Many people have the wrong belief when hearing about fitness. The public thinks that fitness only means losing those excess fats and weight that could be putting our health at risk or you just want to get your body back at its regular tiptop shape. Exercise can be in different forms depending on your preferences or what your body requires, it could be low intensity or rigorous training like Crossfit.
Everybody desires of having that body and health to die for and there are numerous available ways to achieve it. Physical, mental and emotional fitness covers every aspect of your health and fitness.
Before moving on to Crossfit itself, let’s talk about physical fitness. Fitness is a broad word that means something from person to person. It typically refers to one’s optimal health and overall being. Fitness does not only mean physical health but it also includes your mental and emotional health, it does cover every aspect of your health. It is having a healthy lifestyle involving activities that are beneficial to your health, making good eating choices, avoiding putting toxins in your body and staying active.
Since we are focusing this article on Crossfit, the focal point will be your physical health. Physical Fitness refers to the ability of your body systems to work together efficiently to allow you to be healthy and perform activities of daily living. Efficiency is defined as the ability to perform daily activities with the least effort possible, that person must have the ability to effectively respond to either normal or emergency situations. Physical Fitness has five components, physical fitness which includes body composition, flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and cardiovascular endurance.
You might have read or heard about Crossfit from your favorite magazine or tv show, or friends and relatives. What is Crossfit, anyway? Crossfit is a competitive fitness program that combines a wide variety of functional movements into a timed workout. It constantly varies functional movements performed in a high-intensity manner.
There are many available Crossfit Exercises that you can start working on even in the comfort of your own home to achieve your fitness goals.
Box Jumps
A box jump is a form of exercise in which an athlete projects himself from the ground and land with two feet on an elevated box. Its primary benefit is the improvement of the reaction of the fast-twitch muscle fibers throughout the body and a great addition for a lower body workout regimen. A plyometric box with 12 to 36 inches tall is recommended to use for this workout.
To achieve the jump, you must start with feet planted about should-width apart, and go down into a demi-squat to prepare your leg muscles for the jump. Swing your arms to help propel your body up onto the box.
Walking Lunges
These are a variety of static lunge exercises. Instead of standing back upright after performing a lunge on one leg, as you would in a static bodyweight lunge, you walk forward by lunging out with the other leg. Your movement continues for a set of repetitions.
This workout concentrates on two sets of muscles, the hip extensors, and the knee extensors. Walking lunges work all the muscles in your lower body. The movements of the lunge are similar to squats, except lunges uses a wider range of motion.
Stationary and walking lunges are both great exercises, yet the walking lunge does come with its own set of benefits. Walking lunges are functional exercises and ensure the toning of both legs equally. It also helps for better balance, strengthens your core, and increase hip flexibility. To increase the intensity, you may hold dumbbells overhead while performing this exercise.
Deadlifts
The Deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, torso perpendicular to the floor before being back on the ground. It is one of the three quintessential powerlifting exercises, along with the squat and bench press in Crossfit. Functionality wise, deadlifts develop the muscles and the movements that are involved in many forms of physical labor.
This exercise essentially works more muscles than any other exercise, including squats. When performed correctly, deadlifts build your upper and lower body. It is an effective exercise to develop your core strength while training the central muscle of your body.
Ball Slams
The Ball Slams is a full-body workout that is great for developing power, speed, strength, and coordination. It targets everything from your triceps down to your calves. It is also a great exercise for busy working individuals who don’t have time for a lengthy workout.
This essentially involves holding a weighted ball overhead and throwing it into the ground as much power as possible. There are different sizes of medicine balls that you can use for this exercise. They are both a beneficial and inexpensive purchase. However, you should be familiar with what medicine ball size you need for your workout.
Burpees
The Burpees are a full exercise used in strength training and as an aerobic exercise. One of the few equipment-free exercises that work your entire body and which can give you a great cardiovascular workout. It is mostly associated with Crossfit, they can also be found in boot camps, and the training programs for professional athletes. It helps you to improve the overall strength of your body.
The move uses the upper body throughout the push-up element and hits the core and lower body during the up/down movement and jump. That means with every repetition, you are working your arms, chest, quads, glutes, hamstrings, and abs.
You may start learning the basic burpees and try adding variations later on to increase its intensity.
Kettlebell passes
If you are in the hunt for a new workout to trim your midsection, Kettlebell passes is what you are searching for. This good waist exercise is easy to learn. Its simplicity means it is an ideal exercise to use as a warm-up before moving on to more demanding kettlebell exercises.
Kettlebell passes are a straight forward as the sound. Swing the kettlebell in front of you with one hand and catch it with your other hand. Continue the repetition by swinging the kettlebell behind your back, and catching with the opposite hand.
Mountain Climbers
The Mountain Climbers are also known as Running Planks. A Crossfit favorite full-body exercise that tackles all problem areas. If you are aiming to shrink your waistline, considering a change in your lower body workout or a need to switch up your cardio regimen has arisen, Mountain climbers can do the job.
This killer exercise gets your heart rate up fast while firing every muscle group in your body. The key to making this exercise the most effective is to keep a constant rhythm. Having a proper base is also good for getting the most work for your muscles.
Pull-ups
This is an upper-body strength exercise. It is a closed-chain movement where the body is suspended by the hands and pulls up. As this happens, the elbows flex and the shoulders adduct and extend to bring the elbows to the torso.
Pull-ups are also known as an incredibly difficult exercise. If you are just beginning to implement them into your workout, start with a low number of reps and work your way up.
Crossfit has a wide range of benefits that can do for you and your well-being. It doesn’t only improve your physical strength but also boosts your agility balance and flexibility. It also an answer to one of your primary concerns, burning calories, and weight loss.
Can you challenge yourself to do these exercises? Check this out for more fitness tips. HERE!
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