Volume 7 7 November 2014

Nutrition for Recovery &

Performance
By: Andy Craig

Recovery
This is something I feel everyone needs to work on but few actually do. You would be amazed at the
number of people that are just simply not eating enough and of the right things to aid in recovery
after sessions.
Here are a few facts
Your muscles are made up of roughly 25% protein with the other 75% being water and stored
glycogen (carbohydrates). Yes I said carbohydrates.
Your muscles are made up of a number of fibers and during training they are damaged and tear
slightly. Muscles grow, get stronger and recover while at rest NOT while we train. Muscles are
broken in the gym and built in the kitchen
Muscles take roughly 48-72 hours to recover and be at a stage where we can use them optimally
again.
The general consensus amongst the masses is that protein is the main macronutrient to aid in
recovery. While protein definitely helps we also need carbohydrates and fat to aid in this recovery.
The body uses 3 energy systems during our everyday lives be it sleeping, running, manual labour or
CrossFit. Depending on the activity the body uses a predominant energy system which in turn uses a
dominant fuel source from the body
Energy systems and time duration are:

UWS 2014
WOW this years
United We Stand was
amazing with 120
teams of 6 athletes
from all over SA
competing. Big ups to
Andy and Dean for
putting on what is the
biggest and best
CrossFit comp in the
country! Our teams
finished in the
following places:
Team Zero 32nd
West Mustangs 60th
DBN Wolves 62nd

Viciously Delicious 75th

RCFD Trojans 103rd

Team Sasquatch 116th

We are proud of all of

you. A big thank you
to all those who
helped on the
weekend and/or
supported!

Phosphagen system up to 10 seconds i.e. 100m sprint or Olympic weightlifting singles

Anaerobic system also known as Glycolitic system up to 2 minutes i.e. 400m run
Aerobic system i.e. 1km run - by 5 minutes this already provides 50% of the energy
During high intensity workouts which we predominantly do the main fuel source is carbohydrates.
While you may not associate this with recovery as such should you not have the required amount of
carbohydrates in the system to fuel your workout the body would use the next available fuel source
which would unfortunately be protein (muscle). This then means you would require more protein to
aid in the recovery of that session. See where this leads....

CrossFit DBN
Coli Werner
Taffy Gutu

Protein is the only macronutrient that will help rebuild damaged muscle fibers from working out.

Tammy Jordaan
Brad Stricker

Carbohydrates however need to be consumed IMMIDIATELY AFTER working out. Why? Since your
body uses glycogen for energy during an anaerobic session, your glycogen stores will be depleted. If
you do not replace those burned carbs immediately after your training session, you're missing out on

Reebok CrossFit Durbs

CrossFit DBN West

Charlotte Key
Jason Landman

a great opportunity to increase your muscle growth and enhance muscle recovery and recuperation.
If you consume lots of carbs after your workout, those carbs will be shuttled directly in to the muscle
cells. The depleted glycogen (stored carbohydrates) in your muscles will act like a sponge and soak
up the carbs in to the muscle cells and aid in a quicker recovery time.
So, how much I hear you ask?
Protein
There are varying figures out there when it comes to how much one should consume on a daily basis.
For someone not training the norm is roughly 0.8g of protein per pound of bodyweight. To work this
out take your weight in kgx2.2x0.8.

YEAR END
FUNCTION
This years Christmas
function will be held on
Saturday, 6 December at
DBN West gym. A really
fun afternoon is planned
as well as some yummy
food so we hope you can
all attend. Invites will be
sent out early next week.

But for us crazy mofos who are smashing weights and CrossFit 3-6 times per week I would say
probably 1g 1.2g per pound of bodyweight. The muscle fiber damage is much greater during our
sessions and we need more help with recovery of that damage.
Carbohydrates

I have found that white/basmati rice is an excellent choice for carbohydrates around training times.

So, we all know how

important it is for us to
know what we are
shoveling into our
systems and especially
where it comes from,
right?
MME (ManMustEat),
together with suppliers
of grass-fed products
have put together a
MME Meat Box (see
what I did there, ha ha),
see attached.
All stock is free to roam
on the farms, graze on
the natural grasslands
and therefore produce
quality tasting cuts.
Orders for next delivery
are now open and close
Tuesday 11th November
2014
Prices are charged total
KG in the box and
packaged. Delivery will
be made to a Crossfit
box that you train at.

These are guidelines guys so please speak to us if you have any questions.

Rowan Olsen

This is a contentious one. Again I am talking to you about CrossFit and how to recover better and aid
in performance. On hard training days I would say around 1g-1.25g per pound of bodyweight. As I
mentioned earlier its good to get carbs in straight after training. Also, recovering muscle is 3 x
hungrier than normal so getting in quick absorbing carbohydrates and a large amount around your
training is beneficial. Personally I would look to get at least 25g immediately after a session and then
about another 50g with an hour.
Fats
Fat is also a major player in recovery. Im not going to go in to which fats are good or bad or which
to eat other than this: stay away from hydrogenated fats. So not to make this article longer please
visit http://www.headheritage.co.uk/uknow/features/?id=19 but disregard the comment about
saturated fats being bad. There are enough studies now identifying that saturated fat isnt a
contributor to heart disease.
Protein should make up around 30-35% of your diet
Carbohydrates should make up around make up around 30-35%
Fat should make up around 35-45% of your diet.
Consumption
I like to have around 25g of carbs in a drink form prior to exercise. I dont like training on empty.
Immediately after a workout I would suggest getting a quick absorbing protein and carbohydrate in
the form of a drink/shake again I would suggest around 25g carbs and 30-35g protein. Then around
an hour or so later consume a full meal with carbs, protein and fat. If you keep your intake or carbs
around your training it will be Absorbed better and will reduce the risk of excess carbs being stored
as fat.

Quote of the Day

Conquer your fears. The most rewarding things in my life have scared the crap out of me..
Christmas Abbot

PS first 10 orders will

receive either 500g of
Almonds or 600g
coconut flour.