Can I Do CrossFit At Home?

Every day, CrossFit.com puts out the workout of the day (or WOD), which can be done at home, in a commercial gym, or in a CrossFit gym. 

Every CrossFit gym will put out their own WOD as well, which can be different from the CrossFit.com site – if you happen to find a local CrossFit site that you enjoy but don’t attend full-time, it’s more than okay to follow their workouts.

The best news about this is the workouts are posted free of charge to anybody that is interested in doing them.

CrossFit gyms can be prohibitively expensive, so if you love CrossFit but are looking to save money, you can follow along at home or in your office gym provided you have the right equipment.

Many times, you’ll run into situations where you can’t complete a particular workout because you don’t have the right equipment. Do the best you can with what’s available to you, and keep track of how you made your modification for tracking purposes.

Now, there are a few challenges with following CrossFit at home or by yourself in a gym:

• Nobody is checking your form – CrossFit requires many incredibly specific movements; if you start by yourself at home, you’ll never know if you’re doing them incorrectly and could severely hurt yourself as you increase the amount of weight with which you work.
• Lack of communal camaraderie – A huge part of CrossFit is the supportive community aspect that comes with each gym. I guarantee you’d finish a workout a few seconds (or minutes) faster if you had 50 people screaming your name and cheering you toward the finish line.
• You probably don’t have all of the equipment – If you’re working out at home, you probably don’t have a full squat rack, bumper plates, kettlebells, medicine balls, and so on….so you’ll often be creating your own workouts that are modified versions of the online versions. You might also not be able to bounce and throw your weights around like Cross Fitters tend to do.
• You will want to buy all the equipment – The more you do it, the more you’ll want to do it properly. This might not cost as much as an actual box, but it will cost you.

Even with all these negatives, it could save you quite a bit of money each a month by not joining a gym, just be smart about it.

If you’re somebody that does want to train at home or doesn’t have access to a CrossFit gym you can trust, there are two things to consider:

• Making sure you’re doing your exercises correctly so you don’t develop bad habits.
• Personal accountability (somebody to check in on you and cheer you on)

We’ve focused on both challenges with our 1-on-1 online coaching program. 

Our coaches work with clients to build workout programs specific to their situation and goals and do form checks on each exercise with their clients via video (to make sure they don’t hurt themselves). Plus, your coach comes with you no matter where you are in the world!

Let us check your form and build a custom strength training routine for you!

What is a CrossFit Workout I Can Try?

One of my favorite “first time” CrossFit workouts is a benchmark workout named Cindy.

It’s a simple bodyweight circuit & can be done practically anywhere – the only equipment you need is a pull up bar. It’s a favorite for travelling, and shorter versions of it (3 rounds) is often used as a warmup.

Cindy is 20-minute AMRAP (“as many rounds as possible”):

• Pull-Ups: 5 reps
• Push-Ups: 10 reps
• Squats: 15 reps

What this means is that you put 20 minutes on the clock and then do as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats before the time runs out. There is no scheduled rest in between rounds – as soon as you finish your 15 squats you start on the pull ups again.

Now, let’s look at each movement and how to scale it down if necessary.

5 pull-ups – You’re allowed to kip these (which is a useful skill any time that your goal is not pure strength). If you can’t do regular pull ups, you can do banded pull ups, chair assisted pull ups, or jumping pull ups instead.

Don’t have a pull-up bar? Do bodyweight rows.

10 push-ups – The standard CrossFit push up is chest to the deck, but if you can’t do that, you can substitute knee pushups or wall pushups.

15 squats – this is a basic air squat, with no weight.

There are also other variations of this workout for beginner athletes. Some examples are:

 Sound too easy? Go faster.

While you are getting strength benefits from this workout, the goal of this workout is more metabolic conditioning, so making the movements harder (like switching to dive-bomber push-ups) is not something you would want to do here.

And if you want a fun series of workouts you can follow along with at the gym or home, let us create a custom workout solution for you! We’ll even help you start eating better too so you can reach your goals.

As always, man up and lift your life. You’ve got this!

The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only. Rabbi Fitness LLC is not a doctor. The contents of this article should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any health problem– nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and/or engagement in physical activity, especially if you (or your family) have a history of high blood pressure, heart disease, or if you have ever experienced chest pain when exercising or have experienced chest pain in the past month when not engaged in physical activity, smoke, have high cholesterol, are obese, or have a bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a change in physical activity.

 Here at Rabbi Fitness LLC, our goal is to improve the lives of busy men becoming the best version of themselves with optimal strength, energy & superior health to engage & attack life with all their being! Call 516-331-0235 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.