What is crossfit and how do I get started in crossfit?

Crossfit is becoming more and more popular in Russia, and competitions in this field gather an impressive audience. From August 17 to 19, Moscow will host the largest fitness championship Big Cup – 2018, organized with the support of Reebok. About 240 athletes from Russia and CIS countries will compete for the title of the strongest.

On the eve of the Big Cup, we talked to brothers Pavel and Timofey Prolubnikov – crossfit athletes who will take part in the grand competition. They shared their experience and told us what motivates them, what specifics there are in the competition program, at what age you can start doing crossfit and whether you can work out on the street, not in a specialized gym.

– When you first started Crossfit, what was the biggest motivation for you?

Pavel: Video from Crossfit Games and Regionals 2011-2013.

Timofey: We were impressed by the gymnastic and strength performance of the athletes. We were impressed by the Reebok CrossFit Games. When we started practicing, we started to grow very quickly in strength and the rest of our skills. I really loved learning how to walk on my hands. It became good right away somehow. It was very satisfying. For a long time I was not able to do the rings. But as soon as I made the first exit, there was a great desire to develop further.

– What do you think people basically come to Crossfit for? To lose weight, to pump up or, maybe, for some special atmosphere?

Pavel: We think that for all of these combined.

Timofey: I think that each person has a different reason for which he begins to do crossfit. For someone it’s really important to lose weight, someone wants to be like the pumped up athletes from the CrossFit Games or just a friend who competes in local competitions. And everyone, one way or another, gets into the community atmosphere.

– At what age can you start CrossFit? Are there any specific restrictions or in general even a child can start?

Paul: That is at what age in school introduced physical education, probably, at such an age and can come to Crossfit. After all, here, as in school classes, there is a tourniquet, rope. You can do squats, push-ups from the floor, throw a light stuffed ball into the wall. You can run and jump. We don’t see any restrictions to put a child on a rowing machine or a bike. And barbells or kettlebells – this is in the process of development, the coach should look specifically at each child.

Timofey: It is difficult for me to answer this question. I can say that from early childhood I would not give my child to Crossfit. At the very beginning it is important to lay the base for the child. That’s swimming, track and field, gymnastics. Maybe even some wrestling if the kid’s into it. Then, I think, from the age of 12, or more likely from 14-15, you can start working with barbells. Here it is better to ask the experts. By the age of 16, I think the child’s organism is quite ready for full competitive activity. Although at the moment I am even afraid to imagine at what age parents give their children to Crossfit, as it is very popular now. Especially in the US.

– Do you have, maybe, some clear examples when children started doing Crossfit?

Timofey: I don’t have any clear examples of kids who started doing Crossfit at an early age. My nephews at 8 and 10 years old only swim so far.

– What should be in a good CrossFit gym? What is the minimum and maximum filler set?

Paul: As we think the minimum set should be:

Enough space for a group of ten people to exercise freely. It is difficult to say in the meterage;
a set of barbells with pancakes;
tourniquets (frame);
rope;
rings;
rowing machines;
kettlebells;
stuffed balls (volleyballs);
PVC warm-up tubes;
stretching bands;
at least a pair of rollers for rolling muscles;
shower.

Maximum kit:
All the previously mentioned equipment, but in sufficient quantity, i.e. from 30 free weights, a huge number of pancakes of various weights, a wide set of kettlebells and dumbbells, stuffed balls, several ropes, gymnastic rings, at least 5 rowing machines, Assault bikes, Ski skis. Preferably a few True Form type running tracks. The most important thing is a large space, high ceilings and good ventilation. Also a separate area, albeit small, with a rocking chair can be included in the max. And a sauna! Perhaps a cafe.

Timofey: The minimum set of equipment for the hall, in my opinion: a frame for 6 people, stuffed balls, a couple or three rowing machines, rings for power outputs, rings for push-ups, 5-7 bars (10 is better), pancakes, the simplest set of weights and dumbbells, jump ropes are not necessary, but desirable, roller for rolling, ebmata pieces 5-7. The maximum set will complement the assaul bikes 1-3 pieces, pegboard, sleds, skis, punching bags 50-70 kg, heavy dumbbells, treadmill. I calculate the maximum set of equipment for performing athletes, of course.

– How much does CrossFit in principle make fitness and healthy lifestyle more accessible to people? Is a subscription to a CrossFit gym expensive?

Pavel: You know, fitness and healthy lifestyle is always available for people. Every day. You can always go outside and go for a run. Also buy a couple of ganteks and weights. Crossfit has just added variety to people’s sporting life.

Timofey: On average, a crossfit subscription for 12 months costs more than a regular fitness club membership. It all depends on what a person wants.

– Is it possible in principle to give up going to the gym and work out, for example, on a sports ground on the street?

Pavel: Yes, you can go to the playground. It’s just that some people are afraid of it, shy. Another point is bad weather. Then it’s better to go to the gym or practice at home.

Timofey: I would say that not everyone will be able to practise on the street all the time. It gets boring quickly. But, in principle, for a person who just wants to keep fit, it is enough to do periodic jogging on the street, to train at tournaments. It doesn’t take much time.

– How did your competitive history begin? After all, you can just train for yourself, what motivated you to start preparing for competitions?

Pavel: We started practicing for ourselves. When we were still practicing at home on the tourniquet, running and swimming in the pool. At university we just went to physical education and sometimes visited a gym. At the end of the fourth year (2012) we learned about CrossFit. The idea of just trying it out came up. In 2014, when we signed up for the EF CrossFit gym, we clearly understood what we wanted from the classes – to prepare for competitions.
Reebok CrossFit Games and Regionals videos motivated us. And what exactly – the athletes’ fitness, their preparation, their ability to do a lot of things.

– How were your first crossfit competitions?

Pavel: Specifically mine went terribly. It was the winter Heracleon 2015, I think. I was not ready for the barbell, I took what I could: 85 kg for 3 dangles. I couldn’t pull the sled at all, my legs felt like absorbent cotton. Although before that the task included a 400-meter run and 60 throws of a 9 kg ball, but it couldn’t carry me so much, although, apparently, it did.

Timofey: My first competition was the Big Summer Cup 2016. It was very interesting and exciting to perform in a huge venue at the Heraklion stadium. Lots of people, loud music, charged atmosphere. I didn’t do all the complexes as I wanted, but I got a great experience. And yes, I’ve never been as tired as I was during these three days of competition. But it was very cool.

– In crossfit tournaments there is a specific set of exercises (subdisciplines) or stages at each competition is not similar to one another in filling?

Timofey: Competitions are always different. You never know what exactly will be. Sometimes some tasks are known in advance. But you have to be ready for everything, as they say.

Pavel: In crossfit there is a set of exercises. Lifting weights (jerks, push ups), exercises with kettlebells, dumbbells, doing exercises with your body weight (rope, rings, tourniquet, push-ups, squats), doing rowing on a rowing machine, bike, skiing machine. There is also walking on your hands, performing push-ups in a head-down rack against a wall. This is an incomplete list. All exercises have varieties. For example, you can do head-down push-ups against the wall with your hands at an elevated position (deficit push-ups). You can do pull-ups to your chin, you can do pull-ups to your chest. You can do them in different styles (strict, with a swing).
In competitions, exercises are often modified or something new is invented. Just look at the CrossFit Games. There are also classic exercises that have a standardized execution time. There are no so called stages at a particular competition. There are just a day or two or three for which the competition takes place. And the organizers try to come up with a variety of tasks, maximally testing all the abilities of the athlete.
And the tasks, as a rule, are not repeated, if you compare the most different competitions. Because in reality, the combinations of tasks are infinite if you count the whole set of all kinds of exercises. Thousands of tasks can be made up.

– What are your favorite tasks? What are you strong in? And what, on the contrary, do you consider your weakness?

Pavel: We are very fond of gymnastics (pull-ups, push-ups on rings), a mixture of gymnastics and cardio, also just cardio work. The weakness is probably tasks with heavy weights.

Timofey: Definitely, I like tasks with walking on my hands. I consider myself strong in such exercises as pull-ups, barbell bench press, running, walking on hands, push-ups in handstand. But running is not my favorite. At the moment it is very hard to grow in the barbell push from the floor and in the deadlift. Some stupor.
Weaknesses are revealed in the process of performing some complex. These weaknesses are always different, because there is always a different combination of exercises, weights and repetitions, and it affects my body in different ways.

– What are your expectations from participating in the Big Cup this year? How is the preparation going?

Pavel: What expectations? To cope with the tasks perfectly, so that after performing them there would be no thoughts that I could have done better somewhere. And then we will see.
Preparations are in full swing. We are trying to cover the whole range of possible exercises and tasks.

Timofey: Preparation for BC 2018 is going very intensively. We are trying with my brother to work more on the things that are difficult. Many factors affect the athlete’s entry into competitions: psychological preparation, physical preparation, judges. Physically everyone is ready to win. Morally, no. That’s why I try not to think negatively. I just want to enjoy my performance. And, of course, I am ready to show everything I can do.

– Do you have any favorite motivating crossfit accounts in networks or crossfit videos that charge you to get up and go to train?

Pavel: There’s no one thing in particular. Just open YouTube and type in, for example: “CrossFit Motivation” or “CrossFit Games Motivation”.

Timofey: For me and my brother, working out is like a job. We can’t afford to give up working out for a day. We don’t even have that thought in our heads. If it’s hard for me, I just listen to my favorite music, drink my favorite pre-trainer and go ahead and train.
Although, perhaps, there is a motivational video:

Watch it on the official YouTube channel.