DC's Most Primal - Competition, Preparation & Gameday Nutrition

If you... A) Will be in town on Sunday, February 28th, B) Don't have any serious obligations to attend to, and 3) Still haven't signed up for DC's Most Primal, then you're a pussy. Yes, I'm a dick, but it needed to be said. Let's look at this for a second...


Competition:

Think about what you're doing these days: You're following a completely different daily workout written by some asshole with a mohawk, some of you are shifting your diet, others have been convinced to compete in Oly meets in the near future, and you're all working hard as shit. Why? I doubt you're doing it for no reason. Odds are, most of you have a burning desire to compete. And if that's true, then participating in DC's Most Primal will only be to your benefit.

Justin Lascek, from 70's Big, has some great points on competition:
Part 1 and Part 2.


Tapering:

Now, that that's settled. Let's discuss preparation for next Sunday. If you're competing, it's obviously recommended that you take Saturday off. Friday should be relatively light i.e. don't go for a snatch PR or heavy single in your back squat. In fact, Friday might be best for some light rowing, foam rolling, and technique stuff - basically, to keep your motor patterns fresh and familiar. Thursday can be moderately intense if you so choose, but volume should be kept relatively low. Here's a suggested template:

Wednesday: Workout as written
Thursday: Lower volume / moderate-to-high intensity
Friday: Light work / technique / foam roll / lacrosse ball
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Competition

This is a pretty basic suggestion and might not be ideal for everyone, as this stuff is very individualized. Regardless, this is the same format we used for Christy before last year's Qualifier and before the Games and it obviously worked pretty well (DISCLAIMER: Christy has the recovery capacity of Wolverine from the X-Men, but whatever). Tapering properly before competition is necessary to ensure you're not too tired, sore, or mentally fatigued to do your absolute best.


Gameday Nutrition:

The next aspect we must discuss is how to eat during a multi-event competition on a single day. As we all (should) know, how/what you eat fuels your performance. Again, like tapering, this is very individualized so it will differ from person to person. I've attached Sunday's tentative schedule below - it will be a full day with three very different events. I can't tell you exactly what to eat, but here are some basic - and sometimes obvious - guidelines...

1) Have a good, well-balanced breakfast with plenty of meat and monounsaturated fats (olive oil, avocado, almonds, etc).
2) Do not eat too close to an event. Crushing a Powerbar 5 minutes before you start time probably won't be ideal.
3) Do NOT introduce new foods into your diet on gameday.
4) Drink lots of fluids between events to stay hydrated.
5) Do not overeat between events. You will need to "refuel" between events, but this doesn't mean a 20oz Porterhouse and a baked potato. Between events, Christy usually ate a few slices of roast beef, some Gatorade/water, almonds, and a few recovery supplements. For some, this may be optimal, for others it may seems like too little, but keep in mind, on day one she had five events to do instead of three.
6) Electrolytes = Good. Gatorade helps, but again, don't funnel it.
7) Bring a cooler or bag of food to get you through the day.
8) Eat immediately after your event is finished to allow plenty of time for digestion before next event.
9) You might not be hungry, but getting in a little food, especially after a high intensity effort, will be to your benefit.
10) "Carbo loading" probably isn't in your best interest (fettucine alfredo, anyone?). Instead, use almonds or avocados - fat fuels performance more effectively.
11) This should go without saying, but getting absolutely shit-faced on Saturday night is a dumb idea. If I can go (almost) every weekend for two years without drinking, you can go one night. And I'm Irish.


DC's Most Primal - Tentative Schedule:

9:15AM - Registration
10:15AM - Events 1 and 2 unveiling/Heat Division
10:30AM - Event #1
11:45AM - Event #1 ends, scores tallied
12:00PM - Event #2 Demonstration
12:15PM - Event #2
1:00PM - Event #2 ends, scores tallied
1:30PM - Event #3 unveiling/heat division
2:15PM - Event #3
3:30PM - Event #3 ends, scores tallied
4:00PM - Medals and prizes


In Closing:

Obviously, I want you to all to take this seriously, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun. This event promises to be a really good time, regardless of how anyone finishes or performs. Not only that, it's an excellent opportunity to test yourself and gauge how you should taper/eat when our team tryout comes around.



Blair Morrison is winning every CrossFit competition he can find in Europe. USA, baby!