This post gives you all the CrossFit home gym necessities you’ll need to get started doing the sport from home!
So you want to create a budget CrossFit home gym?! Great idea! My husband and I created a complete CrossFit gym setup in our garage for only a few thousand dollars, and it was a great decision!
We have both trained out of the gym as well as had personal training clients we’ve coached from there, so I can completely vouch to what’s a necessity and what isn’t totally necessary right away.
In this post, I’ll give you the best CrossFit equipment list, the things you don’t really have to have right away, and a CrossFit equipment list PDF you can print off to check items off as you get them!
You can print the CrossFit equipment list PDF at the bottom of the post!
This post is all about CrossFit Home Gym Necessities!
This post contains affiliate links. You can read our full disclaimer here. This post is in no way affiliated with CrossFit. These are simply what we see as the CrossFit home gym necessities!
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CrossFit Home Gym Necessities
What do I need to start CrossFit at home?
The awesome thing about reaching your CrossFit goals is that there are no expensive weight machines involved! This means you can start training out of your home for a really decent price.
The concept of functional fitness allows you to get an awesome full body workout in, while only using a handful of pieces! These pieces are listed in the next section.
What equipment do you need for CrossFit home gym?
1. A rig.
This is the first CrossFit home gym necessity (and one of the most expensive parts!) You will need this to rack your barbell and perform various lifts out of.
2. **If at all possible.** Some type of cardio equipment piece: either a rower, bike, or ski erg.
This is definitely the most expensive CrossFit home gym necessity, that’s why I say “if at all possible”…. But you really will want at least one cardio piece. Many CrossFit workouts actually call for usage of multiple of the pieces, but you can easily get away with just having one.
If you’re going to pick just one, I would go with a rower. And Concept 2 (linked above) is definitely the best quality brand on the market.
3. Flooring.
This is a CrossFit home gym necessity because when you drop a barbell, if you’re dropping it on straight concrete, it is going to fly all over the place. (Danger!!) Having gym flooring (like mats) helps to retain some of the rebound from the bar, and they also make things a lot quieter.
4. Rings.
Lots of CrossFit workouts call for ring work such as ring dips or ring rows. Ring rows are also pretty essential if you don’t yet have pull-ups, as you can use them to progress your way there!
5. A barbell.
Almost every true CrossFit workout requires some sort of barbell work. Men will need a 45# bar and women will need a 35# bar.
6. Bumper plates.
Make sure you get various sizes of your bumper plates, as different workouts will call for different weights. You’ll also likely need much different amounts of weight for movements such as a back squat verses a snatch.
If you’re a beginner in CrossFit, I would have about 200# worth of bumper plates all together, with sizes ranging from multiple 10’s, up to 25s and 35s.
7. Barbell clips.
You won’t want to perform overhead barbell lifts without these as it can be pretty dangerous if your bumper plates were to fall off!
8. A pull-up bar.
A lot of rigs come with a pull-up bar at the top of them, but to be honest, they are usually pretty stinky. It’s also nice to have a separate pull-up bar so you can utilize it while also using your rig in a workout.
9. A jump rope.
Jumping rope is a classic CrossFit movement and it’s also a super cheap option to get your heart rate up, especially if you can’t purchase a rower or another cardio piece right now.
10. Dumbbells.
If you’re a beginner in CrossFit, you will probably want some dumbbells ranging anywhere from 10s to 25s (female) and 15s to 50s (male.) It all depends on your current strength level, but just know you will probably want a couple different weight sizes since different workouts prescribe different volume of reps.
For example: You’re probably going to use lighter dumbbells for a WOD that calls for 30 dumbbell strict press than you would for a WOD that calls for 5 dumbbell strict press.
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What other things may I want for my home CrossFit gym?
You can definitely get away with doing CrossFit without a kettlebell, but it’s also a fun feature to have for the workouts that call for it!
2. A box.
Lots of CrossFit WODs call for movements like box jumps, box step-ups, and burpee box jump-overs. It’s definitely a super beneficial (and fun) concept to be able to add in to your workouts!
You can use these to wrap around your legs for movements that target glute growth.
These come in super handy for stretching out and warming up different muscle groups pre-workout.
5. A PVC pipe.
You can also use one of these to warm up for your workouts. They’re perfect for practicing your barbell movement to make sure you have your form correct, before trying it with a barbell.
6. A yoga mat.
This definitely isn’t necessary, as I’m personally one to get down and dirty on the good ole gym floor, myself. 😂 But if you like the thought of staying more clean and having something a bit more comfy to lay on when you do floor exercises, this may be a good option for you to consider.
7. A GHD. (Glute and Ham Developer)
The GHD is really big in CrossFit workouts, and there are a ton of different ways you can use one. Totally not necessary, but definitely a way to provoke exceptional growth.
8. Plexi glass.
As you progress in CrossFit and start practicing handstand movements, you’ll probably want a piece of plexiglass to hang on the wall, that way when you perform handstand push-ups, you aren’t sliding down a rough wall (ouchie.)
Lots of Crossfit workouts call for wall balls. You’d use this ball for that, and there are also plenty of other ways to utilize these, such as weighted sit-ups.
10. An ab-mat.
When you do lots of sit-ups on the bare floor, you can eventually form a little “cherry” sore on your tailbone (ouch.) You usually won’t even notice one is there until you take a shower and boooooy does it sting. 😅 So having an ab mat helps to protect your back/tailbone and prevent that from happening!
11. A slam ball.
Slam balls are a super FUN way to get your heart rate up and also build your abs!
12. A bench.
If you want to perform bench press exercises, this is actually a necessity. But it can also be a luxury for dumbbell movements such as lying down tricep extensions.
13. A pull-up bar.
Most rigs come with a pull-up bar, but if I’m being honest.. most of them stink. You also will want a separate pull-up bar, that way you can use both the rig and the pull-up bar in the same workout (without having to remove the barbell from the rig.)
14. A sled.
Another fun way to get your heart rate waaaay up! Having a sled can be a game changer for CrossFit because you can use it to severely increase your speed and endurance in the sport!
ALSO READ: What to Pack for a CrossFit Competition (Learn From These Mistakes!)
Are there any other accessories I may need for CrossFit at home?
1. Lifters.
I lifted heavy weights for over 2 years without having a pair of lifters, so it’s definitely not something you have to have. However, when I finally got a pair of lifters, my PRs started going off the charts!
They provide so much stability for movements like squat snatches and squat cleans, as well as providing extra depth if you have limited ankle mobility.
2. Hand grips.
When you start doing lots of kipping movements like pull-ups and toes-to-bar, you’ll absolutely want a good pair of grips! If you don’t have these, your hands will rip and that is SO not fun.
3. Thumb tape.
When you start doing lots of snatches and cleans with the barbell, you will want some thumb tape to wrap around your thumbs and protect them from getting blisters from the barbell! Trust me… You only let yourself get blisters once and then you won’t live without this again! 😬
One of the best things you can do for yourself when you start CrossFit (or any heavy weight lifting in general) is to protect your back! Start protecting it from the beginning so you can stay injured free, rather than getting an injury and having to spend time recovering.
These foam rollers are literally magical for releasing tension from sore muscles! Not only do they do that, but if you have any knots in your muscles, you can also roll them out.
There are many different Crossfit workouts (typically “hero” WODs) that call for wearing a weighted vest. Not only is this a way that the CrossFit community honors our fallen heroes, it’s also a really good way to up your VO2 max.
7. A clock.
If you don’t want to buy a clock right now, you can totally just use the Smart WOD app… But it’s also nice having a large clock to look at in the middle of your workouts so you can see it easily!
8. Chalk.
As the bar gets heavy (or slippery from sweat) you will want chalk to help you hold onto it!
Other Home CrossFit Questions + Answers
How do I start a home gym in a small space?
You definitely don’t have to have a large space for a home CrossFit gym!
As long as you have room to hang your rig on the wall and place your weights, you’ll be fine!
Just make sure you’re screwing your rig into a wall with studs, and not into the sheetrock.
What is a disadvantage of home exercise equipment?
The main disadvantage of working out from home is that you miss out on the community aspect that CrossFit offers. When you’re a member at a gym, you get to meet so many cool people, and everyone gets to grow together!
Is having a home gym worth it?
Having all of your CrossFit home gym necessities is definitely worth the money. I’d say my husband and I got our money’s worth within the first few months of having ours! CrossFit memberships can get pretty expensive, so having an at-home CrossFit gym can definitely be a good option if you’re on a budget.
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I hope this list of CrossFit home gym necessities helped you! Please comment below if you have any questions! You can also message me on Instagram and I’m happy to chat with you!
Need other CrossFit tips and ideas? I’ve got you covered here!
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