weightlifting and the zone

[Rachel Izzo]

So maybe this should be over in the zone thread, but I think it could work on both.

What do you all honestly think about the zone and lifting, and I mean full-time lifters? Everyone at my gym is discouraging me from doing it (apart from one girl who's also a CF trainer). Do elite lifters ever follow zone? Does it work for that heavy lifting? People are telling me no, more carbs, and just more food in general. So far, I'm not budging, but now learning that Melanie Roach and her nutritionist don't follow zone, I'm not so sure.

[Steven Low]

Find out what works best for your body. If Zone does then do it. If it doesn't don't do it. Play around with your macros some.

[Alex Bond]

I think the priciples of the Zone are good - don't eat your macronutrients out of balance, don't eat too many calories, etc.

For weightlifters, follow the same basic principles- don't eat high GI carbs, eat a TON of protein, eat balanced amounts of macronutrients in each meal, and as long as you follow basic nutrition rules, eat as many calories as it takes to have the forward progress you want.

Weightlifters should worry about their PRs, not their calorie intake. That doesn't give them carte blanche to eat whatever they want. Eat healthy, but eat as much of it as you need to make progress, and you will.

[Jordan Glasser]

HI Rachel,

I trained with the crossfit seattle crew back when it was crossfit north. You had great talents then, I can only imagine that your efforts in becoming a weightlifter will only pay off.

Couple of questions.
Are you zoning right now?
Do you feel good?
Are you improving?

And, what does scott recommend?

From personal experience I can say this. The zone is the best diet for me when I am doing crossfit as the majority of my training. However, I often switch things up and focus on the lifts. Here's where I find I need to make adjustments to the zone. But, because I am on the zone, those adjustments are so easy to make.

[Mike ODonnell]

Zone is a great "diet"....if fat loss and body composition are your goals

Once you start multiplying fat blocks...it's not even the "zone" anymore

I say use the Zone as a tool to get certain body composition results and learn portion control....and then start to try new things to find what works best for you! Some people do great on zone.....some do better with IF....some with Paleo. Some love to workout fasted...other's would rather have a snack beforehand. Don't be afraid to experiment (that's the only way you will know the truth for you).....as anyone who claims that only one way is the right way is being silly. (Hey I'll even admit IF is not for everyone....but then again you can always change up the macronutrients and calories to any IF plan to make it work for you)

[Rachel Izzo]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

Jordan: You trained at CFN? And you remember me? I miss those days! I am currently zoning, and I feel ok as of right now, although I'm not good with accepting how my body feels ie if I'm in pain or tired, etc. I feel ok, my numbers are going up, but Sam (do you remember him?) is insisting that I'm not eating enough, and he firmly believes that the lifting would improve even more if I ate more calories. Melanie Roach's nutritionist also came in and gave a talk to their gym and said that low carb diets do not work for athletes. Not that the zone is necessarily low carb, but that athletes need more carbs, etc.

Scott recommends that I stay with zone, as does Allison (do you remember her?). I'm at 13 blocks, and it seems to be working fine. My only thing is, is COULD it be better if I did something else? It's also hard for me to change things; I've been zoning for so long it's hard for me to play around with other things, and wondering who I should listen to ... Sam Maxwell, former Olympian, or my two closest crossfit trainers ...

[Keith Moore]

Am I missing something? 40% of Cals from carbs at a modest intake of 2500 Cal is 250 g carbs. That doesn't seem low carb at all to me. Well, I eat more like 125 g, which isn't even ketogenic. I'll admit I'm not really familiar with Zone but I thought it had something to do with 40/30/30 ratios...

[Greg Everett]

I know of no weightlifters who use the Zone, and I would never recommend it. Like Kelly says, it's NOT low carb by any stretch of the imagination. It's not nearly enough protein for that sport, and waaaaay to many carbs. If you're training virtually exclusively in the realm of phosphagen metabolism, and that ATP/CP is being replenished through oxidative metabolism of fat, there's really no need for carb intake beyond vegetables and some fruit, wth the exception of weight gain situations.

If you want to be a crossfitter, listen to crossfitters. If you want to be a weightlifter, listen to weightlifters and their coaches.

[Gant Grimes]

Originally Posted by Greg Everett

If you want to be a crossfitter, listen to crossfitters. If you want to be a weightlifter, listen to weightlifters and their coaches.

Nice.

And if a CF trainer only suggests the Zone, then don't listen to that person, either. There are a number of ways to achieve your goals. Most of them involve consuming bucket loads of flesh.

[Rachel Izzo]

Originally Posted by Greg Everett

I know of no weightlifters who use the Zone, and I would never recommend it. Like Kelly says, it's NOT low carb by any stretch of the imagination. It's not nearly enough protein for that sport, and waaaaay to many carbs. If you're training virtually exclusively in the realm of phosphagen metabolism, and that ATP/CP is being replenished through oxidative metabolism of fat, there's really no need for carb intake beyond vegetables and some fruit, wth the exception of weight gain situations.

If you want to be a crossfitter, listen to crossfitters. If you want to be a weightlifter, listen to weightlifters and their coaches.

Wait, so you're saying that the zone is TOO much carbs? Because the ones who are telling me to go off zone (my coaches) are saying i'm not eating ENOUGH carbs. This is why I'm so confused ...