Keeping It Clean

Strength and conditioning coach Josh Everett offers up his advice for any athletes who plan to compete in competitions with drug testing.

The overwhelming majority of the CrossFit community supports and wants drug testing of the athletes who participate in the CrossFit Games, but what does this really mean for our athletes? And how do CrossFitters prepare for any other events where drug testing is in place?

Having worked about a dozen years as a strength and conditioning coach at the NCAA Division 1 level, I became very familiar with the drug tests, the banned-substance list and the strategies for avoiding accidentally consuming a banned substance. At the universities I worked for, our student athletes were subject to random testing for street and performance-enhancing drugs two to three times a year. In addition to those random tests, NCAA athletes are also tested at NCAA championship events should they or their team make it that far.

At the collegiate level, there is a continual education and awareness campaign for the student athletes regarding supplements and drug testing. I’m going to share some of these strategies and some ideas of my own that will help CrossFitters avoid consuming a banned substance and having an embarrassing positive test that could cost placement, prize money, sponsorships, etc.

Catherine Bell Tessie Santiago Jessica Simpson Mandy Moore Shannon Elizabeth