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Give Yourself The Advantage

CrossFit Victoria BC - Omega RX
Omega RX

Pssssst…. I’ve got a secret for you. Do you want to give yourself an almost unfair advantage over your fellow competitors in the athletic realm? Then use high dose fish oil. Simply put, fish oil is rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids. In doing this, if you take enough fish oils, you will reap many benefits. You’ll see a rapid reduction in inflammation, an improvement in your reaction times, you’ll see that you have better mood control, it will up-regulation of your internal anti-inflammatory responses, you will develop an enhanced release of hormones from the pituitary gland, such as growth hormones, and you’ll notice enhanced recovery times after workouts. Sounds pretty impressive, just for doing something simple like taking fish oil! Well, that’s because it is.

In a research study published in the the premier journal, The European Journal of Clinical Investigation, they examined athletes and split them into two groups. One group got the “Athletes Diet”, and half got the Zone Diet. They then split the groups again into two, and half got fish oil supplements, while the other half got an olive oil placebo. The four groups were then examined to compare how these changes in their nutrient intake would affect their athletic performance. During this time, each athlete was exercising actively at their normal rate.

The study’s findings were rather interesting! They discovered that the athletes who were on the Zone Diet and were also taking a high dose fish oil supplement saw a greater decrease in body fat, compared to the other control group. In addition, they saw a significant increase in their mood quality, as well as a decrease in their insulin and release of certain lipids, which is a marker of insulin resistance.

Reaction times are key to athletic performance, wouldn’t you say? It’s not always about how much weight you can push, but how fast you can push it. The previously mentioned study conducted tests of their athletes to determine the exact changes overall in their reaction times. They underwent several examinations, and it was noted that the more complex the tests became, the more marked was the dramatic improvement in the reaction times of the athletes on the Zone Diet combined with fish oil supplements. This basically means that the athletes could perform at a higher level, simply by changing their diet. More testing was done in the area of mood control. It was discovered that the athletes taking fish oils while on the Zone Diet had increased vigour, decreased anger, decreased anxiety, decreased depression, increased happiness, decreased fatigue, and decreased confusion. All factors that allow you to perform better mentally as an athlete. That has major implications to our own fitness!

Bottom line: if you want to give an athlete a powerful hormonal advantage, then treat their food like a drug. First of all, work to help maintain stable insulin levels by eating properly, or sticking to a diet like the Zone. This has the effect of stabilizing blood sugar during demand, initiating muscle repair during recovery, and increasing the burning of your stored body fat. Secondly, in taking fish oil supplements, you will be improving your eicosanoid balance. This contributes to the reduction of inflammation, increases your reaction times, and improves your emotional stability. In doing these things, you’ll be giving yourself a huge advantage!

How should you go about getting proper fish oils? Firstly, you can eat fish. Or, to make things easier, you can take a fish oil supplement. With supplements, it’s preferable to take one with ultra-refined EPA/DHA concentrates. Basically, this type of supplement is highly purified in the Omega-3 fatty acids, and is “weapons-grade” fish oil. Now, how much fish oil does one need for advanced athletic performance? According to the experts, for improved reaction times, it is suggested that you take 3-5 grams per day. For decreased inflammation, they suggest that you take 5-10 grams per day. When is the best time to take fish oil? Fish oil actually has a long lifespan in the bloodstream. Some opt to take it once a day, some take it several times per day. Morning, noon, or night, so long as you’re consistent in your habits, a single dose is all you really need.

Do your own research, make sure this idea works for you, then give it a try!

Remember that Part 1 of Eat Well, Move Well, Think Well starts on Saturday October 17th @ 11:00am.  Make sure to register now!

Today’s Workout:

Buy In – dynamic leg workout; followed by pistol technique

WOD – ‘Young Guns”

For time:

  • Run 800 meters
  • 15 left-legged pistols
  • 15 right-legged pistols
  • 25 sit-ups
  • 12 left-legged pistols
  • 12 right-legged pistols
  • 25 sit-ups
  • 9 right-legged pistols
  • 9 left legged pistols
  • 25 sit-ups
  • Run 800 meters

“Pistol” is one-legged squat with Kettlebell or dumbbell. Use 1 1/2 pood Kettlebell or 55 pound dumbbell for pistols. .

Zone 3:  Scale weight of pistols as needed

Zone 2:  No weight for the pistols

Zone 1:  Scale run to 400 meters and scale pistols to air squats (doubled for each side – 15R & 15L = 30 air squats)

Cash Out – Shoulder press 5-5-5

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