As much as CrossFit prescribes specific exercise moves, it gives you the flexibility to structure your own workout plan. Lots of CrossFit enthusiasts enjoy doing simple workouts on rowing machines blended with a longer stretch of lifts, rows, presses, and jumping rope. The secret to properly performing these workouts lies in accessing the right equipment.WODs are difficult workouts, and in the event, you can’t get them right the first time, don’t feel down. You can always scale down especially for beginners. Get your mind ready to have your endurance and stamina challenged hard. Murph                                                                                    This is a simple, but one of the best CrossFit WODs. Because of its simple structure, it happens to be one of the most beloved WODs. It incorporates bodyweight exercises along with cardio. If you are an athlete looking for a fairly comprehensive workout that lasts an hour or less, then Murph is bound to be a darling to you.You begin with a one-mile run and after that hop over to pull up bar for 100 pull-ups. Next are 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and lastly, you finish off by doing another mile. The advantage with Murph is that it can be done anywhere even in a running track or open field. Helen This workout comprises 3 rounds of exercises and is an excellent way to help you measure your progress. This WOD aims at perfecting your skills in a handful of areas. As you do the Helen WOD, ensure you time yourself because the goal here is to beat your record. To perform Helen WOD, you should begin with 400-meter sprint and then 21 kettlebell swings loaded with 24-kilogram weights. To finish, jump onto a pull-up bar and do 12 pull-ups. Run through this three times consecutively without stopping. Kelly Kelly incorporates challenging moves along with tiring cardio. Experience has it that only the toughest manage to get through a full cycle of this WOD. It is somewhat demanding, and for beginners, the advice is to scale especially for the first attempt.It takes 5 rounds to complete Kelly WOD. It begins with the 400-meter run then 30 plyometric box jumps and after that 30 wall ball hits done with a 20-pound size medicine ball. If you can’t complete in the first round, don’t be discouraged because even Kelly Moore herself didn’t manage it in the first round. Linda It is also known as the three bars of death. This is because of the intensity of the training. For beginners, they can scale and max at 5 reps however the goal is 10 reps as you try to outdo your best time.This WOD involves doing deadlifts which are 1.5 times your bodyweight, then bench presses sized to your bodyweight, and lastly cleans 75% your bodyweight. The structure of the reps is 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. What this means is you will first do 10 lifts after which you do 10 presses and finish with 10 cleans before moving to the round of 9 each then 8 until you come down to 1 each.In doing these CrossFit workouts, it is important you record your time to see and even celebrate your achievements in every round.

Whenever you engage in something new, there tend to be many associated unknowns. Being a sport, CrossFit has its fair share of unknowns, and a learning curve CrossFitters must learn to excel in it. The variety and intensity of CrossFit exercises make the journey challenging in some way. As you gradually develop to a comfort level in CrossFit, there are certain mistakes you should try and avoid at all costs.  Taking in Too Much at a Go Irrespective of your background, don’t imagine yourself to be too strong and fit as you get into CrossFit. You may be a marathoner or a weightlifter, but as you come into CrossFit, you need to be gradual. Lifting heavy weights too fast can limit your CrossFit experience in several ways. For instance, taking in too much can shift your focus away from the technique, and this can severely impact your movements and overall progress. Also, lack of body preparation for high-intensity CrossFit workouts paired with weight can result in injury. Most gyms will work with you so that you can establish a beginning point, but you must be willing to put your heart and effort into it. Inadequate Rest The CrossFit community experience is certainly positive and so inspirational. However, you need to have limits so that you are not carried away into exercising for lengthy periods of time. In the beginning, it is important to allow your body to acclimatize with the workout environment and regimen. Not having enough rest can affect your recovery cycles because the high-intensity CrossFit workouts can take a toll on your muscles. In case you have a problem sitting down after exercise, you can decide to engage in something else such as swimming or walking. Whatever you do, ensure your sore muscles get some relaxing stretches. Egoism and Negative Attitude CrossFit athletes come from different backgrounds and as such have their own fair share of strengths and weaknesses. Performance varies from one athlete to another and from one day to the next. When exercising, you need to let your heart out and remove any negative energy from you. Working out with an ego to defend will most likely lead to a below performance. Give it your best and walk out knowing you have done your part for the day. Quitting Halfway Just like any other task, you begin with the aim of finishing and not leaving it halfway. It is important you commit not to be an elite all-star or a lifter of millions of pounds, but rather to a simple goal of starting a day with the aim of finishing successfully. How bad or good a day is, unless prompted by injury or other conditions, make it a goal to finish every workout you embark on. The greatest CrossFit challenge is in not giving up. This will enable you to make strides in your fitness and fortitude.

There is a dangerous assumption which you must not make as a CrossFit athlete if you want to improve your performance in the sport. The notion is that because you do core every day, you don’t need to isolate core work. When you skip core workouts, the chances are high that your overall capability will reduce and your susceptibility to injury will increase. The main reason behind this is that some specific muscles end up being overdeveloped at the expense of others. Doing sit-ups at the tail end of your CrossFit workout is not sufficient to solve the problem. The fact is, your core musculature works in lots of directions to give you stability, strength, and power for every movement you undertake. Training all the core capabilities can armor you against potential catastrophic injuries. Below are some of the top core functions and exercises. Stability In CrossFit gyms, you will mostly hear about stability as one of the core functions. When undertaking weight-bearing exercises, you require core stability. Despite this, the anterior pelvic tilt is often overlooked, and this can lead to overarching of your lower back and thus making it difficult to engage the abdomen. To avoid this, it is recommended you train hollow holds and rocks. When doing the hollow position, you should begin by lying flat on your back and press your lower back flat on the floor. Then, pull your hips by contracting your glutes and lower abdomen into posterior pelvic tilt as you lift your shoulders and feet off the floor. Compression There are lots of variations that come with compression. However, one of the favorites is leg raise variations. In its simplicity, core compression is done through bending at the hip as you gradually bring your legs towards the face. When doing the leg raise variations, hang on a bar and relax your shoulders. Then, lift your legs gradually towards your face. In the beginning, you may see limitations in mobility, but as you build your CrossFit endurance, you will be able to achieve a full range of motion. Rotation There are lots of exercises you can exploit to train core rotation. Some of them include side plank twists, Russian twists, and twisting back extensions. One of the top rotation movements in CrossFit is called L-wiper. You start by hanging on a bar with your shoulders blocked and relaxed. Then, through controlled and purposeful movement, sweep your legs from zero degrees all the way to 180 degrees. Ensure your legs are straight and in a pike position. Bowing This CrossFit exercise can help in strengthening and stretching your oblique muscle group. Getting into a side plank position while supporting yourself with your arm, bow your hip gradually towards the floor and then back up. While doing this exercise, you should maintain square shoulders, posterior pelvic tilt, hips and core tension. In addition to the above, there are other exercises you can undertake for your core functions. The golden rule is to train your core as often as you can for relatively high volumes.  

An effective diet plan plays an incredible role in anyone’s life. Without eating quality food in appropriate quantity, no CrossFitter can achieve his or her full potential. This is the reason why it’s important to have a proper diet for Crossfit athlete. Protein is an essential component of a good Crossfit diet. It not only helps to stabilize blood sugar but also provides energy for workouts. Besides protein, there are a few other essential foods to load up on when it comes to enhancing your CrossFit success. Food a CrossFit Athlete Should Add to His/Her Diet: Lentils Lentils are low in calories and high in nutrition; this combination is perfect for a Crossfit athlete. Of all the nuts and pulses, lentils are the one that has the 3rd highest level of protein.  Banana and Whey Protein Smoothie After the Crossfit workout, you need to refuel your body by replenishing glycogen stores and protein for tissue repair. A banana-whey protein smoothie helps a lot in post-workout recovery. Nuts and Seeds Nuts and seeds are full of nutrients and contain Omega-3 fatty acids. The intake of these helps to recover from tiredness that happens after an intense CrossFit WOD. These are actually the powerful pack of vitamins, minerals, and fats that boost up your heart and brain.   Chicken The health benefits of chicken include its good supply of protein content, the supply of essential vitamins and minerals, benefits in losing weight, cholesterol control, blood pressure control, and a reduced risk of cancer.  CrossFit nutrition goes hand-in-hand with both, living a healthier lifestyle and performance. You can definitely push yourself to the limits beyond your thinking during workouts, but if you are not fuelling your body properly, then you might not be able to see the results you are looking for. Whether you want to gain or lose weight, train harder or just want to be healthy; you have to focus on your diet.

Wrist wraps are perhaps one of the most significant support gears for CrossFit athletes. It keeps the wrists straight, improves the positioning of the wrist joint by preventing hyperextension, provides structural support and increases the grip strength. But using this valuable gear is not as simple as winding a wrap around the wrist. Using wrist wraps call for a bit of strategy. Here are some useful tips that will enable you to take the maximum advantage of your wrist wraps.   1. Warm-Up Without Your Wrist Wraps It is advisable to wear wrist wraps only during training when you are working out at or near maximum load. You don’t need to wrap your wrists to move 50% of your 1-RM press. 2. Don’t Tie Your Wrist Wraps Too Low If the wrap sits underneath your wrist joint, you have successfully turned your wrist wrap into a bracelet that offers no support. Make sure you tie your wrap so that it covers the wrist joint enough to create support and prevent extreme wrist extension. 3. Use The Right Kind of Wrap  There are two primary kinds of wraps on the market: cotton wraps that are thinner and more flexible (ex: Strength Wraps) and the thicker, Velcro-bound powerlifting-style wraps that provide more wrist support. If you are trying to max out a movement such as a bench press or shoulder press, I would recommend using the thicker wraps. If you are going for a max in your clean and jerk or snatch, the thinner wraps might be a better choice as they will give you a little more range of motion at the wrist. You’ll need to be able to extend your wrist to receive a clean and the wrist will be slightly extended in the finish position of both the snatch and jerk.

6 Clean and Jerk Technique FixesBy: Wil Fleming The power clean gets a lot of love. If you are like me, it was one of the “Big 3” you learned the first time you were in the weight room: squat, bench, and power clean. Of course, it was the “Big 6” if you included curls, preacher curls, and more bench. The power clean’s older and cooler sister, the clean and jerk, doesn’t get as much love, but I am here to begin the love fest, by sharing with you six ways to improve your clean and jerk. 1. Use combos to learn the full movement. When talking about the full clean and jerk, it is important to remember that we are talking about a movement in which athletes compete in the Olympic games. This is a movement that individuals spend years and years trying to perfect, yet we often prescribe it for use with athletes who have been training with us for months, or even weeks. As coaches, we do not similarly prescribe that athletes do an Olympic style long jump, shot put throw, or hammer throw. Each of these movements is explosive and would certainly have benefits for improved performance (to some degree), but we are aware of the fact that the technical difficulty of these events would far outweigh the performance benefits. Technically challenging movements should be entirely removed from programming at this stage. The clean and jerk are definitely challenging, but one can argue that the performance benefits may outweigh the time spent teaching it. If they are to be prescribed, they must be done so with a specific task list to ensure proper completion. One foot must go before the other, as we walk our way to the movement we would like to see completed. In the case of the clean and jerk there are individual tasks that need to be learned first: the hang clean, power jerk, power clean, and split jerk. Once these requisite skills are all done to a comfortable level of proficiency, we can begin to teach athletes to move towards the full competition-style clean and jerk. To do this, my number one tool is the “combo,” a 1+1 lift to get athletes to move athletes to completion. Start with a 1+1+1. I use a Power clean + front squat+ power jerk. In this movement, athletes will receive the bar in the high catch position (re-position the feet if necessary) and move into a front squat. They’ll finish the movement with a power jerk, as in the video below. Next, we move onto a Power clean front squat + split jerk. In this movement, we eliminate the re-set of the feet and receive the bar, pause in that position, and then move into a front squat for the rest of the way down. Finish this movement with a split jerk, or a power jerk if the athlete is not comfortable in the split. Finally, we can move onto a full clean and jerk. We will get into some tips on how to make this more than just a power clean to front squat later, but the basic premise is we must encourage athletes to get better at moving under the bar to make this a distinct movement. In the meantime, just eliminate the pause and immediately front squat the weight at the time of the catch. Here’s the entire progression in one video: Each of these “combos” falls into a distinct phase of training, likely spending 3-4 weeks in combo 1 and combo 2 before attempting to complete the full clean and jerk movement. I typically program the movements as 1+1+1 x2 x3-4, or 1 rep of each movement two times for 3-4 sets. 2. Jerk with either foot forward. There are three primary ways that athletes can jerk the bar overhead: power jerk, split jerk, squat jerk. I like to think of them on a scale of simple to ridiculously complex, or if we are thinking regarding things to which everyone can relate we can put them on my Vin Diesel scale of movies. Simple= power jerk = Fast and Furious (all of them): it gets the job done, and is a classic in many people’s books. Better= split jerk= XXX: vastly underappreciated, coming back for an encore, which is very good news, and a must-include in your training and DVD library. Ridiculously complex= squat jerk= Chronicles of Riddick/Pitch Black: hard to get down with, and popular in China. The split jerk is the most common technique used for a really simple reason: the primary issue that folks have to deal with in the jerk is forward and back (sagittal) stabilizing factors. In short, the bar doesn’t want to stay above you, and you have to have a really stable or really strong (although both are preferred) base of support to keep it there. With the issue of stability at hand, it brings us to why it is so important to learn to jerk with either foot forward. A quick disclaimer: If you are an Olympic lifter, get really good with one foot forward and quit reading this point right now. If you are an athlete, though, read on. I am not going to tell you that jerking and putting one foot forward of the other does anything to create “single leg strength;” there is a slight difference in force production, but not enough to matter. What I am going to tell you is that changing positions rapidly is what makes it difficult for most athletes. Keep people static, and they are as solid as their base of strength. Start switching stances, and positions rapidly, and you will see people separate. Switching stances in equal numbers will show you if you have any weak links in your chain. There is a difference in the amount of force absorbed on the lead leg and the rear leg on the jerk, and this is an important point to consider. Deceleration rarely happens bilaterally, and absorption is the name of the game. As an athletic movement, the jerk needs to be done with either foot forward – not just the same one all the time. 3. Learn great overhead position. The clean and jerk have become so simplified that at some point people started just calling it “ground to overhead,” as if there is no goal other than to get the bar over your head in any way possible. It’s the same as just calling The Godfather “just acting;” there is a little more to it. This problem is likely magnified by taking a look at the elite lifters of the world, watch ten videos of ten different lifters, and you will likely find yourself looking at ten different jerks. So if they all do it differently, is there any truly correct position overhead? Yes, there is; you have to appreciate that taking a snippet of video from a near maximum attempt is a bad time to look at the technique of an individual lifter. It would be much more appropriate to watch them jerk from the blocks in training or at sub-maximal clean and jerk weights. The ideal position in the jerk should center the bar over your spine, and importantly keep the front shin vertical for the most stable position possible. It should truly be a 90/90 split squat position, only slightly extended. The go-to move to practice this position is the split stance press + overhead split squat. Maintaining a neutral spine and pelvis will likely be the limiting factor for most individuals, but doing this drill in training is going to be the best way to learn and maintain great position overhead. 4. Pull your way under the bar. Now it’s time for a total game changer. The clean is all about the pull UP right? Wrong, – at least if you are paying attention to the greatest athletes in the sport. Let’s start with some concepts. There are really four variables that go into a clean and its success. The first two aren’t that variable – and we will get to the second two in a minute. 1) The height of the bar at the completion of the second pull. This is primarily a function of how tall an athlete is. So, if you are 6’4” you are likely going to pull it higher I am at 5’11”. 2) The height of the bar at the receiving position. This can definitely change based on bar speed, but we are talking about Olympic lifting, and deep squat catches, so in truth, this height is only based on how tall an athlete is. I will likely catch lower than you if you are a towering giant. 3) The speed of the bar at the completion of the second pull. This seems like it is a variable, but in truth, it is pretty consistent at differing heights. That is, if the bar gets to your chest then it was going speed X, and if it only gets to your waist height it was likely going speed Y – and that goes for almost everyone. We’re talking about the Olympic style clean, so this is actually almost a constant for most people. 4) The speed of the lifter as they move to receive the bar. Now here is the variable of all variables. Elite lifters know this, and if you watch enough video you will see it too; the ability to get under the bar quickly is the separation point between good, great, and elite. Now you can’t change your height, so those are out regarding improving your lifts. You can certainly change your strength levels, allowing you to pull the bar faster, and I am a big advocate for making this happen, At some point, though, even as the total weight lifted moves up, it will only go so fast. So what you can change is your own speed to the bar. To move faster to the bar I like to think of pulling myself under the bar, but not with the hands. I have to pull hard with my hips to get enough hip flexion to receive the bar low. 5. Elevate the start position. I always say that the number 1 mistake I see for athletes in the Olympic lifts is starting from the ground when they cannot get in a good starting position. Continuing to start from the floor position when you aren’t able to get there and maintain a neutral spine is the absolute definition of Olympic weightlifting insanity. There is no machismo necessary in the Olympic lifts. Can we go ahead and get that out of the way? There is too much to be gained by doing them well, and too much to be lost by doing them poorly to have an ego. Rather than trying to start every rep from the ground, feel free to elevate the start position. Try using a 3” block or even another bumper plate. This slight elevation will still force you to make a good first pull from the start but will save your lower back until you gain enough hip mobility to do it right. Here is a video from when I was dealing with some hip mobility issues that required me to lift from an elevated position. It got the job done, all the while I was improving hip mobility to spare my back. 6. Translate the torso from the ground to knees. With the Olympic lifts, there are lots of variables that account for individual athletes’ differences in size, strength, and personal preferences, but there is one constant that is true among nearly all lifters: From the point of lift off to the point where the bar passes the knees (the end of the first pull), the torso angle remains constant. There is no change from when the bar breaks the ground and when the bar passes the knees. In fact, a 2012 study by Ikeda et al. compared female lifters in all classes at the 2008 Asian championships. This study was conducted on the snatch but showed that torso angles above the horizontal were nearly constant for all athletes, at both the breakpoint from the ground and when the bar passes the knees. The joint angles themselves might not be the same as the clean, but the mechanism for the first pull should be similar, and an active drive through the heels along with knee extension should drive the bar from the floor to knee level. Changes in torso angle can lead to the bar being too far in front of the athlete and inefficiency in the second pull. Want to see this in action? Take a look at the video below to see what I mean. Conclusion There are obviously a lot of pieces to work on if you want to be proficient on the clean and jerk. Just a month ago, I revamped what I was doing, and have seen big changes to my lifts in a very positive direction. The journey towards better movement is always continuing. These six strategies are a great start to getting you or your athletes to moving bigger weights more safely.

Crossfit No Regrets (Click To Check Them Out!) - GOT DUBS?!  - THE DUBs SOLUTION - Day 1-5 6 Min AMRAP 5 DUBs 3 Burpees - Day 6-10 8 Min AMRAP 10 DUBs 5 KBS - Day 11-15 10 Min AMRAP 12 DUBs 7 Box Jumps - Day 16-20 10 Min AMRAP 15 DUBs 9 WallBalls - Day 21-25 10 Min AMRAP 20 DUBs 5 Burpees - Day 26-30 12 Min AMRAP 30 DUBs 15 BFSUs

What Is Murph? If you’re not familiar with the CrossFit classic hero WOD Murph here’s the workout: 1-mile runthen100 pull-ups200 push ups300 squats(partition pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as you see fit)then1-mile run Competitive athletes may choose to wear a 20# weight vest or body armor for the workout. History The Murph hero WOD was originally posted on CrossFit.com on August 18th, 2005 by Lauren Glassman.  In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. Murphy was the leader of a four-man SEAL reconnaissance unit that secretly infiltrated into the Hindu-Kush mountains on June 27, 2005. Ambushed on the 28th June 2005 by overwhelming Taliban forces, Murphy valiantly climbed into the open toward higher ground to make an electronic call for rescue. Wounded, he fought on, allowing one member of his squad to escape before he was killed.This workout was one of Mike’s favorites, and he’d named it “Body Armor.” From here on it will be referred to as “Murph” in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is. His story was also displayed in the movie "Lone Survivor".