Category: General

Meet the March CFD member spotlight–Eric Banwarth!

1. How long have you been a member at CFD, and what made you get started?

 

I have been a member at CFD for a little less than a year and a half. I joined CrossFit because I was looking for a program that would be high intensity, would include lifting, and would break up the monotony of going to the gym on my own or pounding the pavement. A friend of mine was a member at CFD and when I asked him about it he had nothing but good things to say about the programming and the coaches, so I decided to give it a shot.

 

2. What changes have you seen in yourself since your very first day?

 

When it comes down to it, I can just do more! But seriously though, that’s the best way I can think of to sum it up. All aspects of my fitness have improved. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been and I’m able to do movements in the WOD’s that I would never have even attempted to do before CFD.

 

3. What did you do for fitness prior to CFD and what do you like most about CrossFit?

 

I played sports during high school, and for a couple years in college. After that I basically tried to get into the gym on my own and do some running here and there, II also ran a couple marathons. Right away joining CFD I liked that I don’t have to think about the programming, I could just show up and everything is written out on the board. All I had to worry about was showing up and working hard. I found it very easy to stay motivated because there is always something to work on, and new goals to achieve, whether it be hitting that PR on a lift, or trying to get good enough at a new skill movement to be able to do it in a WOD.

 

4. What type of workout do you want to see pop up in this years CrossFit Open?

 

Well we just did 15.1 and I thought it was a blast. It was a smasher workout, but I really liked the Clean and Jerk component. There were PR’s all over the board! I’m most looking forward to the moments like that, that give people the opportunity to push beyond what they might regularly do or even thought they were capable of. Just like the chest-to-bars last year, a lot of people were on the fence with that movement (some people even got their first one during the open!) and with a movement like that (or muscle ups or double-unders, etc.) every rep you get is a small victory and I think that’s awesome, and for the majority of us it’s what the open is all about.

 

5. What are your goals going forward?

 

My number one goal is to get stronger, both lifting and strict body weight movements. To me that is my biggest weakness (of many).

 

6. What advice do you have for someone just starting out at CFD?

 

I would tell someone starting out to make sure you have fun with it. If you’re the kind of person who can enjoy digging deep and pushing your body to the limit of what it can do, then you will really love CrossFit. I would also say to try everything. If there’s a movement that is out of your reach, just start screwing around with it. You might get closer than you think and even if you don’t quite have it, it will be a starting point for the awesome coaches at CFD to help you get there!

The 15.1 announcement is tonight!  I’ll update the website as soon as I’m able with the exact workout, but just a heads-up that there will be a delay as I will be coaching until late tonight (there is a new athlete consult tonight at 6:30pm if anyone is interested in a free Introduction to CrossFit session).

 

Friday will be the first of 5 Open testers, and I’m very excited to see how everyone does!  Remember to simply trust your training, and don’t start changing anything drastically about how you fuel beforehand or prepare—now is NOT the time to experiment!  Just come in, do your best, leave it all on the table, and enjoy the community we’ve built together.

 

Unfortunately, Arthur and I will not be able to join you all tomorrow evening for the opportunity to test, as we will be traveling to Baltimore to attend the NPGL’s Pro Day.  We were both fortunate enough to get invited (as was Jake, but he is unfortunately unable to attend with us, even though we all know he would smash it!) and are happy to utilize the opportunity to represent CFD nationwide and in a completely different sport other than CrossFit.  This opportunity is another testament to the hard-work, continued pursuit of higher education and excellence, and standards we uphold here at CFD, and I’m honored to be a part of it.  It will be a very fast-paced weekend for us both, but my intent is to get back late Sunday night and be up bright and early Monday to coach the morning classes as well as test 15.1 with Arthur so that we may join the CFD family by bringing our numbers to the table.  Next Friday and for the remainder of the Open, we’ll be right there alongside you all to battle it out together!

 

Wish us luck, and I will be thinking of you all (and following the leaderboard closely, no doubt!) to see how everyone does!  I’ll keep you all posted as best as I’m able about Arthur and I’s progress this weekend as well via the CFD Facebook page.

 

It’s already been an exciting year, and I can’t wait to see what else 2015 has in store for CFD!

 

RLTW <1>

 

—Coach Phil

One week out from the Open—who’s ready?  If you haven’t registered yet, please do so and make sure to join the CFD team….ALL athletes at CFD are welcome and encouraged to join the ranks!  It’s a great way to measure up your fitness with the world.  Use it as a metric that can be re-tested over time: whether you think it’s worth being ‘competitive’ or not, it’s so useful to have ‘tests’ that can be re-taken in the future to measure progress.  I encourage all of you to apply yourself 100% during this period, if only to have a legitimate test with no excuses as to why it isn’t an accurate measurement.  Whether you register or not, it’ll be in the program, so best of luck to all of you and let’s see what we’re made of!

 

On another note—who’s in for a little St. Patty’s Day celebration?  Clear your calendars on March 14—festivities will begin in the afternoon and last until….well…who knows?  More details can be found here on the FB event page, and I’m sure I’ll update as I figure more out!

 

Lastly, there is definitely something that deserves mentioning—I can’t believe the progress made in only the first 6 weeks of this year already!  It’s hard to even get specific with it, but the transformations occurring are simply awe-inspiring.  People PRing lifts, getting new movements (double-unders, Muscle-ups, pull-ups), transforming their bodies, and building confidence….it makes me grateful to be a part of such a great, accomplished, hard-working community of athletes.  Many of us have differing goals, backgrounds, training ages, shapes, sizes, and personalities, but the fact that we have such a powerful glue that holds us all together and gives us all purpose—the pursuit of improving our fitness—makes CFD the unique place that it is.  Thanks to ALL of you for being who you are and playing your part in the community!

 

Let’s keep this momentum up!

 

RLTW <1>

 

—Coach Phil

It’s that time of the year again—the 2015 Open is just weeks away!  You could probably tell by the types of workouts we’re doing these last few weeks what we’re gearing up towards:  high cycle rate, light to moderate weights, and lots of volume in relatively short time domains.  Only a few more weeks left to prepare, and then it’s game time!

 

Plenty of changes have been made to the regions as well as the new scaled division (as well as a teens division, ages 14-17).  I’m going to be honest with you all about this:  throwing our region in with the Central East region just made everything a LOT more competitive.  The way I see it, we have 2 options approaching the 2015 season:

 

1.  We can get really stressed out about it, grind training to a halt so that everyone has 2 shots at every Open workout.  Tension will be high, and there will be ample frustration and disappointment for everyone.

 

(I’m not a fan of option 1….!)

 

or, 2.  We can remember why we began training in the sport to begin with, we can have fun with it, keep it light, hit every workout once and be done with it, and still have a life for the 5 weeks of the Open.

 

I’m a much bigger fan of option 2!

 

With that said, let’s approach these workouts with an open mind and a willingness to give 100% and leave it all on the floor.  Let’s have fun with it, trust our training, cheer each other on, and enjoy the amazing community of athletes that work every day to our left and right.

 

With the Open workouts being announced on Thursday evening, every Friday’s WOD will be the Open workout associated with that week.  We will also allow a group to come in Saturday morning to test the workouts as well during class.  THOSE WILL BE YOUR ONE AND ONLY SHOTS TO DO THE WORKOUTS…no re-tests.  That way, we can still stay on track with our program and have a life outside of the box!

 

PS….the Friday evening heats, from 6:30pm on, will be the testers only (scaled and Rx) and will run back-to-back until everyone has had a heat.  I strongly encourage you all to come out, even just to spectate, and you’re certainly welcome to bring snacks and/or some (adult) beverages as well!  Let’s have a great time during this 2015 season!

 

RLTW <1>

 

—Coach Phil

Check out our February CFD Athlete Spotlight:  Lynnea!

 

 

 

What was your fitness/athletic background prior to Crossfit?

I played volleyball and softball up until being a Sophomore in high school but really wasn’t very good.  I went to practice and spent a little time in the weight room.  My fitness was always mainly from working at home doing farm chores, going to the globo gym and then later riding horses competitively.  At the globo gym, I was a cardio queen and used the weight machines as most of my weightlifting until I learned what CrossFit was.

 

How long have you been CrossFitting and what made you get started?

I was really tired of boring hours on the treadmill and standing in front of a mirror pumping out some weight (or what I thought was weight)  and started doing my own conservative “CrossFit” at the globo gym about 4 years ago and self-directed following what I could on the CrossFit main page.  Had some success but was really limited to what I could do there with the space they had and to the best of my knowledge without getting hurt.  About 6 months after finding CrossFit, I broke my collar bone and needed surgery.  I took about a year off.  It was after coming back from that and getting a blood panel back from the doctor that was not leading me down the right road, that I decided that it was best for me to just join CFD, get back at it and be serious about it.    It’s been two years since I started at CFD.  I originally started 3 days a week and after 6 months or so increased my membership to unlimited and I try to get 5-6 workouts a week in at CFD.

 

What do you do Professionally and what do you do for fun outside of the gym?

I’ve worked for a livestock feed company located in Madison, WI for the past 11 years as a livestock nutritionist.  For fun outside of the gym, I ride horses competing in the sport of Dressage or trail riding with my older mare, Bird.  I also spend time training my dog, Stella, new tricks.  Bruce, my boyfriend of 10 years, and I also have a love for cars, so you’ll find us at some of the area car shows during the summer months.

 

How has CrossFit helped you in your daily life?

CrossFit has helped me in my daily life by being a stronger person both mentally and physically.  It’s helped me gain the strength, mobility, and confidence that I lost when I broke my collar bone.  I never knew that I would grow to love kicking my own butt and keep coming back for more.

 

What are your goals? (short or long term?)

Short term, there are some movements that I still need to get and/or be proficient at.  Long term, my goal is to just move a ton of weight.  Someday I’d like to think that I could be strong and  proficient enough in the Olympic lifts to compete in a weightlifting competition.

 

Any advice you are willing to share for CFD newcomers?

You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. The first 3-4 months are tough. You’re doing movements that most of us don’t do on a regular basis or haven’t done in years.  Listen to your body and take care of yourself.  Sticking with it reaps a TON of rewards.

Are your goals to lose weight?  To ‘tone up?’ To look better naked?  To get healthier?  Then read on, as this applies to you:

 

All of the most recent research out there, and any respectable coach will tell you that the secret to reaching those goals starts with weight training protocol.  Incorporating a healthy dose of strength training is most appropriate for a vast majority of the population in order to get healthy and see the results you want.  Ask a bodybuilder how they lean out for their shows—they DON’T do large volumes of steady-state cardio!  They control their body composition with their diet and their training, which is almost exclusively weight-training.  If the leanest people in the world avoid high volumes of steady-state cardio when they need to be at their leanest, don’t feed me that bullshit that you’re doing cardio to lean out, okay???  Can we be done with that outdated and downright inaccurate reasoning?   Put simply, weight-lifting makes people more anabolic; muscle burns energy at rest; that idea of being ‘toned’ really just means you want to build muscle and lose fat, so get with the program—get the results you say you want by building muscle and becoming more anabolic by lifting weights regularly!  Ladies:  I promise you won’t get ‘too bulky.’  I only wish it were as easy to pack on muscle as quickly as most women fear it is!

 

Due to this misinformation, a lot of people become slaves to high volumes of steady-state cardio.  In fact, many do steady-state cardio exclusively as their fitness regimen.  This is why a majority of the population is catabolic, even the active subset of the population.  Outdated information has convinced everyone for years that if you want to lose weight, you need to do a high volume of aerobic work.  And they’re right…kind of—running endless miles at low-intensity burns calories….which leads to catabolism….which forces you to be a slave to the volume of cardio you are doing due to the fact that you’ll adapt to it….which means you eventually need MORE cardio….and this process generally lacks longevity, has poor health implications, causes your muscles to atrophy, and honestly, sounds like an outright terrible vicious cycle to be a part of!

 

There is a reason that I write a CP/weightlifting-biased program.  It’s because you need it to reach the goal that you claim to want.  It’s also no secret that attendance in those particular CP-oriented classes is always significantly lower than the others, and that bothers me.  Sure, it’s typical in a CrossFit class to end the workout in a pool of sweat and to be completely exhausted.  However, for many reasons that are too long to defend here, sub-maximal days are some of your best training days.  Hitting those weights, loading your skeleton, and having those sub-maximal days are SO IMPORTANT when it comes to progressing, leaning out, earning your meals, and preventing injury.  Skipping those days only ensures that you won’t get a balanced program design.  Trust me when I say it’s in your best interest.  You don’t have to be on the floor after every workout to get what’s best for you…in fact, you SHOULDN’T be on the floor after every workout!

 

I believe in the pursuit of balanced fitness for the general population.  The best results for health, as well as for function, are from a balanced program design that incorporates weight training protocol along with using the spectrum of anaerobic and aerobic energy systems.  Keep this in mind when the day comes up that you’re least proficient at, and ask yourself why you’re making the excuse to not go.  Is it because you don’t think weight training is a good workout?  It’s probably because you’re not strong enough yet to elicit the appropriate response–get in there and pound some iron!  Your body will thank you for it.

 

As a caveat, I have to add that I don’t meant to only pick on the people who avoid weight training—there are certainly people who avoid cardio like the plague and only lift weights.  However, I encounter so much more of the former example and less of the latter that I always feel the need to educate people about the benefits of weight training.

 

Here’s some extra reading that you may find interesting:

 

10 Great Things About Lifting Weights:  http://www.t-nation.com/powerful-words/10-great-things-about-lifting-weights

 

The above article just got posted by me on the CFD Facebook page the other day, and I think this subject warrants it be -reposted for those of you who may have missed it.  There are a lot of good points in here that should make a person feel empowered about lifting weights!

 

100 Laws of Muscle:  http://www.t-nation.com/powerful-words/100-laws-of-muscle

 

Here are some of my favorite points:

 

Any workout can make you tired.  But a good workout program will make you better.

 

When the average person thinks “I need to lose weight,” they assume they need to start running.  A better answer?  Start lifting.

 

Long distance cardio makes you good at long distance cardio.  Conditioning work—short, fast, and brutally intense—makes you good at everything.

 

The cardio paradox:  The more efficient you become, the less fat you burn with the same amount of work.  Efficiency is great if you’re racing, not if you’re trying to lose body fat.

 

The more muscular ‘bulk’ you have, the easier it’ll be to trim the fat.  Working muscle is metabolically expensive.  If you have fat to lose and no muscle underneath, it’ll take a lot more effort.

 

Women who look good in yoga pants do more lifting than yoga.

 

You can all see where I’m going with this, right?

 

Thanks for reading, and keep lifting!

 

—Coach Phil

 

Hey everyone, I wanted to share with you all an email Mike and I received recently.  It’s short, but definitely sweet and to the point–getting stuff like this makes my day!

 

Mike and Phil,

I wanted to say THANK YOU!  After my last two workouts I really have reflected on how far I have come and I know darn well that I would not have made it this far without the support from the CFD coaches.  Yesterday I pr’d my squat clean at 140lbs.. 140LBS!!  On Friday I had a 120lb overhead squat!  Can you believe it!?  I can’t!  I am still amazed.   Before CFD I was never proud of myself.  I never had a reason to be proud of myself.  I can’t help but be proud nowadays.  I have a lot to work on still but with patience and dedication I know I will achieve my goals.

 

Thank you again.  Thank you for trusting, pushing and motivating me to be a better athlete!

 

-Angela Froiseth

 

Thanks for letting us share this note with everyone, Angela!  Keep up the great work through 2015!

We have the privilege of hearing a bit of Derrick and Dawn’s story on their continuing journey with us here at CrossFit Dubuque.  Thanks so much to the both of you for opening up for us all to read–you’re both truly an inspiration to all of us here!  Here’s a bit about what they had to say:

 

How did you two crazy kids meet and when are you getting hitched?!

Derrick: We were in a crowded room and our eyes met. It was love at first site. NOT! We met on an online dating site. October 24, 2015 my freedom ends.

Dawn:  We met through an online dating site and we are getting married October 24, 2015

When did you start at CFD and what made you decide to join?

Derrick: Honestly I don’t know. It was this last summer. I wanted to join because I was at the point where I needed to do something. I have done nothing but gain weight since high school, and it was one of those things. Someday I will get in better shape. I felt I was at a fork in my life. I was 380 lbs. and was struggling to tie my shoes every day. I really felt I couldn’t do it by myself. I had tried before and failed. After many conversions with Mike Newland and Sheena Minnihan, I went home and talked to Dawn about joining.

Dawn: We started Foundations in May of 2014. Derrick had been talking with me about it. He heard about Crossfit Dubuque through friends at work. I was scared. My insecurity about my body and knowing how out of shape I was and my lack of self-confidence was holding me back. He promised he would be there with me and it would be OK.  We met with Phil. Our first meeting Phil walked us through some basic movements and I fell on my butt. I remember feeling embarrassed and Phil said it is OK. We have modifications for all of the movements that we do. You are going to get better.

What have you learned/experienced/gained from joining?

Derrick: For me the working out part is the easy part. It’s an hour and we go three days a week. However, the change in my diet was by far the hard part. When we first joined, Mike told us to get rid of pop and bread and eat an omelet every day for breakfast. Pop was easy, but bread not so much. I probably had bread for every meal. It was rough at first, but very quickly I realized how much different I felt after meals. The bloated feeling was gone. I don’t feel like taking a nap after every meal.

Dawn: I have learned so much! Not just about lifting, Crossfit movements and mobility, but also about how to better fuel my body and how unhealthy foods impact how I feel. I have had the privilege to meet and get to know some amazing athletes at the Box. It is so inspiring to watch everyone crush the WODs. It makes me want to improve myself. I have learned a lot about myself. I really thought that I couldn’t make it this far and am so excited to continue. I have gained self-confidence and am excited every time I try on new clothes that are smaller than the last time I went shopping.

Whats your favorite/least favorite movement or WOD?

Derrick: I enjoy lifting. I have watched numerous videos about techniques and have attended a few lifting classes as well. On the other hand, lunges are not my friend. Those would be followed very closely with running. I still have way too much beef to move around.

Dawn: My favorite movement right now is front squats. I am still not the best at them, but continue to work to get better.  I also like rowing. My least favorite is anything overhead. I don’t feel strong enough to work overhead yet. I have to agree with Derrick on lunges. I don’t fall down anymore, LOL, but they are still tough for me.

What is one thing you’re doing at CFD now that you never thought you would be able to do when you first started?

Derrick: I have hard time forgetting the things I used to do. I played football and baseball and once upon a time was a decent athlete. I tend to be hard on myself because of this. To be honest, I am extremely happy with the work I have put in but, I will always think I should be doing better.

Dawn: Hanging from a bar. I still have a lot of work to do, but when I started I couldn’t hang on a bar for a second.

What advice do you have for people just starting out at CFD?

Derrick: Nothing about this is easy. However, if you truly want results give Crossfit a try. At first you will be sore as hell, but the recovery time does get better most of the time. Most importantly, avoid Mike’s classes. I am sure I will pay for that comment!

Dawn: Don’t avoid classes that you think you will suck at. The things you struggle with the most are the things you have to face. Don’t give up! Listen to the coaches. They are outstanding!

2014 is coming to a close, and there has been a lot on my mind lately.  It’s the time of the year to be really grateful for the people and things I have with me, grateful for the fact that I am doing something I’m passionate about for a living, and grateful that I have done so much with my life having just turned 30 this last summer.  It’s the third year CFD has been up and running, and to say that I’ve learned a lot and evolved many aspects of the business is a huge understatement.

 

I don’t like settling for mediocrity.  I entered this line of work and quickly realized that I wasn’t nearly good enough to be content with my capabilities as a coach.  Since the inception of CFD, I have taken it upon myself to reinvest everything right back into the business and scrape by with what many of you would consider to be a very minimal living.  So much time, effort, and money has been spent improving myself as a coach and an athlete so that I may lead from the front in both areas to the absolute best of my abilities.  I’m proud of how far I have come, but I am nowhere near satisfied.

 

It has taken me a while, but I have recently started realizing a hard-learned life lesson from hundreds of people over the last 3 years.  There is what people want, what people SAY they want, and what people need (or what would be in their best interest).  Those three things are, for the vast majority of the population, three very different things.  What makes CFD different is that everyone—I should say, everyone who lasts—understands that what may be in your best interest likely isn’t what you want or like to do the most.  Many times, it’s something you DISlike.  But, we do it because it makes us better at those things we dislike (and we dislike that which we aren’t proficient at).  What motivates us is the knowledge that working on a weakness fills in that chink of your armor and makes you better.  What gives us purpose is spending the time on our weaknesses and becoming better than we ever thought possible.

 

I strive to give people what is best for them with my program design based on their ability level and training age.  it’s what I do for a living, and I take my living very seriously.  What I ask of you all is very simple:  trust me.  Trust that I have your best interest in mind.  Trust that I offer the best balanced fitness program in the area, and if anyone doubts it, they can prove me wrong.  I’ll put my money where my mouth is—I have before and I will continue to do so.  Trust me when I say that the journey is worth it.  Trust me when I tell you that sometimes you’re going to have to fall 100 times at something before you succeed.  In the end, those hardest challenges are the most enjoyable when they are finally accomplished.

 

I built a facility that is over twice the size of where we came from less than one year ago—a supreme, ideal training facility.  The best in the area by a long shot.  I’ve traveled all over the US attending training camps, and spent lots of time and money on continuing ed courses, learning from the smartest minds in the field.  I’ve listened to you all for three years, and I’ve learned from many mistakes.  I will continue to do so.  Just trust me.  Stand with me through 2015 and beyond.  Give me a reason to continue to do my job to the best of my ability.  Without all of you supporting me every month, I have nothing.  Without Dubuque-area athletes seeking out the best training in the sport of fitness right here at CFD, I have a big empty box with a bunch of iron and rubber and nothing else to show for it.  I need you all to continue to be a part of our community, to grow our community, and to have longevity with your health and fitness.

 

I don’t settle for mediocrity, and neither do many of you.  I’m not asking anyone to quit their day jobs, I’m only asking you to do what I will gladly do myself—commit to yourself.  Don’t do it for me, don’t do it to impress anyone.  Just do it for you.

 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who stand with me.

 

Have a great holiday season, and a fulfilling new years, everyone.  It is my pleasure to be alongside you all!

 

If you haven’t yet emailed Vanessa (vanessa@crossfitdubuque.com) to let her know you will be attending our 3-year anniversary party, please do so!  There is an event page on Facebook, but since not everyone has a Facebook account we’re going to keep track of our headcount via email!

 

—Coach Phil

 

RLTW <1>

Hey all, here are some notes about some supplementation options out there.

 

I’m not one to push it, and I don’t make much money off my supplement sales.  I only stock what I believe in, and I’m honest about what I think is garbage.  I send lots of my athletes to John at Supplement City because he’s a solid guy with a great knowledge base and good products (plus he’s a local business owner who knows what he’s doing and works hard, so we should support that, right??).  With that said, there are some things to think about and probably a lot to learn!

 

I’ll come right out and say it:  you should be able to get everything from food.  There, I said it—sort of my due dilligence.  You can’t out-supplement a shitty diet, and many people have absolutely no clue how to fuel their bodies with food, which is your primary fuel source.  Should those people be taking supplements?  NOPE!  Fix your crappy diet first, then we can talk supplements down the road.

 

To defend supplementation, we don’t live in a perfect world: not everyone’s diets are flawlessly dialed in, and not everyone has access to the highest quality of foods.  Plus, sometimes it’s pretty impossible to get as much of what you need from just eating whole foods.  It’s an argument for another blog, and I’m certainly not bashing that line of thought, but especially if you’re a performance-level athlete, you’re going to need to supplement, period.  If you need to fill in the gaps, here are some suggestions:

 

Micronutrient supplementation:

 

—Statistically, there is a very probably chance that living in the midwest this time of the year, you have a vitamin D deficiency.  Lacking Vitamin D can cause loss of performance, bone health issues, among others.  The absolute best source of Vitamin D is sunlight, but when you live here, you gotta make do with what you can.  D3 from PurePharma is a great, high-quality vitamin D supplement.

 

—M3 from PurePharma (AKA:  ZMA by other brands) is another great mineral supplement that will help improve muscle function and recovery time (from a performance standpoint).

 

—O3 from PurePharma is a high-quality fish oil that reduces inflammation in the body.  Again, the best way to do this is with food, but unless everything you eat is perfectly dialed in, you could likely use some help in this area.  Since basically every issue with the body can be boiled down to inflammation, taking a regular, high-quality anti-inflammatory would benefit you in literally about every way.

 

—WODpack from Nutriforce is a pretty great one-stop-shop micronutrient and greens supplementation packet.  You tear open a packet and take it once a day (I do it at night).

 

—BCAA’s are a great way to get some pre-workout fuel in if you like to do a morning session fasted, or something to sip on between sessions, throughout the day, or even during some low-intensity strength (CP) sessions.  The Nutriforce BCAA’s are a really clean option (no artificial colors, sweeteners, etc), though many people don’t particularly like the taste.  In my opinion, the ‘best-taste’ award goes to Tri-Pep, which John can hook you up with at Supplement City.

 

—Fast Fuel is by far my favorite pre-workout to take about 30 minutes before I am ready to go.  It’s got a great blend of energy, BCAA’s, and Creatine, giving it my one-stop-shop to take before a workout.  The only other thing I will occasionally add to this is Beta-Alanine, which delays the onset of fatigue.

 

—Creatine is a must for anyone who cares about being strong.  Forget all the horror stories you heard about how it makes women bulky, how the weight you put on is just water weight, or all that crap.  Creatine is naturally found in red meat, but unless you eat an absurd amount of it every day, you won’t get as much naturally as you can in a powdered form.  Fast Fuel has some in it that works well for my pre-workout dose, but I add more to my post-workout as well.  It’s cheap, it’s usually flavorless, and it’s effective!

 

—Glutamine is another one that is cheap, usually flavorless and aids with recovery.  I add this as well to my post-workout shakes.

 

Macronutrient Supplementation:

 

Post workout, you need protein or a mixture of sugars and protein, depending on the training session, body type, frequency of working out, and your goals.  If you want a specific recommendation regarding what would be best for you, I offer nutrition consultations, so get ahold of me and we can discuss it!

 

—SFH Pure Whey:  Stronger Faster Healthier offers what is, in my opinion, the highest-quality whey protein on the market.  It’s grass-fed, no hormones or antibiotics, and zero artificial sweeteners or colorings.  It’s been my go-to protein for a few years now, and unless something better comes along that can compete with the price, it will continue to be.

 

—Recoverite:  Hammer Nutrition’s post-workout recovery.  I used this for quite some time.  It’s is a 3:1 ratio carbs (maltodextrin) to protein (whey).  No artificial sweeteners or colors, which is why most people didn’t like the way it tasted.  BUT, you’re paying for fuel and quality, not for a candy bar, and Recoverite is one of the best PWO’s on the market.

 

—Ultragen:  The newest item on the shelf.  I have recently switched over to this for a couple reasons.  It has more ‘extras’ in it (glutamine and BCAA’s already mixed in it).  It’s the same ratio of carbs to protein, but the sugar source is dextrose instead, which is naturally sweeter, resulting in a better taste.  It’s twice as concentrated, so you need half the amount of scoops to get the same volume you would have got with Recoverite, and it’s $15 less per tub, which makes it significantly more affordable at $40/tub.

 

A couple honorable mentions would be greens supplementation for micronutrients you may lack from not eating enough veggies (which many of us are surely guilty of!), as well as a probiotic if you are taking quite a bit of this stuff—it’s so important that your gut flora is healthy so that the food and supplements you’re spending money on, preparing, and eating are actually getting absorbed and utilized in your body!

 

I hope this was at least a little helpful to some of you, and please understand my intentions:  I’m not in the supplementation industry.  I offer products that I take personally and that I have used and seen success with.  I’m skeptical by nature, and refuse to stock things I think are overpriced, low-quality, or simply don’t work.  If you’re taking some stuff that has been working for you, more power to you.  I do challenge everyone, however, to take a look at your labels and ask yourself if you’re okay with everything listed on it.

 

-Are you eating artificial sweeteners or dyes every single day? If so, are you okay with that? 

-Is the quality of what you’re taking matching what you’re paying for it, or are you paying top-dollar for low-quality proteins (SOY)? 

-If you are taking many of these supplements from a lower-quality source, how bioavailable is that supplement?

 

I’m not looking to get into the supplementation business, but I want what is best for my CFD athletes on all fronts, and supplementation can be something that helps you get that extra edge if you know what you’re doing.

 

As mentioned above, ask if you have questions!  If you want nutrition help, I offer it for free for unlimited members.  A great resource that is close to CFD is John at Supplement City—I drive right by his shop on my way to work every day and get a good amount of my stuff there as well.  He has a much larger selection than I do and does supplements for a living!

 

See you at the box!

 

–Coach Phil