CrossFit WOD: What Is It and How Is It Done?
CrossFit is defined as a conditioning and strength training system based on functional routines. Basically, it’s personalized and is aimed at detecting the needs, skills, and deficiencies of the person who practices it. The term “WOD” refers to the “Workout of the Day” within a routine.
One of the characteristics of CrossFit is that it puts a varied range of movements to train at your disposal.
A WOD can have the same value for a professional as for a beginner. However, the exercises in both situations differ in intensity and loads. Similarly, the workout of the day seeks to develop the same objective.
What does a CrossFit WOD look like?
WOD is an acronym that’s made up of several words but can be pronounced as a word in itself. WOD refers to the Workout of the Day in CrossFit.
It’s a routine of exercises that you have to perform on a specific day. Your CrossFit trainer is responsible for writing the exercises of the WOD on your board, which is usually located in the facility where you attend, in a mobile application, or on the website of tyour sports complex.
The main features of a Crossfit WOD
These workouts of the day are characterized by having to fulfill some steps that guarantee their correct performance. The first is to warm up with joint movements and dynamic exercises that promote the increase of your body temperature.
The warm-up is progressive, through dynamic stretching, to prevent the muscles from feeling forced before executing the WOD.
The second goal is to execute the routine of the day – the WOD itself. The workout may be task-focused or time-focused.
When you focus on a task, the time has already been determined. However, if the focus is on time, it will depend on the task assigned to you and your fitness level.
In order to manage time in the best way, trainers set time limits so that each set doesn’t go on too long. No two sessions are the same, so each day is different.
The third thing is to cool down through a progressive process. This last phase of the WOD should be composed of gentle physical exercises, as this guarantees relaxation of the muscle fibers.
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Is it possible to do a WOD at home?
It’s definitely possible to do it at home! You just have to consider that you have certain limitations when it comes to performing the exercises, starting with the tools you have available.
The best workout you can do at home is one that doesn’t require any equipment. You can practice with burpees, for example.
Materials you can use in the CrossFit Wod
One of the first materials you can consider for practicing at home is a plastic tube or broomstick. There are very basic exercises in which you can use them; just hold it and practice squats, front squats, push presses or hang cleans.
Another material you can use is a sheet, a board, or a wall with holes, in which you can insert a cylinder that supports your weight. This will allow you to climb using the strength of your arms.
On the other hand, strength athletics has a tool called a yoke, which you can also use. It consists of a metallic structure that’s loaded with discs and placed on your shoulders to cover a defined distance in the shortest possible time. Sandbags or any other material can also help.
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Some WODs to do at home
- Practice squats, which work the legs and glutes. They’re easy to perform, and all you need to do is stand up and slowly bend your knees to bring your upper body down. You essentially simulate that you’re sitting in the air when you do a squat.
- To strengthen your abdominal muslces, sit ups are ideal. They consist of rising from the ground until you can touch your feet. You must be lying on the floor facing upwards, with your knees bent and the soles of your feet on the floor.
- Likewise, burpees are one of many people’s favorite exercises, since you don’t need any supporting objects to do them. They consist of the union of push-ups, squats and vertical jumps. You start in a squat or squat position, rest your hands on the floor and keep your head up. Then you move your legs back with your feet together to perform a push-up. Finally, you pick up your legs to return to the starting position, and from there, do a vertical jump.
You can do a WOD of 7 minutes of burpees, a WOD of 150 burpees, or even one in which you’re required to do one in 1 minute, two in the second minute, 3 in the third minute and so on progressively.
Tips for conquering your CrossFit WOD
Initially, it’s key that you set goals that you can achieve in the short term. This way, you’ll notice your progress.
In this way, you’re motivating yourself from the beginning to gain momentum and overcome the toughest tests in the future. If anything really characterizes the WODs, it’s that they become very demanding, to the point of enhancing your physical abilities. A good start can guarantee that you stick to doing these routines regularly.
Avoid comparing yourself with other people who lift much more weight than you or who perform twice as many repetitions. The important thing is that you go at your own pace without skipping any adaptation process.
Develop a good technique, and gain strength and confidence to lift more weight. Be positive, rest as much as necessary so that your body does not get fatigued, and you will be able to accomplish your daily training.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Flores J, Quintero G. Caracterización de los atletas de crossfit en la ciudad de Bucaramanga. Unidades tecnológicas de Santander: Colombia; 2020.
- Ortega A, Ruiz M, Ramírez R. Efectos del té de yerba mate, reflejado en el tiempo obtenido en el trabajo del día (WOD) en deportistas que practican crossfit. Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes. 2018; 26 (73): 68-73.
- Arcila J. Pruebas de aptitud física aplicadas al crossfit. Universidad del valle. Colombia: 2019.