Nutrition for the CrossFit Open

Want to Crush the CrossFit Open?

We see a lot of misinformation around what/when to eat around a big workout. While you might feel like many factors are out of your control, you can set yourself up for success by prioritizing nutrition around the WOD, and we’re here to help set the record straight with some tips!

The night before the WOD:

  • No need to make any changes to your diet! Make sure to have a healthy plate of carbs, proteins, and fats, just like any other day.

The day of the WOD:

Pre-workout:

  • Roughly 2 hours before the workout, eat a meal of lean protein and carbs, nothing fancy here. This will be your immediate fuel for the workout.
  • Keep fats and fiber out of this meal to the best of your ability (no ones wants to have GI distress and be worried about running to the bathroom mid-WOD!)
  • Pro-tip: don’t do anything new here. Stick to what you know works and don’t doubt what got you to this point!

During workout:

  • CrossFit Open workouts historically aren’t that long and are something you’re accustomed to, in fact, 20 minutes is the max time we expect to see for any RX workout. This means you don’t need any additional fueling. You might possibly want a couple of strategic sips of water during the workout, but know that is largely taking away from your valuable time to complete the workout.

Post-WOD:

  • This is the one place we might like to change something up and add a bit from our regular day’s plan; but we don’t need to replace a ton!
  • We suggest adding ~25g of carbohydrates in your recovery drink.
  • High glycemic is best, so some simple sugars like dextrose, or if you’d prefer have a medium sized banana.

Attempting a Redo:

  • Just repeat the above!

And what about better recovery overall? Our nutrition won’t play a huge role in your recovery from these workouts, so it will largely depend on how well you can recover from the volume of the movements you see in that particular workout. Be smart, stay safe, and have fun. Don’t stress over these workouts!

Want to learn more about fueling for proper workouts and recovery? Schedule your FREE No-Snack Intro with one of our nutritionists today!