You just finished the CrossFit Open. Now the question becomes: What’s next?!
NO you shouldn’t immediately cut calories to lean out. You just competed for 5 weeks. Fatigue and inflammation are likely high. Restoration should be the priority. There will be a time to lean out. Do the right thing now. Delay instant gratification for the bigger long-term reward later. Here’s what I suggest for the next 4-6 weeks:
Adjust training
Consider more low-intensity metcons, less high-intensity ones or switching to some functional bodybuilding or strength work. You can also train less often. Chill, I’m not saying stop altogether, just gym a little less. Ex: if doing CrossFit 5-6x a week, drop to 4-5.
Sleep and do more fun things outside the gym
You can be active, just do something that doesn’t involve a bunch of CF. Ride bikes, hike, do yoga, have more sex and etc. If sleep took a hit, focus on getting ideally up to 8-9 hours/night.
Eat at maintenance and switch up carbs/fat
If you weren’t eating maintenance during the Open, consider doing so. You can drop carbs and increase fats since training volume is decreasing. Ex: if 50% of your calorie intake was from carbs, drop down to 35-40% and add back to fats. Protein can be 0.8-1g/lb.
Optimize micros
Food quality may have slipped to meet the demand for carbs. Time to shift back to more whole food fruits, veggies, and healthy fats to optimize your vitamin/mineral intake. Use an app like Cronometer to track your micronutrients.
In a few weeks you should start to feel mentally/physically ready to tackle your next goal. Then you could:
A) Lean out in a calorie deficit for at most 12 weeks then slowly reverse calories back to maintenance.
B) Smash food and add muscle mass/strength in a surplus. Maintain the gains for at least a month before leaning fat.
C) Stay exactly where you are because you’re happy and healthy :)
Hope you had a great CrossFit Open and checked some things off your list i.e. muscle ups, HSPUs. If you not, there will be other chances. Use this time to renew yourself to make the most of this next year of training and eating. Leave any questions below!
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