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When it comes to fit squads, nothing is more hardcore than the CrossFit community. Known as “the sport of fitness,” its devotees are so intense they even speak their own language—snatch, WOD, AMRAP, oh my!
A proud member of this weights-loving community: Elizabeth Adams, a New York City-based CrossFit instructor *and* a competitive CrossFit athlete (she’s competed in the CrossFit Games multiple years in a row). You’ll find her at her local box virtually every day, training clients and testing her own limits. See proof here:
As you can imagine, pulling off those incredible feats requires proper fuel, and lots of it. Wondering what this looks like exactly? Adams meticulously tracked her food intake for a full week for us.
Of course, not all trainers have the same eating plan, and chances are Adams’ fueling needs are different than the average person’s because she’s working out So.Freaking.Much. But if you’ve ever been curious how a pro CrossFitter eats in order to build muscle, stay energized, and recover between strenuous training sessions…now you know.
Scroll down to see what CrossFit instructor and athlete Elizabeth Adams ate for a week.
Sunday
Schedule: Training clients at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m.; personal workouts of a 40 minute easy stationary bike and 30 minutes of stretching and mobility.
Breakfast: Omelette and pancakes. “Some friends and I went to Clinton Street Bakery, which is known for their pancakes, so we got a big stack and shared them between us,” says Adams. “The omelette was all me though. It was my first time there and everything tasted amazing!”
Lunch:Kettlebell Kitchen Bodybuilders Essential (grilled chicken, broccoli, and white rice).
Dinner:Dig Inn bowl with chicken thighs, kale salad, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes.
Monday
Schedule: Training clients at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.; teaching classes at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., and 6 p.m.; personal workouts at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. “I’m going to be doing a lot more shorter, high-intensity workouts to get me peaking for my competition,” says Adams. “I’ll have fast-digesting liquid carbs about 40 min before training to ensure my energy and sugar levels are high, which is where the Karbolyn and Vitargo come in.”
Pre-breakfast meal: 8 oz. of water, coffee, half a banana, and two packets of Irish steel cut oats.
Pre-training drink: 1 scoop Carolean (carb supplement); 1 Nuun electrolyte tablet.
Post-training drink: 1 scoop of Ascent Protein, 1 scoop Karbolyn (carb supplement), and 5 mg Creatine protein powder. “With the amount I train, getting enough carbs is really important,” Adams says. “I used to think carbs were “bad” and eating them would keep me from getting a six-pack. But I’ve learned that they really are essential, particularly the timing of when you eat them. I’m definitely a lot happier now than when I shied away from eating them.”
Breakfast: 2 eggs over easy, spinach and sweet potato hash, and chicken sausage.
Pre-workout drink: 1 scoop Vitargo (carb supplement); 1 Nuun electrolyte tablet.
Post-workout recovery drink: 1 scoop Vitargo; 1 scoop BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) powder.
Late lunch: Diced turkey with coconut gravy, white rice, and swiss chard from Kettlebell Kitchen.
Snack: Talty Bar with 12 grams of protein, 20 grams of carbs, and 9 grams of fiber. “These bars are delicious! They’re a great post-workout snack,” Adams says.
Dinner: Meatballs, broccoli, kale, and white rice from Kettlebell Kitchen.
Tuesday
Schedule: Training clients at 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 3:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m.; personal workouts at 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. “I do a 45-minute bike session on Tuesdays,” Adams says. “Tuesday afternoons are sport specific sessions. I focus a lot on gymnastics-CrossFit style movements.”
Pre-breakfast meal: 8 oz. of water, coffee, banana, 2 packets of Irish steel cut oats, and an 8Greens supplement tablet in an additional 8 oz. of water.
Pre-training drink: 1 scoop Karbolyn; 5 mg Creatine protein powder. “I like to have my oatmeal 90 minutes before I start [training] and then my liquid carbs about 40 minutes before,” Adams says.
Post-training drink: 2 scoops of Ascent Protein; 1 scoop Karbolyn.
Breakfast: 2 eggs, spinach and sweet potato hash, chicken sausage, and 1 Nuun electrolyte tablet with 8 oz. water.
Pre-personal workout drink: 1 scoop carb supplement Vitargo; 1 Nuun electrolyte tablet with 8 oz. water.
Post-workout snack: Chocolate peanut butter RX Bar. “This is my favorite flavor. It’s so good!”
Dinner: Paleo meatballs, sweet potato wedges, and charred broccoli from Hu Kitchen.
Dessert: Rice cakes with Rx nut butter and Bionaturae fruit spread. “PB&J rice cakes is one of my favorite desserts. People roll their eyes, but it’s delicious,” Adams says.
Wednesday
Schedule: Teaching classes at 7 a.m., 8 a.m. and 12 p.m.; training clients at 3:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. “I have no personal workouts on Wednesdays, so I consider them ‘rest days.’ This means I’m going to eat less carbs and a bit more healthy fats,” Adams says.
Pre-breakfast snack: 8 oz. of water, coffee, and a protein shake with 5 mg Creatine protein powder.
Breakfast: 2 eggs, spinach, and chicken sausage.
Lunch: Pulled chicken chimichurri bowl from Kettlebell Kitchen. “This is one of my favorite meals from KBK. I love anything with chimichurri!”
Snack: Peanut butter & jelly Talty bar.
Late-afternoon snack: Protein shake with 1 scoop of Vitargo.
Dinner: Chicken empanada with white rice from Kettlebell Kitchen.
Thursday
Schedule: Teaching classes at 5 a.m., 6 a.m., 7 a.m.; training clients at 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.; personal workouts at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. “My personal workouts on Thursdays is very similar to Mondays. The first session is weightlifting and strength, and second session is gross conditioning,” Adams says.
Pre-breakfast snack: 8 oz. of water, coffee, half a banana, 2 packets of Irish steel cut oats, and a handful of granola.
Post-personal workout drink: 1 scoop of Ascent Protein, 1 scoop Vitargo, and 5 mg Creatine.
Breakfast: 2 eggs, spinach and sweet potato hash, and chicken sausage.
Lunch: Chicken thighs, white rice, spinach, and kale from Kettlebell Kitchen.
Post-personal workout drink: 1 scoop Karbolyn and 1 scoop BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) powder.
Late-afternoon snack: Talty Bar
Dinner: Pulled chicken chimichurri bowl from Kettlebell Kitchen.
Dessert: 5 percent milkfat Fage Greek yogurt with blueberries.
Friday
Schedule: Teaching class at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.; client training at 8 a.m.; personal workout at 10 a.m. “Fridays are my running sessions,” Adams says. “I love going to the track but it’s getting cold and usually at my competitions we run on TrueForms, which if you’ve never been on one I definitely recommend. They’re awful and awesome at the same time.”
Breakfast: 8 oz of water, coffee, half a banana, and 2 packets of Irish Steel Cut Oats.
Pre-workout drink: 1 scoop Karbolyn and 1 Nuun electrolyte tablet in 8 oz. of water.
Post-workout protein shake: Berry smoothie with a scoop of strawberry protein.
Lunch: Paleo meatballs, charred broccoli, and sweet potato wedges from Hu Kitchen; 1 Nuun electrolyte tablet in 8 oz. of water.
Snack: RxBar; protein drink with 1 scoop of Ascent Protein.
Dinner: 2 pieces of bread; shared apps of squash, Japanese sweet potatoes, and roasted mushrooms; roasted duck. “My brother had a birthday dinner at Hearth and this is what I got!”
Dessert: 5 percent milkfat Fage Greek Yogurt with blueberries and Rx nut butter.
Saturday
Schedule: 8 a.m. client training; teaching class at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.; personal workouts at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. “Today my focus was weight-lifting and squats,” Adams says. “For my afternoon workout, I focused on conditioning, similar to what I do on Tuesdays.”
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, rye toast, and hash browns.
Lunch: White rice and grilled chicken.
Post-workout smoothie: Bulldozer smoothie from Liquiteria (bananas, peanut butter, vanilla almond milk, and chocolate whey protein)
Dinner: Burger from Allswell.
If you’re (ahem) hungry for more food diaries, check out what a SoulCycle instructor ate for a week and what Y7 yoga co-founder Sarah Levey eats for energy.
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