Would you like to practice CrossFit but you don’t dare because you think you are not in enough physical condition? Don’t you see yourself capable of performing the typical exercises of a training box?
CrossFit is a booming sport. More and more centers are dedicated to this type of training but many people question their ability to practice it and decide to put it aside for fear of not being able to complete the training that is proposed, the so-called WOD.
Learn to adapt CrossFit to your possibilities and be able to complete the sessions.
How to adapt to CrossFit routines?
1. Reduce the weight of the WOD
Some workouts are marked by previously set weights. Keep in mind that these kilograms are for experienced athletes, so you will never be able to start training with the established weight. You will have to lower it and adapt it to your level.
Do not feel ashamed to lower the established weights since everyone who starts in this sport does. It would be a mistake on your part not to do it, since I am sure that you will not be able to complete the training, and if you do, you will have many ballots of suffering an injury.
2. Reduce repetitions
In the same way that the weight with which they must be executed is fixed in some workouts, it is also done with the repetitions.
The workouts have marked the repetitions that must be executed in order to change the exercise or complete the series. They are usually high, so you should lower the number of repetitions and adapt them to your level of physical condition.
You should not start the first workouts with an excessively high volume of work since you will end up exhausted and you will not be able to complete the rest of the training. He thinks that it is always better to stay wanting more than to be sore for a couple of days and not be able to attend the training box.
3. Adjust the range of motion
Some exercises require a range of motion that not everyone has. A clear example of this type of exercise can be the snatch. If this is the case for you, it is as simple as asking your monitor to replace it with another equivalent exercise with greater ease of execution or simply not doing it and moving on to the next exercise.
From here we advise you to spend some time during and after training to assimilate well the movement patterns of the more complex exercises to be able to include them in the following training sessions.
7 CrossFit exercises suitable for everyone
1. Australian chin-ups instead of conventional chin-ups
The pull-up is one of the star exercises in all workouts and therefore also in CrossFit. It is a very complete exercise but it requires great strength to execute it.
There are many variants of this exercise but one of the most complete and that works the same muscles as these are the Australian chin-ups. To run them:
- Lie down on the floor, keeping the bar on top at chest level.
- Support your legs on a bench.
- Keep your back straight and your abdomen tight at all times.
- Hands gripping the bar at the same width as when bench pressing.
- Pull to bring your chest to the bar.
2. Pistols squat with the help of an elastic band
The pistol squats or one leg squats are a great exercise to work the entire muscles of the leg, but it requires great strength and technique to execute it correctly. From here we want to help you do it no matter how strong you are.
- Place a powerband that is tensioned at the height of your hips.
- In front of her stretch one leg to the front and with the leg that you have supported, perform a squat.
- You should sit on the elastic band and go down as far as possible.
- The tension that you have created on the way down will help you go up and complete the movement.
3. Russian swings instead of American swings
The swing is a ballistic movement that mainly involves the glutes and abdomen. Two types of swings can be differentiated, the American, which has a wider movement, since you must raise the kettlebell above the head and the Russian swing, which differs from the previous one in the route in that you will only have to raise the kettlebell to chest height.
At the beginning it is better that you stick with the Russian swing since as it is a shorter route, you will have less margin for error in the execution of the movement. For it:
- Hold a ketlebell with both hands and drop it between your legs.
- Perform a leg bend and, using a hip thrust, raise the kettlebell in a rocking motion to chest height, simulating the movement as if you wanted to gain momentum to launch the weight.
4. Boxed Overhead Barbell Squats
Snatching is one of the star exercises in CrossFit. It is a functional exercise that works all the muscles of our body. However, as it is a very complete exercise, it is also an exercise whose execution is quite complicated, being necessary to have a great coordination and range of motion to perform the exercise in its entire range of motion.
Therefore, we believe that you should start by shortening your range of motion to avoid poor technique, doing boxed overhead barbell squats instead. For it:
- Sit on a bench with a barbell held overhead, using a wide grip.
- Keep your spine as fixed as possible.
- Stand up holding the position and sit back down.
5. Pica push-ups
Reverse pushups may be one of the Crossfitters’ favorite exercises, but for newcomers it is one of the most complex exercises in WODs. In addition to fairly good postural control, you need a lot of strength in your shoulder.
Instead, you can perform pike push-ups to better adapt to the movement. For it:
- Place your legs on top of a box or bench.
- Back up with your hands until you are vertical with respect to the ground and, using the support of your legs on the box and the palms of your hands on the ground, perform a push-up.
6. Progression to climb the rope
Do you feel that the rope is an impossible exercise for the level you currently have? Don’t worry, you can always start climbing the rope from a more initial level, even while sitting. For it:
- Sit down holding the rope with both hands and start climbing the rope by going up one and the other hand alternately.
- Go getting up with the help of your legs until you are standing.
- Perform the descent with the help of your hands while flexing your legs until you are seated again.
7. Individual rope jumps
Many of the training WODs performed at CrossFit include double rope jumps . This can be a problem for people with less experience in this type of exercise so many get depressed and put training aside.
An alternative to those double jumps that are proposed in the routines are the simple jumps. If you are one of those who still do not have enough skill with the rope, you do not have to feel bad and stop training. You just have to change one jump for another and continue with the exercises.
Conclution
If you feel attracted to the practice of CrossFit but are afraid of not being able to complete the workouts, use the modifications that we propose from here. Little by little you will gain agility and complete the exercises with your original movement pattern.
Reference
- Collete, Stohler. 11 Ways to Make CrossFit Less Intimidating. For livestrong. ⌈Revised February 2017⌋.
