Saturday I competed in a Throwdown that accommodated crossfit masters with scaled and Rx divisions. It was a fun outing and it was nice to have a WOD that didn’t pit me against a 30 year old who can lift a truck, but who competes scaled because he can’t do a Double-Under. Yeah, we’ve all been there before.
I have never claimed to be a stellar athlete, in either strength or endurance. I just show up and do the work. I do some things well, some things not. But I’m having fun pushing myself, and it beats sitting on the couch.
During regular WODs at my local box, I hold my own and scale as needed. Some scaling is weight, but more frequently I scale for cardio. That is, I avoid heavy metcons because they leave me trashed. I usually only do one WOD per day, though I have occasionally double-dipped, hitting my home box CF2a on the way to work and hitting Daybreak at lunch.
I have no issue going home at the end of the day and doing some lifting, but no WODs. I like playing with the big three and some Oly lifts.
But Comp Days tax my body, not because any one particular WOD is going to kill me, but the cumulative effect of 4 WODs in a few hours does wipe me out. I am usually able to catch my breath and recompose myself for the subsequent WODs but at the expense of draining everything. Dig Deep? I guess you could say I dug too deep, because my body is trashed even 96 hours after the last WOD.
No, I am not sore. Not a single muscle or ache. My body is just worn out. I am running on Empty!
My blood pressure, which is usually good, is high. My blood sugar is high too. I am strangely nauseous and starving at the same time. I have severe brain fog and a dull headache. It’s 9:30 a.m., four days after the comp and I’m still whacked out. I’ve already consumed all the food I brought to work and I’m still hungry.
I decided I’d do something I haven’t done in a long while, track what I’ve eaten. For the record, 1.5 bananas w 4 Tablespoons of Almond Butter, one cup of Bulletproof coffee, five eggs, fried in ghee, with a cup of broccoli and three sausage links. I also had a date rolled in coconut, a half cup of blueberries and a greek yogurt. And I’m poised to eat a can of smoked oysters.
Here are the stats for my morning meal/snack: 2,150 calories, 21% Carbs, 63% Fat, 16% Protein. Reading the list of foods, I honestly expected more protein and less fat. I don’t know what are reasonable targets for macronutrient ratios, but I believe it is safe to assume that I need more carbs, more protein and less fat. I picked up some nice liver at the farm last Friday, I guess it’s time to cook it up.
If any of you readers out there have any recommendations for Macro Ratios that are more appropriate for a 63 year old, aspiring athlete, please share your nutritional wisdom in the comments below.
Be Defiant! Be Well! (Don’t be Trashed!)
Hey Chuck I wish I had some wisdom for you, you keep great track of what you do and eat, I wish I could be as diligent as you. Please take it easy and rest I am looking forward too more comps down the road with you
you need to eat more carbs, heavy starches in order to sustain the work loads, food is the key to great comps and quick recovery
Rey, it’s time for me to go back to the drawing board for my Nutrition. Apparently I have grown lax and this weekend was a wake-up call. Thanks for the comments here and on Facebook.
Hi, sounds like you have a hard competition day! Here is what I'm doing; before competion days, I fill in with carbs and prot, I do have enough fat to burn. The competion day whatever I like to eat.
After comp day I try to go back normal. Rest days little bit more fat around 45%, 25%prot and 30% carbs. Wod-days/training days prot 25-30% carbs 40% and rest calories comes from fat. It seems working for me.
Tarja, thanks for the feedback. I also have “fat to burn”. haha Time to pay more attention to protein and carbs.
Chuck, you did a great job during that Competition. You should be proud but also careful with how hard you push after any comp. I always take a good rest day or two after with good stretching and mobility.
Ed, I’ve been down for four days. I haven’t done anything since the Saturday Competition. So technically, I’ve had plenty of rest, I’m just waiting on the Recovery.
WAY more carbs. Going low-carb on an intense regimen is a recipe for destroying your hormonal profile. Eat some white rice, sweet potatoes, etc…
I honestly didn’t realize I had veered so far away from my carb intake. Especially since I eat sweet potatoes several times a week. The upside of all this is that I get to crank up the old Rice Cooker again.