If you know me, you know I have a lot of gear for CrossFit. There is a ton of gear crammed into my gym bag. I’ve got knee sleeves, elbow sleeves, ankle sleeves, a weight belt, wrist wraps, sweat bands, and the list goes on. Jokes have been made that if they made “chalk goggles” or a “CrossFit cape,” I’d probably have it. Admittedly I’ve gone overboard.

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After seven years in the sport, I’ve drastically cut back on the gear I wear for several reasons. That said, there are three pieces of gear every CrossFit athlete should get from the start.

Shoes

The first piece of gear I suggest is a good pair of CrossFit shoes. That’s right, shoes. If you think about it, every sport has shoes specific to it. Football and soccer have their cleats, basketball has their shoes, and runners have shoes to make those distances easier on themselves. We do so much on our feet and demand a lot of our shoes in CrossFit. Whether it’s the Olympic lifting, rope climbs, strapping in on the rower, box jumps, or running — the right shoe makes a huge difference.

My first couple of pairs of CrossFit shoes were the Nike Metcons. Great shoes that held up to the rigors of our sport. I kept my 2nd pair of Metcons until a few months ago when I noticed holes were wearing in the sides from rope climbs. After reading reviews of the newer Metcons and watching videos from Squat University, I decided to look around at different brands. I ended up going with the NOBULL Trainer+. I’ve been very happy with the switch — a larger toe box for lifts and no double-under or box jump issues. I did have an issue with the construction of the shoes; however, NOBULL customer support was able to resolve the issue quickly and get me a replacement pair.

Talk to other athletes in your box when looking for a pair of CrossFit shoes. Ask them about their shoes, what do they like about them, what don’t they like about them, and would they purchase the same brand/model again? There are a lot of different brands out there, including Nike Metcon, Reebok Nano, NOBULL, R.A.D., and Innov8. Find a shoe that is comfortable and works for you.

Lifters

A quick thought on lifters. If you plan on getting serious with Olympic lifting or competing in CrossFit competitions, getting yourself a good pair of lifters isn’t a bad idea. For the average CrossFit athlete, I don’t think they are needed. I still don’t own a pair; however, I’ll admit that I have looked at getting a pair — not because I need them, but because I have a gear addiction.

Jump Rope

Whether you’re doing singles or already have double-unders, getting your own rope is a necessity. Having your own rope provides consistency in your training. Our box provides a plethora of ropes to choose from; however, you’ll probably never get the same one twice. Having the right rope and consistency will help to improve your jump rope skills.

Don’t make the same mistake as I did by purchasing a cheap rope from Amazon. No matter how many good reviews they get, they don’t compare to a speed rope specifically for CrossFit. I’ve heard the same from some of the athletes I coach who have made that mistake, “it looked good and had a lot of good reviews, but I still can’t get double-unders.”

I recommend the Rogue SR-2 Speed Rope. Yes, it’s almost $50, but it is the only rope you’ll need. But Dave, it’s not like the ones the Games Athletes use! Yes, they use ropes with smaller handles. They’re elite athletes. Most of us are not. That extra long handle allows us to generate a lot of force with very little movement in the wrist to get that rope around faster. The CrossFit Jump Rope Workshop uses long-handled ropes to help train coaches and encourages coaches to provide long handles to athletes.

A note for taller athletes, you may need to order a longer rope (11’) to accommodate your stature.

Grips

In CrossFit, we do a lot on the rig, including pull-ups, toes-to-bar or knee raises, and bar muscle-ups. Our box has tape on the rigs for those movements. In my travels, dropping in at other boxes, I’ve found that’s a rare thing. Most CrossFit boxes prohibit the use of tape on their rig. It leaves a sticky residue, needs to be replaced every couple of months, and if people tear, there’s blood to be dealt with. Tape on the bars ends up being a pain to maintain.

The original tape used on our rigs was great. I could chalk up, do my pull-ups, and T2B, and didn’t have to worry about tearing my hands up. In the past couple of years, the tape used in our box has changed. It doesn’t stand up as well as the previous tape — pulling apart, tearing easily, and ends up leaving a sticky residue on your hands while you’re using it. For the first time in a long time, I started to tear my hands on it, specifically when doing T2B.

I had tried grips when I first started CrossFit. They didn’t help. My hands still tore under the grips. Again, my mistake was finding some cheap grips on Amazon with good reviews and expecting them to perform. You get what you pay for. This second go round with grips, I asked athletes in our box, what were they using and if they were happy with them. The most common answer was Victory Grips, so I ended up ordering a pair. What a huge difference the Victory Grips were from that first pair I got. I can’t believe I went so long without these grips.

There are other grips out there, including Bear Complex, and for something really different, the Monkey Grips that don’t have a wrist wrap on them. Regardless of the brand or style you get, you won’t be disappointed in the protection you get from a good set of grips.

Link to Zechen Fitness

Runner Up Items

So, now you know I’m a bit of a gear junkie when it comes to CrossFit. I’ve got more knee sleeves, elbow sleeves, and wrist wraps than I know what to do with. But after years of trial and error, I’ve narrowed down the top 3 pieces of gear every CrossFit athlete should get from the start: shoes, a jump rope, and grips.

But wait, there’s more! While those items are my essential MVPs of CrossFit gear, some other runner-up items are worth a shoutout.

Thumb Tape

For some time, I wasn’t willing to hook grip on my lifts. Smaller hands make it difficult to grip the bar, not to mention the pain of yanking on my thumb during a lift. It wasn’t until recently that I started to hook grip after learning proper hand placement to lock in my grip in and understanding that the thumb pain would only be temporary until I got used to the hook grip. Thumb tape significantly reduced the pain of hook gripping and made it easier to hang on. If you plan on trying to hook grip, get yourself some thumb tape.

Knee Sleeves

At some point, I probably would have said Knee Sleeves are necessary for CrossFit athletes, particularly for masters athletes. I’ve changed my tune a bit. I do wear knee sleeves quite a bit but have started to ween myself off them. If we’re doing burpees or wall walks, you’ll likely see them on. I don’t like my knees slamming into the floor repeatedly—the sleeves protect me from that happening. I’ll also use knee sleeves pulled down to help protect my leg from getting burned on a rope climb.

Although I’ve used knee sleeves, over time, I’ve realized that the sleeves can get in the way of common movements like rowing, double-unders, and running. On particularly hot days, the sleeves' restrictions have led to cramping in my calves with DU’s and runs.

Wrist Wraps

Like the knee sleeves, I would have said these were necessary earlier in my CrossFit journey. I still use them, but not as often. They’re great for supporting wrists when you’re trying to hit heavy lifts (1 rep max), but for me, everyday use was a crutch to achieve bigger lifts. Wrist wraps are a great tool but not a necessity.

Your Gear List

Now that I’ve provided my must-have gear list for CrossFit, what’s yours? Do you agree with my list? Am I missing anything? I’d love to hear your thoughts on your must-have CrossFit gear.

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