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5 Diet Changes to Boost Performance
Small changes with long-term impact
Instead of praising all the “superfoods” we have these days, here are five small changes you can make to your diet that will have a huge effect on your exercise performance over time.
Don’t expect anything fancy. Chances are you have most likely heard these before… but did you actually give them a try and stick to them for longer than 3 days?
Let’s implement one each week and make sure all focus on that week is this little habit that, over the long run, will make a big difference in how you eat.
No magic pills, just good habits
We all want that magic pill that will make us super healthy just by looking at it. Unfortunately, there is no such thing!
The closest we can get are products that are proven to boost your sports performance. The amount you will have to take to see any results are not realistic and most if it is just marketing.
Instead of pouring your money down the drain, start by implementing some easy habits. All it’ll cost you is some effort and motivation.
5 Eating Habits to Improve Sports Performance
#1 Eat slowly
No matter what you eat, when you eat, where you eat or who you’re eating with – eat slowly! It’s that simple… or is it?
For me personally this is super hard and I really need to force myself to slow down. I came up with the following steps that I try to follow every day until I won’t have to think about it anymore:
· Add 5-10 minutes to each meal
· Sit down to enjoy the meal
· Put utensils down between bites
· Take a breath between bites
· Don’t eat in your car – find a nice setting
· Remove distractions like your phone or TV
The most important thing is to set aside enough time to eat. Make enjoying your meal a conscious and deliberate act that’s a well-earned break from your busy day! It doesn’t have to be something you squeeze in between other things.
It takes around 20 minutes for your stomach to signal the brain and let it know you’re full. Slowing down helps your body do its job!
By eating slowly you’ll also digest your food better, feel more relaxed and more satisfied.
#2 Eat until you’re 80% full
“80% full” is not a specific number, but rather an idea: Eating until “just satisfied” or “no longer hungry” but not full or stuffed.
This will teach appetite awareness, building intuitive understanding and control of hunger/fullness. Over time, you will learn to sense hunger and satiety cues properly, as well as distinguish physical hunger from cravings.
It may sound simple to understand but can be quite hard. To get the feeling right, try to eat once 100% full and maybe even 120% to realise what the difference is.
At first, you will not be able to feel hunger or fullness, or any stomach cues. Keep learning and paying attention to any signs to your physical hungry or full, such as:
Hunger cues
· ‘Hunger headache’
· Feeling light-headed or ‘spaced out’
· Being ‘hangry (hungry + angry)
· Growling or empty-feeling stomach
Over-full cues (ate too much)
· Feeling stuffed / bloated
· Heartburn
· Feeling nauseated or gassy
· Feeling heavy and sluggish
Satiety cues (ate just enough)
· Feeling energized and no longer hungry
· Feeling generally satisfied
· Feeling like you could get up and do something(such as going for a walk)
#3 Add an extra portion of vegetables to each meal
Eating more colourful fruit and vegetables improves nutritional quality. It will bring more variety to your meals and helps feeling more satisfied because of the fibre. Adding more food will feel a lot nicer than taking it away!
The best way to do this is by ‘eating the rainbow’ – mix up the veggies you eat so that you have multiple colours on your plate. Vegetables of the same colour often have the same kinds of nutrients, so a wide variety of colours ensures you’re getting a more balanced meal.
Write down the vegetables you like to eat and check how variated your taste is. If you realise your plate is mostly just green vegetables, next time you go to the supermarket spend 5 min on finding some different colours like carrot, cauliflower, red onion, butternut squash, red cabbage… be creative and try something new!
When going out for lunch or dinner always ask for a portion of roasted vegetables or a salad on the side.
Kickstart this habit by adding 1 colourful fruit or vegetable to each meal. 1 serving of vegetables is about the size of a fist.
#4 Cut out refined sugar and make smart carb choices
Cutting out sugar doesn’t mean you can’t have any carbs! Almost everyone will benefit from having some carbohydrates in their diet. Go for “smart carbs” which are slower-digesting, higher-fibre and nutrient-rich.
These include such foods as:
· Whole grains (brown or wild rice, quinoa, buckwheat, oats, etc.)
· Beans and legumes
· Fruits and starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas and plantains, etc.)
Low carb isn’t always ideal when doing CrossFit or high intensity training. Most people look, feel, and perform better with some carbs in their diet, even if they’re trying to lose weight/fat.
So, remember not all carbs are created equal: “smart carbs” are a great nutritional choice and not the same thing as processed sugars!
Serving size is approximately 1 cupped handful/meal for women and 1-2 cupped handfuls for men. Although the portion size may change when activity levels go up. When you feel you're not recovering from your training sessions and feel low on energy you may have to up your carbs.
#5 Drink only calorie-free beverages
It’s easy to take in a lot of unwanted calories with drinks. Most drinks don’t offer many nutrients or add value to our bodies. Drinking only calorie free beverages (such as water), we can automatically improve our nutrition and cut out excess energy intake.
Try out the following challenge:
ONLY DRINK CALORIE FREE DRINKS FOR 2 WEEKS!!
Gather data and see what happens! Start by looking at what you currently drink, and where you need to substitute or change your choice.
What you can do to make it “a little bit better” is switching your soda drink for sparkling water if you like to have some fizz, add a slice of lemon or lime to give more flavour. Eat a piece of fruit instead of just drinking the juice, etc. - be creative!
This can be difficult, especially if you like alcohol. Experiment with it and see how you feel; after the two weeks you can decide what elements of this habit to keep in your routines.
If you like to get more help in setting new habits to a healthier life, give mea shout in the gym or email me at cb@innerfight.com
ENGINE
8 min AMRAPS with some different dance moves for Engine this week!
GYMNASTICS
We will go upside down again, but this time with HSPU, followed by pull-up progressions. We will finish with some strength work.
HYROX
This week, we hit Half a Hyrox broken down into intervals, with rest!
MOBILITY
Mobility is Back! We will improve on the positions we need fixing from end-of-year testing. Simple hip & ankle mobility & glute stability/activation were big. With overhead stability being much needed, we will start to focus on this.
PURE STRENGTH
On Monday in Pure Strength, we have banded deadlifts and some Bulgarian split squats. On Wednesday, we hit the banded bench press and progress the loading on this and the banded row.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in Weightlifting we are focused on the Hang Snatch, with some snatch balance, a Heavy Snatch complex and some Pulls.
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Monday Ride
A skills and fitness based ride at the BikeDXB track in Dubai. Some simply structured intervals to enhance cycling ability.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Entrance fee: https://isddubai.com/athletics-venuehire/
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/oomJAa31vKy3hQNG6
Wednesday - Brick Session
A brick session consisting of 60mins of cycling with 20 - 30mins of running. Great for all levels of triathlete.
Start time: 05:59 am
Location : BOTS - https://goo.gl/maps/6AwtJXW8nA45Cy9H8
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. This run is currently gearing run fitness towards the incoming half marathons. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Saturday long ride is usually 100km long or around 3 - 3.5hrs. It's a ride catered for moderate to advanced cyclists. Please reach out to rf@innerfight.com if you have any questions.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location : BOTS - https://goo.gl/maps/6AwtJXW8nA45Cy9H8
Sunday - DCS Half Marathon
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Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Mobility and Tempo
AM Session:
Please note there is no Morning session this week.
PM Session: This evening we will have our Tempo Run, which will be 8 mins at 7/10 and 3 mins recovery.
x3. Aim to keep a 7/10 effort on each block of work.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/oomJAa31vKy3hQNG6
Entrance fee: https://isddubai.com/athletics-venuehire/
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. The session today will be 800m repeats that build in pace.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
If you didn't run track, today we have some speed work for you. The session is 100m efforts through the park with a 300m recovery.
Friday
Brief time: 5:54am
Start Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be looking to dial into
2mins @ 8RPE, followed 9mins @ 6RPE. Repeating the sequence 3x gives you plenty of opportunity to find your rhythm.
Sunday
Time: 06:00
Session: Dubai Creek
Location: TBC
This week we will be at the DCS 10km and half marathon race. Warm-up location and details will be shared in WhatsApp.
This week at Innerfight, we start working on those overhead squat positions, followed by lunging and rowing in the workout.
On Tuesday, we have some clean and jerk barbell cycling, a pair of short, sharp, classic CrossFit-style workouts, and then some assault
bike intervals. We are back squatting heavily on Wednesday before some tough single leg in the workout. Thursday, we have a nice
gymnastics skill session followed by a partner workout, and on Friday, we finish the week with a Long Therapy WOD!
Monday:
Strength:
Over Head Squats
Conditioning:
Every 4 mins x 5 Complete
10 DB Overhead Alt Reverse Lunges (50/35)
20/15 cal Row
10 DB Overhead Alt Reverse Lunges (50/35)
Tuesday:
Strength:
Complex Power Clean + Push Press + Push Jerk
Conditioning:
15-12-9
Chest to Bar
Power Clean (60/40)
rest 3 mins
21-15-9
Pull Ups
Push Press (45/35kg)
Wednesday:
Strength:
Back Squat
Conditioning:
In a 4 Minute Window with 2mins rest x 4
1 Lap Car Park KB Farmers Carry
10 KB Box Stepovers
15 Burpee to Target
AMRAP
Goblet Squats
Thursday:
Strength:
A) Double Unders
B) Toes to Bar
C) Russian KB Swings
Conditioning:
21 min AMRAP with a Partner
6 Wall walks
30 Deadlift (60/40)
30 Cal Ass bike
30 Cal Ski
Friday:
Strength:
A) Ring Rows
B) Wall Balls + Goblet Wall Sit
Conditioning:
30min AMRAP - 4 movements that when put together make an epic workout!
Instead of praising all the “superfoods” we have these days, here are five small changes you can make to your diet that will have a huge effect on your exercise performance over time.
Don’t expect anything fancy. Chances are you have most likely heard these before… but did you actually give them a try and stick to them for longer than 3 days?
Let’s implement one each week and make sure all focus on that week is this little habit that, over the long run, will make a big difference in how you eat.
No magic pills, just good habits
We all want that magic pill that will make us super healthy just by looking at it. Unfortunately, there is no such thing!
The closest we can get are products that are proven to boost your sports performance. The amount you will have to take to see any results are not realistic and most if it is just marketing.
Instead of pouring your money down the drain, start by implementing some easy habits. All it’ll cost you is some effort and motivation.
5 Eating Habits to Improve Sports Performance
#1 Eat slowly
No matter what you eat, when you eat, where you eat or who you’re eating with – eat slowly! It’s that simple… or is it?
For me personally this is super hard and I really need to force myself to slow down. I came up with the following steps that I try to follow every day until I won’t have to think about it anymore:
· Add 5-10 minutes to each meal
· Sit down to enjoy the meal
· Put utensils down between bites
· Take a breath between bites
· Don’t eat in your car – find a nice setting
· Remove distractions like your phone or TV
The most important thing is to set aside enough time to eat. Make enjoying your meal a conscious and deliberate act that’s a well-earned break from your busy day! It doesn’t have to be something you squeeze in between other things.
It takes around 20 minutes for your stomach to signal the brain and let it know you’re full. Slowing down helps your body do its job!
By eating slowly you’ll also digest your food better, feel more relaxed and more satisfied.
#2 Eat until you’re 80% full
“80% full” is not a specific number, but rather an idea: Eating until “just satisfied” or “no longer hungry” but not full or stuffed.
This will teach appetite awareness, building intuitive understanding and control of hunger/fullness. Over time, you will learn to sense hunger and satiety cues properly, as well as distinguish physical hunger from cravings.
It may sound simple to understand but can be quite hard. To get the feeling right, try to eat once 100% full and maybe even 120% to realise what the difference is.
At first, you will not be able to feel hunger or fullness, or any stomach cues. Keep learning and paying attention to any signs to your physical hungry or full, such as:
Hunger cues
· ‘Hunger headache’
· Feeling light-headed or ‘spaced out’
· Being ‘hangry (hungry + angry)
· Growling or empty-feeling stomach
Over-full cues (ate too much)
· Feeling stuffed / bloated
· Heartburn
· Feeling nauseated or gassy
· Feeling heavy and sluggish
Satiety cues (ate just enough)
· Feeling energized and no longer hungry
· Feeling generally satisfied
· Feeling like you could get up and do something(such as going for a walk)
#3 Add an extra portion of vegetables to each meal
Eating more colourful fruit and vegetables improves nutritional quality. It will bring more variety to your meals and helps feeling more satisfied because of the fibre. Adding more food will feel a lot nicer than taking it away!
The best way to do this is by ‘eating the rainbow’ – mix up the veggies you eat so that you have multiple colours on your plate. Vegetables of the same colour often have the same kinds of nutrients, so a wide variety of colours ensures you’re getting a more balanced meal.
Write down the vegetables you like to eat and check how variated your taste is. If you realise your plate is mostly just green vegetables, next time you go to the supermarket spend 5 min on finding some different colours like carrot, cauliflower, red onion, butternut squash, red cabbage… be creative and try something new!
When going out for lunch or dinner always ask for a portion of roasted vegetables or a salad on the side.
Kickstart this habit by adding 1 colourful fruit or vegetable to each meal. 1 serving of vegetables is about the size of a fist.
#4 Cut out refined sugar and make smart carb choices
Cutting out sugar doesn’t mean you can’t have any carbs! Almost everyone will benefit from having some carbohydrates in their diet. Go for “smart carbs” which are slower-digesting, higher-fibre and nutrient-rich.
These include such foods as:
· Whole grains (brown or wild rice, quinoa, buckwheat, oats, etc.)
· Beans and legumes
· Fruits and starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas and plantains, etc.)
Low carb isn’t always ideal when doing CrossFit or high intensity training. Most people look, feel, and perform better with some carbs in their diet, even if they’re trying to lose weight/fat.
So, remember not all carbs are created equal: “smart carbs” are a great nutritional choice and not the same thing as processed sugars!
Serving size is approximately 1 cupped handful/meal for women and 1-2 cupped handfuls for men. Although the portion size may change when activity levels go up. When you feel you're not recovering from your training sessions and feel low on energy you may have to up your carbs.
#5 Drink only calorie-free beverages
It’s easy to take in a lot of unwanted calories with drinks. Most drinks don’t offer many nutrients or add value to our bodies. Drinking only calorie free beverages (such as water), we can automatically improve our nutrition and cut out excess energy intake.
Try out the following challenge:
ONLY DRINK CALORIE FREE DRINKS FOR 2 WEEKS!!
Gather data and see what happens! Start by looking at what you currently drink, and where you need to substitute or change your choice.
What you can do to make it “a little bit better” is switching your soda drink for sparkling water if you like to have some fizz, add a slice of lemon or lime to give more flavour. Eat a piece of fruit instead of just drinking the juice, etc. - be creative!
This can be difficult, especially if you like alcohol. Experiment with it and see how you feel; after the two weeks you can decide what elements of this habit to keep in your routines.
If you like to get more help in setting new habits to a healthier life, give mea shout in the gym or email me at cb@innerfight.com
Monday Ride
A skills and fitness based ride at the BikeDXB track in Dubai. Some simply structured intervals to enhance cycling ability.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Entrance fee: https://isddubai.com/athletics-venuehire/
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/oomJAa31vKy3hQNG6
Wednesday - Brick Session
A brick session consisting of 60mins of cycling with 20 - 30mins of running. Great for all levels of triathlete.
Start time: 05:59 am
Location : BOTS - https://goo.gl/maps/6AwtJXW8nA45Cy9H8
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. This run is currently gearing run fitness towards the incoming half marathons. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Saturday long ride is usually 100km long or around 3 - 3.5hrs. It's a ride catered for moderate to advanced cyclists. Please reach out to rf@innerfight.com if you have any questions.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location : BOTS - https://goo.gl/maps/6AwtJXW8nA45Cy9H8
Sunday - DCS Half Marathon
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Mobility and Tempo
AM Session:
Please note there is no Morning session this week.
PM Session: This evening we will have our Tempo Run, which will be 8 mins at 7/10 and 3 mins recovery.
x3. Aim to keep a 7/10 effort on each block of work.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/oomJAa31vKy3hQNG6
Entrance fee: https://isddubai.com/athletics-venuehire/
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. The session today will be 800m repeats that build in pace.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
If you didn't run track, today we have some speed work for you. The session is 100m efforts through the park with a 300m recovery.
Friday
Brief time: 5:54am
Start Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be looking to dial into
2mins @ 8RPE, followed 9mins @ 6RPE. Repeating the sequence 3x gives you plenty of opportunity to find your rhythm.
Sunday
Time: 06:00
Session: Dubai Creek
Location: TBC
This week we will be at the DCS 10km and half marathon race. Warm-up location and details will be shared in WhatsApp.
This week at Innerfight, we start working on those overhead squat positions, followed by lunging and rowing in the workout.
On Tuesday, we have some clean and jerk barbell cycling, a pair of short, sharp, classic CrossFit-style workouts, and then some assault
bike intervals. We are back squatting heavily on Wednesday before some tough single leg in the workout. Thursday, we have a nice
gymnastics skill session followed by a partner workout, and on Friday, we finish the week with a Long Therapy WOD!
Monday:
Strength:
Over Head Squats
Conditioning:
Every 4 mins x 5 Complete
10 DB Overhead Alt Reverse Lunges (50/35)
20/15 cal Row
10 DB Overhead Alt Reverse Lunges (50/35)
Tuesday:
Strength:
Complex Power Clean + Push Press + Push Jerk
Conditioning:
15-12-9
Chest to Bar
Power Clean (60/40)
rest 3 mins
21-15-9
Pull Ups
Push Press (45/35kg)
Wednesday:
Strength:
Back Squat
Conditioning:
In a 4 Minute Window with 2mins rest x 4
1 Lap Car Park KB Farmers Carry
10 KB Box Stepovers
15 Burpee to Target
AMRAP
Goblet Squats
Thursday:
Strength:
A) Double Unders
B) Toes to Bar
C) Russian KB Swings
Conditioning:
21 min AMRAP with a Partner
6 Wall walks
30 Deadlift (60/40)
30 Cal Ass bike
30 Cal Ski
Friday:
Strength:
A) Ring Rows
B) Wall Balls + Goblet Wall Sit
Conditioning:
30min AMRAP - 4 movements that when put together make an epic workout!
ENGINE
8 min AMRAPS with some different dance moves for Engine this week!
GYMNASTICS
We will go upside down again, but this time with HSPU, followed by pull-up progressions. We will finish with some strength work.
HYROX
This week, we hit Half a Hyrox broken down into intervals, with rest!
MOBILITY
Mobility is Back! We will improve on the positions we need fixing from end-of-year testing. Simple hip & ankle mobility & glute stability/activation were big. With overhead stability being much needed, we will start to focus on this.
PURE STRENGTH
On Monday in Pure Strength, we have banded deadlifts and some Bulgarian split squats. On Wednesday, we hit the banded bench press and progress the loading on this and the banded row.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in Weightlifting we are focused on the Hang Snatch, with some snatch balance, a Heavy Snatch complex and some Pulls.
Instead of praising all the “superfoods” we have these days, here are five small changes you can make to your diet that will have a huge effect on your exercise performance over time.
Don’t expect anything fancy. Chances are you have most likely heard these before… but did you actually give them a try and stick to them for longer than 3 days?
Let’s implement one each week and make sure all focus on that week is this little habit that, over the long run, will make a big difference in how you eat.
No magic pills, just good habits
We all want that magic pill that will make us super healthy just by looking at it. Unfortunately, there is no such thing!
The closest we can get are products that are proven to boost your sports performance. The amount you will have to take to see any results are not realistic and most if it is just marketing.
Instead of pouring your money down the drain, start by implementing some easy habits. All it’ll cost you is some effort and motivation.
5 Eating Habits to Improve Sports Performance
#1 Eat slowly
No matter what you eat, when you eat, where you eat or who you’re eating with – eat slowly! It’s that simple… or is it?
For me personally this is super hard and I really need to force myself to slow down. I came up with the following steps that I try to follow every day until I won’t have to think about it anymore:
· Add 5-10 minutes to each meal
· Sit down to enjoy the meal
· Put utensils down between bites
· Take a breath between bites
· Don’t eat in your car – find a nice setting
· Remove distractions like your phone or TV
The most important thing is to set aside enough time to eat. Make enjoying your meal a conscious and deliberate act that’s a well-earned break from your busy day! It doesn’t have to be something you squeeze in between other things.
It takes around 20 minutes for your stomach to signal the brain and let it know you’re full. Slowing down helps your body do its job!
By eating slowly you’ll also digest your food better, feel more relaxed and more satisfied.
#2 Eat until you’re 80% full
“80% full” is not a specific number, but rather an idea: Eating until “just satisfied” or “no longer hungry” but not full or stuffed.
This will teach appetite awareness, building intuitive understanding and control of hunger/fullness. Over time, you will learn to sense hunger and satiety cues properly, as well as distinguish physical hunger from cravings.
It may sound simple to understand but can be quite hard. To get the feeling right, try to eat once 100% full and maybe even 120% to realise what the difference is.
At first, you will not be able to feel hunger or fullness, or any stomach cues. Keep learning and paying attention to any signs to your physical hungry or full, such as:
Hunger cues
· ‘Hunger headache’
· Feeling light-headed or ‘spaced out’
· Being ‘hangry (hungry + angry)
· Growling or empty-feeling stomach
Over-full cues (ate too much)
· Feeling stuffed / bloated
· Heartburn
· Feeling nauseated or gassy
· Feeling heavy and sluggish
Satiety cues (ate just enough)
· Feeling energized and no longer hungry
· Feeling generally satisfied
· Feeling like you could get up and do something(such as going for a walk)
#3 Add an extra portion of vegetables to each meal
Eating more colourful fruit and vegetables improves nutritional quality. It will bring more variety to your meals and helps feeling more satisfied because of the fibre. Adding more food will feel a lot nicer than taking it away!
The best way to do this is by ‘eating the rainbow’ – mix up the veggies you eat so that you have multiple colours on your plate. Vegetables of the same colour often have the same kinds of nutrients, so a wide variety of colours ensures you’re getting a more balanced meal.
Write down the vegetables you like to eat and check how variated your taste is. If you realise your plate is mostly just green vegetables, next time you go to the supermarket spend 5 min on finding some different colours like carrot, cauliflower, red onion, butternut squash, red cabbage… be creative and try something new!
When going out for lunch or dinner always ask for a portion of roasted vegetables or a salad on the side.
Kickstart this habit by adding 1 colourful fruit or vegetable to each meal. 1 serving of vegetables is about the size of a fist.
#4 Cut out refined sugar and make smart carb choices
Cutting out sugar doesn’t mean you can’t have any carbs! Almost everyone will benefit from having some carbohydrates in their diet. Go for “smart carbs” which are slower-digesting, higher-fibre and nutrient-rich.
These include such foods as:
· Whole grains (brown or wild rice, quinoa, buckwheat, oats, etc.)
· Beans and legumes
· Fruits and starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas and plantains, etc.)
Low carb isn’t always ideal when doing CrossFit or high intensity training. Most people look, feel, and perform better with some carbs in their diet, even if they’re trying to lose weight/fat.
So, remember not all carbs are created equal: “smart carbs” are a great nutritional choice and not the same thing as processed sugars!
Serving size is approximately 1 cupped handful/meal for women and 1-2 cupped handfuls for men. Although the portion size may change when activity levels go up. When you feel you're not recovering from your training sessions and feel low on energy you may have to up your carbs.
#5 Drink only calorie-free beverages
It’s easy to take in a lot of unwanted calories with drinks. Most drinks don’t offer many nutrients or add value to our bodies. Drinking only calorie free beverages (such as water), we can automatically improve our nutrition and cut out excess energy intake.
Try out the following challenge:
ONLY DRINK CALORIE FREE DRINKS FOR 2 WEEKS!!
Gather data and see what happens! Start by looking at what you currently drink, and where you need to substitute or change your choice.
What you can do to make it “a little bit better” is switching your soda drink for sparkling water if you like to have some fizz, add a slice of lemon or lime to give more flavour. Eat a piece of fruit instead of just drinking the juice, etc. - be creative!
This can be difficult, especially if you like alcohol. Experiment with it and see how you feel; after the two weeks you can decide what elements of this habit to keep in your routines.
If you like to get more help in setting new habits to a healthier life, give mea shout in the gym or email me at cb@innerfight.com
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Mobility and Tempo
AM Session:
Please note there is no Morning session this week.
PM Session: This evening we will have our Tempo Run, which will be 8 mins at 7/10 and 3 mins recovery.
x3. Aim to keep a 7/10 effort on each block of work.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/oomJAa31vKy3hQNG6
Entrance fee: https://isddubai.com/athletics-venuehire/
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. The session today will be 800m repeats that build in pace.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
If you didn't run track, today we have some speed work for you. The session is 100m efforts through the park with a 300m recovery.
Friday
Brief time: 5:54am
Start Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be looking to dial into
2mins @ 8RPE, followed 9mins @ 6RPE. Repeating the sequence 3x gives you plenty of opportunity to find your rhythm.
Sunday
Time: 06:00
Session: Dubai Creek
Location: TBC
This week we will be at the DCS 10km and half marathon race. Warm-up location and details will be shared in WhatsApp.
This week at Innerfight, we start working on those overhead squat positions, followed by lunging and rowing in the workout.
On Tuesday, we have some clean and jerk barbell cycling, a pair of short, sharp, classic CrossFit-style workouts, and then some assault
bike intervals. We are back squatting heavily on Wednesday before some tough single leg in the workout. Thursday, we have a nice
gymnastics skill session followed by a partner workout, and on Friday, we finish the week with a Long Therapy WOD!
Monday:
Strength:
Over Head Squats
Conditioning:
Every 4 mins x 5 Complete
10 DB Overhead Alt Reverse Lunges (50/35)
20/15 cal Row
10 DB Overhead Alt Reverse Lunges (50/35)
Tuesday:
Strength:
Complex Power Clean + Push Press + Push Jerk
Conditioning:
15-12-9
Chest to Bar
Power Clean (60/40)
rest 3 mins
21-15-9
Pull Ups
Push Press (45/35kg)
Wednesday:
Strength:
Back Squat
Conditioning:
In a 4 Minute Window with 2mins rest x 4
1 Lap Car Park KB Farmers Carry
10 KB Box Stepovers
15 Burpee to Target
AMRAP
Goblet Squats
Thursday:
Strength:
A) Double Unders
B) Toes to Bar
C) Russian KB Swings
Conditioning:
21 min AMRAP with a Partner
6 Wall walks
30 Deadlift (60/40)
30 Cal Ass bike
30 Cal Ski
Friday:
Strength:
A) Ring Rows
B) Wall Balls + Goblet Wall Sit
Conditioning:
30min AMRAP - 4 movements that when put together make an epic workout!
ENGINE
8 min AMRAPS with some different dance moves for Engine this week!
GYMNASTICS
We will go upside down again, but this time with HSPU, followed by pull-up progressions. We will finish with some strength work.
HYROX
This week, we hit Half a Hyrox broken down into intervals, with rest!
MOBILITY
Mobility is Back! We will improve on the positions we need fixing from end-of-year testing. Simple hip & ankle mobility & glute stability/activation were big. With overhead stability being much needed, we will start to focus on this.
PURE STRENGTH
On Monday in Pure Strength, we have banded deadlifts and some Bulgarian split squats. On Wednesday, we hit the banded bench press and progress the loading on this and the banded row.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in Weightlifting we are focused on the Hang Snatch, with some snatch balance, a Heavy Snatch complex and some Pulls.
Monday Ride
A skills and fitness based ride at the BikeDXB track in Dubai. Some simply structured intervals to enhance cycling ability.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Entrance fee: https://isddubai.com/athletics-venuehire/
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/oomJAa31vKy3hQNG6
Wednesday - Brick Session
A brick session consisting of 60mins of cycling with 20 - 30mins of running. Great for all levels of triathlete.
Start time: 05:59 am
Location : BOTS - https://goo.gl/maps/6AwtJXW8nA45Cy9H8
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. This run is currently gearing run fitness towards the incoming half marathons. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Long Ride
Saturday long ride is usually 100km long or around 3 - 3.5hrs. It's a ride catered for moderate to advanced cyclists. Please reach out to rf@innerfight.com if you have any questions.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location : BOTS - https://goo.gl/maps/6AwtJXW8nA45Cy9H8
Sunday - DCS Half Marathon
Instead of praising all the “superfoods” we have these days, here are five small changes you can make to your diet that will have a huge effect on your exercise performance over time.
Don’t expect anything fancy. Chances are you have most likely heard these before… but did you actually give them a try and stick to them for longer than 3 days?
Let’s implement one each week and make sure all focus on that week is this little habit that, over the long run, will make a big difference in how you eat.
No magic pills, just good habits
We all want that magic pill that will make us super healthy just by looking at it. Unfortunately, there is no such thing!
The closest we can get are products that are proven to boost your sports performance. The amount you will have to take to see any results are not realistic and most if it is just marketing.
Instead of pouring your money down the drain, start by implementing some easy habits. All it’ll cost you is some effort and motivation.
5 Eating Habits to Improve Sports Performance
#1 Eat slowly
No matter what you eat, when you eat, where you eat or who you’re eating with – eat slowly! It’s that simple… or is it?
For me personally this is super hard and I really need to force myself to slow down. I came up with the following steps that I try to follow every day until I won’t have to think about it anymore:
· Add 5-10 minutes to each meal
· Sit down to enjoy the meal
· Put utensils down between bites
· Take a breath between bites
· Don’t eat in your car – find a nice setting
· Remove distractions like your phone or TV
The most important thing is to set aside enough time to eat. Make enjoying your meal a conscious and deliberate act that’s a well-earned break from your busy day! It doesn’t have to be something you squeeze in between other things.
It takes around 20 minutes for your stomach to signal the brain and let it know you’re full. Slowing down helps your body do its job!
By eating slowly you’ll also digest your food better, feel more relaxed and more satisfied.
#2 Eat until you’re 80% full
“80% full” is not a specific number, but rather an idea: Eating until “just satisfied” or “no longer hungry” but not full or stuffed.
This will teach appetite awareness, building intuitive understanding and control of hunger/fullness. Over time, you will learn to sense hunger and satiety cues properly, as well as distinguish physical hunger from cravings.
It may sound simple to understand but can be quite hard. To get the feeling right, try to eat once 100% full and maybe even 120% to realise what the difference is.
At first, you will not be able to feel hunger or fullness, or any stomach cues. Keep learning and paying attention to any signs to your physical hungry or full, such as:
Hunger cues
· ‘Hunger headache’
· Feeling light-headed or ‘spaced out’
· Being ‘hangry (hungry + angry)
· Growling or empty-feeling stomach
Over-full cues (ate too much)
· Feeling stuffed / bloated
· Heartburn
· Feeling nauseated or gassy
· Feeling heavy and sluggish
Satiety cues (ate just enough)
· Feeling energized and no longer hungry
· Feeling generally satisfied
· Feeling like you could get up and do something(such as going for a walk)
#3 Add an extra portion of vegetables to each meal
Eating more colourful fruit and vegetables improves nutritional quality. It will bring more variety to your meals and helps feeling more satisfied because of the fibre. Adding more food will feel a lot nicer than taking it away!
The best way to do this is by ‘eating the rainbow’ – mix up the veggies you eat so that you have multiple colours on your plate. Vegetables of the same colour often have the same kinds of nutrients, so a wide variety of colours ensures you’re getting a more balanced meal.
Write down the vegetables you like to eat and check how variated your taste is. If you realise your plate is mostly just green vegetables, next time you go to the supermarket spend 5 min on finding some different colours like carrot, cauliflower, red onion, butternut squash, red cabbage… be creative and try something new!
When going out for lunch or dinner always ask for a portion of roasted vegetables or a salad on the side.
Kickstart this habit by adding 1 colourful fruit or vegetable to each meal. 1 serving of vegetables is about the size of a fist.
#4 Cut out refined sugar and make smart carb choices
Cutting out sugar doesn’t mean you can’t have any carbs! Almost everyone will benefit from having some carbohydrates in their diet. Go for “smart carbs” which are slower-digesting, higher-fibre and nutrient-rich.
These include such foods as:
· Whole grains (brown or wild rice, quinoa, buckwheat, oats, etc.)
· Beans and legumes
· Fruits and starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas and plantains, etc.)
Low carb isn’t always ideal when doing CrossFit or high intensity training. Most people look, feel, and perform better with some carbs in their diet, even if they’re trying to lose weight/fat.
So, remember not all carbs are created equal: “smart carbs” are a great nutritional choice and not the same thing as processed sugars!
Serving size is approximately 1 cupped handful/meal for women and 1-2 cupped handfuls for men. Although the portion size may change when activity levels go up. When you feel you're not recovering from your training sessions and feel low on energy you may have to up your carbs.
#5 Drink only calorie-free beverages
It’s easy to take in a lot of unwanted calories with drinks. Most drinks don’t offer many nutrients or add value to our bodies. Drinking only calorie free beverages (such as water), we can automatically improve our nutrition and cut out excess energy intake.
Try out the following challenge:
ONLY DRINK CALORIE FREE DRINKS FOR 2 WEEKS!!
Gather data and see what happens! Start by looking at what you currently drink, and where you need to substitute or change your choice.
What you can do to make it “a little bit better” is switching your soda drink for sparkling water if you like to have some fizz, add a slice of lemon or lime to give more flavour. Eat a piece of fruit instead of just drinking the juice, etc. - be creative!
This can be difficult, especially if you like alcohol. Experiment with it and see how you feel; after the two weeks you can decide what elements of this habit to keep in your routines.
If you like to get more help in setting new habits to a healthier life, give mea shout in the gym or email me at cb@innerfight.com
Instead of praising all the “superfoods” we have these days, here are five small changes you can make to your diet that will have a huge effect on your exercise performance over time.
Don’t expect anything fancy. Chances are you have most likely heard these before… but did you actually give them a try and stick to them for longer than 3 days?
Let’s implement one each week and make sure all focus on that week is this little habit that, over the long run, will make a big difference in how you eat.
No magic pills, just good habits
We all want that magic pill that will make us super healthy just by looking at it. Unfortunately, there is no such thing!
The closest we can get are products that are proven to boost your sports performance. The amount you will have to take to see any results are not realistic and most if it is just marketing.
Instead of pouring your money down the drain, start by implementing some easy habits. All it’ll cost you is some effort and motivation.
5 Eating Habits to Improve Sports Performance
#1 Eat slowly
No matter what you eat, when you eat, where you eat or who you’re eating with – eat slowly! It’s that simple… or is it?
For me personally this is super hard and I really need to force myself to slow down. I came up with the following steps that I try to follow every day until I won’t have to think about it anymore:
· Add 5-10 minutes to each meal
· Sit down to enjoy the meal
· Put utensils down between bites
· Take a breath between bites
· Don’t eat in your car – find a nice setting
· Remove distractions like your phone or TV
The most important thing is to set aside enough time to eat. Make enjoying your meal a conscious and deliberate act that’s a well-earned break from your busy day! It doesn’t have to be something you squeeze in between other things.
It takes around 20 minutes for your stomach to signal the brain and let it know you’re full. Slowing down helps your body do its job!
By eating slowly you’ll also digest your food better, feel more relaxed and more satisfied.
#2 Eat until you’re 80% full
“80% full” is not a specific number, but rather an idea: Eating until “just satisfied” or “no longer hungry” but not full or stuffed.
This will teach appetite awareness, building intuitive understanding and control of hunger/fullness. Over time, you will learn to sense hunger and satiety cues properly, as well as distinguish physical hunger from cravings.
It may sound simple to understand but can be quite hard. To get the feeling right, try to eat once 100% full and maybe even 120% to realise what the difference is.
At first, you will not be able to feel hunger or fullness, or any stomach cues. Keep learning and paying attention to any signs to your physical hungry or full, such as:
Hunger cues
· ‘Hunger headache’
· Feeling light-headed or ‘spaced out’
· Being ‘hangry (hungry + angry)
· Growling or empty-feeling stomach
Over-full cues (ate too much)
· Feeling stuffed / bloated
· Heartburn
· Feeling nauseated or gassy
· Feeling heavy and sluggish
Satiety cues (ate just enough)
· Feeling energized and no longer hungry
· Feeling generally satisfied
· Feeling like you could get up and do something(such as going for a walk)
#3 Add an extra portion of vegetables to each meal
Eating more colourful fruit and vegetables improves nutritional quality. It will bring more variety to your meals and helps feeling more satisfied because of the fibre. Adding more food will feel a lot nicer than taking it away!
The best way to do this is by ‘eating the rainbow’ – mix up the veggies you eat so that you have multiple colours on your plate. Vegetables of the same colour often have the same kinds of nutrients, so a wide variety of colours ensures you’re getting a more balanced meal.
Write down the vegetables you like to eat and check how variated your taste is. If you realise your plate is mostly just green vegetables, next time you go to the supermarket spend 5 min on finding some different colours like carrot, cauliflower, red onion, butternut squash, red cabbage… be creative and try something new!
When going out for lunch or dinner always ask for a portion of roasted vegetables or a salad on the side.
Kickstart this habit by adding 1 colourful fruit or vegetable to each meal. 1 serving of vegetables is about the size of a fist.
#4 Cut out refined sugar and make smart carb choices
Cutting out sugar doesn’t mean you can’t have any carbs! Almost everyone will benefit from having some carbohydrates in their diet. Go for “smart carbs” which are slower-digesting, higher-fibre and nutrient-rich.
These include such foods as:
· Whole grains (brown or wild rice, quinoa, buckwheat, oats, etc.)
· Beans and legumes
· Fruits and starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas and plantains, etc.)
Low carb isn’t always ideal when doing CrossFit or high intensity training. Most people look, feel, and perform better with some carbs in their diet, even if they’re trying to lose weight/fat.
So, remember not all carbs are created equal: “smart carbs” are a great nutritional choice and not the same thing as processed sugars!
Serving size is approximately 1 cupped handful/meal for women and 1-2 cupped handfuls for men. Although the portion size may change when activity levels go up. When you feel you're not recovering from your training sessions and feel low on energy you may have to up your carbs.
#5 Drink only calorie-free beverages
It’s easy to take in a lot of unwanted calories with drinks. Most drinks don’t offer many nutrients or add value to our bodies. Drinking only calorie free beverages (such as water), we can automatically improve our nutrition and cut out excess energy intake.
Try out the following challenge:
ONLY DRINK CALORIE FREE DRINKS FOR 2 WEEKS!!
Gather data and see what happens! Start by looking at what you currently drink, and where you need to substitute or change your choice.
What you can do to make it “a little bit better” is switching your soda drink for sparkling water if you like to have some fizz, add a slice of lemon or lime to give more flavour. Eat a piece of fruit instead of just drinking the juice, etc. - be creative!
This can be difficult, especially if you like alcohol. Experiment with it and see how you feel; after the two weeks you can decide what elements of this habit to keep in your routines.
If you like to get more help in setting new habits to a healthier life, give mea shout in the gym or email me at cb@innerfight.com
One-Hour Workout: Revving Your Swim Engine
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