What Workouts are Considered CrossFit?

CrossFit is a form of high-intensity training that combines Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, gymnastics and HIIT cardio. It is a lifestyle characterized by safe and effective exercise and healthy nutrition, and can be used to achieve anything from improving health to losing weight to improving performance. CrossFit workouts are different every day and can be modified to help each athlete achieve their goals. They are very effective due to their emphasis on load, distance and speed elements, which help participants develop high levels of power.

Part of the allure of CrossFit is the camaraderie that is forged in the oven of doing a brutally hard workout together. EMOM training examines your recovery powers by doing eight rounds of high-intensity intervals, alternating 20 seconds of effort with 10 seconds of rest. A descending ladder workout starts with 100 repetitions of the first exercise, then 90 for the second, and so on. An example of this is 100 push-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 squats and 100 squats.

CrossFit energizers for beginners include a quarter-mile run followed by 40 squats in the air, 30 squats, 20 burpees and 10 push-ups; 21 deadlifts and burpees, followed by 15 of each and then 9 of each; and 75 to 100 turns of the jump rope. All these exercises can be done without any equipment. In addition to these workouts, all great workouts borrow elements from other fitness programs. Even if you're not ready to jump full force into CrossFit, there are effective training elements that you can incorporate into your current workout routine.

As with all CrossFit workouts, take all the breaks you need, just remember that they count towards your total time. CrossFit became a very popular workout a few years ago when boxing gyms began to appear not only across the country but all over the world. A study found that 20 percent of CrossFit participants surveyed were injured while doing CrossFit-backed workouts.