Introduction
You might have heard about CrossFit a lot and it is no surprise since it has been extremely popular in recent times. But do you know what CrossFit actually is? It is rather tough to pin down CrossFit into a particular category of exercises. It combines endurance, weight training and aerobic activities to give you the most effective workout. According to Greg Glassman, who is the founder of CrossFit and also a former gymnast, The speciality of CrossFit is not specializing.
CrossFit is basically a well-thought-out combination of hundreds of exercises to give you the best routines. You need to be an active person to perform these exercises effectively as it demands a lot of stamina and strength. The exercises are usually performed in quick successions and do not demand a great deal of time from you.
CrossFit exercises can be performed at home provided that you are a self-motivated individual. You can find a huge range of videos on the CrossFit website and you do not necessarily have to be a member to view these. An official subscription, however, will cost you a small annual fee. The best way to be a part of CrossFit is to join an affiliate, especially for people who are not very fit. A basic body conditioning to cope up with the exercise intensity can be developed through these affiliate centers. Most of these centers even offer a free introductory class that lasts about an hour. These classes are aimed at familiarizing potential recruits about the various routines and letting them decide whether CrossFit is right for them. CrossFit has over 4400 centers throughout the world, so finding one that suits your location should not be a tough task.
If you have never visited a CrossFit affiliate, you will be surprised by what you see. These are not your typical health and fitness clubs with several cardio equipments like treadmills and stationary bikes, where club members perform their own routines. At CrossFit, you will be surprised to find a warehouse type of setting with equipments such as Olympic weights, medicine balls, plyometric boxes, kettlebells, and dumbbells among others. Apart from these, you will also find ropes for climbing, hanging gymnastic rings, and pull-up bars. Rowing machines would perhaps be the only cardio machines that you would find here.
Workouts are performed in groups and if you are worried how you would fit in as a newcomer, CrossFit has in place, a very effective mechanism to fit you right in. Every new member who wishes to join CrossFit needs to mandatorily undergo an initiation course that lasts for a month. Here, you are taught how to perform the routines maintaining the right postures.
You are expected to follow some safety tips and also a nutrition plan as specified by CrossFit. You must keep in mind that following the instructions appropriately gives you the best and quickest results, while keeping you from harms way. People who diligently participate in CrossFit are known to more or less get addicted to this kind of exercise and swear by its effectiveness.
Chapter 1: All About CrossFit Exercises
By now, you would have understood that CrossFit demands a basic level of fitness from you. CrossFit, which is one of the fastest growing exercise trends today, has adopted, preparing the body for not only the known but also the unknown, as its mantra. It goes beyond the traditional exercises programs that focus on weight training targeted at isolated muscles or certain aerobic activities. The onus is on overall conditioning, endurance, muscles, and strength. The intense aerobic activity involved with the routines automatically translates into weight loss.
The main feature of CrossFit exercises is Workout of the Day or WOD. CrossFit posts a new WOD everyday on its website and these are usually named after Military Heros or Women. All the WOD are very physically demanding. Some of the popular ones are Jackie, Murph, Angie, and Barbara. Each of these is a combination of workout routines, which will be detailed in this book in the subsequent chapters. You are required to do these workouts anywhere from three to five days a week. The workouts do not demand a lot of time and can be performed quickly. In fact, most workouts are expected to be completed within about 20 minutes.
The workouts follow a circuit format, which means one exercise follows another in quick succession with virtually no rest in between. CrossFit combines high-intensity body workouts such as squatting, pushing, pulling, rowing, and running with weight training.
What is Circuit Training?
Circuit workout plans are a combination of weight training and cardiovascular exercises. The sessions are usually intense that keep you in motion all the time with very short breaks (if any) for just a few seconds. About 8 to 10 exercises are designed in sequence with each exercise being repeated a particular number of times. Upon completion, the circuit is then repeated to complete it a specified number of times or until a particular duration. They give you all the benefits that you stand to gain from going through longer-duration workouts in a traditional gym.
A little About the Equipments Used in CrossFit
It helps to know the kind of equipments you would be using during your CrossFit routines to better understand what you are getting into. Below are some of the equipments that you would be using:
Olympic weights
These are the most basic types of weights that need no introduction. The name comes from their use in Olympic sports. These basic weights, which are mounted on either sides of a barbell, are used in several ways during your CrossFit workouts. You can also expect to use the weight mounts/plates and barbells in several ways during your CrossFit exercise routines.
Kettlebells
These are hand weights that have their origins in Russia. They are basically cannon balls with a handle and have a history of being used by Russian soldiers since ages. They have recently become very popular around the world and are even used by the defense forces in their workouts. They form a huge part of CrossFit exercises and help build endurance and muscle mass, and also aid in shedding weight. The weight of kettlebells is measured in poods. One pood equals 35 pounds or 16 kilograms.
Dumbbells
It is no surprise if you own a couple of these yourselves, as most people do. They make weight training very straightforward and effective in comparison to most complicated weightlifting machines. Even if you are planning on practicing CrossFit at your home, you can own a couple of these on your own. Just keep in mind that it is better to purchase the ones which you can add weights to. You would need additional weights as you build your lifting capacity over time with CrossFit routines.