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The 25 Most Important CrossFit Exercises (and How to RX Them All)

Important CrossFit Exercises – From elite athletes to weekend warriors and Crossfit mums, these tips will help you to improve your technique, stay safe, have fun with every single one of these Crossfit exercises.

Simply choose the exercise that you want to work on below then click on it. Have fun and keep training hard!

1 Snatch

2 Clean

3 Front Squat

4 Overhead Squat

5 Overhead Press

6 Bench Press

7 Push Press

8 Back Squat

9 Deadlift

10 Squat Jerk

11 Split Jerk

12 Barbell Row

13 Thruster

14 Pull Up

15 Ring Muscle Up

16 Bar Muscle Up

17 Ring Handstand Push Up

18 Handstand Push Up

19 Handstand Walk

20 Double Unders

21 Wall Balls

22 Box Jumps

23 Burpees

24 Rope Climbing

25 Kettlebell Swing


SNATCH

Learning the Snatch technique is one of the hardest skills to master. It contrasts with the clean and jerk, in that it favours the athleticism attributed to a gymnastic body-type over the ‘gym-bro’, who may be struggling to learn the snatch after years spent believing that parallel squats were the lowest one could possibly go, and the overhead squat was a mere fairytale.

Click to Improve your Snatch Technique now

try crossfit Sara Sigmundsdottir Crossfit athlete barbell snatchSource: RX'd Photography
Sara Sigmundsdottir in action

Important CrossFit Exercises – CLEAN

The Clean is a lift that requires power, posture, skill and strength. Here is how to do it properly, break through plateaus, and raise your lifts to the next level.

Click to Master Clean Technique

important crossfit exercisesSource: Stevie D Photography
Cleaning time!

Important CrossFit Exercises – FRONT SQUAT

The Front Squat has always been a staple exercise in Olympic weightlifting programs, as it serves as the base for the catch position in the clean. But since people tend to lift more weight with Back Squats and may find keeping the rack position of the bar difficult, front squats are often neglected.

When done correctly, Front Squats will:

  • Increase the depth of the movement
  • Improve core strength
  • Activate glutes
  • Improve related exercises such as Thrusters or Squat Cleans
  • Build Strength

Click to Perfect your Front Squat Technique now!

front squat neal maddox crossfit athleteSource: CrossFit Inc
Stay strong!

Important CrossFit Exercises – OVERHEAD SQUAT

The overhead squat is the ultimate core exercise, the heart of the snatch, and peerless in developing effective athletic movement. This demanding exercise reveals every lack of mobility without mercy.

Click to Improve Overhead Squat Technique

crossfit injury male athlete snatch lift weightlifting overhead squatSource: RX'd Photography
The overhead Squat is highly useful for developing your snatch

Important CrossFit Exercises – OVERHEAD PRESS

The Overhead Press (also known as the Strict Press or Shoulder Press) is a compound exercise that involves lifting a weighted barbell overhead to a fully locked out position with the strict use of the shoulders and arms.

Pressing the bar overhead is still one of the most useful upper body exercises you can do. This highly effective exercise involves the entire body. Your feet, legs, glutes, core, abs, hips, ankles and wrists help to stabilise the body whilst your shoulders, upper chest, back and arms press the bar overhead.

Click to Perfect Overhead Press Technique

female crossfit athlete overhead pressSource: RX'd Photography
move well and get strong!

BENCH PRESS

The bench press is not a common exercise in Crossfit, yet it can be a great way to build power and improve lock out strength and overhead press movements for other lifts.

Click to Nail your Bench Press Technique

male athlete bench press
Develop your chest

PUSH PRESS

The Push Press isn’t just another shoulder exercise, it’s a move that builds strength and power throughout the entire body and core. If you want strong, healthy shoulders you should be working the press hard at least once a week. That alone will make a huge difference to your performances.

Click to Master Push Press Technique Now!

push press crossfit girlSource: RX'd Photography
train hard!

BACK SQUAT

The right breathing, bracing setup, and technique throughout the movement will help you stay tight and lift BIG in the squat: The KING of strength exercises.

Click to Learn how to Squat like a Champ!

male crossfit athlete squatting 1rmSource: BOXROX
The king of strength exercises

DEADLIFT

“There is no reason to be alive if you can’t do DEADLIFT”

John Pall Sigmarsson: 4x winner of the World’s Strongest Man Competition.

Click to Improve your Deadlift Technique Today

male crossfit athlete deadlift proper form
A powerful full body strength exercise

SQUAT JERK

The Squat Jerk is an impressive and technically difficult lift, but if you aren’t scared to challenge yourself and love to learn new things, then read on.

Click to Improve your Squat Jerk Technique

Squat jerk athletesSource: sportivnypress
Squat Jerk in competition

SPLIT JERK

The Split Jerk is a movement that requires immense amounts of power and technique and in contrast with the push or power jerk, is used to lift the most weight. If you want to push your Clean and Jerk PR through the roof, perfect this technique.

Click to Get your Split Jerk Technique on Point

male crossfit athlete split jerk with barbellSource: High Intensity Photography
The Split Jerk in action

BARBELL ROW

The Barbell Row is one of the most effective assistance exercises you can do to increase your Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift. It will improve the strength of your back, hips and grip and even be useful for improving the power of your Pull-Ups and Muscle Ups.

Click to Develop your Barbell Row Technique

barbell row techniqueSource: Stronglifts
Technique for the exercise

THRUSTER

A combined front squat and push press, this punishing exercise can be a real killer!

Click to Make your Thruster Technique more Efficient

male athlete exercising in Crossfit competition
Thrusters will set your legs on fire

PULL UP

The Pull Up is one of the classic physical tests of functional strength. Improve your ability today!

Click to Perfect your Pull Up Technique

bodyweight workouts female crossfitter pull up crossfit exercisesSource: RX'd Photography
Timeless and highly effective

RING MUSCLE UP

This tricky gymnastic exercise takes a great deal of effort to get right. With the right progressions and accessory exercises, you will have it mastered in no time!

Click to perfect your Ring Muscle Up Technique

ring muscle up progressionsSource: RX'd Photography
Annie Thorisdottir on the rings

BAR MUSCLE UP

The Bar Muscle Up is a tough exercise to get right! Use these technique tips and watch out for these common problems to avoid and you will get there in no time.

Click to Improve your Bar Muscle Up Technique

gymnastic exercises brooke ence bar muscle upSource: RX'd Photography
Brooke on the bar

Important CrossFit Exercises – RING HANDSTAND PUSH UP

The Ring Handstand Push Up was first seen at the 2010 Games, but made a comeback earlier this year in the Carson sunshine at the 2016 CrossFit Games®. The crowds watched in awe as athletes such as Josh Bridges, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet and Annie Thorisdottir completed a tough workout that contained Ring Handstand Push Ups – aptly named the separator – in style.

Click to Improve Ring Handstand Push Up Technique

ring handstand push ups crossfit games 2016Source: CrossFit Inc
Ring Handstand Push Ups. Dave Castro decides to bring a new exercise into the Games

Important CrossFit Exercises – HANDSTAND PUSH UP

Handstand push-ups are a great way to build strength, balance and improve your gymnastic skills. Try these tips to help you improve.

Click to Improve your Handstand Push Up Technique

psychological tricks handstand push upSource: Stevie D Photography
Tricky to master, but these will make you strong!

HANDSTAND WALK

Handstand Walks are fun to do but frustrating to master! Use this 5-step progression to get yours sorted now!

Click to Master Handstand Walk Technique

Female Crossfitter handstand-walksSource: Ercan Sozer
gymnastic skills are vital for crossfit!

DOUBLE UNDERS

We all know how difficult double-unders can be! Timing is more important than speed, and precision is absolutely vital for successfully mastering this common exercise in Crossfit workouts. Check out more tips here:

Click to Perfect your Double Under Technique

crossfit quote cards heart rate variability
keep pushing forwards

WALL BALLS

Wall Balls hurt. They are one of those exercises that really test you deep down, making your legs and arms scream out for you to stop. Here are 5 tips to help you get much, much better at them.

Click to Improve Wall Ball Technique

annie thorisdottir walls balls Crossfit games 2016Source: Annie Thorisdottir
The daughter of Thor

BOX JUMPS

This deceptively simple exercise quickly leads to fatigue in workouts. With the combination of explosive movements and high rep ranges, small tips can make big differences to avoid getting too tired too quickly. Pick up a few tips to help you out here:

Click to Nail your Box Jump Technique

explosive leg power crossfit amrap workouts box jumps
Train hard and train smart

BURPEES

There are so many fun, exciting exercises with barbells or challenging gymnastics skills, and then there are burpees…

Click to Master Burpee Technique

death by burpeesSource: BOXROX
Burpee time

ROPE CLIMBING

The truth behind Rope Climbs is that they require only a reasonable level of upper body and grip strength. Great technique will allow you to generate force with your legs and propel you up the rope in a highly efficient way!

Click to Perfect your Rope Climbing Technique Now!

important crossfit exercisesSource: RX'd Photography
scale the heights

CROSSFIT EXERCISES: KETTLEBELL SWING

The perfect exercise to train the complete posterior chain, strengthen your posture and work on your overall strength and conditioning.

Click to Improve Kettlebell Swing Technique

2016 Crossfit games champions
Words of advice from the fittest woman in the world

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