How to Make your own Crossfit Workout Equipment

Crossfit is sweeping the World, no doubt! There are competitions and affiliates popping up everywhere! There are even prime time Crossfit commercials showing during major sporting events.

But so many people don’t have the means to make it to the gym or the funds to join. But never fear, you can do more than body weight movements with just a few extra pieces of equipment that you can make with just a visit to a hardware store, auto mechanic or sports resale store.

In case you have been under a rock and you don’t know what Crossfit is, check it out here to get a taste. It is The Sport of Fitness and is attracting everyone from accomplished athletes to soccer moms to senior citizens. But you don’t have to be a high level athlete to be able to participate. You can just right in where you are and scale everything as you get stronger and more accomplished at the movements.

Here are a few of the things that would be awesome to have for doing Crossfit workouts at home and how you make them on a budget.

1. Jump Rope:Use 2 pieces of 1/2″ PVC each with end caps. Drill a hole for the rope in the end of each cap. Visit the wire or rope section of the hardware store to choose your desired weight of rope.

2. Pull up Bar: We all know that pull ups are in a wide variety of Crossfit workouts so it makes sense to have a bar available for getting them done. Fortunately I know some handy people who put these together and installed them for me. All the parts are at Home Depot or Lowes. Just make sure when choosing a bar that will be for gripping, you pick the right thickness. I don’t have an actual number, just decide based on how they feel when you hold it compared to the other bars you have used.

3. Weighted Bars: These are simply made with 1″ PVC pipe that houses 2-4 pieces of ReBar and sand. You will need 6′-7′ lengths of PVC, Same length of ReBar, sand varies by weight of bar desired, end caps and PVC glue. Make sure to weigh the bar before attaching the 2nd end cap. These bars can me used for a variety of Crossfit Movements including, Overhead Squats, Snatch Balance, Pressing Snatch Balance and a variety or squat practice movements.

4. Dragging Sled:Prowlers are expensive and the earliest Crossfitters didn’t even have access to such a piece of equipment. This little beauty was improvised by my son, Jake and he said it worked really well! Find an old tire, big enough to hold plates. To make it really challenging, use a huge, flipping size tire. He used a rope that was wrapped through the tire. Tie it at the other end and sling it over your shoulder or around your waist for dragging.

5. Slosh Pipe:Thanks to Girl Walks Into a Bar(bell).com for this one!

This is basically an 8-10′ long, 3-4″ diameter pipe filled with a little or a lot of water. You can use it to do walking lunges, squats, carries etc. Follow these directions from Mark’s Daily Apple to show you just how to build your own.

So combine these toys with body weight movements like push ups and variations, squats, lunges, and other conditioning movements and you have a ton of stuff that you can use to get fit without even leaving home! No gym needed! This is perfect for when life gets too busy to get into the nearby Crossfit box.

Have you made any equipment for your home gym or box? What do you like to use to do home workouts that isn’t your typical equipment? Tell me more about it in the comment box below!

Annie Berryhill is a Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach, Crossfit Athlete and competitor who owns and operates OC Fitness Revival in Orange County, CA.

Services include personal and group training, nutrition classes and counseling, as well as providing incredible detoxifying, health-improving supplements to help people  to make the most out of what they’ve got.

Contact her at (949) 280-3407 or anne@anneberryhill.com