Home Gym Essentials for CrossFit and Functional Fitness Athletes (Checklist)

These home gym essentials for CrossFit and functional fitness athletes will help you get kitted out for optimal performance and success at home.

They have been chosen to give you the most bang for your buck, and can be altered according to your available funds, space and training preferences.

Pull Up Bar

The Pull Up bar is a simple and affordable piece of kit that any home CrossFit Garage Gym owner can easily set up and use.

What CrossFit Exercises can you Perform with a Pull Up Bar?

• Chest to Bar Pull Ups
• Kipping Pull Ups
• Muscle Ups
• Dead Hangs

Benefits of a Pull Up Bar

The exercise will strengthen the lats, traps, delts and arms.

They also:

• Improve grip strength
• Are suitable for all ability levels
• Enhance shoulder health
• Improve your gymnastic skills

Points to Consider

• Think about head room if you also want to perform bar muscle ups
• Make sure the surface you attach the bar to is strong enough to support the weight of the athlete, not just the bar

Home Gym Essentials for CrossFit – Barbell

The Barbell is a staple for all athletes if you want to get a fully rounded training program.

With or without a rack, there are many ways to include this popular and essential training tool into your home gym.

What Exercises can you Perform with a Barbell?

• Snatches
• Clean and Jerks
• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Bench Press Variations
• Overhead Presses

Benefits of Barbell Training

There are numerous benefits to including barbell exercises in your life.

• Barbell exercises build strength
• Enhance muscle mass
• Improve performance
• Augment skill
• Can perform essential full body compound exercises

Points to Consider

• Will the bar be used for powerlifting, Oly lifting or everything?
• What knurling do you need?
• Coating
• Finish
• Bearings
• Bushings
• PSI

Home Gym Essentials for CrossFit – Bumper Plates

If you are a CrossFit or Olympic Weightlifting athlete then bumper plates are essential.

What Exercises can you Perform with Bumper Plates?

• Snatches
• Clean and Jerks
• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Bench Press Variations
• Overhead Presses

Benefits of Bumper Plates

• Won’t crack your gym floor
• Bumper plates are safer for Olympic lifts
• Versatile
• Bumper plates are exceptionally durable
• Bumper plates are quieter

Points to consider

• Shore A Durometer Scale
• Noise
• Finish
• Colour

Barbell Collars

If you have a barbell then you will need a pair of these.

Also known as clips, they attach to the collars of the barbell and keep your bumper plates locked in place.

Benefits of Barbell Collars

• Makes lifting safe
• Improves performance
• Removes distractions
• A good investment

Points to Consider

• Clips or spring loaded?

Home Gym Essentials for CrossFit – Kettlebells

Kettlebells are an excellent choice if you are short on space and still want to train hard.

What Exercises can you Perform with Kettlebells?

• Swings
• Presses
• Curls
• Deadlifts

Benefits of Kettlebells

• Operate in the unique sweet spot between strength and endurance
• Enhance grip strength
• Provide a unique training stimulus

Points to Consider

• Coating
• Casting quality
• Finish

Gymnastic Rings

You will need more space, but if you have it then gymnastic rings are versatile, highly effective and open up a complete plethora of new training opportunities.

What Exercises can you Perform with Gymnastic Rings?

• Pull Ups
• Muscle Ups
• Dead Hangs
• Toes to Rings
• Knees to Elbows
• Dips
• Ring Rows

Benefits

• New potential for gymnastic training
• Provide the opportunity for many new skills to be learnt
• Great for developing upper body strength

Points to Consider

• Wood, plastic or steel?

Home Gym Essentials for CrossFit – Medicine Ball

Source: Eduardo Cano on Unsplash

What Exercises can you Perform with a Medicine Ball?

• Wall Ball Shots
• Russian Twists
• Loaded Carries
• Loaded Sit Up Variations
• Throws

Benefits of a Medicine Ball

• Build explosive strength and power
• Excellent conditioning tool
• Great alternative way to train the core

Points to Consider

• Weight
• Stitching
• Material

Climbing Rope

What Exercises can you Perform with a Climbing Rope?

• Climbs
• Hangs
• Pull Ups

Benefits of a Climbing Rope

• Challenging
• Fun
• Build grip strength
• Augments upper body strength
• Enhanced skill and coordination

Points to Consider

• Do you have the space?
• Can it be fitted safely?

Jump Rope

What Exercises can you Perform with a Jump Rope?

• Double Unders
• Single Unders

Benefits of a Jump Rope

• Cost effective
• Excellent conditioning tool
• Useful for skill development
• Requires minimal space

Points to Consider

• Heavy or normal handles?
• Heavy or normal rope?

Home Gym Essentials for CrossFit and Functional Fitness Athletes

The next obvious expansions would come in the form of racks (squat, power, bench) and machines (ski erg, rower, assault bike, trueform etc).

These require much more space and budget, but each one is always an excellent personal investment into your own health and fitness.

Learn more in our Fitness Gear section.