What is CrossFit anyway? Part 2a - CrossFit in plain English - the basics and equipment

Hope you're all enjoying the long weekend! 

I'm really not sure how to describe some of the things we do, or if I'm even describing them correctly - so forgive me  if I get some things a bit skewy. But I promised plain English, so thats what it is. And it was starting to look like War and Peace, so part 2 is in two parts! 

So... Where to start? CrossFit is unlike any other gym I have been to. In the gyms I have been to, you show up on your first day, probably given some kind of orientation and a personal trainer.  The trainer will find out all about you, your health and goals, and give you a suitable workout plan to follow. They follow up on a regular basis but basically most sessions you turn up, do your workout and go home. There are cardio machines, free-weights, weight-machines, and all sorts of other equipment, and your workout may use some or all of these. 

At CrossFit, you attend an introductory (Fundamentals) class with other newbies - everyone must complete this to allow them to workout safely in a CrossFit gym. You are given an orientation, you share your background and your goals with the trainer and others in your class, you do a workout together, (to provide a benchmark for later on), you also learn about all of the equipment in the gym. You will be given some basic weight-lifting skills and stretches to get you prepared for joining in a class. And then you're all set to go - you're a fully fledged CrossFitter. After this you book into as many classes as you choose to attend, and although specific exercises will be modified to your ability, you do exactly the same workout as everyone else, with everyone else. 

Anyhoo, more about that in part 2b. What I want to do first is tell you a bit about the equipment. Luckily for you, I haven't done enough yet to tell you too much. So here, in no particular order, is some of the equipment I have used in the gym, and what I have used it for:

Medicine ball - these are big (beach ball sized) heavy balls! They come in a range of weights, and so far I have mainly used them for 'wall balls', which involves squatting down in front of a wall, holding the ball at chest height, and then standing up and throwing the ball up towards a point on the wall. Harder work than it sounds actually - especially if, like me, you cannot control your ball. Last week I also held onto a 3kg ball to do 125 'weighted' sit-ups. Ooowww my poor abs! 

Broomstick - it's amazing how something as harmless as a broomstick can leave you aching. These are used for warming up, and technique training - i.e.  how to lift a real weights bar. Getting the technique right with the broomstick also encourages better flexibility which helps you to avoid injury when you get to the real weights. And boy am I grateful for these - if I had to start with a proper weighted bar... well I wouldn't even be able to get started I'm sure! 

Rings - just like those things you see gymnasts hanging from, doing all sorts of acrobatics. I have used these to do 'body rows'. This is an alternative to a pull-up. Standing with the rings in front of you, hold onto the rings and lean back, until your arms are straight (your body will also remain straight). The next bit depends on how strong you are.. You can walk your feet forward a little to make the exercise harder. The 'rowing' part involves bending your elbows to pull your body back up to the rings (touching your thumbs to armpits at the top of each row). The aim is to get yourself further and further underneath the rings, so that you are eventually strong enough to pull yourself up from almost horizontal, right underneath them. I'm nowhere near that yet. 

Bars - I think this is actually called a rack, as they can be used to place bars on for weight lifting. There are plenty of these, running about half the length of the gym. They are high up off the ground and as well as being used for weights, they are also used for pulling up your own bodyweight (think of any all-action movie montage where the hero gets in shape and you're probably thinking of the right move). The rings also hang from these bars too. If there is anything else you can do on this bar, I don't know about it yet. I have actually done a modified version of a pull-up. Yes, me - a newbie - doing a pull-up! I had been going to the gym for less than three weeks and wasn't expecting to be able to do one for months, so it was a very proud (and surprising) moment when I found out I could do something akin to a pull-up. Go me! 

Weight bars - there are so many different lifts, and I couldn't attempt to explain them all here, as I really haven't ventured too far with these yet (refer back to the part about broomsticks if you're wondering!) but you've seen weight-lifters on tv. It's the same deal. 

Box - just a wooden box. And you'd be surprised at the number of things you can do with something so simple. The box can be turned to one of 3 different heights, which allows it to be used for different people, exercises and skill levels. Simple, but ingenious! One of the main things I have used this for is box jumps. And these are exactly how they sound. You jump on the box, and jump off again - you probably did something like this in P.E. at school. I also learned a cool stretch using the box last weekend - cue lots of giggling from two of us laughing at each other looking funny doing it. As one of the CrossFit rules states - leave your ego at the door! 

Kettle bells - a big metal ball with a handle on the top. It looks like an old-fashioned kettle without the spout, which I guess is where they get their name from. The only thing I have used these for is a kettle-bell swing. Holding the bell by the handle with both hands, and bending forward a bit,  you stand up, pushing your hips forward, which will push your arms (and the bell) forward, causing it to swing upwards. If you do this with enough force, the bell should end up above your head, and swing back down again between your knees to start the next swing. Terrible explanation - apologies to all CrossFit trainers! 

Skipping ropes - I thought I'd left skipping behind with my ten year-old self back in 1986, but here I am doing it again, only without singing along. And jumping into someone else's rope to skip with them isn't encouraged either. 

There are also a few other bits and bobs there to help you stretch out and massage your tired muscles. You'll begin to learn which stretches you really need to do to help you recover from a workout. I'm forever asking about how to stretch this or that muscle, and I always get good advice. 

Next up, what a typical session looks like.