Performance and body composition effects of a pre-workout supplement and post-workout protein intake in trained crossfit individuals

Abstract

BackgroundDespite widespread use of nutrition supplement s by CrossFit participants, existing data regarding performance and safety are minimal. Furthermore, increasing restrictions and drug testing in CrossFit, warrant the need for product specific research. The purpose of this study was to test the effects of a pre-workout supplement and post-workout protein & carbohydrate shake on CrossFit-specific performance measures and body composition. MethodsIn an open label randomized study, 11 males and 13 females (n=24, mean ± SD; 32.71 ± 7.39 yrs, 173.15 ± 11.54 cm, 76.83 ± 15.77kg, 22.00 ± 9.73% body fat) who were regular CrossFit participants (≥6 months), and not currently taking ergogenic supplements, completed the study. Subjects were tested at baseline (T1) and 6 weeks (T2). Body composition variables including lean muscle mass (LBM), fat mass (FM), and percent body fat (BF) were assessed using DEXA (Hologic Wi). Performance variables: cardiorespiratory fitness (VO 2 max), Wingate peak power (PP), and mean power (MP) were tested 24-48 hours after completing two Workouts of the Day (WOD) with 20 minutes rest in between (WOD1: 500m row, 40 wall balls, 30 push-ups, 20 box jumps, 10 thrusters for time; WOD2: 800m run buy in, followed by 15-minutes as many rounds as possible of 5 burpees, 10 Kettlebell swings, 15 air squats) at T1 and T2. Subjects were matched based on sex and number of days they participate in CrossFit workouts per week, and then randomly assigned to the supplement (SUP) or control (CTL) group. SUP consisted of 19g of a pre-workout drink (pomegranate fruit extract, beet root extract, tart cherry extract, AssuriTEA™ green tea, and InnovaTEA™ black tea extract) 30 minutes before each CrossFit workout and post-workout supplement consisting of protein (40g for females and 80g for males) and carbohydrate (80g for females and 160g for males). CTL subjects did not consume anything one hour before or after each workout. Participants were required to complete at least three workouts per week at a CrossFit gym, consume their supplement as directed, and complete mood state (MS), rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) questionnaires. Data was analyzed by a group (SUP vs. CTL) × time (T1 vs. T2) repeated measures ANOVA (p <0 .05). ResultsAll data is presented as mean change scores. There were no time × group interactions for LBM (SUP 1130.86 ± 606.25 g; CTL 407.99 ± 728.42 g; p=0.36), FM (SUP 500.34 ± 437.82 g; CTL 107.77 ± 310.69 g; p=0.34) or BF (SUP 0.30 ± 0.21 %; CTL 0.06 ± 0.53 %; p=0.62). However, there was a significant trend for LBM (p = 0.063). There was no significant change in performance for VO 2 max (SUP -0.43 ± 1.88 ml/kg/min; CTL -1.525 ± 1 ml/kg/min; p=0. significant group × time interaction for WOD2 (SUP 17.08 ± 7.25 reps; 9.07% increase; CTL 4.91 ± 14.07 reps; 2.46% increase; p=0.23), there was a significant main effect for time (p=.037). A significant group × time interaction for WOD1 was observed (p =0.05; SUP -58.33 ± 52.31 seconds; 10.43% decrease; CTL ...

Acute effects of pre-workout supplement on aerobic and anaerobic performance in basketball players

“…It is observed that different results have been obtained in the studies which examine the chronic effects of the use of pre-workout derivative supplement on aerobic (VO2 max ) and anaerobic performances of athletes. For example, Urbina et al [21] found no significant difference with respect to the effect of 6-week pre-workout nutritional supplementation and post-training protein ingestion on the VO2 max values of individuals who do crossfit. On the other hand, Smith et al [8] examined the effect of the use of high-intensity interval training together with pre-workout containing caffeine, creatine and amino acid for 3 weeks on aerobic and anaerobic performance of moderatelytrained males and concluded that there was improvement with regard to VO2 max in their research.…”

Assessment of Dietary Intake and Nutritional Status in CrossFit-Trained Individuals: A Descriptive Study

“…However, we would like to underline that there is only scarce data evaluating nutrition among CrossFit training [ 7 ] and they likely focused on selected nutritional interventions e.g., ketogenic diet [ 3 , 8 ], pre- and post-workout ingestion of proteins and carbohydrates [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], or use of some ergogenic supplements [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Therefore, the purpose of this descriptive study was the assessment of customary dietary intake and nutritional status in a selected group of CrossFit-trained participants and in natural training conditions.…”

Krill-Oil-Dependent Increases in HS-Omega-3 Index, Plasma Choline and Antioxidant Capacity in Well-Conditioned Power Training Athletes

“…Since risks for prolonged responses of oxidative stress and inflammation as well as injury and overreaching have been highlighted, dietary interventions may be required to improve athletic performance and speed up recovery. There are some studies available that evaluated the benefits of nutritional interventions in PT athletes [7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. However, no interventional data exist that establish choline and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) intake as a supplementation strategy to optimize PT training sessions and recovery, and these important nutrients seem so far to go unnoticed in this sporting discipline [14].…”