5 CrossFit Exercises to Take Your Training to the Next Level

Now, more than ever, there are numerous ways to get in shape. From lifting weights in your local gym to doing some kettlebell workouts at home. But, for those that want a more intense workout that encompasses the whole body, CrossFit seems like a good choice. After all, there is a good reason why the person who wins CrossFit games is called the fittest man on earth. So, to get you started, we will pick the five best CrossFit exercises to take your training to the next level.

Our pick of CrossFit exercises to take your training to the next level

Before we start, it is important to note that CrossFit isn't something you should do on your own. Yes, you can incorporate various CrossFit exercises into your workout routine. But, if you wish to mimic the intensity of CrossFit athletes, you should do so under a trainer's watchful eye. So, by all means, do give these exercises a try. And if you feel that CrossFit is something that would interest you, join a CrossFit gym.

Climbing Rope

Let's start with an exercise that is both quite beneficial and often overlooked. Namely, a simple rope climb can be quite impactful as a strength training workout. You can limit yourself to only using your hands. Or you can also use your legs to bring yourself up. As a rule, this is an intermediate-level workout, which means that you need already be in decent shape to perform it. Once you have enough grip and pull strength to climb a rope, you should incorporate it into your regular workout regime. The climb's speed and the number of repetitions can be aspects that you can change to improve your explosivity and durability.

Pull-ups

A simple, humble pull-up is easily one of the top CrossFit exercises to take your training to the next level. The great thing is that it has a ton of variations that will enable you to build your upper body strength.

A man performing a pull-up in a park.

A basic pull can significantly increase your upper-body strength.

You can change the following:

  • Hand position on the bar
  • Grip
  • Whether the bar will be in front of you or in the back
  • Leg position (in front or under you)
  • Whether or not you will add extra weight
  • The speed of pull-ups

If you feel too weak to do a set of pull-ups, try to lower the difficulty. Either do inverse pull-ups (where you start from the bar and slowly bring yourself down). Or put your legs on a chair to reduce the weight you have to pull up. Consider lowering the difficulty if you cannot do at least six pull-ups in a set.

Deadlift

The following exercises will require you to use a weight bar. And with it, you can start doing one of the best exercises out there: the deadlift. Before you do, we advise you to find an experienced personal trainer and have them teach you. A deadlift is a complex exercise. If you perform it properly, you will be able to lift a tremendous weight. But it is paramount that you educate your body and don't rush through the learning process. If you start to bend your back during a deadlift, you can be pretty much sure that an injury is inbound.

A man performing a deadlift, one of the best CrossFit exercises to take your training to the next level.

You'd be surprised at how much weight people can lift on a deadlift.

Push press

If you need a quick upper body workout, you'll have difficulty finding a better exercise than the push press. The premise of it is fairly simple. You take a bar with weights, hold it on your chest, and push press it above your head. Doing this alone is an excellent workout for your shoulders, upper back, and arms. Of course, there are different variations you can dry, where you change your grip and the space between your hands. We would also advise you to try isolating your move. You will likely see that you can lift quite a bit more if you jerk your body before the lift. An excellent way to focus on the upper body is to only use your arms and keep the rest entirely still.

Squat

The good, old-fashioned squat is the last of our CrossFit exercises to take your training to the next level. There is a good reason why some, people, consider the squat to be the king of all exercises. Especially for people that spend a lot of time sitting. Full-motion squatting will do wonders for your back, hips, and legs. Through it, you will fix your posture and likely improve your overall health. As you can imagine, there are countless variations of squats, so we will leave it to you to explore them. The one thing we advise is to value motion over weights and to be mindful of stiffness and pain.

A man performing an overhead squat.

The more squatting you do, the more you will know why it is one of the top CrossFit exercises to take your training to the next level.

Final thoughts

Before we leave you, there is something we would like for you to consider. Namely, before you start working out, it is important to outline why you are doing so. Do you wish to get healthy? Do you want to be strong? Are you using exercises as a way to keep yourself disciplined? All these are viable reasons. And the better you understand yours, the easier it will be to keep going. Some people use exercise to combat mental health problems or addictions. And while regular exercises can help, real life experiences have shown time and time again that there is no substitute for therapy.

As for CrossFit exercises to take your training to the next level, we advise you not to push yourself too hard. At least until you fully know what you are doing. While staying in shape after an injury is possible, you should avoid it as much as possible. If you really wish to step up your workouts, talk with experienced professionals and see what type of workout will suit your budget, schedule, and fitness level.