Just like any specialized sport, the gear or equipment you choose can help you become better.
For instance, you will never see a professional golfer take a set of clubs off the rack and take them out on the golf course to play in a tournament.
Professional golfers spend hours tinkering with their golf clubs to ensure the clubs they use fit their playing style.
CrossFitters are no different.
If you’ve ever watched the CrossFit Games, you probably noticed most of the athletes are dressed the same, in that, they wear a specific kind of shoe, and the shirts and shorts they don are very similar.
There’s a good reason for this.
Let’s take some time to go over the gear you need to pay attention to if you want to excel.
Shoes
We’ve talked on this blog before about the different movements CrossFit athletes must endure during the course of a workout. Therefore, the shoes they wear need to accommodate.
Running shoes aren’t ideal because we do more than run, and weightlifting shoes don’t provide the versatility needed for other movements.
That’s why there are shoes designed specifically for CrossFit. They provide the support needed during weightlifting, while being flexible enough to give the athlete room to maneuver during box jumps.
While they are not cheap, they provide support during a workout, so getting the proper CrossFit shoe is vital.
Wrist wraps
We do a lot of work on the rig at Grand Trunk, which means your hands are going to take a beating over the course of your time with us.
If you are not protecting them properly, you’re going to learn quickly how much pain you can endure in the form of nasty callouses.
Wrist wraps are valuable because they help to protect your wrist when doing chest-to-bars and pull-ups, while also protecting the palms of your hand to avoid callous build-up.
Injuring your wrists or hands will limit your ability to push yourself during your workouts, so investing some money in wrist wraps will go a long way in staying fit.
Shirts and shorts
CrossFit will make you sweat. A lot. So you need a get-up that provides ample breathability and is designed to let your body jump and bend without being prohibitive.
You also want something that will wick away sweat during the workout so you don’t have to worry about moisture building up.
There isn’t a specific kind of clothing designed for CrossFit, but if you follow this guidance, you’ll find something that will let you get the most out of your workout.
Headbands
Like we said, there’s a lot of sweat involved in a WOD. A headband, whether you are a man or a woman, will come in handy so you don’t have to worry about sweat dripping in your eyes.
There’s nothing worse than sweat dripping down into your eyes while you try to set your persona best on the power clean (except maybe callouses, but we’ll assume you’ve purchases your wrist wraps already if you’re going for a personal best).
***
If you are new to CrossFit, we don’t suggest running out and spending your hard-earned cash on top-of-the-line CrossFit gear.
Like anything, you won’t truly know what you need until you have given CrossFit a fair shake.
But down the road you’ll need to invest in some gear if you want to get the most out of your workouts, so this guide should help you get started.
Interested? Schedule your free, no-sweat intro today!