This Meal Plan Will Make You Move Fast, Lift Heavy, and Race Better

Elite CrossFitter and Spartan Games 2.0 competitor Christian Harris’ approach to nutrition is squarely focused on quality: Which fuel is going to optimize his performance, recovery, and long-term health day in and day out?

“My philosophy has changed a bit over the past couple of years, especially as I'm getting older,” he says.

TRY THE PROGRAM: Move Fast, Lift Heavy, and Race Better With Christian Harris

For Harris, that means no dairy, no sugar, fueling properly, and practicing intermittent fasting.

“I'm looking to do things that are going to help with longevity,” he explains.

Intermittent Fasting and Meal Prep for Spartans Taking on the Move Fast, Lift Heavy, Race Better Program

For some, intermittent fasting (IF) can make it difficult to take in enough calories for tough workouts or endurance events like Spartan races. But for Harris, the mounting evidence of broad health benefits outweigh that minor inconvenience.

“Over the past two-ish years, I’ve been doing a lot of intermittent fasting because I’ve been reading up on a lot of the benefits that it has from a healing standpoint,” he says.

So, when it comes to making sure he’s fueling up appropriately for his workouts or events, he’s been working with RP Strength since 2016 to guide his nutrition timing.

“They've given me the tools to understand macronutrients and meal timing around workouts, as well as the importance of getting carbs in around workout times to help fuel my performance and recovery,” Harris explains.

Harris’ No Sugar, No Dairy Rule for Spartans

Since longevity is a huge priority for Harris, he tries his best to avoid added sugar and dairy.

“It’s highly inflammatory,” he says. “I also don’t feel great if I eat it."

A Day of Eating With Spartan Games 2.0's Christian Harris

Harris considers himself a creature of habit when it comes to daily eating. The following is what his daily meals look like.

12 p.m.

At noon, Harris starts fueling with an egg white omelet with chicken breast, spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and scallions, plus oatmeal with cinnamon, chia seeds, banana, blueberries, strawberries, and maple syrup.

3 p.m.

Hours later, he'll eat a taco wrap with chicken, arugula, tomato, salsa, hot sauce, and guacamole on a low-carb wrap with white rice on the side.

5 p.m.

An afternoon meal for Harris consists of salmon, kale salad, and a sweet potato.

7 p.m.

Lastly, he'll eat some granola with almond milk, blueberries, strawberries, and honey with a chocolate and peanut butter protein shake.

Harris’ Pre-Race Meal Choice

For a shorter race like a 5K Spartan Sprint, he usually won't eat anything to avoid digesting while racing. But for a longer duration race like a 10K Super or a 21K Beast, it would be a banana, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a protein shake, and water.

Think you can keep up with Christian Harris’ OCR prep? Check out Harris' Move Fast, Lift Heavy, Race Better program now.

Mike Simone

Mike Simone is a writer, producer, certified trainer, and creator of humanfitproject. He's also the former executive digital director of Men's Fitness magazine and has worked with brands such as Mens Journal, Men's Health, Muscle & Fitness, Women's Running, and Equinox. Follow him on Twitter @Mike Simone and @humanfitproject.