The Crossfit 4 Fire Grocery List and More Part 2

To continue on with our goal of providing more information related to fitness and conditioning for the fire service and the athletes (Firefighters) within this noble profession, we are going to discuss the foundations of nutrition in this blog article. 

The Foundation to fitness, conditioning and fire ground performance
is rooted in the basis of nutrition and meal planning.

The important factor to understand regarding CrossFit, is the basic principle that Crossfit and the modalities of Crossfit are founded in its principal strength and conditioning program that incorporates functional movements into a high-intensity workout. According to Coach Greg Glassman founder of CrossFit, diet and nutrition along with meal plan's

lays the molecular foundations for fitness and conditioning. To build a solid molecular foundation, CrossFit promotes the Paleo diet.  The Paleo diet is commonly referred to as the caveman or Paleolithic diet for it natural hunter-gatherer approach to nutrition consisting of clean foods.

Considering fire service personnel/athletes are unique in there meal planning and there conditioning needs, it is best recommended to use the approach authored by Loren Cordain, Ph.D in his book, "The Paleo Diet for Athletes".  In the book Loren Cordain, Ph.D. outlines several Paleo foods that are acceptable for athletes or what we would condier fire service athletes. General guidelines for the Paleo diet include lean protein sources, such as lean beef, fish, poultry and wild game with a variety of fruits and vegetables. Foods to avoid include dairy products, sugars, refined carbohydrates, processed foods and starchy vegetables. Fire service personnel/athletes can add certain foods such as pasta, bread and rice in moderation during periods of extended recovery between workouts.  The key to this statement is moderation.  In addition, John Welbourn of Crossfit Football and Andy Stumpf USN, also recommend whole dairy products in moderation as well.  This would include Certified Raw Milk, Certified Raw Butter, and Greek Yogurt. 

Utilizing a nutrition plan and meal planning element that is based in the Paleo diet provides a balanced diet for fire service personnel/athletes that can improve performance. Consuming clean, natural foods on the Paleo diet, fire service personnel/athletes can also eliminate refined and processed carbohydrates that have been linked with obesity, coronary heart disease, diabetes,cancer and Alzheimer's. Utilizing the Paleo concepts and developing a meal planning approach with complex carbohydrates from vegetables and fruit, the Paleo diet controls insulin and overall hormone levels that can improve fire ground performance and your functional approach to strength, conditioning and metabolic conditioning workouts.

According to Greg Glassman of Crossfit, the Paleo diet for CrossFit follows a "Zone" approach to breaking down macronutrient content into 40 percent of the calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent from protein and 30 percent from fat. Protein content should range from about 0.7 g to 1 g of protein per pound of bodyweight. For example, a 200-lb. firefighter will need to consume between 140 g and 200 g of protein. According to "The Paleo Diet for Athletes," carbohydrate intake can increase to as much as 60 percent of the total calories as a sporting event or competition approaches. During this time, fat content will range from 20 percent to 25 percent.

She is looking for her Paleo Man!!!

Pre-WOD and Post WOD Nutrient timing is as important to fire service personnel/athlete success as the selection of foods. According to the book, "The Paleo Diet for Athletes" Loren Cordian, Ph.D recommends eating about 200 to 300 calories with approximately 30 grams of protein at least two hours before an intense WOD.  Immediately after the completion of the WOD within the first 10 minutes and no later than 20 minutes, the fire service athlete should consume approximately 30 more grams of protein and approximately 25 to 35 grams of complex carbohydrates, this is best accomplished in the form of some type of protein shake or easily digestible and cellular uptake type of macronutrient. Water will be sufficient for hydration during heavy or high intensity WOD’s, however, coconut water has been found to provide intensive electrolytes without the sugars found in sports drinks.  If you the need for electrolyte replacement is necessary or a concern, consider coconut water as a natural source. 

Below is a list of foods that are encouraged or discouraged to assist you with your Paleo Meal Planning Guide. Keep in mind, this is a guid to assist you and is not all inclusive nor a total comprehensive listing. 

Proteins:

Lean beef  Flank steak Top sirloin steak Extra-lean hamburger  London broil Chuck steak Lean veal Pork loin Pork chops	Lean poultry (white meat, skin removed) Chicken Breast or Thighs Turkey Meats (Breast) Game Hen Breast	Organ meats Beef, lamb, pork, and chicken livers Beef, pork, and lamb tongues Beef, lamb, and pork marrow Beef, lamb, and pork “sweetbreads”
Eggs (Include the Yolks)	Bison (buffalo)	Bass
Duck	Elk	Halibut
Goose	Ostrich	Orange roughy

Other Fish	Other Fish
Herring	Striped bass
Mackerel	Sunfish
Monkfish	Tilapia
Mullet	Trout
Northern pike	Tuna
Perch	Turbot
Red snapper	Walleye
Rockfish	Shellfish
Salmon	Abalone
Scrod	Clams
Shark	Crab

Fruit	Fruits	Fruits
Apple	Gooseberries	Persimmon
Apricot	Grapefruit	Pomegranate
Avocado	Grapes	Raspberries
Banana	Guava	Rhubarb
Blackberries	Honeydew melon	Star fruit
Blueberries	Kiwi	Strawberries
Boysenberries	Lemon	Tangerine
Cantaloupe	Lime	Watermelon
Carambola	Lychee
Cassava melon	Mango
Cherimoya	Nectarine
Cherries	Orange
Cranberries	Papaya
Figs	Passion fruit
Plums	Peaches
Pineapple	Pears

Vegetables	Vegetables	Vegetables
Artichoke	Bell peppers	Squash (all kinds)
Asparagus	Broccoli	Swiss chard
Beet greens	Brussels sprouts	Tomatillos
Beets	Cabbage	Tomato (actually a fruit, but most people think of it as a vegetable)
Endive	Carrots	Turnip greens
Green onions	Cauliflower	Turnips
Kale	Celery	Watercress
Kohlrabi	Collards
Lettuce	Cucumber
Mushrooms	Dandelion
Mustard greens	Eggplant
Onions	Purslane
Parsley	Radish
Parsnip	Rutabaga
Peppers (all kinds)	Seaweed
Pumpkin	Spinach

Nuts and Seeds	Nuts and Seeds
Almonds	Pine nuts
Brazil nuts	Pistachios (unsalted)
Chestnuts	Pumpkin seeds
Hazelnuts (filberts)	Sesame seeds
Macadamia nuts	Sunflower seeds
Pecans	Walnuts

Foods To Be Eaten In Moderation

Oils

Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Walnut Oil, Flaxseed Oil,  

Beverages

Coffee

Tea

Wine (two 4-ounce glasses)

Beer (one 12-ounce serving)

Spirits (4 ounces)

Paleo Snaks

Dried fruits (no more than 2 ounces a day)

Nuts mixed with dried and fresh fruits (no more than 4 ounces of nuts and 2 ounces of dried fruit a day)

Foods You Should Avoid

Dairy Foods

All processed foods made with any dairy products

Cheese

Cream

Dairy spreads

Frozen yogurt

Ice cream

Ice milk

Low-fat milk

Nonfat dairy creamer

Powdered milk

Skim milk

Whole milk

Cereal Grains

Barley (barley soup, barley bread, and all processed foods made with barley)

Corn (corn on the cob, corn tortillas, corn chips, corn starch, corn syrup)

Oats (steel-cut oats, rolled oats, and all processed foods made with oats)

Rice (brown rice, white rice, top ramen, rice noodles, bas mati rice, rice cakes, Rice flour (all processed foods made with rice)

Rye (rye bread, rye crackers, and all processed foods made with rye)

Wheat (bread, rolls, muffins, noodles, crackers, cookies, cake, doughnuts, pancakes, waffles, pasta, spaghetti, lasagna, wheat tortillas, pizza, pita bread, flat bread, and all processed foods made with wheat or wheat flour)

Wild rice

Cereal Grainlike Seeds

Amaranth

Buckwheat

Quinoa

Legumes

All beans (adzuki beans, black beans, broad beans, fava beans, field beans, garbanzo beans, horse beans, kidney beans, lima beans, mung beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red beans, string beans, white beans)

Black-eyed peas

Chickpeas

Lentils

Peas

Miso

Peanut butter

Peanuts

Snowpeas

Sugar snap peas

Soybeans and all soybean products, including tofu

Starchy Vegetables

Starchy tubers

Cassava root

Manioc

Potatoes and all potato products (French fries, potato chips, etc.)

Sweet potatoes

Tapioca pudding

Great reference source and full
of information which will
help you on your journey of health. 

Salt-Containing Foods

Almost all commercial salad dressings and condiments

Cheese

Deli meats

Frankfurters

Hot dogs

Ketchup

Olives

Pork rinds

Processed meats

Salami

Salted nuts

Salted spices

Sausages 

Soft Drinks & Sweets

All sugary soft drinks

Canned, bottled, and freshly squeezed fruit drinks  

Candy

Sugars

CrossFit: Improving Firefighters on Many Fronts

by: Cole Henn

The impacts CrossFit has made on my performance as a firefighter has been noticeable. It has helped with many areas but predominantly in my strength, performing well at a high intensity and recovery time. After doing CrossFit for three years I feel it is still giving me gains and hasn’t lost its ability to challenge me. The variety of lifts, movements, time modalities and functionality towards my job have made it worth my time and I think would be for you too. 

I came from the standard of basic lifting movements like back squat and bench. They were good for building some strength, especially back squat, I didn’t feel like I was really getting a great variety. When starting to experiment with CrossFit the Olympic lifts and other barbell movements changed the way I thought about strength and introduced me to functional fitness. Form, technique and timing became just as important as brute strength. Doing movements such as snatch and clean help me become more in-tune with my body. The mental challenge gets addicting, because you know completing the movement is possible, you just have to believe in yourself. It adds other very important aspects of lifting which include efficiency and muscle memory. 

Picture a lengthy search in a residential house fire and you finally locate a victim on the second floor. When it’s time to get the victim from the ground, to a window sill and onto a ladder to have a chance at survival, I’m counting on my constant practice at moving heavy weight efficiently coming in handy. I’m going to keep the weight tight to my body, keep my heels under me and move the victim to the ladder as smoothly as possible in one explosive movement. I understand this might not go as planned, but I have at least given my self a chance at success through my training. Of course practicing other proven techniques would be hugely beneficial, but my physical ability isn’t going to be what stops me. CrossFit’s methodology allows me to continue to build my strength in many movements by its variety and utilizing full body lifts. 

Some other aspects that the functional lifts CrossFit promotes is balance, focus, flexibility and core strength. For example, the overhead squat is a great well rounded lift that improves many areas of fitness. In general, your whole body is in a normal squatting position with the addition of your arms locked out overhead, hands wider than a normal press lift and gripping a barbell with a given weight on it. You perform a complete squat going just below parallel and back up to a fully locked out position, the whole time support the weight overhead. It is largely a balance lift that takes mental strength to have your lower body, core and upper body work together. The action of squatting with any weight overhead makes you create a counter balance and the pendulum swings on your core. It is under constant stress to maintain the correct position to support the weight overhead. Tight hip flexors, lower back muscles and shoulders will make this lift difficult, promoting stretching and increasing mobility which in turn deters many firefighter related injuries. It is obvious we rely on our core for any physical movement performed as a firefighter, so we might as well train it the best way possible. As you can see, this one lift can help improve many areas of your overall fitness, and its just the tip of the iceberg. 

CrossFit has given me the ability to have the confidence to accomplish any task asked of me on and off the fire ground. Since CrossFit asks that I perform at a high intensity almost daily, when I am asked to do it on the fire ground it comes as second nature. Since the effects of an elevated pulse rate and  being oxygen deprived can escalate you to making poor decisions I rely on my CrossFit training to kick in. My workouts have trained me to mentally stay calm and focus on my task at hand even if I know my work load for the call will be extensive. I control my breathing and make a conscience attempt at staying efficient. When you practice like you play, CrossFit prepares me to go into battle everyday and when the call comes in at the station, I go to work just the same. 

I feel that most firefighters can go hard for the first 15 minutes of a fire. Your adrenaline kicks in and you get the job done. However, our job usually isn’t over after we suck down that first bottle. We have either more fire to fight, extension to search for and overhaul to complete. The fact that the anaerobic pathway (short/intense) that CrossFit’s programming more often promotes transfers over to help your aerobic pathway (long/endurance) will benefit you in both the beginning and end of a fire call. We don’t have the luxury to have every fire happen just before shift change so we can go home a rest right after. Being prepared for a fire early in your shift, followed by multiple calls and a sleepless night can only come from challenging your mind and body daily. CrossFit is the best way I’ve found to get this challenge. 

My recovery time after refilling a bottle has improved greatly from doing CrossFit. It’s variety and intensity are what I believe allow you to handle the workload of a fire and be able to go back in with nearly full strength after your first bottle. The hight intensity training also keeps you in tune with your body and the current shape you are in. Each day we are either getting in better or worse shape, its a constant battle. By performing your workouts consistently you will know just where your mind and body stand, so you can make educated decisions on your limitations on the fire ground and throughout your shift. 

As you can see, I strongly believe CrossFit has improved my ability to perform my job as a firefighter. It has had a direct impact on my strength, intensity and recovery. I came from an active and athletic background and CrossFit continues to help me improve from that base level. Even if you don’t come from an active background, all the workouts are scaleable, so you can be matched with the appropriate amount of work for your fitness level. Also, remember that CrossFit is designed to be a supplement to your actual fire training, not to replace it. Your skills and fire ground smarts are where it all should start, CrossFit just gives you the opportunity to perform all the cool stuff you have learned. After trying many different fitness programs as a firefighter, CrossFit gives me the best variety, functionality and utilization of my time. 

NOTE: Cole is a Firefighter in Nebraska and Co-Owner of Lincoln Crossfit in Lincoln, NE.  He is one of the rising stars in the Crossfit Community and passionate about his firefighting craft.