When you walked into your first CrossFit class, you may have noticed some people wearing shoes or using gear that is different from your normal gym.
Depending on the WOD (workout of the day), members may wear special shoes with heel lifts, wraps around their wrists, or belts around their waist. Maybe they have palm protection or a fancy skipping rope.
Have you ever wondered what CrossFitters keep in their MASSIVE gym bags? Like, why do you need such so much stuff?
Do I even NEED all that specialty equipment? What’s necessary, and what can I get by without?
This article is going to give you the low down on what equipment you might consider adding to your gym bag.
Shoes
Let’s start with the most important piece of equipment. When you did your first CrossFit class, you probably brought a water bottle and a clean pair of running shoes.
Running shoes are great for running but leave much to be desired for CrossFit. The problem with running shoes is they can be too squishy for CrossFit. For all of the weightlifting movements we do in CrossFit, we want a fairly flat and stable shoe.
Most CrossFitter can get by with one pair of flat-soled shoes. We recommend something that doesn’t have a very cushy base. The reason is that these shoes will be the most stable for box jumps, heavy back squats, and Olympic weightlifting, and they will provide grip for rope climbs. You’ll feel more confident lifting heavier weights, and you’ll perform better! If you need some new shoes, we’d recommend Nike Metcons, Nobull trainers, Reebok Nanos, or Strike Mvmt Haze trainers.
If you’d like a shoe specifically for Olympic weightlifting (The Snatch and Clean and Jerk), you’ll want a lifting shoe with a heel wedge. This added heel height is going to allow you to squat deeper, keep your torso more upright and provide even more stability in these highly technical lifts.
If it is summer and there are lots of running WODs with light weights, running shoes may be a good option for those workouts. Most CrossFit workouts are less than 1 mile of running, so most can get by with a flat-soled shoe for 200m and 400m laps in the WOD. But if you want to break out the running shoes, this is a good place to do it!
Gymnastics Grips
After you’ve got the shoes down, the next best piece of equipment to invest in will be gymnastics grips. These are going to help protect your hands from ripping on the pull-up bar and will help provide a more secure grip.
There are many types of grips, and it can be a little overwhelming to make your first purchase.
When purchasing grips, make sure you take the time to get proper hand measurements before making your order. This will make a huge difference in your grips working properly for you. Grips are meant to fit big. You will want a little bit of excess material to fold over on the bar.
The material of the grips matters too! Leather grips are likely not going to add grip. The best option is a synthetic material that has been designed for CrossFit bars. The cheapest grips you can find on Amazon are likely going to let you down in this department.
Our recommendations for high-quality grips are Victory grips sold by These Fists Fly (use code DEANNA10 for 10% off 😉), Element 26 ISO grips from Amazon (currently sold out, but these are 🔥) or Rellyen.
Skipping Rope
Most CrossFit gyms have community skipping ropes. Usually, these are on the cheaper side and are of generic lengths. If you want to take your skipping to the next level, learn double-unders, or have a light piece of equipment to travel with, having your own rope is going to be very helpful.
When you purchase your own rope, you can customize the length to fit perfectly. This will make learning new rope skills such as double-unders much easier.
The best rope for CrossFit is a speed rope. There are many great ropes on the market. RPM ropes are high quality and will last you forever. Rouge also makes many high-quality options at different price ranges.
Belts
As a CrossFitter, you do not NEED a weightlifting belt to get stronger or lift heavy. However, at some point, you may find a weight lifting belt can help your performance.
Before considering using a belt, it is best to learn how to brace your core and stabilize your midline properly. Once you are confident in your bracing ability you can consider using a belt.
A common misconception when using a lifting belt is that it will help to protect your back. This in untrue. A lifting belt can assist in your ability to brace but it does not replace this skill.
Belts are NOT a crutch for improper bracing OR dealing with injuries. Belts are used to help assist proper bracing and mechanics.
Wraps and Sleeves
Knee sleeves and wrist wraps can be nice to have. If you’re dealing with wrist pain or weak wrists, some support can be helpful. Try warming up first without them and then only using them when the loads start to get heavier and you feel like you need that extra support.
Knee sleeves are meant to help keep your knees warm during heavy leg workouts or during colder months. Another common misconception is that knee sleeves provide support to the joint. Although the sleeve provides a little bit of compression, this isn’t anything you should rely on when there is instability at the knee.
Knee sleeves provide great shin protection for your shins when doing deadlifts or rope climbs, or your knees when you’re doing heavy walking lunges. Even though this isn’t their intended purpose, it’s a great piece of equipment to keep around for these reasons.
Our coaches at CrossFit Vernon are knowledgeable about all the the equipment listed above and have experience with all these items. We’ve learned from our mistakes when buying gear so you don’t have to. Please ask us if you have any questions before you make a new purchase!
