The Makings of a CrossFit Workout

By: CrossFit Fortify

CrossFit isn't the fitness they sell you in "6 Easy Steps" on magazine covers; it's a devotion to excelling in life and sport. CrossFit programming is designed to create well-rounded athletes, not specialists. Coaches achieve this by having athletes perform constantly varied functional movements at high intensities with emphasis on the modalities below.

Metabolic conditioning — exercises that improve cardiovascular capacity and stamina (running, biking, or rowing)

Gymnastics — exercises that improve body control (air squats, lunges, or rope climbs)

Weightlifting — exercises that increase strength and power (deadlifts, presses, kettlebell swings)

Workouts are completed in a 45-60 minute window and follow a standard structure, including four key elements:

1. Warm Up

The first part of a CrossFit workout is the dynamic warm-up. In a traditional, gym-style warm-up, you work toward increasing your heart rate and elevating your body temperature, most often by spending a couple of minutes on a stationary bike and doing a few static stretches. The CrossFit approach is different. Warm-ups are dynamic, and your goals are:

Raise your core body temperature and heart rate to stimulate major body processes
Stretch warmed muscles to improve flexibility and maintain range of motion along major joints
Spend time practicing basic movements to reestablish correct, functional movement patterns
Stimulate your entire body
Prepare mentally and physically for the demands of the workout

Warm-ups last approximately 10-15 minutes and include exercises and stretches targeting all major muscle groups. For those new to CrossFit, the warm-ups can be intimidating and may feel like a workout in their own right. However, like all aspects of CrossFit, the warm-up can be tailored to your individual fitness level so that it's challenging and achieves the prescribed goals but doesn't sacrifice your endurance for the rest of the session.

2. Strength Training and Skills Development

The second piece of a CrossFit workout is centered around becoming a stronger, more efficient athlete. Your coach will work with you to improve your form and teach you to move your body correctly by honing in on and truing up the skills that will be needed to complete the WOD (up next) safely and effectively.

You can expect this segment of the workout to last 15-20 minutes.

3.WOD

Some boxes refer to the entire workout (all four components) as "The Workout of the Day (WOD)" — while others use WOD only to describe the third step in a workout. In the latter scenario, the WOD is a cornerstone of the CrossFit program; it's where the real magic happens.

A WOD consists of a set of exercises that you complete in a specific order, under a challenging time constraint like:

AMRAP — complete as many repetitions of a single exercise or set of exercises under a specific time cap before taking a break
EMOM — start repetitions of a single exercise or set of exercises every minute on the minute for a specific amount of time. If any time is leftover, athletes may rest until the top of the next minute

WODs are magical because they push athletes out of their comfort zones no matter what their level of fitness. If you're a beginner, you can complete a WOD alongside a veteran. Your coach might make modifications to movements you haven't mastered or decrease your rep count or load, but you and your counterpart will still be fighting the same clock — and you'll both be going all-in based on your individual perceived effort. Because of this, boxes can establish real communities and help forge lasting connections between athletes.

The WOD is usually completed in 10-20 minutes.

4. Cool Down

The final step in the CrossFit workout is completing a well-crafted cool-down. This critical component ensures you get the most bang for your buck from a workout by helping to return your body to a pre-workout state, which allows it to recover faster. An excellent cool-down will include:

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