The Best Supplements for Maximizing Your CrossFit Routine

These days, with everyone being overworked and finding their time squeezed tighter and tighter, it’s more important than ever that we maximize our workouts to make sure we reap the full benefit possible.

There’s nothing more frustrating than to have been faithfully doing what you thought was a decent workout for months or even years only to discover that it isn’t really doing you all that much good.

Enter CrossFit.

The highly popular strength and endurance training program that was founded in 2000 continues to attract new adherents every day. That’s because it really works!

By combining a variety of endurance, fitness and strength training into workouts of the day or WODs, CrossFit gives you a full-body workout every time.

In the process CrossFit also helps build your core strength and increases your flexibility.

But even with such an amazing and beneficial program, there are still ways to enhance what you get out of it and maximize your results.

Here’s a few key supplements that specifically help target your body’s requirements when you’re doing CrossFit, and will help you to maximize your gains in strength, endurance, and overall fitness.

1. L-Citrulline DL Malate

If you’re at all serious about working out and you’ve done a little research into supplements, you’ve no doubt heard of L-arganine.

It’s an amino acid known to be vital to helping build muscle. Well, good news: L-citrulline is a precursor to L-arganine and helps your body create L-arganine in your kidneys.

And it’s even more effective than supplementing directly with L-arganine tablets.

That’s because L-arganine supplements cause a short-lived spike in levels of the amino acid in your plasma, while L-citrulline dl malate increases L-arganine plasma levels over a longer period of time.

As a secondary benefit supplementing with L-Citrulline DL Malate can also support increased testosterone and it is a staple of the best pre-workout supplements.

2. Beta-alanine

While beta-alanine is technically a non-essential beta amino acid, serous fitness enthusiasts have been enjoying its benefits for some time.

That’s because it’s known to increase carnosine levels in the muscles, which helps athletes increase the amount of work their muscles can do at high intensities.

If you’re a CrossFit enthusiast, your ears probably pricked right up at the phrase ‘high intensity!’ If anyone knows about high-intensity workouts — and could probably benefit from taking a beta-alanine supplement — it’s CrossFitters!

3. Pomegranate powder

This amazing superfood is turning out to have more and more health benefits.

Beyond being rich in antioxidants, which help the body to clear itself of free radicals and reduce the likelihood of cancer, pomegranate powder is also known to benefit heart health.

It’s anti-inflammatory effects help reduce symptoms of people who suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease, and a healthy heart is vital to reaping the ultimate benefit level from your crossfit routine.

4. Beetroot

Increased nitrate levels in the bloodstream, which are readily available in beetroot, have been shown to improve what’s known as mitochondrial efficiency, and work as a natural ergogenic aid to exercise performance.

Numerous studies have shown that beetroot increases running performance, as well as high – intensity rowing performance.

Beetroot has also been demonstrated to help reduce blood pressure, as well as oxygen consumption, both of which can greatly benefit a CrossFit user’s workout.

5. Ginger

Ginger Root is probably one of the most widely known of the ‘ancient Chinese medicines,’ having long ago made its way into the mainstream of western kitchens and medicine cabinets.

But what many people don’t realize about humble ginger is that it has also been shown to reduce muscle pain and soreness — something every dedicated CrossFit member knows about.

It’s also an anti-inflammatory which can be a huge boon when you’re hitting your local “box” several times a week.

Ginger can also help reduce blood sugar and improve heart disease factors.

6. Sodium Bicarbonate

Yes, humble baking soda can provide a big boost for your workout routine, believe it or not! Sodium bicarbonate’s alkaline pH level of 8.4 is higher than that of your bloodstream, which is around 7.0.

By supplementing with it, you can slightly increase your own pH level.

Why is that important?

Well, a higher blood pH allows acid to move from the muscles into the bloodstream, allowing the muscles to continue working at higher levels.

Studies have shown sodium bicarbonate to allow you to exercise harder, longer and faster, and scientists think this is the mechanism for it.

7. Potassium

Potassium, as every CrossFit athlete who has mowed down a banana just after a workout knows, is an essential electrolyte and mineral vital to post-workout recovery.

But what’s less well known is that potassium also helps lower blood pressure, as well as helping the body to excrete sodium, which helps maintain water balance in the body and reduce risk of hypertension.

8. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha has been proven in scientific studies to increase testosterone and strength as well as endurance and VO2 Max!

On top of that it has proven beneficial with improving sleep quality and decreasing stress. Everyone should be supplementing with Ashwagandha! However, you do need to know what type to buy! (Read more about Ashwagandha)

9. Longjack

This one is listed last because it is really more for the men whereas all of the previous nutrients were extremely beneficial for both men and women.

Longjack has been shown in multiple human based case studies to increase testosterone by as much as 37%!

In addition to that it has also been shown to greatly reduce exercise induced stress and CrossFit programs put a lot of stress on your body that your nervous system has to recover from.

Can longjack benefit women too? Absolutely because it has a lot of good health benefits in addition to being a strong testosterone booster which include being a strong libido booster for both men and women. It’s just that it is probably more beneficial for men. (Learn more about Longjack in this article)

Conclusion on CrossFit Supplements

In sum, as great as CrossFit is for you, you can always bump up the benefits you receive. Get started using some of the supplements on this list and watch your results increase even more!

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