Crossfit for beginners
Table of Contents
What is crossfit?
Crossfit originated in the USA and consists of a set of short, high-intensity exercises that can be combined with various sports. Crossfit training can include everything from weightlifting, plyometrics, powerlifting to gymnastics - making the exercises relevant whether you want to become faster, stronger, or leaner. Crossfit exercises are constantly varied, functional movements performed at high intensity. If you want to read more about what high-intensity training involves, check out HIIT training for beginners.
The fact that crossfit is constantly varied means that the workouts are rarely the same, where you should not fall into a fixed routine and include as much creativity as possible. With this, the body is challenged in each session, which will create results. The training involves functional exercises that mean doing what feels natural for the body and improving everyday movements. Exercises can, for example, be lifting something from the ground or pushing, movements we do all the time in daily life.
How to get started with crossfit
Like all sports, there are some fundamental principles that should be established before starting training. First and foremost, it’s essential to learn the basic movements so that you understand how the exercises should be performed to achieve the right progression and stay injury-free. At the same time, it’s important to start slowly and listen to the body’s signals by not pushing too hard. An idea could be to start with lower intensity and longer sessions, then work your way up when you feel progression. Finding the right balance is also central, where you need to ensure you take breaks between exercises and not get too eager.
Read more: Preventive training and how to get started with training
Crossfit exercises
There are countless crossfit movements that can be performed at different difficulty levels. The exercises can either be performed at home in the living room or you can take it a step further to a gym and incorporate weights. We have compiled some exercises for beginners that can easily be done anywhere. The workouts generally last for 15-30 minutes during which you should give maximum effort to feel like you’ve given your all by the end of the session. The number of repetitions is determined by your fitness level, so avoid taking many breaks as this should be done intensively.
Burpees
A classic way to start crossfit training is with burpees which engage the core, chest, triceps, glutes, and raises your heart rate.
Here’s how to perform the exercise:
- Stand upright
- Bend down and place your hands on the ground shoulder-width apart
- Jump back with your feet into a plank position
- Do a push-up
- Jump your feet back in and then jump as high as you can with your arms extended upwards, and clap
Atomic sit-ups
Next, we perform a sit-up variation that primarily trains the core and abdominal muscles.
Here’s how to perform the exercise:
- Lie on your back with your legs straight and arms overhead
- Engage your core to sit up while bringing your arms forward and bending your knees towards your chest with your feet pointed outward at a 90-degree angle
- Grab your ankles and then return to the starting position
Step onto a chair
We continue with the box jump which can easily be adapted to step onto a chair at home. This exercise targets the front and back of the thighs, glutes, and raises your heart rate. To perform this exercise, you need a chair or stool that is no higher than your knees.
Here’s how to perform the exercise:
- Engage your core and glutes, and lift one foot onto the chair
- Press down through your heel and lift yourself onto the chair
- Lift the knee of the other leg to hip level
- Then lower the knee back down towards the ground in a controlled movement
Repeat with the opposite leg. If you want to increase the difficulty, you can choose to jump up and down on the chair instead of stepping up one leg at a time in more controlled movements.
Squat jumps
The classic squat combined with a jump trains the front and back of the thighs, glutes, core, and balance. Make sure to keep your knees and toes pointing forward during the exercise to avoid knee pain and injuries.
Here’s how to perform the exercise:
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart, hands behind your neck engaging your glutes and abs
- Lower your hips to knee height by shifting your weight back onto your heels
- Stand back up while jumping as high as you can. Land softly by returning to a squat in a fluid motion.
Wall ball with squat
Finish your workout with the wall ball exercise that challenges all your muscles and strengthens both muscle mass and fitness. To perform this exercise, you need a soft ball to avoid damaging your home.
Here’s how to perform the exercise:
- The starting position is similar to previous exercises where you stand with your toes and knees pointing forward shoulder-width apart
- Go down into a squat, as you come up throw the ball against the wall
- When you stand up straight, catch the ball and go back down into a squat with the ball
Crossfit activewear
An important aspect of performing is to wear the right crossfit clothing so that the body can perform at its best. Since the training is intensive, it’s crucial to have activewear that fits well so that you are not bothered by clothes slipping up or down.
For leggings for crossfit, we recommend compression leggings. The benefits of these leggings are precisely that they fit snugly against the body, increasing blood circulation. Among our selection, we have something for all preferences, where the commonality lies in that they all have a high waistband and are squat-proof. However, how you prefer the leggings to fit is differentiating, and if you want more varieties, you can see the entire leggings collection.
Read more about all the leggings we offer and their benefits here!
When it comes to tops, you can either choose a fitted version to keep it in place during movements, or you can go for a looser fit. A loose top will shift more during the session, but will feel freer and provide better breathability. Among training tops, we have a wide range that covers different preferences.
Find the right training top using our guide!
A sports bra with good support is a must for crossfit training. When the temperature rises during the session, you might as well take off the training top as the sports bra will function just as well as a top.
Read more about our best sports bras!
As mentioned, temperatures can quickly rise during crossfit training, and for many, it may be more comfortable to wear training shorts instead of full-length leggings. Here, it’s advantageous that the biker shorts fit well around the thighs to stay in place during your workout.
