Eating before and during a CrossFit Competiton

What to eat before a CrossFit comp and on the day

Nutrition is so important leading up to a competition and just as important on the day.  You want to able to compete at your best and not feel lacklustre or ill to belly because you have eaten the wrong food or not enough food.

Here is simple checklist to stick by to help you feel 100% and ready for action on competition day

Hydrate: 

Make sure you are drinking at least 2 litres of water per day leading up to the comp and remember if you like Coffee that is fine but you will need to drink more water to replace the fluids lost due to the diuretic effect of water, base if off 1 coffee equals an extra litre of water.

On comp day pack at least 4 litres of water so you have plenty and not relying on water being available to buy. I would recommend small bottles as they are easier to carry around and can be frozen the night before and double as ice packs if you need them.

You will need to keep drinking throughout the day, and especially after a workout.  Be cautious of drinking to much water before your event.  As you are increasing your water intake you will have to add electrolytes these are also great on comp day and will replace lost salts and minerals. You can get in tablet form and add to water, or pre-made drinks. Coconut water is also popular with some people .

Slow release Carbs 48 hours before a comp

This is a good time to stock the carbohydrate stores so that you do not enter into strenuous competition glycogen depleted. Glycogen is a form of sugar stored in the muscle and the liver and it is the main source of energy in high-intensity activity like CrossFit. The most important consideration in a pre-event meal is to eat enough carbohydrates to refill the muscle and liver stores. Add non-starchy vegetables like spinach, kale, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, onions and asparagus. Sweet potato is also a great slow release carb as is quinoa and oats.

A great meal the night before comp

An awesome meal to have the night before the comp is salmon great for good fats, sweet potato which will give you your slow release carbs and salad made up of the list above.

What food to have for breakfast on comp day

Make sure you do have breakfast you will need plenty of fuel for the day.  Have what you usually have the day of comp is not the day to try new things. And hydrate.

A perfect breakfast would be consumed 1.5 – 2 hours before competing and consist of healthy fats (like nut butters or eggs) carbs from oats, quinoa and some protein (protein powder, eggs) or another option could be a banana with oats in a protein shake,  stay away from dairy just in case it upsets your belly.

Eating during comp day

Convenience is the key you need to bring food that is quick, easy and doesn’t need to be kept super cold. You don’t want to feel super full on the day so small snacks like protein bars, baby food, bananas, rice cakes with peanut butter, chicken and rice, protein pancakes made the night before if you have the time or oat bars will not make you feel too full or heavy.

It is important to have a meal after each WOD so you can recover and replenish and you want to make sure that food has had time to go down before the next wod

You don’t want a lot of fibre on competition day otherwise you could be running to the bathroom so stay away from dried fruits.

And lots of water.

I hope this helps and has you feeling great on the day.