BOXROX Pro

7 Creative Exercises to Keep Your CrossFit Training Constantly Varied

Ever tried lifting with a bamboo bar? The Sotts PULL? Or tested your mobility with overhead Kossack Squats? Add these fun and challenging exercises into your training.

To keep gaining muscle or losing weight, you must challenge your body in different ways. These 7 creative exercises will change the way you train and help you get closer to your fitness goals.

These workouts can be performed at home if you have some basic equipment at your disposal. A barbell, some weights, already helps. A kettlebell can get you a long way as well.

creative exercisesSource: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.

Check out 7 creative exercises below

1. NEXT LEVEL COSSACK SQUATS

Cossack squats are good exercises that target your quads, hamstrings, glutes and hip adductors. But you can take it to another level by adding a barbell and lift it above your head while you are doing the normal movements.

This exercise, proposed by @weightlifting_101 does just that. Using a stick above your head, focus on maintaining a good posture of the upper body and keep staring straight ahead to not lose your momentum or balance.

“The goal is to do it with a 20kg bar.”

2. WORKOUT FROM SAM DANCER

Sam Dancer is a 4x CrossFit Games individual athlete and a 2x CrossFit Games team member. So he knows a thing or two about working out.

He is usually doing creative exercises on his Instagram account and this one has his trademark of doing something simple, yet effective.

With an adjustable reclined bench, do 10 squats and 10 presses with dumbbells. Start with the bench in an upright position.

Every round, lower the bench one click and perform another 10 squats and 10 presses. Sam Dancer finished 9 rounds using 50lb dumbbells.

3. ABS AND CORE WORKOUT FROM TIA CLAIR TOOMEY

“So here is another core workout I did today as an accessory.
Accumulate 6mins of the following in 8mins;
-2min Plank hold
-2min Side Plank (each side, total 4mins)
*I tried to challenge myself by adding weight and doing it on the boxes but for beginners, this can be performed on the ground.”

If you should learn and mimic anyone, you might as well follow the advice of 5x Fittest Woman on Earth Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr.

4. THE SOTTS PULL

A fun and deceptively difficult variation of the famous Sotts press. Another one of Sam Dancer’s unusual creative exercises.

The lower stance hits your lower body, while the pulling targets your upper body, making it a fun and complete full-body workout you need to try.

5. JEFFERSON CURLS

The Jefferson curl is a strengthening and lengthening movement for the posterior chain. It makes you work your obliques and lower back during flexion and extension.

“Three sets of ten Jefferson Curls to make the hamstrings flexible and the bottom position better. If you have tight hamstrings you are more prone to rounding your lower back in the bottom of the squat.”

6. BAMBOO BAR AND KETTLEBELL THRUSTERS

“Bamboo bar thrusters will get you all sorts of warm inside,” Sam wrote.

7. SPLIT SQUAT BAMBOO WORK

The bamboo bar makes everything even more unstable and forces your core and body to work even harder to maintain balance.

If you thought split squats were difficult, give this one a try.

If you want to put your fitness to the test, give one of these a go:

10 CrossFit AMRAP Workouts for Athletes of All Levels

Learn more

Check out these amazing Snatch Accessory Exercises, learn about the Front Squat Benefits or include these Thruster Workouts in your training.

Or why not try these Barbell Complexes, strengthen your core with these Unusual Barbell Abs Exercises and perfect your lifting with these Squat Clean Technique Tips.

Image Sources

Related news