For years my workouts were very basic, I stuck with the conventional and didn’t vary much what I was doing. Things changed a few years ago and I jumped on the functional strength training bandwagon. Why develop strength that won’t help you achieve your goals? There’s a reason you’re in the weight room, whether it’s to be healthy, lose weight, or become a better athlete.

One of my new favorites for overall fitness and functional strength is CrossFit. It’s an awesome way to get a killer workout in in a short period of time while developing your body the way you want, getting your cardio and strength training work all done at the same time. Read a little below, then try using it once or twice per week in your routine…or if you really love it, design all your workouts with CrossFit philosophies!

What is CrossFit?

CrossFit Endurance was developed by Brian MacKenzie as a replacement for conventional training for endurance athletes. It’s a high-intensity, low-volume training method that utilizes mainly dynamic power lifts. CrossFit is a quality over quantity type program, developed with the belief that many injuries suffered by long-distance runners was due to overuse and the LSD (long, slow, distance) approach to building an aerobic base. The premise is that technique, strength, power, and nutrition build a better and healthier athlete.

Why CrossFit?

– Complete your workouts in less time with less injury risk

– Become strong, mobile, agile and powerful with a high-level of stamina

– For athletes, introduces explosion during all phases of the workout

“It produces an athlete that never breaks down.” – Brian MacKenzie

How it works

Select 3-5 exercises or “stations.” Perform each exercise one after the other with the only rest being going from one exercise to the next. Do exercises for time (i.e. one minute each exercise then rotate) or reps then continue for multiple rounds. Either as many rounds as possible or a set number of rounds. Throw in explosive running drills throughout for even more of a challenge.

The Exercises

MacKenzie advises mastering the following moves before you take on weight lifting exercises:

Air squat

Pull-up

Push-up

Dip

Handstand push-up

Rope climb

Press to handstand

Back extension

Sit-up

Jumps

Lunge

Once you have mastered the core body weight exercises, it’s time to develop your weight training technique:

Deadlifts

Cleans

Presses

Snatch

Clean and jerk

Kettlebell swing

Tire flips

My first time trying this type of workout crushed me and made me feel extremely out of shape despite spending 5+ days per week in the gym! It’s a great way to change things up and work on something new. Remember, never be satisfied or content with your workouts, you can always improve!