown not to contain detectable levels of mercury and other toxins.

REAL Beef is Grass Fed Beef and a Major Source of Omega 3 fats
When we switch from grainfed to grassfed meat, then, we are simply returning to the diet of our long-ago ancestors, the diet that is most in harmony with our physiology. Every cell and every system of our bodies will function better when we eat products from animals raised on grass.
Grass-fed beef is naturally leaner than grain-fed beef.
Omega 3s in beef that feed on grass is 7% of the total fat content, compared to 1% in grain-only fed beef.
Grass-fed beef has the recommended ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats (3:1.)
Grass-fed beef is loaded with other natural minerals and vitamins, plus it's a great source of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) a fat that reduces the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes, and a number of immune disorders.
Beef, in its natural grass-fed state, is a health food of the highest order.