With the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games less than a month away, top athletes all over the world are fine tuning their training and diet plans in preparation. For Rich Froning, a man who won the Reebok CrossFit Games in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014, his diet ahead of the Games doesn’t need much tweaking.
At this point, he knows what works for his body and what doesn’t, and he certainly doesn’t sweat the small stuff like Chick-Fil-A for dinner every once in awhile.
This week, he shared on YouTube what his full day of eating looks like. He will be competing for CrossFit Mayhem Freedom at the Games next month and this, like most days, is a workout day. Here’s how he fuels up.
Back in April, Froning shared with Men’s Health that in general he follows a traditional athlete diet, meaning low fat and lots of carbs (anywhere from 200 to 500 grams per day, depending on what his training is like that day.) He also said that he used to fast from breakfast through 5 pm, but he wasn’t eating enough carbs.
Rich Froning’s Diet
Since April, not much has changed. He still does intermittent fasting which for him means his first meal isn’t till around 1 p.m., and he stops eating around 9 p.m. That’s a standard 16/8 split. (16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of eating.) He said fasting has been really good for him because it forces him to eat all during the day when he’s training.
His first training session starts around 9 a.m., and his first meal is around 1 p.m. In general he aims for 45 grams of protein in a meal, along with 25 grams of healthy fats, and anywhere from 120-125 grams of carbohydrates. What makes up his macros could change every day but surprisingly, the day he filmed included chocolate syrup and fries.
Meal 1: Protein shake (with milk and Hershey’s syrup)
Meal 2: Two pieces of toast with peanut butter and jelly and eggs with veggies
Meal 3: Protein shake (with milk and Hershey’s syrup)
Meal 4: Chick-fil-A (12-count grill nugget, medium fry, lemonade and large “superfruit salad”) 45 grams of protein, 120 carbs (60 healthy, 60 high GI carbs), 20 grams of fat
Meal 5: Shake (oats, frozen berries, protein, greek yogurt, milk)
The distinction between “healthy” and “high GI carbs” is an interesting one, and it suggests he may still follows the Renaissance Periodization diet that he was back in April, which splits carbs into “Healthy” (eg. whole grain bread, brown rice), “High GI” (sugary cereal, white potatoes), and “Workout” (lemonade, fruit juice).
While the video didn’t include a full caloric breakdown, in the past Froning is said to clock in around 3,000 calories.
The CrossFit Games kick off on August 1st and we’re excited to see how Froning and the rest of Mayhem Freedom does.
Featured image from CrossFit Mayhem YouTube channel.
