Published Jan 2, 2019

We asked athlete Elizabeth Adams for her crossfit meal plan—here’s what it looks like

Hungry for a Crossfit meal plan? Athlete and trainer Elizabeth Adams shares her food diary, revealing what she ate for an entire week.

We asked athlete Elizabeth Adams for her crossfit meal plan—here’s what it looks like

Hungry for a Crossfit meal plan? Athlete and trainer Elizabeth Adams shares her food diary, revealing what she ate for an entire week.

Published Jan 2, 2019

Written by

Emily Laurence

Photo: Elizabeth Adams; Graphic: Well+Good Creative

Published Jan 2, 2019

Written by

Emily Laurence

Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission

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.

alt — Photos: Stocksy/Cameron Whitman; Graphic: Well+Good Creative

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.

alt — Photos: Stocksy/Cameron Whitman; Graphic: Well+Good Creative

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.

alt — Photos: Getty Images/Westend61/Lauri Patterson

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.

alt — Photos: Elizabeth Adams; Graphic: Well+Good Creative

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.

alt — Photos: Getty Images/Eyeem; Graphic: Well+Good Creative

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.

alt — Photos: Elizabeth Adams; Graphic: Well+Good Creative

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.

alt — Photos: Getty Images/bhofack2; Stocksy/Darren Muir

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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Fitness Workouts

Published Jan 29, 2025

Doing This Type of Breathing as Part of Your Pilates Practice Can Help Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor

Here's how hypopressive breathing, a deep breathing exercise, can help you with your Pilates practice and other forms of movement.

Doing This Type of Breathing as Part of Your Pilates Practice Can Help Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor

Here's how hypopressive breathing, a deep breathing exercise, can help you with your Pilates practice and other forms of movement.

Published Jan 29, 2025

Written by

Kelsey Kloss

Photo: Stocksy/Atolas

Published Jan 29, 2025

Written by

Kelsey Kloss

If you’re obsessed with all things Pilates, you already know about the best athleisure, accessories, and self-care moments to incorporate into your practice. However, you may be less familiar with a type of breathwork that can improve your practice — and help you feel more grounded.

Experts in This Article

Anouska Shenn

certified Pilates instructor and founder of The Office Yoga Company

Blair Mauri

a pelvic floor therapist and owner of Blair Mauri Pelvic Health

Enter hypopressive breathing, a deep breathing exercise that involves emptying your lungs completely. It’s similar to the uddiyana bandha in yoga (or an “abdominal lock”).

“It involves breathing in a way that creates a vacuum-like effect in your thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic cavities by decreasing the pressure, causing a lift and toning of the pelvic floor,” says Anouska Shenn, a certified Pilates instructor and founder of The Office Yoga Company.

But before we get into how to do it, let us clear up one thing: Don’t try any breath-holding exercises during your practice, since Pilates focuses on breathing through movements.

That said, practicing hypopressive breathing before, after, or separate from your Pilates workouts can help support your practice in a number of ways.

What is hypopressive breathing?

Hypopressive breathing is a technique that involves completely emptying your lungs and holding that breath to create a vacuum. It serves as a core exercise that can benefit your pelvic floor health.

Think of it this way: Your abdomen is a closed pressure system. That means that when the pressure changes—like with a cough, deep breath, or force like a lift—your abdominal structures need to be able to manage that pressure properly. That’s where pelvic floor exercises, like hypopressive breathing, come in.

“When we’re not managing that pressure properly, gravity takes it and sends it down into the pelvic floor,” says Blair Mauri, MS, OTR/L, a pelvic floor therapist and owner of Blair Mauri Pelvic Health. “Repeated downward pressure not only weakens the pelvic floor, but can also cause it to become extremely tense.”

That tension may lead to symptoms such as incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, painful sex, low back pain, or chronic constipation. “Hypopressive breathing is an excellent way to optimize pelvic floor function, as it provides a natural lift to these tissues without increasing the tension,” says Mauri.

Improving your pelvic floor function can relieve pelvic pain or low back pain, improve your oxygen and energy levels, promote digestion, and support your movement throughout your Pilates practice.

In fact, an eight-week program of hypopressive exercises improved pelvic floor muscle strength and urinary incontinence symptoms in women ages 18 to 60 with pelvic floor dysfunction and urinary incontinence symptoms, per a 2022 study¹ in Neurourology and Urodynamics.

Plus, hypopressive breathing can work your lungs in a way that benefits your Pilates practice. “Optimizing your rib mobility is also important for diaphragm function and getting the most out of your breaths,” adds Mauri.

How do you do it?

First, take a few deep breaths and see where you notice that pressure (in this case, your breath):

Is it focused in your chest or belly?
Are your ribs moving apart as you breathe in?

You should feel some mobility in all of these areas, not just one. “Rib mobility is especially important for proper hypopressive technique, so you may need to start here,” says Mauri. “Take some time to retrain your breathing so that everything expands on the inhale and comes back together on the exhale.”

Once you’ve honed in on that, you can move on to your hypopressive breathing exercises, following Mauri’s instructions:

1.
Gently exhale as if you are fogging a window. Don’t send any pressure or force down into your lower belly or pelvic floor.
2.
After you exhale, hold your nose and close your mouth and “pretend” to inhale without actually taking in any air. Think about widening those ribs, which will make your stomach begin to look concave.
3.
Hold this for 3-5 seconds and then inhale.

How does it benefit your Pilates practice?

This breathing technique shines as an add-on to your Pilates practice. You don’t want to hold your breath during Pilates moves (after all, Pilates is all about coordinating movement with breath), but hypopressive breathing exercises can serve as bumpers for an effective workout.

“Hypopressive breathing is designed to stand alone, but you can use it as part of your warm-up or to close your Pilates practice,” Shenn says.

Pelvic floor strengthening is already often a key element of Pilates. In fact, a 12-week Pilates program focused on pelvic floor strengthening significantly improved stress urinary incontinence symptoms in women ages 45 to 70, with the results lasting even six months after the program, per a small 2020 study² in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

“Hypopressive breathing complements a Pilates routine, as it also retrains and strengthens the deep core along with your pelvic floor,” says Mauri.

A strong and coordinated deep core and pelvic floor gives you more stability as you move your body throughout your Pilates practice—and throughout the rest of your day.

“Our pelvic floor muscles work together with our deep core muscles to stabilize the spine—supporting our posture and providing a solid foundation for all of our movements,” says Shenn.

Tips to get started

As you integrate hypopressive breathing into your Pilates routine, Shenn recommends keeping these tips in mind:

Start with 1-3 sets of 3 repetitions, resting between sets.
If you’re a beginner, practice your breathing lying down or seated, before progressing to more challenging positions like side-lying or quadruped (a four-point kneeling position).
Do your hypopressive breathwork on an empty stomach (it’s recommended to not eat at least two hours beforehand, since this type of breathing involves suctioning the abdomen inward and upward).
Avoid wearing clothes that are too tight—including collars, waistbands, and belts—as they can impede your breath.

Very little research has been done on the effect of breathwork on babies in the womb, so avoid hypopressive breathing if you’re pregnant.

One more thing to note: Certain preexisting health conditions like high blood pressure can also be contraindications for breathwork, so always check with your doctor first and consider working with a trained provider to make sure your form is correct.

Molina-Torres G, Moreno-Muñoz M, Rebullido TR, Castellote-Caballero Y, Bergamin M, Gobbo S, Hita-Contreras F, Cruz-Diaz D. The effects of an 8-week hypopressive exercise training program on urinary incontinence and pelvic floor muscle activation: A randomized controlled trial. Neurourol Urodyn. 2023 Feb;42(2):500-509. doi: 10.1002/nau.25110. Epub 2022 Dec 8. PMID: 36482844; PMCID: PMC10107869.
↩︎
Hein JT, Rieck TM, Dunfee HA, Johnson DP, Ferguson JA, Rhodes DJ. Effect of a 12-Week Pilates Pelvic Floor-Strengthening Program on Short-Term Measures of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Pilot Study. J Altern Complement Med. 2020 Feb;26(2):158-161. doi: 10.1089/acm.2019.0330. Epub 2020 Jan 9. PMID: 31916840; PMCID: PMC7044776.
↩︎

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Published Jan 27, 2025

The 10 Best Pilates Exercises for Beginners, According to a Peloton Instructor

A Peloton instructor shares the best beginner Pilates exercises and how to do them, plus the benefits of Pilates.

The 10 Best Pilates Exercises for Beginners, According to a Peloton Instructor

A Peloton instructor shares the best beginner Pilates exercises and how to do them, plus the benefits of Pilates.

Published Jan 27, 2025

Written by

Kristin Jenny

Photo credit: Peleton

Published Jan 27, 2025

Written by

Kristin Jenny

Pilates was created in the 1920s in New York City by Joseph Pilates and many of its exercises were originally used to help World War I patients rehabilitate injuries. Today, Pilates is used more for fitness than for physical rehabilitation, although its focus on building a strong core may help prevent or speed along healing from other injuries.

Experts in This Article

Rebecca Kennedy

certified personal trainer and Peloton instructor

If you’re considering giving this mind-and-body-focused workout a try, it’s key to have a grasp of Pilates’ foundational moves so that you can safely make the most of this muscle-building, endorphin-inducing workout.

The benefits of Pilates

Pilates is a unique fitness practice in that it focuses on more than just burning calories and achieving toned muscles—although you’ll do both of those things with a regular cadence of classes.

Pilates is focused on three principles, according to the Pilates Foundation: breath, whole-body health, and whole-body commitment, with “the whole-body encompassing mind, body and spirit.” Within those principles, the concepts of breath, concentration, centering, control, precision and flow are mainstays in any well-rounded Pilates practice.

“There are many benefits of Pilates that go beyond toning muscles or getting in a great workout,” says Rebecca Kennedy, CPT, a Peloton Pilates and Tread instructor. “Some of the top benefits of Pilates for me are that it improves posture and balance, helps with overall flexibility and mobility, and is low-impact and low-stress on your joints.”

Additionally, Kennedy notes Pilates can be an excellent complementary workout to other fitness activities like running, cycling, or strength training.

Lastly, Kennedy believes the mind-body connection that is achieved from a frequent Pilates workout is unmatched in the fitness world. “A regular Pilates practice will improve your mind-body awareness while improving mental focus and concentration,” Kennedy says. “Its emphasis on enhancing breathwork can also have the effect of reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.”

Beginner Pilates tips to keep in mind

Before diving into Pilates head first, remember to listen to your mind and body—it’s better to forego a move or modify it than cause yourself pain or injury. While it may be tempting to launch into some of the more advanced Pilates moves, it’s better to view each movement with “curiosity, instead of just trying to do each move and check off a box,” Kennedy says.

She recommends nailing the basics of the moves featured below—and not just acing the look of a move, but truly internalizing the breathing rhythm, form, and alignment of these foundational Pilates movements before becoming overly concerned with time spent in a movement, number of reps, or moving into more challenging variations of a move.

“A common misconception about Pilates is that you need to be flexible and also have a ton of equipment to get started with your practice,” Kennedy says. “Neither of these things are true. You do not need to be flexible to start a Pilates practice, and much of the equipment used is all extra, so don’t let either of those misconceptions hold you back from beginning a foundational practice.”

Finally, Kennedy reminds those who are new to Pilates that this is a slow, methodical practice. “Move slower than you think you need to, and always move with control,” Kennedy says. “Take modifications for any exercise that feels too challenging—it’s better to take a modification that allows you to maintain good form, breath control, and pelvic floor connection than to rush through a movement.”

The best Pilates exercises for beginners

Kennedy demonstrates each of the 10 moves in the video below. Follow along with her or scroll down for detailed exercise instructions.

1. The hundred

The Pilates hundred works your core and introduces the concept of timing your breath with your movements.

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Scroll down to see what CrossFit instructor and athlete Elizabeth Adams ate for a week.

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

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Experts in This Article

What is hypopressive breathing?

How do you do it?

How does it benefit your Pilates practice?

Tips to get started

Additional Resources

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Experts in This Article

The benefits of Pilates

Beginner Pilates tips to keep in mind

The best Pilates exercises for beginners

1. The hundred

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