CrossFit is one of the most challenging sports and physical events on the planet. It combines a mixture of many training disciplines and requires high levels of every energy system each grueling workout.
For many CrossFitters, the addition of a few research-proven supplements can have tremendous effects on their results. By improving aspects of performance such as strength, endurance, aerobic fitness, and energy capacity, your WOD scores will soar.
This article will help you understand which supplements can help, and which ones you don’t need. And what to look for to distinguish some products from others.
Do Crossfit Athletes Need Supplements?
Most people say you don’t need supplements, which is true—if you aren’t concerned with maximizing your performance.
It’s completely true that the average person going to the gym can get good results without supplements.
However, for anybody who wants the extra edge, to find and push past their potential, the right supplements can play an indispensable role.
This is obvious to anybody who competes in Crossfit. That extra push can make a big difference to your WOD, overall training results, and most importantly, be the difference between 1st place and 10th place in a competition.
Athletes put extreme stress on their body, and can benefit from any added nutrient support to keep their body performing at the level they require.
The Best Supplements For Crossfit
Specifically, for Crossfit, here are the supplements we feel should be non-negotiable, along with a brief overview of their benefits and how to choose the right one. Some will cover performance, others recovery, and others all-important foundational health.
Then we’ll get into the “nice to have” supplements, or ones that will help in certain situations.
1) 100% Isolate Protein Powder
The first and most obvious is protein powder. Why? Serious athletes have higher protein demands than the average person. Kaged athlete and physical specimen Davey Fisher says he aims to hit 200g per day. For Crossfit athletes at the highest levels, it may be even higher.
Protein powder can be a convenient way to get fast-digesting protein when you need it. But what should you get? Whey protein? Vegan protein? What should you look for?
What to Look for in a Protein Powder
First and foremost understand that not all protein powders are created equal.
100% Isolate Protein
On protein powders you’ll see two main kinds: concentrate and isolate. Whether it’s whey or pea or casein, you’ll still see it marked as “concentrate” or “isolate.”
In this article, we dive deep on the differences between whey protein isolate vs concentrate.
To sum it up, isolate protein is ultrafiltered, whereas concentration contains more sugar, fat, lactose, and other fillers.
If you want to put the best in your body, 100% isolate is the choice.
No Proprietary Blends
This brings us to the next point. Just because a protein advertises the presence of isolate, doesn’t mean it’s all isolate. It’s possible that you’re getting a “blend,” and also possible that the tub won’t even disclose the ratio!
That’s a sign that they may be putting in a small amount of isolate so they can advertise its presence, but also using cheap protein concentrate.
In Kaged proteins we never use proprietary blends and only use isolate proteins.
Third-Party Testing For Banned Substances
Next, if you’re competing in Crossfit the last thing you want is to take something that hasn’t been tested for banned substances.
One of the most reputable third-party certifications is called “Informed Sport.” On tubs of protein powder, you’ll see the Informed-Sport logo, which means you can trust that it has been tested for all banned substances.
Kaged proteins check all of these boxes, and come in incredible flavors. For your new favorite protein powder check out our selection of proteins.
2) Creatine
Creatine is one of the most well-researched supplements in existence, and has been shown to help build muscle, increase strength, and improve recovery in between sets.*
It’s also a relatively inexpensive supplement, which helps make it a no-brainer. 5g a day, every day, without cycling is the gold standard.
Creatine Monohydrate vs Creatine HCl
We cover this extensively in this article on creatine monohydrate vs HCl. To summarize, they’re both effective. They each have a few advantages.
Creatine HCl mixes easier, and many people report less digestive distress when using HCl. Monohydrate is the tried-and-true form. It’s usually less expensive per gram, but doesn’t mix as well.
At Kaged, we have Creatine HCl available in a flavored powder, unflavored powder, and capsules. We also have Creatine Monohydrate powder.
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3) Pre-Workout
Some people say that pre-workouts are just glorified cups of coffee. Sometimes, this can be true.
However, when your pre-workout has science-backed ingredients at effective doses, there’s no question that it will help you train harder and longer, and even help with recovery.*
That’s the case with Kaged pre-workouts.
What to Look For in a Pre-Workout
You’ll see some similarities that we talked about with protein powder.
Of course, caffeine is the classic pre-workout ingredient. However that’s not all you should look for. In fact, if you train in the evening you should look for a stimulant-free pre-workout that can provide the stamina, blood flow, power, and focus benefits without the caffeine.
Carnosyn® Beta-Alanine
Beta-Alanine has shown to improve performance of high-intensity exercise. Think weight training, explosive movements, and HIIT cardio. In other words, a lot of what Crossfit workouts entail.
L-Citrulline
L-Citrulline is an amino acid that supports blood flow via nitric oxide synthesis. This in turn means long-lasting muscle pumps, improved muscular endurance, and reduced muscular fatigue.*
In Kaged pre-workouts, we use plant-based L-Citrulline and never use Citrulline malate. (You can read more about why in this article on L-Citrulline vs Citrulline Malate.)
The dose also matters. A gram or two of citrulline is okay, but for peak performance, look for a minimum of 3.5g and upwards of 10g.
Ingredients for Focus
Can you get the focus without the caffeine? We believe you can. In our original pre-workout, Pre-Kaged, we include two forms of L-Tyrosine, even in our non-stimulant version.
In our most powerful pre-workout, Pre-Workout Elite, we took this further and added ingredients like Alpha-GPC. It works as a precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. With or without caffeine, if your pre-workout doesn’t support sharper mental focus, you’re missing out.*
4) Omega-3s
Last on our essentials list is omega-3s.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients that play a crucial role in brain, joint, and heart health.*
These powerful compounds are found primarily in fish oil and are known for their anti-inflammatory properties.
Crossfit movements often require very high reps and in movements that test the limits of joint mobility, like the overhead squat. This can but strain on the joints. An omega 3 supplement won’t solve problems of bad form, but it can support your joint health.*
Unless you eat lots of fatty fish and get enough from your diet (rare in Western diets), then you can likely benefit from an omega 3 supplement.
What to Look For in An Omega 3 Supplement
Again, they’re not all created equal. In fact, many of them have lots of quality issues, as we talk about in this article The Ugly Truth of Fish Oil Supplements.
The typical pharmacy or supermarket omega-3 is often low-dose and low-quality, collected from mass-farmed fish.
Wild-Caught
Many typical supermarket omega 3s come from mass-market, antibiotic-laced farmed fish that swim in their own sewage and contain high amounts of heavy metals.
Kaged omega-3 is 100% wild-caught off the coast of Chile.
Higher Dose, Higher Absorption
We use a triglyceride form of omega-3s that digests easily and is highly-absorbable. This form is what’s found in fresh fish.
Each serving contains 1100mg of EPA and 900mg of DHA. Overall, 67% of the fatty acids in Kaged Omega-3 are DHA and EPA, which is a higher percentage and overall amount than many other brands.
Friend of The Sea Certified
Kaged Omega-3 is Friend of the Sea certified. This is a third-party certification awarded for sustainable practices. It’s better for you, the fish, and the environment.
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Nice-To-Have Supplements for Crossfit
5) Greens Powder
Most Americans simply do not consume enough greens. The right greens powder can help with this. However, it should never be a substitute for eating ample fruits and vegetables.
Taking a scoop per day can help you get in more greens, plain and simple.
What to Look For in a Greens Powder
Look for first and foremost full doses of superfoods. So many greens powders use proprietary blends. You may see lots of grasses, which are okay, but that doesn’t give you a wider spectrum of superfoods.
Second, look for one that tastes good. Let’s be honest, most greens powder taste like wet grass. We believe we’ve made one of the best-tasting greens powders out there, and it’s backed by our Great-Taste Guarantee. If Kaged organic greens is not the best greens drink you’ve ever had, we’ll give you your money back.
6) Multivitamin
For foundational health, you want to make sure you get in enough essential vitamins and minerals. This is where a high-quality multivitamin can help.
This won’t be necessary if you’re eating lots of fruits and vegetables. A multivitamin acts as an insurance policy, ensuring that you're covering all your bases for optimal health and performance.
What to Look For in a Multivitamin
When selecting a multivitamin, it's essential to look beyond just the vitamin and mineral content.
The source of these nutrients, their bioavailability (how well they're absorbed by your body), and additional health-supporting ingredients all play a significant role in the effectiveness of the supplement.
What Separates Kaged Multi?
100% Whole-Food Sourced Vitamins and Minerals
Kaged Multivitamin stands out by sourcing its nutrients from whole food, organic ingredients. This approach ensures that the vitamins and minerals are in a more natural form that your body can absorb.*
Enhanced Absorption with Prebiotic Fiber*
To further support the absorption of the 21 essential vitamins and minerals, we added prebiotic fiber.*
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7) Glutamine
Glutamine is an amino acid that plays a vital role in muscle recovery.
Intense training sessions can deplete glutamine levels in the body, leading to decreased performance and slower recovery times.
Supplementing with glutamine ensures that your body has the resources it needs to recover quickly and efficiently, keeping you ready for your next workout.
If you’re consuming enough protein, you may be getting all the glutamine you need. However, you can also supplement with glutamine alone.
Kaged L-Glutamine comes in an unflavored powder that’s easy to add to any stack. It also comes from 100% plant-based amino acids.
8) BCAAs
Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) are a critical supplement for CrossFit athletes, known for their significant impact on muscle recovery, endurance, and growth. BCAAs refer to three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine, which are pivotal for muscle protein synthesis and energy production during intense workouts.
Again, Kaged BCAAs are plant-based and come in an unflavored powder that’s easy to add to any stack.
We also include 6.5g of BCAAs in our original pre-workout, Pre-Kaged.
Supplements for Crossfit: Final Thoughts
The best crossfit supplements won’t vary much from the best supplements in general. The difference is the demands of crossfit, especially competitive crossfit, will exceed what most people need.
This means the emphasis on peak performance and recovery is greater than the average person, which may be why a few extra supplements can make a big difference.
Build Your Own Stack and Save
If you’re looking to optimize your training and recovery, then the right supplements will help you do that. To get the perfect stack for you, you can select 3 items and save 10% or select 5 items and save 15%. Plus, you’ll get free gifts.
BUNDLE & SAVE
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
