Plenty of people tout the benefits of CrossFit, but it’s often a local gym where you find yourself sweating off that holiday ham. Why change an entire regimen, when fitness buffs can simply glean the best of what this red-hot fitness trend has to offer? We asked Chris Guerrero, owner and head trainer at CrossFit Westchester just what movements would be at home in anyone’s daily sweat.
Thruster: The basis of many CrossFit WODs — or workouts of the day — the Thruster has gained an almost cult-like status among adherents. “I love this full body movement, which combines a full front squat into an overhead press, as I feel it is the most complete movement for a full body workout,” says Guerrero. “You can do it with a bar, kettle bells, or dumbbells.”
To complete a Thruster in the gym, simply stand with your feet shoulder width apart while holding two dumbbells at shoulder height. Keeping your chest up, squat until your thighs are just below parallel with the floor. Explosively stand up and, as you do so, thrust the dumbbells upward until they are overhead with your arms locked. Bring back to shoulder height and repeat.
Burpees: Guerrero loves burpees, nothing that they are “another full body workout which can be done anywhere.” To complete a burpee, simply keep your feet shoulder with apart and squat until your legs are parallel with the floor. Then quickly push your feet backward until you are in a pushup position. Bring your chest to the ground and then quickly stand back up and jump. “In a pinch for time?” asks Guerrero. “Simply bang out seven minutes of these and you’ll get your heart rate sky high and break a nice sweat.”
Kettlebell Swings: “I love this core to extremity movement because it requires proper hip hinging mechanics,” says Guerrero. “When done properly it will properly activate the glutes and hamstrings, in addition to building a rock-solid core.”
Kettlebell swings are simple: hold a single kettlebell between your legs with knees slightly bent and chest upward. Keeping your back taught, swing the kettlebell until it is eye level (or above) and then let it swing back down in a controlled movement, slightly bending your knees as you do so.
Run: While many do not associate running with CrossFit, this is actually the preferred way to warm up in many local boxes — which is a fancy name for a CrossFit gym. Guerrero agrees, noting that running is “probably the easiest and most effective way to get started on any fitness journey.”
Here is a sample workout that Guerrero put together:
Round 1: 10 Thrusters
Round 2: 10 Burpees
Round 3: 10 KB Swings
Round 4: 200m Run
*Take a 30 second break after all 4 rounds and repeat, continuing for 20 minutes*
