CrossFit has quickly blown up in the last few years to be one of the biggest workout crazes in the world. If you do not want to go to a gym to participate in a CrossFit Workout of the Day (WOD) or you do not have a gym near you, you can do it in your own home. With the CrossFit workout equipment and exercises we’ll describe here, you’ll be able to start your daily workouts in no time.
What is CrossFit?
CrossFit is a form of high intensity interval training, which is when you give maximum effort for a period followed by a period of rest. CrossFit is a strength and conditioning workout made up of functional movements performed at a high intensity. The functional movements are actions that you perform in your everyday life, such as squatting, pulling, and pushing. The exercises are performed for predetermined amounts of time instead of a traditional workout telling you how many reps to do in any amount of time.
CrossFit Home Gym Equipment
The great thing about this form of exercise is that a CrossFit home gym can be set up much more easily than you might expect.
Squat Rack
If you are going to start building a CrossFit home gym, including strength equipment is essential. And of all the strength equipment, a squat rack is one of the most used pieces of equipment. Although “squat” is in it’s name, it is a versatile piece of equipment that allows you to do many different exercises. You can do pull-ups, muscle-ups, and much more.
Rowing Machine
A rowing machine is an excellent addition to any CrossFit home gym. It allows you to do more varieties of cardio workouts as well as work on pulling power. When you use a rowing machine, you exercise over 80% of your body’s muscles, all while improving your cardiovascular health. In fact, CrossFit loves the rowing machine so much that it is one of the only pieces of equipment used in the CrossFit Games.
Indoor Cycle
An indoor cycling machine is another great way to train cardio and push yourself even further. Even a short stint on your indoor cycle will help you shed fat, improve your heart health, and improve your muscle endurance. People who might struggle a little bit with high-impact cardio workouts like running may find cycling to be a better option. It is a low-impact workout that tends to be more comfortable on sensitive joints.
Treadmill
When many people think of CrossFit, they may think only of strength-training workouts. However, this type of workout is most effective when it is combined with running. Often, you will pair running intervals with intervals of other movements like pushups, pull-ups, and deadlifts. By including a treadmill in your CrossFit home gym, you won’t even have to leave your home to get in your run.
Kettlebells
Another piece of CrossFit workout equipment you have probably heard of is a kettlebell. There is a wide variety of exercises you can perform with a kettlebell including cleans, snatches, push presses, deadlifts, front squats, and overhead squats. If you are going to train with a heavier kettlebell, make sure you know the proper technique you should be using to prevent injury.
Medicine Ball
Medicine balls are a popular piece of CrossFit gym equipment because they help develop explosiveness and power. They can also be a great tool for rehabbing injuries as well as doing higher rep counts of exercises you would normally do with a barbell or dumbbell. Medicine balls are helpful for increasing your cardiovascular fitness, building explosive power, and developing your abs.
CrossFit Home Exercises
These CrossFit exercises are a great way for beginners to dip their toes into the CrossFit water, but they are also effective for more experienced people as well.
This round of exercises consists of two different movements, kettlebell swings, and dumbbell thrusters. You’ll begin by doing 10 kettlebell swings at a moderate weight and then follow with 10 dumbbell thrusters. Then you will do 9 of each, then 8 of each, and so on until you reach 1 of each.
With this workout, you do 3 rounds of the following as quickly as possible. Begin with 12 front squats with a barbell, and follow with 10 pull-ups and 8 push presses.
Maybe you want to switch things up and skip out on the strength training and run instead. You can get outside to do it or use your treadmill. Running is a great way to mix it up because it is an excellent form of cardio that gets your heart rate up. It starts with a half mile run before a 3 minute rest. Then, you complete a quarter-mile run before resting for 2 minutes. Finally, end with a ⅛ mile run and a 5-minute rest.
This series of exercises will consist of 3 rounds of each exercise. First, complete 21 burpees and 21 thrusters before taking a short break. In the second round, you will do 15 reps each of burpees and thrusters. Then you will take another short break before completing 9 reps of each movement. Try to keep the breaks in between rounds as short as possible. While burpees and thrusters are exercises everyone loves to hate, they are extremely effective because they require your entrie body.
This workout will require a barbell and depending on your strength level, some weights as well. You will complete 5 sets of each exercise. This series of exercises will target your entire body. You will do 8-10 deadlifts followed by 8-10 overhead pressed and finished with 8-10 bent-over rows. Keep in mind that for movements like the strict press and row, you can complete the reps with one arm at a time or both.
Starting Your CrossFit Home Gym
In the past, it might’ve been that you could only do CrossFit exercises at a designated CrossFit gym. Now, you can enjoy a killer workout in the comfort of your own home. The CrossFit gym equipment and exercises we included in this article will be a great starting point for anyone looking to build a CrossFit home gym. All that’s left for you is to get started.