I get asked all of the time:
“I want to get my significant other some gear that they can use in class but I have no clue what they need or what to get!”
I am here with this blog post to help you guys out! See below for all of my recommendations for budget friendly, and useful, CrossFit gear.
When looking for a jump rope for both CrossFit and Spark classes, you will want to focus your attention towards “speed ropes.” A speed rope is a jump rope that has a ball bearing in the handle as well as a metal cable for the “rope.” This means that the rope will spin really well and will be tough enough to last for many upon many workouts.
Option 1 (most budget friendly):
Option 2 (slightly more expensive):
What I Use:
All of the above ropes are awesome choices and will not let you down. To be honest, the only reason that I use an RPM rope is because my lovely wife surprised me with it when we were dating…. and then my dog chewed her’s in half so she now uses it as much as I do. Haha, Whoops!
Knee sleeves aren’t really necessary but a lot of athletes enjoy the security and stiffness of a set of knee sleeves when squatting so I will throw them in here while I am listing off recommendations.
Option 1 (most budget friendly):
Rogue 3MM Knee Sleeves: $35.00
Option 2 (slightly more expensive):
Rogue 5MM Knee Sleeves: $50.00
What I Use:
RockTape Assasins 7MM Knee Sleeves: $50.00
When buying knee sleeves, you want to pay attention to the thickness. Ranging from 3MM to 7MM you will want to purchase a set based off of what the athlete needs them for. If they are to be used in a workout, I would gear more towards the thinner (3MM), a heavy weightlifting day may require the thicker sleeves (5 or 7MM).
This is probably my most recommended piece of equipment due to the fact that if you’re not used to it, the pull up bar will eat your hands alive! To me, a set of grips should be in everyone’s gym bag regardless if you’re in a Spark or CrossFit class. Gymnastics grips will bunch up on the pull up bar and protect the callused parts of your palm from rubbing and eventually tearing. Trust me… this is a great way to ruin your day/week.
Option 1 (most budget friendly):
Rogue V2 Gymnastics Grips: $22.00
Option 2 (slightly more expensive):
Bear Komplex 3-hole Carbon Grips: $40.00
What I Use:
Victory X2 3-Finger Grips: $45.00
When it comes to grips and protecting your hands, cheaper isn’t always better. The reason that I use Victory grips is due to the fact that I weigh 200+ pounds and have not had any trouble out of my grips what so ever. I wore Bear Komplex for the longest time and will suggest them to lighter athletes but they ended up tearing on my right hand one pair after another… so I made the switch.
There is always a sense of confusion when it comes to weightlifting belts and what their purpose in the weight room is. The function of a belt is not to help with back stability or relieve back pain but to aid in bracing throughout the core when performing a heavy lift where bracing in the belly is required. It is used to give the core something to push against and remain tight throughout a lift.
Option 1 (most budget friendly):
Rogue 4 Inch Nylon Belt: $20.00
Option 2 (slightly more expensive):
Rogue USA Nylon Lifting Belt: $45.00
What I Use:
Schiek 4 3/4 Inch Nylon Belt: $50.00
I chose the Schiek belt due to its versatility, I can use it for a heavy Deadlift attempt or in a workout that requires some heavy weight to be thrown around. The other options are great as well and will not let you down!
When learning the clean or snatch, athletes tend to learn how to use the “hook grip” and will quickly discover that this maneuver will blast your thumbs once you’ve performed it two or three times in a week. To combat this, we wrap our thumbs in tape that will stay in place but will also bend with our thumb so that comfort and mobility can be maintained.
Option 1 (most budget friendly):
Adhesive Bandage Wrap (12 Pack): $15.00
Option 2 (slightly more expensive):
Wod Nation Weightlifting Hook Grip Tape (3 Pack): $15.00
What I Use:
Sparthos Kinesiology Tape (1 Pack): $10.00
To me, tape choice is very important. When you tape your thumbs and two lifts into the workout, it’s sliding down your thumb, not only is it annoying but it’s not serving its purpose in protecting your thumb! With that being said, the cheaper recommendation will only stick to itself, not to your finger. The last two recommendations have adhesive material on one side so that you can guarantee that you will have minimal movement and maximum protection!
So there you have it, that is all of the gear that I recommend to our athletes. Give these items and look and let me know if you have any questions! You can find me at the gym or give me shout at Jacob@crossfit926.com.
