Gym Bag Essentials
Now I’m a little old school when it comes to gym kit to train CrossFit. However time has meant all sorts of weird and wonderful gym gear has hit the market and it can be a bit of a minefield to understand what you need and what you don’t.
First of all you shouldn’t need to but much to get started. Here at AFSCrossFit we have a range of equipment that our members can borrow to get throw all of our workouts. However, there comes a time along the journey to becoming a true CrossFitter that style, look, functionality and most of all cutting corners moves up the priority list and you want to spend some hard earned cash on some proper gym stash. So here I am going to run through the stages of enlightenment.
Most people start CrossFit as an experiment. They run, they do some gym classes and usually turn up in leggings/shorts, a t-shirt or vest and some bubble trainers like Hokas or whatever brand is in for runners at the time. After a while the enquiry is made “what are these CrossFit shoes all about?”. And so Pandoras box is opened and we start plummeting down Alices well. Nike Metcons, Reebok Nanos, Inov8 and Nobull all offer great trainers for crossfit. Head over to Wit-Fitness.com to check them out. If you use the code AFSCROSSFIT you can get a 10% discount
Next up is usually the dreaded double under. We have ropes that members can borrow however there is nothing quite like getting that custom fit rope to unlock your double under potential. There are lots of ropes out there however I pretty much stick to rogue ropes. They are well made and have great bearings. Even the Speller and Tia-Toomey ropes at about £30 spin pretty nicely. If you move unto the Matt Fraser Rope for £75 you are buying some pretty epic bearings and quality handles. There are amazon ropes available however I would steer clear of anything under £25 quid.
You have been doing CrossFit a few months now and are progressing towards your first pull up. As you have seen all the weapons in your gym crushing kipping chest to bar pull ups you think fuck it. I’m going to skip all that strict pull up advice, it’s holding you back from being a badass and you bust out Cindy. 20 minutes later your hands are pissing blood andyou have shredded your palms to bits. This is the moment that you realise that I wasn’t joking when I said you need to get your first 5 strict pull ups and build your grip strength. Either way, you are determined not to repeat the agony and look to buy a pair of pull up grips. A good place to get these is Reyellen or rogue. They come in all different shapes and sizes so I suggest asking some of your gym buddies if you could try some before you buy. Lets just hope they are not scruffy and have never washed them.
Those runners are doing absolutely nothing for your olympic lifting. Your ankles are tight and you just can’t get into a good position in the snatch. You notice some fellas walking around in high heels, hitting the best slut drops you’ve ever seen and your interest is piqued. You waltz over and ask “Hey, nice wedges. Whats the point of those then?”. Well the point is that the wedge allows you to get the knee further over the toe. This then allows you to squat deeper which for the olympic lifts is very important. It also allows you to get more weight back during the extension phase of the lift giving you more confidence. Finally most Olympic lifting shoes have a strap along the top to provide more foot stability. Nike Romaleos, Adidas Adipower, Nobull, Reebok and Inov8 all offer these shoes.
With that increased range of motion and now smashing bodyweight snatchs overhead your knees and wrists are throbbing and your back is in shit state. When tuning into the Arnold Classic on YouTube a monster of a guy comes pirouetting onto the platform wearing the biggest spanks you’ve ever witnessed, his knees so tightly wrapped his legs are blue, and a bondage belt stressed to the max holding it all all in. Your joints are going to take a pounding. This is CrossFit and when doing CrossFit you are going to squat heavy, press heavy and deadlift heavy. Hopefully your gym/box has programs in place to build up your lifting intensity like we do and you don’t ever have an injury. The innate task of getting stronger means you work on the limit of your strength and thus injuries are always possible. A good pair of knee sleeves or better yet knee wraps can give you support when squatting, you can also get similar wraps for your wrists. Again rogue is a good place for these. I would say to borrow a pair of these to try but no-one ever washes their wraps or sleeves and most sites give you a sizing guide. Lastly belts. There are leather belts, velcro belts, 3 inch belts, 6 inch belts and many other types. For crossFit I would recommend a velcro belt. These are quick to tighten up so perfect for during a WOD and offer plenty of support. The velcro these days has also got a lot better but will never last as long a bulk setup. You could go down the lever route for your static lifts such as squats and deadlifts. These are custom fit to your waist so super easy to tighten up but these belts tend to be super think also so not so good if you are trying to workout with it. If you want. custom belt head to Mobility Tools you can also try try Sling Shot , Rogue, Reyellen or Strength Shop for these bits.
Finally we come to mobility. This is always last on peoples agenda until they break then suddenly everyone needs a copy of the Supple Leopard. I’m going to keep this simple a list what you will need:
-Foam Roller
-Lacrosse Ball
-Peanut Ball
-Mini Band
-Voodoo Band / Floss Band
-Theragun
If you check out The Ready State, Mobility Tools or rogue you will find all of the above. Keeping everything moving correctly is super important and just 10 minutes a day can make a hugs difference. Jump into our Yoga classes as well and you will be a mobility wizard.
That just about comes up the essential kit you can buy. It is by no means an exhaustive list and there are plenty of other equipment suppliers out there that I have not including so feel free to have a shop around. Show us your gym stash in the comments. If you have any equipment you would recommend throw them in the comments. Sharing is caring.
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G-Unit Out!
Shit, I just scrolled upto the top and didn’t even think to mention bags. WTAF. Anyway give kriger a look or velitas.
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