Have you ever arrived at the gym ready to train and rolled your eyes at the realization that you forgot your jump rope...or weight belt?
Or are you a crossfit novice and trying to figure out which pieces of equipment you should always have with you when attending class?
If this sounds familiar you are in the right place. Crossfit is defined as, “Constantly varied functional movements performed at a high intensity.” What this means is that you are going to embark on many different movements taken from a plethora of areas including powerlifting, gymnastics and olympic lifting. Through the ever evolving programming you will start to realize that at times it would be nice for you to have your own items that will equip you to better perform during the class. So where do you start?
Below is a start up list of 3 items that I believe to be the most important.
- Correct Shoes - Within a crossfit shoe the weight is far better spread out on your feet and distribute body weight, whereas walking shoes are designed to be more flexible, allowing for greater comfort during your evening walkabouts. When engaging in complex moves that require a lot of balance, CrossFit-specific shoes will aid in helping you to maintain your form. In addition, the shoes will help ensure that you have a higher level of protection when performing the workout and thereby reduce the risk of injury.They provide the necessary support to your body, particularly to your joints such as your knees and ankles during your workouts, which is essential when ensuring the longevity of your health and safety against injury. Brands I recommend are Reebok, Nobull and Nike Metcons.
2. Weightlifting belt - As you step into the lifting world you may have started to notice that people wear belts when going into their heavier lifts. There are 3 main focuses of a lifting belt - increasing the use of our core, reduction of hyperextension in the lower back when lifting overhead and decreasing stress on the lower back when lifting. It is imperative as athletes that we do not utilize the belt for form when learning. Our form for each movement must be executed as an acceptable standard with weight added, and then only when we are going for our heavy lifts will we look to use the support of our belt.
3.Jump rope - If you are like me and had never heard of double unders, then the thought of having your own jump rope in your adult life may also have been new. As we progress through the technique of jump rope and get to know the skill of double unders we see that the length, weight and feel of the rope holds a significant effect on the success. In buying your own jump rope you will have the opportunity to cut it to your own height, become best buds with it and ultimately at times maybe get super frustrated with it. But the cool bit is that it is yours and just like with shoes it will be the perfect fit and comfort for you.
So I see your brain ticking, “where can I buy all of this?” The two online stores that I use are Wit Fitness https://www.wit-fitness.com/ and of course Amazon www.amazon.com. There you have it, the 3 top items a crossfitter should have in their gym bag as voted for on Instagram. For any questions or advise please do not hesitate to reach out via email or speak 1-on-1 with one of our certified coaches today!
