So you’ve decided to do Crossfit at home? Excellent!
Few workout programs have gained worldwide popularity and success as quickly as Crossfit. But the most important thing in getting results in Crossfit or anything else, is consistency.
If you can stay consistent, you will see wonderful results.
That and you'll need the right gear. Don’t look at building your own Crossfit gym as a burden, look at it as a worthwhile and fun journey. One that can reap many benefits if journeyed right.
Additionally, Crossfit is typically done in a format of as many rounds as you can in a set time period. This keeps the Crossfit workouts intense and versatile, without having to spend hours at the gym for results.
Related: 10 Body Toning At-Home Exercises for Women
Recommended “WOD Friendly” Equipment
Terminology to Know: WOD stands for “Workout of the Day” and every day a new workout is posted on Crossfit.com from a foundation of fundamental workouts from various sports.
As part of a strength and conditioning improvement program; typically it will consist of exercises that use equipment listed below.
Olympic Barbell – 20 kg (44 pounds) -or- Optional 15 kg for Women
Barbells are on the list because they enable a lot of different workouts for large muscle groups. These include clean and jerks, snatches, and barbell squats, among various others.
Related: How to Buy the Best Barbell
If you’re considering purchasing a barbell for your Crossfit workouts, a high-quality multi-purpose bar will cost around $200-300. Also, Crossfit coaches will typically prefer no center knurl on the barbell to keep the rapid, intense reps from irritating the neck.
Olympic Bumper Plates
If you decide on a barbell, then bumper plates will be your next purchase. A good set will include varying weights from 10-45 pounds, but remember that barbells themselves are often weighted as well.
Related: Bumper Plates & Weight Sets
A barbell and bumper set will be a major investment into your home gym, but will enable key workouts that are commonly used in Crossfit. These barbell-related workouts include clean and jerks, deadlifts, and squats.
Plyometric Box
Some of the most impressive fitness videos on the internet show Crossfit professionals leaping on top of boxes that are stacked to five or six feet in the air.
Related: Choosing the Best Plyo Box
Even if your jumps aren’t video-worthy, having a set of plyometric boxes is great for lower body and cardio workouts. The quick moving and jumping exercises done with plyo boxes are great for everything from Tae Kwon Do to Basketball.
Pull-up Bar & Gymnastic Rings
Pull-ups are a major workout when it comes to military training and Crossfit. A special variation is used in Crossfit that utilizes a lower-body kicking motion to complete as many pull ups as possible.
Related: Best Doorway Pull-up Bars
Gymnastics rings are more flexible, and enable much more versatile exercises. Many pull-up bars are sold as doorway mountable bars, which vary greatly in size, features, and quality.
Medicine | Wall | and/or Slam Ball(s)
One of the more versatile and interesting pieces of equipment used in Crossfit is the medicine ball.
Also called a slam ball, the most common exercises involving the weighted medicine ball include throwing it against the wall high over your head and catching it repeatedly, and tossing it against the wall from alternate sides while twisting your core.
Related: Medicine Balls vs. Wall Balls vs. Slam Balls
For Crossfit or general fitness, a medicine ball is a versatile and affordable piece of fitness gear that enables some fun and unique workouts.
Kettlebell(s)
Gaining extreme popularity in recent years, a kettlebell is a weight that’s usually shaped like a flat-bottomed ball with a wide handle on top. Originally beloved only in Russia where it became their national sport, the kettlebell craze rose throughout the world along with the popularity of Crossfit.
Related: Choosing the Best Kettlebells
Not to be underestimated, the kettlebell facilitates a massive variety of functional workouts, ranging from sumo squats and kettlebell swings, to around-the-worlds and Turkish get-ups. If you get one item on this list, many personal trainers would advise buying a kettlebell, mostly due to the sheer amount of effective workouts it allows.
Jump Rope/Speed Rope
Traditionally used by boxers for a quick and rapid cardio workout, Crossfit often employs the jump rope within its WOD’s.
Related: Guide to Jump Ropes
While the jump rope will have a high-learning curve for some, once you’re used to it, it makes for an unparalleled cardio exercise that requires timing and stamina. Plus, the jump rope takes up little space, and is the least expensive item on the list.
Parallettes or a Dip Station
Dips and their variations are a highly-effective workout that can be modified based on skill and strength. While many public parks will have dip bars and pull-up bars, you can add dips to your home gym with parallettes or a dip station.
Related: Best At-Home Workouts for Men [with Infographics]
Dips are occasionally featured in Crossfit WOD’s, and are excellent for working the triceps, deltoids, and pecs.
Concept 2 Model D Rower
The Concept 2 Model Rower is an advanced, effective, and expensive piece of fitness gear. A new Concept 2 will cost around $900.
For that amount, you get a machine that keeps track of your rowing workout, offers varying resistances, and provides a top-quality, low-impact workout for your entire body.
Review: Vulcan Concept2 Model E Review
There is a technique for using the rower where from the starting position, you first push with your legs, then lean with your back strait, and finally complete the exercise by pulling the handle to your chest.
Optional: Climbing Rope
Among all of the functional exercises, climbing is one of the most challenging. While having a high enough ceiling for an efficient climbing rope would be ideal, it’s not entirely necessary.
Related: Best Fitness Climbing Ropes
Some fitness machines on the market allow you to sit down and climb a rope that cycles around on a pulley to varying resistances. This is an optional workout on the Crossfit WOD list, but an effective workout nonetheless.
Optional: Glute Ham Developer (GHD)
If sculpting your butt and thighs is a high-priority, then a glute ham developer (GHD) will be a useful piece of gear for your home gym.
The main workout you do with a GHD resembles an upside down sit up, in which your feet are restrained between pads, and you bend down at the waist, creating a powerfully effective workout for your glutes and hamstrings.
Related: Best Glute Ham Developers
Whether you choose to collect each one of these so you can do any WOD for any day, or just pick and choose the gear that suits your needs, the above nine types of equipment are recommended for the many Crossfit at home exercises, with the final two being advisable, yet optional
Essential Crossfit Equipment – Reviewed
If you’re going to be doing Crossfit workouts, you’ll need the right gear. Some equipment comes before others, and in this section we’ll break down the essential Crossfit equipment you’ll require to build a successful Crossfit home gym in the garage or some other part of your home.
Bumper Plate Sets
Whether you have a multi-thousand dollar Crossfit package, or a simple bench and barbell set, it’s fairly likely that you’ll need additional bumper plates. After figuring out which weights you need, other concerns may include style, price, material, and even brand.
All of the main brands like Fringesport and Rogue provide Bumper Plate Sets, and deals are often available for higher quantities. Ultimately, you’ll want your bumper plate investment to enable maximum progress in barbell-related Crossfit exercises including squats, clean and jerks, and deadlifts.
Premium Color Bumper Plate Set (by X Training Equipment)
The most immediately noticeable feature of this bumper plate set by X Training Equipment is it’s rainbow style coloring and tough rubbery appearance. The tough rubbery appearance is no accident, as this set is specifically designed for the rigors of Crossfit.
That means it can be slammed rapidly on the ground as you strive to complete your deadlifts and snatches in record time. Considering both of those exercises are often part of Crossfit WOD’s, it’s important for bumper plates to be highly-durable.
Highlights
- High Durability for Crossfit
- Tested by Olympic Coaches
- Multi-colored
Drawbacks
These are wild looking, so if you want to maintain a black and silver sleek look to your home gym, it’s not likely these multi-colored bumper plates will fit in. Like all aesthetic issues and matters of style, it’s going to vary from person to person.
Bottom Line
While all major companies provide sets of plain black bumper plates, this is a unique set that can add a lot of color and style to any home gym. Different weights are available for different prices, but all are made to bounce hard off the ground and endure many brutal Crossfit WOD’s.
Check Price on Amazon
Barbells for Crossfit Training
Crossfit utilizes many of the lifts that are featured in the Olympics, so an Olympic barbell with good spin and decent whip will work well. However, Olympic barbells typically include a center knurl, and due to the high, fast-paced reps of Crossfit, a center knurl is not recommended.
Purchasing most Olympic bars will work well for Crossfit, but Powerlifting bars with are made for heavy lifting and have no whip, so those will be the lowest priority for Crossfit people.
Rep Sabre Olympic Barbell for Crossfit
Designed as a very strong Olympic Barbell, the Rep Sabre Olympic Barbell is rated at 150,000 psi. The bar is also highly-resilient, as the hard chrome coating offers powerful protection against rust.
Bushings instead of bearings makes the bar a lot more affordable, and the lack of a center knurl is a subtle touch that makes it ideal for Crossfit sessions.
Highlights:
- Rated to 1200 pounds
- Dark, Medium Knurling with No Center Knurling
- Bushing Provides Smooth Rotation
Drawbacks
A barbell that is ideal for one thing, is less ideal for others. This one by Rep Sabre is specifically made for the rigors of Crossfit, but it’s not for Olympic competition and it’s got too much whip for Powerlifting. As a Crossfit bar, it’s an excellent barbell at a fair price.
Bottom Line
The Rep Sabre Olympic Barbell is built with Crossfit in mind, with details like medium knurling and no center knurl ensuring that it can withstand the most brutal reps you can dish out.
The bar is available at a highly-affordable price point at $199, and a one year warranty protects it against bending. Ultimately, there are barbells that cost close to $1000, but at the $200 price range, this one by Rep Sabre serves as a highly-functional Crossfit bar.
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Rowers for Crossfit Exercises
Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the popularity of rowing machines. While rowing itself is not a new exercise, the combination of high-quality rowing machines like the Concept 2, and the inclusion of rowing in Crossfit WOD’s have both contributed to its popularity.
The main attraction of using a rowing machine is that it’s arguably the closest thing to a full body workout in a single exercise.
When you execute a row it appears as a simple move, but actually the legs, core, and arms are engaged in sequence, creating a challenging exercise that provides a workout for all major muscle groups.
ProForm 440R Rower
After having a seat on the 440 Rower, you’ll just pick one of eight settings on the LCD monitor, grab the non-slip handle and begin.
Whether going on a light setting for a sizable distance, or challenging yourself on a high resistance, the ProForm 440R Rower provides a low-impact workout for your legs, core, and upper body.
The warranty is solid, and includes a 5-year warranty on the frame and 90-day warranty for parts and labor. It should also me mentioned that the ProForm 440R Rower folds up for easy storage, and is about half the price of a Concept 2. Workouts can be organized by distance rowed or length of workout, among other options.
Highlights
- 250 lbs. Weight Capacity
- 8 Resistance Levels
- Converts into Low Pulley Station for Extra Workouts
Drawbacks
While not a major drawback, it should be mentioned that the 440R Rower requires a 16-step assembly process. Some of the more prevalent complaints that certain customers had included the seat being smaller than the Concept 2, and the handle being too simple.
These complaints are both true, as the handle is only a strait bar, rather than a clever, curved design. However, in light of these complaints, the ProForm 440R Rower is significantly less expensive than more popular brands like the Concept 2.
Bottom Line
Almost any professional gym worth their weight has at least one Concept 2 Rower, as their popularity has skyrocketed to make them the pinnacle of rowing machines.
However, instead of dropping almost $1000 on a top-quality Concept 2, the ProForm 440R Rower provides a solid option at $399. If you’re committed to solid workouts across eight resistance levels, the 440R Rower offers an effective rower at a much more affordable price.
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Glute Ham Developer
The glute and ham developer (GHD) serves a highly-beneficial purpose in the fitness community. It serves as arguably the most effective way to work the rear end and upper leg, specifically the glutes and hamstrings.
Other than the aesthetic value which is high, both the glutes and hamstrings are major muscle groups that are important in everything from walking and jumping, to kicking and sprinting.
Crossfit WOD’s may employ GHD machines as a quick and powerful workout for the rear lower body, as common exercises include GHD Sit Ups, Back Extensions, and Glute/Ham Raises.
Rogue Abram GHD 2.0
This 222 lbs. glute/ham developer by Rogue is innovative in several ways. Extra effort was invested in making the Rogue Abram GHD 2.0 easier to use, particularly in terms of adjustability.
It’s also more portable than most others on the market, primarily due to its sleek, triangular design and the fact that it has handles and wheels.
The construction is tough, with a steel plate on the bottom, and steel parts and bolts all-around. High-quality pads are present in the three places you want them, surrounding the ankles, and then a mound of padding where your torso goes.
Highlights
- Heavy Steel Construction
- 10-Slot Roller Assembly
- User-friendly with Easy Adjustments
Drawbacks
The Rogue Abram GHD 2.0 features detailed innovations and top-quality construction that makes it among the most expensive versions on the market. It should be mentioned that there are many glute/ham developers that are passable and are available for a lot cheaper than this one. The Abram by Rogue leans a lot more towards quality and innovation than affordability.
Bottom Line
From their Bella Bar to the Warrior Crossfit Package, Rogue is a company that puts meticulous detail into their products. The Abram GHD 2.0 is no different, with a design that aims to make it sleek, portable, and user friendly.
If a top-quality glute/ham developer is exactly what your home gym needs, then the Rogue Abram GHD 2.0 will not disappoint. Whenever Russian Twists or Hip Extensions show up in the workout of the day, your Abram GHD has your Crossfit needs covered.
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Final say
With the above, you've got all you need to improve your home workouts & selectively collect the items you work out with the most. If you've got the cash and want to get it all done in one swing, however, you may want to look into Crossfit equipment packages.
Ultimately, the best traits about Crossfit are that it’s scalable and adaptable, so no matter which equipment package you end up going with, it’s most important to pick safe workouts and stay strong and consistent. At that point, it won't matter whether you're doing Crossfit at home or in some cyberpunk-looking warehouse.
Keep reading: Gym Equipment Guide – Names & Pictures
