Have you taken the plunge into your New Year resolution to get fitter and healthier and joined CrossFit?
We posted earlier about not needing to be fit to get fit, so if you’re a brave wee soul and have signed yourself up for a better lifestyle firstly – congrats! – secondly, you may have noticed people at your gym with specific workout gear and are wondering what the heck it’s all about.
In this post we’ll outline for you what we consider ‘The Essentials’ and ‘The Extras’ here at IA, on all the slickest gear you could use as you start to boss those WODs! To be the first to know about our deals on gear, sign up to our mailing list below
The Essentials
Skipping Rope – click to shop
People seem to either love or hate double unders…or rather, they come naturally to you or they are your worst nightmare. A double under is when a skipping rope passes under the feet twice which sounds like wizardry if you’ve never attempted one before. A lot of people get caught up with focusing on the feet aspect of them when really the majority of the skill comes down to your arm position and quick wrist movements. We have three different ropes at Industrial Athletic to cater to varying levels of double under ability.
Wrist Wraps – click to shop
Wrist wraps are a great accessory for providing support to the wrist joint in overhead movements to prevent the wrist being pulled into excessive extension under load. While you shouldn’t ‘rely’ on using wraps during all training sessions they are certainly worth having at competitions and for max lifts. Our Industrial Athletic wraps are super easy to use and adjust with a thumb loop and velcro fastening, to suit your personal preference.
Palm Guards – click to shop
There’s nothing worse than torn up hands during a workout and when you’re first starting out at CrossFit your hands are likely to be somewhat baby-soft. Prepare for that to be a thing of the past! Pull-ups, toes to bar, muscle ups are all notorious hand tearers especially once your hands form calluses (you’ll learn to love it…sort of). A great way to mitigate this happening is by using palm guards. Our Industrial Athletic palm guards provide a layer of leather between your hands and the bar which help to stop the skin on your palm bunching and ripping.
Knee Sleeves – click to shop
Another item that is absolutely worth having but not ‘relying’ on. We are the only NZ supplier of Rehband knee sleeves which are far superior to other brands available – I have had one of my original pairs of Rehbands since 2013 and I cannot kill them! Our Rehband sleeves come in 5mm and 7mm – 5mm is fine to use during CrossFit workouts (WODs such as ‘Karen’ which calls for extreme volume wall balls!) as they are less restrictive allowing you to move fairly freely. The 7mm version is better used for barbell max effort reps (for example 1 heavy squat rep) as they provide tighter support around the knee joint. They also come in a variety of colours so you can get all fashionable on it.
The Extras
WOD/lifting shoes – click to shop
While I’d probably consider oly lifting shoes an ‘essential’ item they can be pricey and therefore out of reach at the outset for some people. That’s fine! It took me 6-8 months to take the plunge and get oly lifting shoes and another couple of months to get ‘WOD’ specific shoes. The major upside to having oly shoes is they provide a much more stable platform as they have an elevated rigid heel. The elevation also helps with ankle mobility which is a key issue for a lot of people in squats. WOD specific shoes are also good to have once you have a bit of cash to treat yourself – most WOD/CrossFit shoes have a fairly flat sole meaning they can be used for lifting as well, they’re more balanced and they usually have specific features for things like rope climbs (grippy additions to the sides of the shoe). I used some old running shoes to rope climb in once, and it ripped the sole to shreds…
Weight Belt – click to shop
Again, not something you want to rely on, but weight belts are a handy item to keep in your bag for 1 rep max lifts to keep your core locked in. As a good little CrossFitter you should be doing plenty of core work as an add-on to your training to help eliminate the need for a belt.
Mobility Items – click to shop
Lacrosse balls, rollers and black magic bands are all great additional accessories you can get to assist with your mobility and stretching. Mobility is so incredibly important in your quest to become a healthier, fitter person and is the key to keeping yourself injury free. A lot of facilities may be kitted out with this stuff but it can be helpful to have your own items, or keep them at home.
That’s about it! Of course if you start CrossFit and realise you absolutely love it, you can go as far as getting gear for at home or even setting up a home gym – all of which we can help you with here at IA as well!
