CrossFit for girls, training program at home and in the gym

CrossFit training attracts the attention of both amateurs and professionals. They began to gain popularity at the beginning of the 2000s and are not losing ground. CrossFit has proven to be highly effective. It is interesting to both men and women. The number of people willing to train using this method and even take part in competitions is growing steadily.

The system has no restrictions based on gender or level of training. Both professional and beginner athletes can practice CrossFit. CrossFit helps improve physical fitness and includes a wide variety of training programs, which allows girls to select exercises for training both in the gym and at home.

The programs are designed with accessibility in mind. There are many complexes that do not require the use of special equipment. They are aimed at strengthening the health of the heart muscle, improving endurance, getting rid of extra pounds, and gaining a physically developed body.

What is the CrossFit system?

This is an absolutely unique training method. The main goal of the system is to improve a person's flexibility, power, strength, speed and endurance. Specially designed complexes allow you to achieve results in improving each physical indicator. They are called WODs.

Each WOD consists of exercises that are performed at a strictly high-intensity pace over short periods of time. The technique is a system based on elements of powerlifting, kettlebell lifting, gymnastics, and athletics (light and heavy).

Workouts include strength elements - presses, deadlifts, moving heavy objects, jerks. They are more aimed at men. Girls are advised to exclude such exercises from the program. They can cause serious damage to an organism unprepared for such stress.

Training for women according to the CrossFit system differs from that for men both in severity and in the number of repetitions. The emphasis is on aerobic exercise. The exercises are designed to work with your own body weight or using small weights. The exercises are performed from 5 to 20 repetitions. Classes consisting of rounds performed for 10-30 minutes without any breaks allow you to:

develop endurance;
strengthen the heart;
improve the condition of ligaments and muscles;
develop the respiratory system;
get rid of extra pounds;
get a beautiful body, but without increasing muscle volume.

Results like these are what make CrossFit so attractive to many girls who want to get and maintain good physical shape.

CrossFit for girls. Effective workouts or a way to pump up?

What is crossfit

CrossFit is a unique training system aimed at improving physical indicators such as strength, endurance, power, speed, flexibility.
The system involves sets of exercises performed with high intensity in a short period of time. The technique incorporates elements of different sports - weightlifting and athletics, powerlifting, gymnastics, kettlebell lifting. CrossFit training involves performing special complexes (WOD). Since the workouts contain strongman exercises - deadlifts with heavy weights for 1-5 repetitions, jerks, presses, moving heavy objects, girls do not need to do these exercises, and it is not even advisable. Such loads can cause serious harm to an unprepared body. Women's workouts will differ in severity and number of repetitions. The classes will be more aerobic than strength training, the load is carried out using your own weight or small weights with multiple repetitions in one exercise, from 5 to 20. By performing several rounds, continuously repeated for 10 - 30 minutes, you can achieve the following results:

development of endurance;
strengthening the heart muscle;
strengthening muscles and ligaments;
improvement of the respiratory system;
weight loss;
improvement of shape, without the growth of large amounts of muscle.

WOD - from English. Workouts of the day, a set of exercises aimed at developing speed, endurance and strength, are performed by repeating rounds (circles) against time. There are WODs with different conditions for each day.

Rounds – repeatedly repeated WOD exercises; after completing the last exercise of the complex, the second round begins with the first exercise without a pause. And so the indicated number of rounds.

Attention! It is important to warm up the muscles well before loading and fix the position of the lower back. To tone and fix the lumbar region, it is recommended to perform hyperextension before starting the complex. Perform 3 sets of 20 reps.

Contraindications

any disorders of the cardiovascular system;
injuries;
any disease during the period of exacerbation, inflammatory processes;
pregnancy and lactation.

Rounds and WODs - basic concepts of CrossFit

Translated from English, the term WOD (workouts of the day) is translated as “workout of the day” and is a special complex. It consists of exercises whose main goal is to develop strength, speed and endurance. Achieving results is made possible by repeating rounds over a certain time. Each training day involves performing WODs with certain conditions for implementation.

A round or circle is the repeated repetition of a WOD. In other words, when they finish performing a cycle of exercises, they immediately begin to do a repetition. No stopping. The number of rounds is provided for by the conditions of the “training of the day”, that is, it is mandatory. This is a significant load on the body, so you need to start training with a good warm-up.

It is imperative that the muscles are warmed up and the position of the lower back is fixed. For this purpose, hyperextension is performed before class. When starting the complex, do at least 3 sets of 20 repetitions.

Useful information about CrossFit for beginner girls

The training program is compiled based on the initial level of physical development of the athlete.
The basis of the lesson is the workout of the day (WOD) - a set of exercises aimed at developing a specific skill.
The CrossFit system is based on the principles of circuit and interval training. Circle - repeated repetition of all exercises over a certain period of time. Intervalism – alternating speed of execution.
The technique combines cardio exercise, strength training and gymnastic elements.

Are there any contraindications to CrossFit?

There are certain health problems that can become barriers to exercise. It is prohibited to train:

during pregnancy and lactation;
for disorders of the cardiovascular system;
if there are injuries;
in the presence of inflammatory processes;
during exacerbation of diseases.

If you have any doubts, you can always consult a specialist.

The benefits and harms of crossfit training for girls

Benefits of CrossFit for girls:

Promotes overall strengthening of the body, increasing muscle tone and endurance. Strengthens ligaments.
Improves appearance.
Promotes weight loss. Speeds up metabolism.
Strengthens the cardiovascular system.
Develops the body in many ways - improves coordination, increases strength, endurance, explosive power, speed, flexibility, agility.
Allows you to train both in the gym and at home.

Flaws:

The disadvantages include high training intensity . Since in CrossFit it is important to perform as many repetitions as possible in a certain period of time or complex in the shortest possible time, such training becomes dangerous for those who have diseases and dysfunctions of the cardiorespiratory system and the musculoskeletal system. If there are any, it is better to choose calmer workouts. Otherwise, CrossFit will only do harm.
High risk of injury. Even a trained person is constantly at risk of serious injury, since the pace and quantity, often exceeding the quality of the equipment, can lead to negative consequences. Therefore it is important to be very careful.

Crossfit or gym, which is better?

Visiting the gym involves working out on the machines. They are aimed at isolated training of one specific muscle group. WODs in CrossFit, on the contrary, are designed to involve the maximum number of muscle groups in the work. This allows you to speed up the fat burning process and strengthen as many muscles as possible.

Results from CrossFit are achieved much faster and require less time than training on simulators, since the intensity of the training is much higher. This in no way means that you shouldn't go to the gym. There are weights, barbells, balls and dumbbells - equipment that allows you to make WODs even more effective. The effectiveness of CrossFit directly depends, first of all, on your own efforts and efforts, and not on the place of training. You can train both in the gym and at home.

The main thing is the right attitude, excellent health, high-quality and “speedy” execution of exercises. Exercise machines and equipment in CrossFit do not play any primary role. You can exercise without weights, but using your own body weight. Such loads, due to intensity, allow you to get your body into excellent shape much faster than split workouts, which do not differ in variety.

Important rules for crossfit training

Before you jump into an at-home CrossFit workout program for women, pay attention to the most important rules of the sport.

Attention to beginners: in CrossFit there is such a thing as scaling exercises. This means that you can perform any exercise in a simplified version. Despite the fact that the load is reduced, you pump up the same muscles as if you followed the classic technique. After strengthening your muscles, you can move on to a more difficult option.

Consider your physical fitness

When creating a schedule, consider your physical fitness. If you run in the morning or lift weights in the gym, it would be optimal to do 2 days of training (for example, running on the first day and CrossFit on the second) + 1-2 days of rest. It is true that there are also fans who are ready to study 3 times, but this option does not allow freeing up the weekend. In addition, you may not have time to recover, which will nullify all the benefits of the exercise.

Regularity of training

While training in a group under the strict guidance of a professional CrossFitter you would not have to create a training schedule, then when training at home you cannot do without it. Of course, when performing the program on your own, it is somewhat more difficult to tune in to systematic work on your body and develop discipline. Important: there should be at least 2 workouts per week, optimally 3.

Be sure to alternate a sports day with a rest day. This will allow your muscles to fully recover after intense training. In addition, it is the lack of days free from CrossFit that leads to exhaustion of the body and overtraining.

Warm-up is everything

Never neglect warming up. It only takes 5-7 minutes, but all these monotonous movements, familiar to you from physical education lessons, will help protect your muscles and joints from possible injuries. You also need to emphasize that you should never do stretching before CrossFit (however, this also applies to banal strength training). Your muscles have not yet warmed up, so there is a high probability of injuring them.

But after passing through the five circles of hell, you can devote a few minutes to the so-called cool-down. This may include light cardio for 10-15 minutes or light stretching of the muscle groups that were worked during the workout.

Equal attention to all muscle groups

Work all areas of the body evenly. Many women “score” on their arms, shoulders and back. We assure you that push-ups, pull-ups and strength exercises with dumbbells will not turn your arms into the muscular “cans” of the Hulk .

Diet

In order to achieve excellent results, follow a diet, regardless of where you train - in the gym or at home:

Eliminate fast food from your diet and minimize fast carbohydrates in your diet. If you are not losing weight, you may not cut out all sweets, but remember that it is better not to consume more than 30-40 grams of sugar per day.
Eat more often, but in small portions. Ideally, switch to 5-6 meals a day. If this doesn’t matter, then eat at least 3 times a day. There is not much difference, the main thing is to eat your daily calorie intake.
Before training, you can eat 2-3 hours depending on your body. Post-workout nutrition depends on your goal. If you want to lose weight, it is better to eat mainly protein foods. If you gain, add carbohydrates.

Remember: it will be quite difficult for you to burn calories by training alone. The key to CrossFit success is a combination of regular training + healthy eating + good rest between classes.

The following video explains very clearly about proper nutrition:

Advantages and disadvantages of CrossFit for girls

Representatives of the fair sex are certainly interested in the question of how useful a unique training method is for women. If the loads are moderate and adequate, there will be no harm, but vice versa. When looking at photographs of professional athletes involved in CrossFit, you should not transfer their appearance to real achievements.

If you do not jerk or lift heavy weights, your muscle size will not grow. This is especially true for the female body, which is much more difficult to “bring” to the shape of bodybuilders. Aerobic exercise as part of CrossFit allows you to make your silhouette more feminine and fit. Girls are not recommended to work with heavy weights due to the fact that with the duration of such loads there is a possibility of disruption of the menstrual cycle.

Basic principles of CrossFit

The essence of crossfit training for girls is as follows:

Frequency – the more often classes are held, the better. Those who want to achieve maximum results practice 12 times a week, but optimally for beginners – three sessions a week, every other day.
Maximum intensity. This is the main difference between crossfit training for girls and the rest - a minimum amount of time is allocated for rest (from 2 minutes to 15-20 seconds), and the exercises are performed as intensely as possible.
The direction of the load changes at each lesson.

It is clear that CrossFit programs are only suitable for healthy people. That is, if you have heart disease, problems with blood vessels, or the nervous system, you cannot experience such stress. Training is also contraindicated in case of joint diseases, hernia or protrusion of the spine. But if you have scoliosis or other curvatures, you can exercise, provided that the program complies with the doctor’s recommendations. Strengthening the back muscles in this case will play a positive role. In any case, before starting CrossFit training, you need to consult a specialist. As for age, there are no special restrictions - both adults and children can study - everyone will have their own load.

CrossFit exercises for weight loss

They have high efficiency. Good results in the fight against extra pounds are due to the fact that the basis of CrossFit for girls is predominantly aerobic exercise. Intense endurance work raises the heart rate zone to a high level, and, consequently, the process of burning fat deposits starts.

There is also a disadvantage to such training. It lies in the fact that along with fat, at a high heart rate zone, muscles also begin to burn. To avoid such negative consequences, you should not deliberately go beyond the limits. You need to train at a comfortable heart rate, but for a longer time. You need to lose weight without harming muscle fibers by doing CrossFit correctly. Classes must last at least half an hour, including warm-up, cool-down and preparatory exercises.

Thirty minutes for doing CrossFit for the purpose of losing weight is due to the fact that fat deposits begin to burn only when glucose from the liver has been used, and this process takes the first twenty minutes of training. Therefore, to lose weight, you need to exercise from half an hour to an hour. The main thing is not to overeat. If you consume more calories than you expend, there will be no result.

Crossfit training - fat burning training for girls

Women's CrossFit programs

Most women reading this text will be afraid of the words “weightlifting.” A common opinion is that strength training leads to the fact that a girl becomes like the Hulk, with pumped up muscles. But you definitely don't need to worry about this. In the gym during training you can see a lot of fragile-looking and graceful girls who have been training for several years, working with fairly heavy weights, but at the same time, are not at all “pumped up”. The reason is simple and obvious: muscle growth requires completely different training and special nutrition. And for significant muscle growth, especially in a woman, testosterone is needed, that is, that very “chemistry” that real athletes talk about only in a negative sense.

CrossFit itself will not turn a girl into a pumped-up creature. All she will receive is a beautiful, strong body with the right shape, excellent coordination of movements, endurance and self-confidence.

At the same time, the women's training program is not too different from the men's. The difference is in the total load, which is calculated by the coach based not on the gender of the students, but on their physical capabilities. And a girl who has already been training for several months will receive a greater load than a guy who has just joined the gym and cannot even do push-ups. From this point of view, complete democracy reigns in the CrossFit gym.

How often should you train?

The variety of WODs allows you to avoid having rest days. By choosing a complex for training that is different from the previous one, you can give the body the opportunity to recover while continuing to train daily. Of course, it all depends on your own level of physical fitness. It is recommended for people who are already involved in sports to exercise every day.

Beginners should not immediately start training without rest, but rather arrange training sessions every other day. Otherwise, there is a risk of stress and overwork. If you don’t have good preparation, you should start with three workouts a week, and then move on to four. To fully recover, the body requires two full days of rest per week. This avoids muscle overstrain.

Necessary equipment for training

Before starting classes, we need to decide what tools we have for this - what we can prepare and what we cannot.

In the simplest version, you won't need anything at all. You will perform exercises with your own weight. However, it should be borne in mind that it will not be possible to progress endlessly, and the same exercises will become boring. Therefore, you can start without additional inventory, and then gradually buy something from the lists below.

Preferably

When doing crossfit training at home, it is advisable for every girl to have the following sports equipment (especially for beginners):

Rug. You will also thank us when you start doing abdominal exercises. You can, of course, replace it with a blanket folded in half, but exercising on a gymnastic mat is much more convenient and enjoyable.
A pair of collapsible dumbbells. If desired, they can be replaced with auxiliary means: a backpack filled to the top with books, or plastic bottles with sand poured inside. But it’s better not to, don’t forget that you need to enjoy sports, otherwise you won’t last long.
The jump rope is an ancient “mammoth” of home training, familiar to our mothers and grandmothers. And for training at home, this is an absolutely indispensable tool. There is one thing: when working with a jump rope, it tends to knock on the floor, and your neighbors may not appreciate this. Try using a so-called fast jump rope, it is thinner and makes much less noise.

It would be useful

Below is a list of very useful devices for women’s CrossFit exercises at home, which will help diversify your training:

Fitball. The gym ball can be used to perform various modifications of planks, crunches, and hyperextensions.
Horizontal bar - yes, you don’t need to neglect upper body training (you also need a special elastic band for the horizontal bar if you can’t do pull-ups on your own).
Low, durable box. But if you want to jump, you can replace it with high jumps on the spot.

What crossfit exercises are suitable for girls?

If you exercise with dumbbells, then do:

shvungs;
thrusters;
body twisting.

Barbell training consists of:

front squats, with a barbell on the shoulders and overhead;
shvung, lunges, thrusters;
good morninging and deadlifting.

Working with your own weight:

push-ups, burpees, air squats, setups;
hanging leg raises, pull-ups on the bar or rings;
jumping on and over the box;
jumping both with a rope and in length;
jogging.

Crossfit training from Russian champion Olga Portnova.

CrossFit exercises at home

CrossFit can be practiced in almost any conditions, and it does not always require special equipment.

Cardio - running in place

Running in place trains endurance, cardiovascular health and puts less stress on your joints than regular running. The main difference between this type of running can be seen from the name; you run as usual, only you place your foot not in front of you, but in the same place.

Technique:

Stand straight, bend your arms at waist level.
Start pushing off the floor with your feet one at a time, as if you were running. Raise your legs low, you can move them a little to the sides.
Run for the time specified in your CrossFit routine.

Speed is important in CrossFit, so try to move as quickly as possible.

You can make running in place more difficult like this:

raise your bent or straight legs forward;
move your bent or straight legs back;
work more actively with your hands;
pick up dumbbells;
turn in different directions while running.

Video: Running in place, instructions

Burpee

Burpees are one of the most effective cardio exercises, they involve the whole body and are suitable for both beginners and advanced athletes.

Technique:

Stand straight, this is the starting position.
Lower yourself into a squat with your legs bent and your hands on the floor in front of you, shoulder-width apart.
Jump both legs back, now you should be in a prone position. The arms are straight and rest on the floor at a right angle, the legs and body form a single line. In statics, such an emphasis is called a bar.
Optionally, while lying down, you can perform push-ups from the floor.
Now jump both legs forward towards your hands.
From a squat, jump up with your arms above your head.
Return to the starting position.
Complete the required number of repetitions indicated in the CrossFit routine.

To make it easier to perform, burpees can be performed without push-ups and without jumping up.

Video: Burpees in different variations

Push ups

This is a basic exercise that develops the muscles of the chest, shoulders and arms.

Traditional technique:

Take a lying position, place your palms slightly wider than your shoulders. Feet are on your toes; they can be together or shoulder-width apart.
As you inhale, bend your elbows and lower yourself down, without touching your chest to the floor.
As you exhale, rise up. Don't arch your back.
Perform the required number of repetitions in the complex.

To make the exercise easier, change the emphasis of your feet to your knees. To emphasize the load on the chest muscles, place your palms wider. To pump up your triceps, keep your hands shoulder-width apart.

Beginners can do push-ups from a chair, advanced athletes can do push-ups with their feet on a chair.

Video: Push-ups at home

Squats

This is the most important basic exercise used in all sports disciplines. It can be used to develop endurance, muscle mass and as a general strengthening exercise.

Technique:

Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. To stabilize, you can stretch your arms forward.
As you inhale, bend your knees and lower yourself down, moving your pelvis back. The bent knee should not extend beyond the feet. In the final position, your thighs should be parallel to the floor. A slight tilt of the shins forward is allowed, but no more than 10 degrees. The back remains straight. Don't lift your feet off the floor.
As you exhale, straighten your legs and rise to the starting position.
Complete the required number of repetitions.

Beginners can squat shallowly, but advanced lifters can make squats more challenging by performing single-leg squats by adding weights.

Video: Different types of squats

Lunges

Lunges load the muscles of the hips and buttocks. If you perform lunges incorrectly, you can damage your knee joints.

Technique:

Stand straight, place your hands on your hips.
As you inhale, take a wide step forward, bend both legs to a right angle and lower yourself down. Do not lean on the floor with your back leg; your back should be straight.
As you exhale, straighten your legs and, pushing off with your front leg, step back to the starting position.
Do the required number of lunges on each leg.

In CrossFit, lunges can be in the form of steps or done in a jump.

The angle at which your knees are bent should not be less than 90 degrees.

Video: Lunges, detailed analysis

Raising the body from a lying position

This exercise perfectly loads the upper and middle parts of the rectus abdominis muscle, these are the parts that are responsible for the abs.

Technique:

Lie on your back with your legs bent on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest or behind your head.
As you exhale, lift your back off the floor and lift your body up.
As you inhale, lower your body down.
Repeat the exercise the number of times indicated in the CrossFit complex.

Try not to round your back or raise your shoulders during the exercise. Do not pull your neck or head with your hands.

Video: Technique for performing body lifts

CrossFit training program for girls

Program for Beginners

WOD1

Perform the complex the maximum number of rounds in 5 minutes
Squats with a kettlebell to the chin 15
Burpee 10
Setups 15

WOD2

Complete in 20 minutes. maximum number of laps.
Air squats 15
Push-ups5
Pull-ups to the bar 10

Home workouts

WOD1

Complete 5 Rand in the shortest time possible
Jump squats 15
Push-ups 15
Setups 15

WOD2

Complete 10 rounds in the shortest possible time.
Push-ups 15
Air squats 20

WOD3

For speed.
Burpee 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Squats 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Exercises in the gym

WOD1

One round at a time.
Push-ups 15
Box jumping 30
Setups 50
Pull-ups 20
1800 meters Run

WOD2

Perform for 20 minutes.
Box jumping 20
Burpee 20
Jump rope 50
Push-ups 10
Setups 20

Exercises for weight loss

WOD1

Perform for 30 minutes.
Burpee 1 minute.
Jump rope 1 minute.

WOD2

Farmer's walk 200 times without weights.

WOD3

Burpee 10 minutes.

WOD4

Jumping rope 3000.

How to avoid injuries?

Beginners are recommended to work with a trainer at first to develop the correct technique for performing the exercises. Start with light weights and slow speed. The body will gradually get used to the load, and over time it will be possible to increase it.

The feeling of pain indicates incorrect technique. You need to stop and reconsider the correctness of the exercise.

You don’t need to set high standards for yourself right away. It is important to listen to your body and never overexert yourself. Excessive competitive spirit can lead to injury.

How to eat before and after training?

To get the maximum benefit from CrossFit, you need to change your diet. The emphasis is on foods of animal origin, as well as protein products. Long-term (complex) carbohydrates should also be present on the menu. They are required to replenish energy reserves so that you can train at a high-intensity pace. Before class you should eat for 1.5 or 2 hours. To restore expended energy, food is taken within the first 40 minutes after training. It is best to eat fruits and protein-rich foods.