THE BEST CROSSFIT WORKOUTS FOR BEGINNERS
Jul. 25, 2016 Men's Fitness
Why CrossFit? It’s incredibly effective as proven by the tens of thousands of ripped dudes hoisting barbells in “Nice Snatch” shirts. But you don’t have to know how to do a power snatch or a squat clean to reap the benefits of CrossFit’s high-intensity, constantly-varied workouts.
Before starting any of these WODs (that’s “Workout of the Day” in CrossFit-speak), complete a warmup like an 800m run, five minutes on a stationary bike, a couple rounds of jumping jacks, air squats and lunges, or a 500-meter row. Follow that with some static and dynamic stretching, focusing on the muscles you’ll be using in that workout. And finish each workout with a long stretch and foam rolling.
These workouts are short but what they lack in total time, they make up for in intensity. So keep rest times short (or not at all if possible). Focus on good form and drop weight if you’re struggling to complete the prescribed number of reps.
Each of the following five workouts uses one of the main structures of a CrossFit workout:
Baseline, EMOM (Every Minute, On the Minute), AMRAP (As Many Rounds as Possible), Chipper, and Benchmark. You might notice that none of these workouts involve a barbell; as a beginner, it’s important to establish the cardiovascular base needed for CrossFit’s intense, fast-paced workouts first. Nail all of these and you’re ready to hit your local box where a CrossFit coach can work with you on the barbell movements you’ll see in many other WODs!
Baseline
A baseline workout is used to establish, well, a baseline for performance. Try this workout first and come back to it throughout your training to check your performance. It should improve each time. (Don’t forget to keep a record of your times.)