If you’re starting your CrossFit journey, say within the first 6 – 12 months of joining  CrossFit Iron Legion, there is a handful of equipment you’ll want to procure along the way to help you maximize your experience. Note, this isn’t gear you have to have, but rather it’s gear you’ll want to have if you plan on working out regularly and want to see your performance increase. If you check the gym bag of most any CrossFit firebreather, you’ll find the following: 1. A good jump rope. Most gyms have basic (i.e. cheap) jump ropes for beginners to borrow. You’ll want to get your own, because a quality, custom jump rope will help you achieve double-unders, one of the most common CrossFit movements. The keys are being able to customize the length of the rope and getting the weight you’re most comfortable with.

• Rogue Fitness has a range of ropes priced from $15 to $65. The $65 option, their SR2 Ballistic Rope, is absolutely badass, so you might want to save up.
• Buddy Lee makes a rope popular with CrossFitters.
• RX Smart Gear makes some cool ropes for around $40.
• Again Faster ropes

2. Weightlifting shoes. Probably the single most important piece of gear that will help you increase strength and improve your Olympic lifting, you’ll want to save up for some good Oly shoes. Yes, you might spend upwards of $200, but it’s worth it. Be sure to check with Coach Ted for a recommendation.

• Rogue Fitness carries several different brands of lifting shoes, from the $90 Adidas Powerlift Trainers to the $189 Nike Romaleos 2.
• Not sure what to get? Try the Reebok CrossFit Oly Lifter, which is sort of a hybrid that is good for lifting and lets you tackle most WODs.
• Check Again Faster for their selection of kicks, including their own brand of lifting shoe.

3. Sticking with the weightlifting theme, a decent weight belt can help you stay safe as you attack heavier weights, especially for movements like deadlifts and cleans. There is a vast galaxy of lifting belts out there, but here are a couple of vendor suggestions:

• Muscle Driver USA for belts priced from $22 to $65.
• Try a search on Amazon.com for a huge array of belts.

4. Wrist wraps. These are useful for protecting your wrists when you start hitting the heavy cleans, snatches, overhead squats, and a few other movements. They are usually pretty cheap, too.

• Rogue Fitness has a few choices.
• PR Wraps sells some very cool wrist wraps for $25.
• Strength Wraps makes a great product.
• Check Bodybuilding.com for some kickass wraps at affordable prices.

5. Shoes. You can’t even think about CrossFit without a good pair of shoes, but here’s some advice. Get shoes you’re comfortable running in, like running at least three miles continuously. There are tons of minimal shoe options on the market, and some of them don’t make good runners for more than 400 meters. That’s not good enough, because you’ll occasionally need to run a mile or three miles without worrying about blisters and excessive foot soreness. Choose wisely and don’t get caught up in trends. If it’s good for three miles, it won’t take anything away from the rest of the WOD. Popular shoes among CrossFitters include Inov-8, Reebok Nano’s, and Nike Free. Bonus: When you start getting serious about CrossFit, you’ll want to add in a quality protein supplement to your diet, like Progenex. This helps you recover faster and build muscle. Some CrossFitters carry their powder with them to the gym and mix a shake immediately after the WOD. It’s a good idea. CrossFit Iron Legion is a the fastest growing CrossFit affiliate in Ocala, Florida. To get started, please contact Coach Ted Dreaver at (352) 620-2625 or ted@ironlegionsc.com.