It is definitely true in some bodybuilding circles that mixing CrossFit and bodybuilding is just not something. However, more and more bodybuilders are looking to find different ways to up their game. Whether that be through yoga movements or other exercise variations. If you’re curios about this variation of exercise then read on to learn what it is and how you can incorporate it.
What is CrossFit?
CrossFit is actually a branded fitness regimen. It was created by Greg Glassman who ironically enough is a film producer. The practice started back in 2000 and has since become more and more popular. It includes both high interval training along with several other areas of fitness. It promotes conditioning, strength, and stamina and focuses on several important avenues. These avenues are everything from flexibility to accuracy and coordination. Most of the variations of this type of workout include a warm up, a developmental session, high intensity exercises, and then stretching at the end.
CrossFit Exercises for Bodybuilding
Clean & Jerk
For many bodybuilders, a full clean and jerk seems like a piece of cake and of course, you don’t want to necessarily overdo it. However, in this variation for CrossFit exercising you will be doing a single set of at least thirty clean and jerks. Believe it or not, there is a set standard for weight to use when doing these exercises. However, it is up to you to know your body and know if you need to lessen the weight. That being said, the weight for men is 135lbs and the weight for women is 95lbs.
How To:
The movements for this are pretty straight forward. So if you’ve never done it before here’s a general idea so that you get through this CrossFit exercise without injury. You would start with the weight in front of you and with your body centered in front of it. That way you don’t have an uneven lift. Your feel will need to be at least hip width apart with your toes pointing forward. Ensure that your knees are essentially in line with your feet. You don’t want them pulled in or over extended as that can cause injury.
Once you’re set up, you will then grab the bar in front of you, you can then start with this CrossFit exercise. Now this is extremely important. You do not want to ever lift with your back. That can cause major strain and injury. Always lift from the knees. Make sure that your back is straight, and your chest is slightly pulled forward. You’ll lift it in three movements, the first is about knee high with the second being thigh high.
Your final movement is to pop it up onto what is considered the rack. This means that your arms are bent in towards you a bit. You’ll be in a squat position at this point. Then in one swift motion, keeping in mind you want to keep your face out of the way. You will pop the bar up and over your head with straight arms. While doing this you will go into “splits” or what looks like a slight forward lunge. Congratulations, you have completed your first repletion of the squat jerk CrossFit exercise.
Now if you are using a lighter weight you can bring that back down to your “rack” before bringing it to the ground. However, if you’re using a heavier weight you’ll want to essentially just drop that to the ground and start again.
Single-Arm Kettlebell Swing
This final exercise is something that may be a bit more of a challenge in the CrossFit world than the others. This is because it is depending on the weight of your kettlebell. The name of this exercise is the kettlebell swing. That will determine the difficulty here. The goal is to complete as many sets of ten repetitions as you can within a time frame. That time frame, 10 minutes. You can either leave it to one side or you can do both arms at the same time. The decision is up to you. Just keep in mind that if you decide to do it one sided, you’ll want to do the other side in another 10 minute round so that both are evened out.
How To:
But how do you do a single or two armed kettle ball swing for CrossFit training without sustaining injury and gaining muscle? You’ll set the kettle ball on the ground and stand above it. Now, if you’re doing it two handed you’ll want to bend down with a flat back. Make sure to grab the kettle ball evenly so that each arm gets a good workout from this exercise. You’ll essentially come back to an almost squat position with your knees slightly bent. Then once here you can do a few loose swings to ensure you’ve got the correct weight for you.
Once comfortable with the weight of the kettle bell, you can get into the real work. Instead of letting the kettle bell loosely swing, you’ll want to come up in more explosive movements and swing your arms out to the front of you and back between your legs. This CrossFit exercise is good for the entire body as it engages you arms, legs, and core. One thing to be careful with is to not strain or overextend the back or knees with this movement. You’ll also want to work to keep the arms fairly straight.
Muscle Gain with SARMs
Whether beginner bodybuilder or seasoned athlete, sometimes supplements are necessary even when using CrossFit exercises to train. As we age, our bodies tend to need more focus on muscle in order to see any gains. However, with the help of compounds such as SARMs, you can easily get back to the gym and back on your gains. But what are SARMs? SARMs are selective androgen receptor modulators. These compounds are not to be mistaken with steroids as they are more selective in nature. Not to mention they typically have less harmful side effects than steroids. You can check out Paradigm’s variety of SARMs when you click here. Don’t know much about Paradigm Peptides? Let me introduce you.
CrossFit Muscle Supplements at Paradigm Peptides
Paradigm Peptides is a manufacturer of many compounds including peptides, SARMs, and even nootropics. We pride ourselves on our high quality products. Each one is manufactured right here in the United States and is of pharmaceutical grade. We stringently test each product before it becomes available to ensure that you are getting products of the highest efficacy and purity available. If you’d like to learn more about our products you could either visit our blog pages or feel free to contact us here with any questions you may have.