Here are the 7 best supplements for crossfit athletes. Every one of these recommendations has been proven effective in at least 1 human case study and can help take your crossfit sessions to a whole new level.
High Quality Stim Free Pre-Workout Drink
Getting a truly high quality stim free pre-workout drink is surprisingly hard to do. Most pre-workout supplements are filled with cheap, scientifically unproven ingredients.
However, once you find a great one that works, you’ll never want to do another workout without it.
But why does it need to be stim free? Simple…
Caffeine may temporarily decrease blood flow which is the exact opposite of what you want to happen in a crossfit workout. As an athlete, you want to maximize your blood flow and let the oxygen circulate freely through your veins and into your muscles.
HOWEVER, when caffeine is combined with L-Theanine it helps mitigate that decrease so if you want like caffeine in your pre-workout (and I know you do) make sure it also has a solid serving of L-Theanine in it.
Not sure which pre-workout is right for you? Check out my article on the 4 best pre-workout supplements for crossfitters.
Creatine
Creatine is quite possibly the single most well researched supplement for crossfit athletes on the planet and for good reason.
Creatine has been shown in multiple human case studies to increase muscle size and strength, boost energy, speed post workout recovery and more.
Personally, I recommend you take it pre-workout due to its ability to increase ATP production but most studies show that taking is daily is more important than the time you choose to supplement with it.
Creatine is included in Alpha Wolf Nutrition’s pre-workout “Uncagged” which you can read about in my pre-workout supplements for crossfit athletes article.
Powerful Multivitamin
The sad truth is most multivitamins on the market are next to useless. Thanks to modern science and ultra powerful nutrient analysis tools we have dissected foods down to a molecular level never before seen in history.
What exactly does that mean? It means there is a lot more to nutrition than the old 1970’s list of standard vitamins and minerals most people still go by.
Whole foods and superfoods such as beetroot, pomegranate, spinach, kale, brown seaweed and dark chocolate, should be a part of everyone’s diet but most multivitamins completely ignore this or give you such trace amounts it really doesn’t matter it’s on the label.
Check out my article on the 3 best multivitamins for athletes and find the one that’s right for you.
Whey Protein Isolate
If getting enough protein in your diet is a challenge on hard workout days and you want to take a stand alone protein supplement, it should be whey protein isolate.
While many people will try to sell you on the benefits of taking BCAA’s before your workout, the truth is BCAAs according the science at hand is a waste of hard earned cash.
Not only do BCAAs typically cost more than whey protein isolate but its an incomplete protein source and multiple human case studies show whole protein is a far superior supplement for crossfit athletes. (study, study, study, study)
You can read my full article at Alpha Wolf Nutrition on BCAAs as well as on Whey Protein.
Velositol
Most people, outside of hardcore crossfit athlete circles have never even heard of velositol and it is certainly a “luxury” supplement as it won’t do anything by itself.
However, if you have the cash to spend, velositol has been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis which means it’s a great add on to your whey protein supplement.
In a human case study, 6g of whey protein combined with 2g of velositol was shown to double the muscle protein synthesis of of 6g of protein alone.
It has to be noted this is one case study and it was sponsored by the manufacturer of velositol. No further studies (at the point of this article) have been done so this is far from bulletproof evidence.
I will say I have added velositol to my whey protein shakes and I swear it makes a difference in my recovery times.
Right now I use a scoop of “Swolly” by MTS Nutrition because it also has another ingredient which while not fully vetted, has shown great promise which is “aminogen”.
In fact, if Alpha Wolf Nutrition ever makes a whey protein shake it may include either or both velositol or aminogen in it. But for now, if you are interested in trying it out for yourself, I recommended you do a search for MTS Nutrition Swolly and add it to your current protein of choice.
Ashwagandha
I’m a big believer in ashwagandha root, especially when combined with longjack, shilajit and ginseng.
Ashwagandha has been shown to help increase testosterone levels, boost strength, improve sleep, decrease stress and much more.
It is the core of the natural testosterone booster I helped develop Force X7 and is an especially great for supplement for crossfit athletes over 30, however, it has been shown in human case studies to help younger athletes as well.
You can read more about this amazing supplement in my article here.
Meal Replacement Shake
The hard truth is even in the best case scenario we all find ourselves in a pinch where we either don’t have the time or ability at that moment to make or choose a healthy meal option.
So that leaves us with just 3 choices.
- Eat junk
- Go hungry
- Slam a meal replacement shake
The problem with most meal replacement shakes is they either don’t taste good or are loaded with so much junk themselves it defeats the purpose of the shake in the first place as you might as well just go grab a burger.
Crossfit athletes need a healthy option that will work as a meal replacement, pre workout meal and/or help with post workout recovery.
I wasn’t happy with the current products on the market so I developed my own easy to make homemade recipe. I’ve thought about manufacturing this in the future and who knows, maybe one day I will.
But for now I make it at home and it just takes a few minutes to put together a big batch for an entire month.
Some of the benefits of this recipe…
- It’s cost friendly
- Has a mild peanut butter, chocolate and banana taste
- LOADED with potassium, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients
- High fiber
- Won’t upset your stomach
- No artificial ingredients or flavors
- All ingredients can be easily purchase on Amazon
You can get the full recipe here: Homemade Meal Replacement Shake Recipe
