15 Best Beginner CrossFit Workouts And Exercises

CrossFit exercises are synonymous with brutal plyometric routines. While that is true, it doesn’t reveal the full truth. CrossFit routines can be perfectly done at home. You do not need any special equipment. Just your body weight and a bit of motivation are enough. Most beginner CrossFit workouts blend functional movements with intensity. Try out the list of routines below. They will help you familiarize yourself with this form of interval training. At the same time, you will build a solid foundation for mastering the principles of these types of exercises.

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Simple Beginner CrossFit Workouts

1. Fast Burpees

• The burpee is almost an integral part of most beginner routines. This exercise begins with a pushup and ends with an air jump.
• Doing this exercise for even one minute can be extremely taxing. So, beginners can start by performing a pushup without the jump.
• Set a specific number of burpees for an added challenge to complete in a given minute.
• With burpees, you need to keep repeating the movement to determine your improvement in fitness level.

Take It up a Notch

Use a pair of lightweight dumbbells to complete the burpee exercise. The impact it has on the intensity of the workout will astound you.

2. Burpee & Sit-up Intervals

• One of the best beginner CrossFit workouts at home is interval training. It means alternating between a bunch of CrossFit exercises for a specific duration. Interval training raises your heart rate while improving your strength and endurance.
• Interval training raises your heart rate. Simultaneously, it improves your strength and endurance.
• Switch between burpees and sit-ups for 20 to 30 seconds to do this CrossFit exercise.

Make the Workout Intense

Increase the interval time to 50 seconds for each exercise. It will increase your heart rate further and build greater speed and endurance.

3. Climb the Bodyweight Ladder

• It may sound hard to believe, but CrossFit workouts can be equally effective without weights. This bodyweight ladder is a perfect example.
• Start with twenty sit-ups and ten squats. Do 20 sit-ups, squats, and push-ups in the next round. Thirty squats, twenty sit-ups, and forty squats will be in the next round. In the last round, perform 50 squats and 20 pushups.
• You won’t need to use a single weight in this session. Still, it’ll leave you out of breath.

Make It a Bit More Difficult

Instead of basic squats, try doing jump squats. As an alternative, attempt a more difficult pushup variation like one-hand pushups or clapping push-ups.

4. Full Body Crossfit Workout With Minimal Equipment

This CrossFit exercise needs one dumbbell or kettlebell. You can do it anywhere, such as in your garage or backyard. Here, you’ll work for 50 seconds with a recovery period of 20 seconds. Use an interval timer for this workout. After you’ve done the next batch of exercises for 50 seconds, get yourself a 10-second break.

• Start with fast bodyweight burpees, with or without push-ups.
• Rest for 10 seconds.
• Perform air squats for 50 seconds. Try to do as many squats as you can.
• After recovering for 10 seconds, do 50 seconds of sit-ups.
• The last exercise is a kettlebell or dumbbell swing.
• This workout gets your heart very high and works all parts of your body.

Scale Full Body Crossfit Workout

Replace air squats with jump squats, and grab a heavier weight for swings.

5. Compound CrossFit Workout

Beginner CrossFit workouts are great as they use every part of the body. Compound movements, like squats, deadlifts, and shoulder presses, target numerous muscles in your body. Consider attempting this set of compound CrossFit exercises if you are a beginner who has recently begun using weights in your workouts.

• Start with 10 barbell squats.
• Recover for a minute, and then do 10 barbell deadlifts.
• Recover for another minute and do 10 shoulder presses with the barbell.
• Perform three rounds of this sequence.

Challenge Yourself Further

Grab a heavier barbell and increase the number of repetitions in every round.

6. 30-Minute Crossfit Fun

Here’s a 30-minute CrossFit session if you feel like doing a longer workout. It includes a variety of functional exercises that improve athletic performance. The following exercises can be performed outside or at home. Set a timer for thirty minutes and do the following:

• 10 pushups
• 15 sit-ups
• 20 alternate lunges
• 30-second side plank on both sides
• 2 minutes of running or jogging on the spot

Make the Workout Harder

Increase the number of repetitions for every exercise. Alternatively, try to complete the entire sequence in 25 minutes.

7. Beginner CrossFit Workout For A Stronger Core

A weak or unstable core increases the risk of injury while doing advanced exercises. This is one of those beginner CrossFit workouts that will strengthen your core, enabling you to transition into intermediate and even advanced CrossFit exercises seamlessly.

• Do 20 Russian twists
• Follow it with a 30-second plank hold.
• Next, do 15 V-ups
• The last exercise is 12 Superman holds

Take It up a Notch with a Stronger Core

Try holding the plank for a whole minute. Similarly, increase the number of V-ups and Russian twists.

Read Also: Easy Home Exercises for Everyday Health

8. Single Dumbbell CrossFit Workout

This CrossFit workout uses a dumbbell to exercise your entire body. Here’s what you need to do. Grab a dumbbell that doesn’t feel very light or very heavy. Perform three rounds of the following:

• 10 overhead presses
• 12 bodyweight forward lunges
• Jump rope or toe taps for 60 seconds

Increase the Intensity of the Workout

For added intensity, replace bodyweight forward lunges with weighted ones and toe taps with box jumps.

9. Run-Squat Fusion

To become a master cross-fitter, one must combine strength and cardio training in the ideal ratio. Here’s a simple workout that will help you enhance your endurance and make your muscles stronger.

• Run for 400 meters.
• Next, do 15 squats.

Intensify the Routine

If you become too efficient at this workout, increase its intensity by furthering your running portion. Also, do squats with dumbbells or a heavy barbell.

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10. 8-Minute Box Jump Fun

Explosive movements like burpees and high box jumps build muscle. At the same time, they also enhance fat burning. This workout leverages these movements for 8 full minutes. You can perform these movements at home or outdoors. Pick a kettlebell and a rigid box. That’s all you need.

• Complete eight burpee box jumps.
• 16 kettlebell swings.
• Perform both the above-mentioned movements for 8 minutes.

Increase the Intensity 

Increase the duration of this CrossFit routine. Extend it to 10 minutes.

11. Jump & Lunge

Exercises like jumping rope and lunges make the lower part of your body strong. Also, these are full-body exercises that build coordination and balance. This workout consists of the following

• 15 lunges per leg
• 60 jump ropes.

Note: Do five rounds of these motions. You will be certainly winded when this workout ends.

Make Jump & Lunge harder

Use a barbell (moderate weight) for lunges. Alternatively, two heavy dumbbells will also work.

12. Pyramid-style CrossFit Chipper Workout

This pyramid-style CrossFit workout will make your lower body, abs, and arm muscles burn. It is one of the weighted beginner CrossFit workouts that are also suitable for the gym.

• 8 dumbbell OH or overhead lunges
• 10 push presses using weights
• 20 Sit-ups (try V sit-ups)
• 30 dumbbell double hang-cleans
• 30 front squats using your dumbbells

Make Pyramid-Style CrossFit Chipper Workout Tougher

Overhead lunges with dumbbells at your side will make the routing tougher.

13. AMRAP CrossFit Workout

AMRAP is a short form for as many repetitions as possible. These repetitions must be done within a specified period. In 15 minutes, do the following:

NOTE: The actual workout will start after these squats, which was a  buy-in

• 50 squats.
• 7 single-arm thrusters
• 10 sit-ups
• 15 Russian twists

Make AMRAP CrossFit Workout Challenging

Try Russian twists with a dumbbell. Alternatively, weighted sit-ups can be done to make this routine tougher.

14. Total Torque Challenge

The workout has 5 different exercises, which you’ll perform 30 times. Set your timer to 10 minutes for doing these movements.

• 10 squat jumps
• 10 kettlebell swings
• 10 burpees
• 10 double-unders
• 10 pull-ups

Boost the Difficulty

Squat jumps can be swapped for box jumps or jumps with a dumbbell.

15. At-Home No Equipment CrossFit Workout

We end this list of beginner CrossFit workouts with a session devoid of any piece of equipment. This workout challenges most muscle groups. Warm up properly and then start doing these moves for 30 seconds each. Recovery time is 10 to 15 seconds.

• High knees
• Low jumping jacks
• Shoulder taps
• Burpees without push-ups
• Jumping lunges
• Toe touches
• Flutter kicks
• Leg raises

Challenge Yourself

Do this session in a high-intensity training style. Another way is to do every movement for 45 seconds and take minimal rest between.

Concluding Words

When it comes to CrossFit, doing too much too fast is a straight road to injury. Beginners usually find it tougher to perform advanced moves or go with a heavier weight. But that doesn’t mean CrossFit isn’t for you. Start at your own pace with the workouts mentioned above. They will bring about a dramatic improvement in your fitness level.