Crossfit is also known as cross training or working out with various types of equipment, often in one session. Your half-hour, 45 minutes or full-hour of exercise could involve the use of many tools which enable you to obtain a full-body workout at high intensity without becoming bored with exercise or even jumping up and down if you dislike the jarring this causes to your joints.

These tools also fully tax your body in ways you cannot achieve on a single machine or during a particular type of workout (yoga, Pilates, step, etc.) while also providing cardiovascular training. Here are some pieces of Crossfit equipment you might find in a gym or choose to purchase for your home gym. They vary in price, size, and purpose.

Medicine BallsSmall Items for the Home

Even a living room or basement is all you really need in order to get started on your workout regimen. Crossfit does not necessarily require a ton of room although more space gives you more options.

Get outside with a skipping rope and don’t worry about how much room there is indoors. A regular rope of the correct size for your height is all you need and that is an affordable place to start. One advantage of the following items is their price: each single item is affordable although you can spend a lot of money adding multiple sizes to your equipment selection.

Another small item is a medicine ball and, since it is not going far, space is optional. You will need to be careful not to aim it at breakables like your television if it’s positioned close to the floor, but otherwise a medicine ball (or weighted ball) was not designed for throwing great distances and only very strong people could imagine causing it to sail through the air, causing damage to windows or furnishings. This is a wonderful tool for building strength while also getting out of breath and it does not require special storage. Roll it into a corner.

Kettlebells have taken the place of traditional free weights in many home gyms. Their shape lends these weights to certain exercises more comfortably than others (dead lifts, bicep curls, and lateral raises, for instance, vs. tricep kickbacks) but they come in many sizes.

Special exercise videos have been choreographed specifically around the use of kettlebells. They might seem like a gimmick, but if you don’t already have weights they are wonderful and easier to lift when you reach heavy values over 10 lbs than regular hand weights.

If no one minds you drilling holes into a blank bit of wall in your basement, install a pull-up bar. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and you can add a few pull-ups into your routine every other day and build up to larger numbers over time. This isn’t the most popular of moves as many individuals have a hard time lifting their own body weight, but the challenge is worthwhile.

Add a bench below that and use this for regular ab moves and as a place to sit while performing some moves with weights so as to protect your back. Plyo boxes also take up a small amount of room and you don’t need to make big movements in order to use them effectively. In fact, small movements are safer although these boxes supply excellent grip.

Bigger, More Expensive Equipment

Although a punching bag takes up very little room, it’s heavy and you will have to be sure your beam or ceiling can handle the weight. Also you need space around it in order to wind up for effective jabs and crosses.

Small punching bags for quick hand-over-hand punches can be installed almost anywhere as they are light and out of the way, but a full-sized one for boxing training with gloves or for karate moves is hefty. Don’t forget gloves to go with it and matting to protect joints as you bob and weave around your unmoving opponent.

When you start getting into heavy weights and body building, your needs for equipment and space expand. Assorted sizes of weights are carefully secured to the end of a bar and all of those items need to be stored responsibly on a rack which accommodates their weight and size.

Lift weights at a padded bench with a resting station where you can put the bar down. Always choose gear from a reliable, respectable company so as to protect yourself. Accident caused by cheap items which you can’t secure properly could bring an end to your days of Crossfit.

Do you use rings for gymnastics or arm strength movements? A proper frame is definitely required, plus rings, and that is not something the average basement gym can handle unless your house has very tall ceilings. You might have to visit a specialist gym in order to access this equipment.

Stationary Equipment

The average Crossfit participant enjoys as much variety as possible. This includes access to stationary machines like a treadmill, elliptical trainer, bicycle, or rowing machine. Numerous companies make these items plus stair machines with and without elliptical-style handles. They are rated for consumers of various weight limits but usually from 200 lbs to 300 lbs if you buy the best-quality, most expensive gear.

These machines simulate an outdoor workout like cross-country skiing (elliptical), trail running (treadmill), or climbing the stairs to your 10th storey apartment (stair climber). You will require access to several electrical ports, tape for covering cords, and many companies suggest placing these on mats to limit noise and wear.

Those mats are useful for stretching too. Most people can’t afford to own a lot of the best stationary equipment but affordable items with wheels can cost as little as $300 and are easily rolled from the living room into a large closet or a shadowy corner and back again when you next prepare to work out.