The 2018 CrossFit Open is upon us and I thought it would be cool to share with you guys exactly what I will be using. This stuff is all the gear that I personally trust to help me perform up to 100% of my capabilities. Everyone is going to have their own preferences, but this gear is what you’ll see me using throughout the Open!
I’ll link everything so that you can easily pick up everything you need so you can be ready for this year’s Open!
Arguably the most important thing you’ll need are a solid pair of shoes and if you needed a reminder of what I think are the best all around trainers currently out, they’re the Reebok Nano 8’s! BUT – we know there’s never any running in the Open, so I’ll probably be reaching for my Nike Metcon 4’s more often than my Nano’s for their incredible stability and response. Either way, I know that without a shadow of a doubt, either of these shoes will perform given whatever tasks come up in the Open.
Picking between the two shoes is just too hard – If it was a workout that I had to do a lot of double unders, repeated jumping or was longer, I’m taking the comfort of the Nano 8’s over the Metcon’s.
Men: Light, flexible, cut above the knee, durable, has pockets and is affordable. Flexion Gear’s shorts remain my favorite shorts among a TON of other great brands because they just provide the best bang for the buck. They’re extremely comfortable, don’t get in the way and they can take a beating for all of about $47USD.
Women: FLEO Shorts (original)
I can’t vouch for these personally but my GF tells me they’re her favorite shorts because they’re “really soft, comfortable and flattering for my butt”. Don’t just take her word for it, these shorts consistently sell out and are seen on a ton of elite female athletes. They’re also fairly priced (this, I do know well).
Back-Up: Reebok CrossFit Austin Shorts
Light weight, comfortable, but plain (some will like that). These shorts are excellent no nonsense training shorts that won’t get in the way.
These guys make THE belt for CrossFit. Sure, there are other more supportive belts out there, but you wouldn’t to WOD in any of those. 2POOD’s WODclamp makes it so your belt doesn’t come flying off when you need to make a quick adjustment when going from barbell to gymnastics. It’s foam core and 4″ width make it a perfect blend of support and mobility, all while still being compliant for your next weightlifting competition.
My personal favorite is “The Ranch” belt!
Back-up: Rogue Fitness Nylon USA Belt
For those that need a little bit more support, just don’t plan on using this belt during a WL comp. Extra material on the end of the strap will make adjustments on the fly a little easier.
On a day to day training basis, I normally use my leather Victory Grips for their comfort and protection, but when it comes down to having to squeeze out every last rep on the bar, I’m going for my Stealth Grips. They’re a little harder on the hands, but they provide insane amounts of grip all while giving you protection against ripping so you’ll be ready for next week’s workout. I would’ opt for the 3 finger grips since the coverage is similar to the 4 finger model but you can pull them off and put them on a little quicker.
I haven’t tried the 2-finger grips yet!
Back-Up: Bear Komplex 2 Hole Carbon Grips
A little bit thicker that the Stealth Grips, but still provide excellent grip on the bar. I’ve seen durability woes, but they’ll at least last you 5 weeks.
Whether you like it or not, double unders are going to happen and there is NO denying it. I can’t help you magically learn how to do them before the workout happens, but I can tell you that I trust the performance of pretty much ANY RPM Training speed rope to quickly and reliably get me through my sets. If you needed a little bit of feedback because you’re learning, get the Scout rope or the coated rope with the Session. If you’re confident in your ability, go for the Competition.
Back-Up: Momentum Gear Phenom Rope
All the speed of the RPM rope, for a fraction of the cost. On the fly adjustments mean that you can make your rope longer or shorter mid-workout if you’re struggling.
They – don’t – slip.
That right there should be all you need to know. Lunges have made it to the past couple Open’s and I have a feeling we haven’t seen the end of them. Workt’s knee sleeves provide excellent warmth and support all while protecting your knees from the ground and STAYING IN PLACE. No one has time to pull up your knee sleeves mid workout, especially during an Open workout.
Back-Up: Vulcan Strength Knee Sleeves
Cheap (sold in pairs), effective, and reversible so you can match whatever you’re wearing that day. Run slightly large so make sure you go down a size.
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Supplements – Blonyx Beta Alanine, Elivate Hypertrophy
For the love of god, ease off the pre-workout. As a former PWO junkie, I can tell you the best thing I ever did was stop using it, at least for WOD’s. The pace you’re going to be running at during Open workouts is going to make you redline really quick, you don’t need PWO getting you to the red zone any earlier. What I’ve switched off to instead was just my own mix of BCAA’s and Blonyx Beta alanine and Elivate Nutrition Hypertrophy kre-alkalyn.
Beta alanine has been shown to increase muscular endurance, improve high intensity cardiovascular performance and protect against lactic acid build up. Kre-Alkalyn will give you a boost of ATP for increased energy during workouts and to keep your muscles going strong for the following week’s punishment. Blonyx and Elivate use no nonsense, clean ingredients so you don’t have to worry about any excess BS going into your body. You get clean energy without the jitters, crashes or heart rate spikes. Thank me later.
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Recovery – DIY Power Massager
Go here for instructions and parts that you’ll need to make yours.
You’re going to find yourself sore, really sore, after some of these workouts. Having solid recovery tools is a MUST! Foam rollers, LAX balls, floss bands can only do so much – having a high powered, yet cost effective tool to really dig in or even just pump more blood into affected sore areas is invaluable. Some of the options can be costly, but rest assured that my DIY version works just as well for a fraction of the price!
Back-Up: Rumble Roller, VooDoo Floss, Rogue Fitness SuperNova 2.0
Truth be told, I don’t wear wrist wraps much, if at all anymore because I’m always trying to train my wrist strength. If SHTF, my wraps of choice are going to be Strength Wraps, though to be completely honest, I care more about what matches my outfit so brand doesn’t matter much here.
Back-Up: MadFitter Hero Wraps
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Collars – Rogue Fitness HG 2.0
The last thing you want to worry about during an Open workout is your weights flying off mid-WOD. Rogue’s HG 2.0 collars keep things where they need to be, but are also easy enough to snap off if you needed to change weights. These are FAR better than the original design and mine still hold tight after almost a year and a half of use.