From mobility workouts to training plans with your own weightWild Sail Training– there are now perhaps thousands of forms of training that are becoming increasingly popular among fitness enthusiasts. No matter what sport we choose, our main goal is always to either lose weight or build muscle. However, most people only focus on one aspect at a time. If you only train your strength by lifting weights or your endurance by running on the treadmill, you often neglect many other very important components of fitness such as coordination, speed and agility. Anyone who has ever been to a gym has probably heard of HIIT workouts, but what about CrossFit workouts? Sprinting, jumping, lifting weights and climbing - with as few breaks as possible and in the shortest possible time: No wonder that CrossFit exercises are among the hardest workouts in the world. Crossfit is a great way to get your body in shape for summer. We'll tell you the most important basics and tips to get started as well as the best exercises below!
Incredibly intense and strenuous, but highly effective and functional: whenCrossfit TrainingIt's a tough fitness concept that literally pushes us to our physical limits. The workouts consist of varied functional movements with a quick change of pace and all aspects of fitness are trained and developed evenly. Just like many other fitness trends, the form of training was developed in the USA and is now particularly popular here too. However, the CrossFit exercises are not that dangerousas many people believe, and therefore ideal even for fitness beginners.
What exactly is CrossFit training?
Crossfit is a training method from the USA that was developed and perfected in the 80s by the Americans Greg and Lauren Glassmann. Originally, the sport was mainly practiced by police officers and soldiers to make them fit and strong during training. But a few years later, the fitness world quickly took a liking to CrossFit exercises and so the first studio, a so-called CrossFit box, was opened in 1995. The sport is different from typical strength training in the gym and, with its special concept, is part of what is known as functional training. This is the name given to workouts that do not focus on individual muscle groups or body parts, but rather train the entire body. It is a wonderful mix of endurance, strength and bodyweight exercises, the aim of which is to improve our speed, coordination, speed and flexibility. Better endurance and defined muscles come free, so to speak, and are a brilliant side effect.
The core of CrossFit workouts consists of around 60 functional exercises, which are actually nothing new for most fitness fans. These include, for examplePush-ups, squats, pull-ups, weight lifting, etc. However, these are cleverly combined and performed almost without breaks, which makes you really sweat. A training session usually lasts about an hour, but trust us - those 60 minutes will seem quite long. Researchers at Kennesaw State University found that a combination of squats, push-ups and pull-ups burns up to 15 calories per minute, depending on intensity. A good thought to enjoy every minute of training, right?
If you are a beginner and want to try CrossFit exercises for the first time, you should know that you will come across terms like WOD, AMRAP and the like. We will explain to you below what these stand for.
WODmeans “workout of the day” or in German “training of the day” and describes a specific sequence of CrossFit exercises. Every day there is a new WOD during training that lasts around 45-50 minutes. The goal is to either complete a certain number of laps in as little time as possible or to complete as many laps as possible in the allotted time. So training never gets boring and it is a kind of competition - whether with ourselves or with our training partner.
AMRAPstands for “as many repetitions as possible” and is often used in CrossFit workouts. It is designed to push our bodies to their limits in a short period of time. For example, if you know that you only want to do burpees in 10 minutes, you can really push yourself to do as many repetitions as possible.
EMOMis an acronym for “Every minute to the minute” and similar to the AMRAP, the ENOM also has a specified time. During this workout you should complete a certain number of repetitions of an exercise in one minute. When you're done with the reps, you're allowed to rest until the next minute.
These are the most important CrossFit exercises you should know
The variety of exercises in CrossFit training is almost limitless. No matter whether classics such as push-ups, deadlifts, squats and pull-ups, or special exercises such as box jumps andKettlebell Swings– absolutely everything is there. To give you a better idea of CrossFit training, we have put together the most commonly used CrossFit exercises for you. To avoid possible injuries, you should perform the exercises cleanly and correctly. It's better to train slowly and with full concentration at the beginning and then slowly work your way up.
- Burpeeis a combination of push-ups and squats with a jump and is without a doubt one of the most important CrossFit exercises you should know. To do this, place your legs hip-width apart and squat down. Quickly support yourself on your hands and jump into the plank position. Do a push-up and jump back into a squat. Jump up from a squat into a stretch jump - that's one repetition.
- Walking Lungestrain all the muscles of the upper body at the same time and, in contrast to stationary lunges, both legs are used equally. If the exercise is too easy for you, hold two dumbbells above your head as you perform the movement.
- Overhead Knee Brace –Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and grab a weight plate or a bottle of water with both hands and hold it above your head with your arms outstretched. Now squat deeply and repeat.
- Barbell Thrustersare another excellent squat variation that is an integral part of CrossFit training. It is a combination of squats and shoulder presses and is performed with barbells. First, place the dumbbell on your shoulders and squat deeply. As you stand up, press the dumbbell over your head in a fluid movement and extend your arms.
- Box Jump– For this CrossFit exercise you will need either a sturdy box or a chair. Stand about 30 centimeters in front of the box and bend your legs slightly. Bring your arms back and jump onto the box with momentum. Land in a slightly crouched position, stand up straight and jump back.
- Kettlebell Swingsare the ideal exercise to strengthen the back, legs andthe core musclesto train. Grab the kettlebell with both hands, bend your legs slightly and push your butt backwards. Shift your weight onto your heels and keep your back straight. From this position, explosively push your hips forward and swing the kettlebell to shoulder height with your arms outstretched.
Crossfit exercises for a toned body
- Wall Ballsare a very dynamic oneSquat variant, which targets all muscle groups at once, from the triceps to the calves. Stand in front of a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a medicine ball at head height. Point your toes outwards and squat deeply. Quickly stretch your body and throw the ball against the wall at a height of around 2-3 meters. Catch and quickly squat again.
- Deadlift –Stand in front of a barbell with your knees slightly bent and hold it firmly with your hands on the left and right of your shins. Pull your shoulder blades back, tense your stomach and keep your back straight. Now bring the barbell to hip height and push your pelvis forward. Then bring your pelvis back again and lower the barbell.
- Pull-upsare still referred to as “squats for the upper body” and are among the most effective bodyweight exercises. Hang on the pull-up bar and tense your back muscles. Pull your shoulder back and down and slowly and controlledly pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar. Then slowly return to the starting position until your arms are fully stretched.
- hold handstand –And now things get exciting! The handstand is one of the most difficult CrossFit exercises and is only suitable for very advanced people! Start in the classic all-fours position with your face turned away from a wall and place your hands directly under your shoulders. Now run your feet up the wall and then stretch out. And now hold the position until your hands can no longer. If you have already mastered this exercise, you can try lifting your feet off the wall.
The most popular CrossFit workouts
Okay, so you already know some CrossFit exercises, but want to know how to combine them for an effective workout? To help you, we present the most popular WODs.
Filthy 50is a CrossFit staple and consists of a super intense series of exercises. The workout includes 50 repetitions of 10 different exercises, all of which must be performed as quickly as possible.
- 50 Box Jumps
- 50 pull-ups
- 50 Kettlebell Swings
- 50 Walking Lunges
- 50 Burpees
- 50 shoulder presses
- 50 Knee to Elbows - To do this, get into the high plank position and alternately bring your right knee to your left elbow and your left knee to your right elbow.
- 50 Wall Balls
- 50 deadlifts
- 50 Double Unders - This is a jump rope exercise that involves swinging the jump rope under your feet twice during the jump.
Cindy –Many of the CrossFit workouts are named after women. However, we don't know what that could be. This WOD follows the AMRAP principle and you have to complete as many rounds of the following exercise combination as possible in 20 minutes.
- 5 pull-ups
- 10 push-ups
- 15 squats
Murphis probably the most famous CrossFit workout and not for the faint of heart. None of these exercises are something you don't know. But the high number of repetitions and the fact that there are no breaks make the workout a real challenge even for experienced athletes.
- The 2 kilometer sprint
- 100 pull-ups
- 200 push-ups
- 300 squats
- The 2 kilometer sprint
