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CrossFit Exercises & Workouts For Your Entire Body

CrossFit Exercises and Workouts

CrossFit Gyms referred to as boxes are popping up globally as it becomes a popular way for all kinds of people to work out. CrossFit workouts are not just for people who are already athletic and fit. It is a great option for anyone wanting to get the benefits CrossFit exercises offer. For anyone unable to do them properly, they can easily be adapted. Once you learn the CrossFit basic movements you can go on from there. This is a high-intensity power fitness offering a full-body CrossFit workout (HIPT). Workouts are called WOD – Workout of the Day. They change but include dynamic CrossFit exercises such as explosive body movements, plyometric jumping, kettlebells and Olympic weightlifting. Below we take a look at a CrossFit Exercises list that explores some of the CrossFit movements and what you can achieve doing it.

Benefits of CrossFit Exercise

Benefits of CrossFit Exercises

Here is a look at just a few of the benefits of CrossFit exercises.

1) Can help you become physically stronger

The CrossFit core movements use multiple joints and high intensity to help you become stronger not just with your muscles but also in terms of stamina too. As you get stronger you add additional weight to each workout to further add stress to the muscles and thus increase muscle grain. The great thing about CrossFit exercises is they are a challenge and you have a lot of variety. You are not just working on arm muscle strength, or just on cardio fitness. You can work on all of your muscle groups. Each day a new WOD is posted and you can complete as many repetitions of the exercises as you can.

2) Can help you become fitter

The type of training you get with CrossFit workouts means you can increase the maximum oxygen you can use as you exercise. There are also aerobic benefits to working out this way and the fitness you achieve can cross and help with other sports. Boost your performance in cycling, running, lifting, football, swimming and more!

3) Helps you with weight control

A lot of people head to a gym to work out because they want to lose weight and CrossFit workouts can help there too. It is estimated that a woman at 165lbs and a man at 195lns can each burn per minute between 15 to 18 calories on a WOD about 13 to 15 doing a circuit. You can even carry on burning calories in your recovery time. When you combine a healthy diet and improving your lifestyle with CrossFit exercise you will soon see results.

4) Better flexibility, agility and balance

What is great about this CrossFit benefit is that it improves your everyday life in more ways than you realise. This is because a lot of workouts also include functional exercises. These are exercises that copy everyday movements. Lifting your shopping bag, squatting down to pick up your child, and more. Squats, overhead presses, kettlebell swings are examples of functional movements and they help with your flexibility, agility and balance.

CrossFit Exercises List

The following CrossFit exercises list is by no means exhaustive but is a good example of how varied CrossFit workouts are and how intense they can be. With better understanding and clear CrossFit exercises explained you can have more confidence in how much it can take your fitness to a whole new level.

Deadlift Thruster
Air Squat Squat Clean
Snatch Power Clean
Shoulder Press Push Press
Clean Squat Jerk
Double Under Legless Rope climb
Overhead Squat Clean and Push Jerk
Windshield Wiper Butterfly Pull-Up
Medicine-Ball Clean Push Jerk
Split Jerk Ring Push-Up
Rope Climb (Basket) L-Sit on Rings

Best CrossFit Exercises for your Entire Body

Below you will find CrossFit exercises for your whole body along with directions on weight, recommended reps and much more.

Full-Body CrossFit workouts & Exercises

A Full-body CrossFit workout does what it says it does, it is a workout that involves your whole body. Here is a dynamic example of one that will get you in great shape.

Directions for these CrossFit workouts

Follow these exercises in the order written; warmup, strength, then WOD 1, 2 and 3.

Warming up – run a 400m run, perform dynamic stretches in the form of Karaoke, Frankenstein walk, then high knees, hip swings and backpedal. Carry out 3 sets of 10 Kettlebell swings, 3 sets of 10 ring pushups, 3 sets of 10 squat jumps and then 3 sets of 5 burpees.

Strength – Do 10 clean and jerks at 43kg (95lbs) then 10 toes to bar with a 60 second rest after. Do 8 clean and jerks then 10 toes to bar with a 60 second rest after. Do 6 clean and jerks at 75kg (165lbs) then 10 toes to bar after with a 60 second rest. Do 3 clean and jerks at max weight.

WOD 1 – Do 3 x 30 squat jumps and 3 x 15 pullups

WOD 2 – Do 3 x 30 squat jumps and 3 x 15 pullups

WOD 3 – Do 3 x 500 meter row, 3 x 15 deadlifts

CrossFit AB Exercises & Workouts

WOD will certainly help you with your abs giving definition while also burning fat. You will see them improve just following the sessions but there are specific CrossFit ab exercises you can focus on. While the good trainers will tell you it is not about getting a great beach body, a CrossFit ab workout does get you there anyway!

The following is an example of ab mat exercises CrossFit offers. It is one you can easily reduce or increase depending on where you are in fitness. Remember to transition quickly and keep moving to keep up the intensity.

Start with 50 reps of double unders and sit ups.

Then do 40 reps of double unders and sit ups.

Then do 30 reps of double unders and sit ups.

Then do 20 reps of double unders and sit ups.

Finally, do 10 reps of double unders and sit ups.

In case you wonder what double unders are, here is a video:

CrossFit Core Exercises & Workouts

There are some very good reasons to target your core with some of the best core exercises CrossFit offers. As well as being great for the abs too, they also help with issues of muscle overcompensation, helps with functional movements, helps master a lot of exercises, and lowers the chance of injury when exercising or just lifting a heavy box at work! There are a variety of great CrossFit core exercises.

An example of a CrossFit core workout is as follows.

Set the weight at 34kg (75lbs) for men and 20kg (45lbs) for women though that can be scaled down if needed.

Start with 40 reps of toes to bar and overhead squats.

Then do 30 reps of toes to bar and overhead squats.

Then do 20 reps of toes to bar and overhead squats.

Finally 10 reps of toes to bar and overhead squats.

Toes to Bar Video:

Overhead Squat Video:

CrossFit Chest Exercises & Workouts

It is commonly thought among those who do not do CrossFit, that there is no chest muscle training, but this could not be further from the truth. Plenty of CrossFit workouts have chest exercises built into them and you can focus on that area if you want to. If your goal is to improve strength with the bench press you would focus on doing height weight and low rep schemes. For improved muscle hypertrophy working with moderate to heavy weights at medium reps is good. Each week you add more weight and repeat the same scheme for 4 to 6 weeks.

There are a variety of CrossFit chest exercises such as;

  • You can add a chest exercise easily to your 10 to 15 minute AMRAPs like a muscle-up or a push-up and go as many rounds as you can.
  • You can add chest exercises to EMOMs which is useful as this means you can fit in the bench press well here and time your rest between your sets.
  • A lot of some of the hardest routines like Chippers and Hero WODs are gruelling and include knees to chest exercise CrossFit and other chest exercises
  • You also have your supersets where you can do a heavy chest exercise for 4 to 6 reps and then straight after work on an accessory exercise perhaps for your biceps and triceps for 10 to 15 reps.

CrossFit Shoulder Exercises & Workouts

Having strong shoulders is great for performing better at the gym and for helping your brother move houses! There are plenty of options for shoulder mobility exercises, CrossFit based. Remember to make sure your shoulders are warmed up before starting.

CrossFit shoulder workout – wallball throws

As quickly as you can carry out 150 wallball throws using a medicine ball at 9kg (20lb) for men and 6kg (14lb) for women. Aim at a target 3m high for men, 2,8m for women. This WOD for CrossFit shoulder exercises is hard work. Do not be surprised that the wallball starts going lower and lower as you struggle to lift. As well as working your shoulders you are working your posterior chain and quads well too.

Wallball Throw video:

CrossFit Back Exercises & Workouts

Take a look at the people in your local regular gym. You are most likely going to see that a lot of them are working on what is called the mirror muscles. The abs, chest and arms. Known as the mirror muscles because they can see them in the mirror as they lift. But in order to have a balanced workout and increase your strength through your whole body you need to work on muscles you cannot see as well. Like your posterior chain muscles and back muscles. There are a number of CrossFit lower back exercises you can place in a CrossFit back workout or include in your routine.

Crossfit back exercise – Romanian deadlift

Performing the Romanian deadlift you will need dumbbells. The idea is to do 4 sets with 8 reps each. Place your feet at shoulder-width apart and make sure your knees are a little bent. Hold your dumbbells down at your thighs. With your back staying straight bend forward with your hips and let the weights slide lower to your shins. As you lower bend your knees slightly. Make sure you keep your shoulder blades retracted stand fully contracting your back and use your back muscles.

Romanian Deadlift video:

CrossFit Leg Exercises & Workouts

If you have ever seen an athlete who does CrossFit you will surely have noticed they have strong legs. A lot of CrossFit workouts include movements that work on some or all of the leg, and there are also specific exercises for the legs too. The great thing about stronger legs is they are then able to better support you through the rest of your training.

Crossfit leg exercises – Slow squats

Do four rounds of this sequence of exercises.

Perform 6 tempo barbell squats following a temp of 2 seconds down and 2 seconds up.

Keep the weight at around 60% of what your 1 rep max limit is. Rest for ten seconds and then do 20 hip extensions then rest for two minutes.

Conclusion

CrossFit is a very intense exercise and you can find all kinds of CrossFit workouts that are geared towards all the different muscle groups. The best way to do it is by finding a local box as they have trainers who help everyone from beginners to experts!

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