In the past several weeks, I’ve received a ton of questions from you guys asking for cheaper and at-home ideas for CrossFit. It seems that quite a few of you want to try it, but don’t live near a CrossFit location and/or don’t have the funds to afford a membership. With that said, here are a bunch of at-home and budget-friendly ways to get your CrossFit on!
- CrossFit.com: CrossFit posts the WOD on their website everyday so you can do them on your own without belonging to a CF box. You’ll need equipment for most of them, but if you already belong to a gym/health club, you’ll likely have access to what you need. If you have questions about the lingo, exercises, or substitutions for exercises, you can find answers here as well as on the “Getting Started” page.
- Travel WODs: These WODs need minimal or no equipment, and you can do them just about anywhere as long as you have space to do so.
- Download 16-Days of Beginner CrossFit Workouts: These beginner workouts can be done at home or the gym. They’re designed to take between 5-15 minutes and require nothing but your body and a little room to move.
- Create your own gym at home: A reader left a link to this video on my blog a few weeks ago: Interview with Jon Gilson of Again Faster Equipment. Around the 2:50 mark, Jon Gilson describes how to start an at-home gym for $300. It tells you exactly what to buy. It’s pretty sweet!
- Tabata Coach: I blogged about this the other day, but just in case you missed it, it reminds me a lot of my CrossFit workouts and can be done at home or the gym.
- CrossFit781: CrossFit781 is where I take classes. Our coaches post the WOD the night before the actual workout, so you can follow along and do them on your own just like on CrossFit.com, but if you have specific questions about the workout, I’d be happy to help answer them for you!
Additionally, a bunch of people have asked me what a “normal” price is for a CrossFit membership, and it really depends on the box you join. Every CrossFit is different, so the rate depends on a number of factors, including the location (city versus suburbs), how often you go (unlimited, 3 x week, 2 x week), number of members and coaches, how long the box has been open, etc.
Mal and I joined CrossFit 781 as a couple, so we pay $300 ($150 each) for an unlimited monthly membership. (We can attend as many classes as we’d like during the month.) The regular (non-couple) unlimited membership rate is $175/month, and there are other membership options that cost less as well as discounts for students and those who are members of the military and law enforcement. Similar pricing options exist at other CrossFit locations.
From what I’ve heard from other CrossFit-ers, our monthly rate falls somewhere in the middle of the pricing spectrum. I’ve heard of people paying as little as $60/month as well as more than $200/month for an unlimited membership. Every CrossFit is independent of each other, so prices vary quite a bit, which means you’ll need to contact your local box to see what the going rate is.
I hope this helps! Please let me know if you guys have any other questions!
Lunch
There was hardly any food in our house last night, so Mal and I opted for a lazy (and more expensive) dinner: take-out from Lime Leaf. The portion was huge, so I ate the leftovers for lunch today.
I finished off lunch with a Coconut Cream Larabar.
Snack
I’m planning to eat a banana with peanut butter before CrossFit to give me some energy for the workout. I haven’t eaten it yet, but you’ve seen it before, right? It looks like this.
I’m off to walk the pug and then get my CrossFit on. I haven’t been since last Wednesday, so I’m really looking forward to tonight’s class!
P.S. Are you taking part in Super Bowl activities this weekend? Check out my new post over on the Pretzel Crisps blog: Game Plan: A Healthy Approach to Football Party Food!
{ 59 comments… read them below or add one }
Next Comments →
we started crossfit last week and have our first “real” class tomorrow!! (we did the intro + 2 “training” classes so far). it totally kicks my butt and makes me want to crawl in a hole and die for most of the time, but seriously, AMAZING workout!
@kathleen @ the daily crumb: YAY!!!!!!!
oh gosh, $300 a month!? That’s how much I paid for my whole year membership at the gym! Haha one day, when I have an actual job…
Tina,
Awesome post. I really like how you shared links for WOD’s. My brother is a police officer in CA and he is addicted to WOD’s! Thanks for the great info!
Kristi
GREAT post. I think some of the CFs are ridiculously priced, I really do. Especially since there are awesome ways to make a gym at home–thanks for posting those ideas!
It’s always good to let people know there are options for workouts that don’t require a lot of money. Nice info!
Thanks for the post and all the links! I set up my own cross fit gym but I have a few friends who are trained instructors, so they were a huge help in knowing what I needed and what substitutions to use.
My initial thought was, “$300 a month! Holy Eff!”
But then I remembered it’s sort of like having a personal trainer to motivate you (and make sure you’re safe!) for an unlimited number of sessions. Now THAT seems worth at least $300.
i’ve never tried the coconut cream pie larabar… thumbs up??? it sounds tasty!
Thanks for the information! I’m always curious on other people’s plans!
Bodyrock.tv also has great home workouts that I do to supplement my crossfitting which I can afford to do 2X/ week. As a student I got a relatively good deal on it and I see it as almost personal training and really gets me to workout because I paid for it! So I find it to be worth the investment for sure.
Thanks for posting your tips and I agree that anytime one can workout at home and feel it’s effective, you’re way ahead of the game on both the time and money fronts!
I love CrossFit!! So hard and so worth it in the end. Another great resource for at home workouts is BodyRock.tv. They do shorter but intense workouts sometimes using gear and sometimes just body weight. They give examples of all exercises and modifications for different levels of difficulty. Check it out. I think you’ll like it. I don’t have all the gear they use but they give me ideas for creating my own workouts which is very helpful for staying active, challenged and not getting bored.
I had that same Larabar for breakfast today and it was one of my favorites so far!
I tried my first CrossFit class this weekend. Many places will let you do a free trial that will give you a good idea of what CrossFit is and how the gym is run. It was my impression that they really want members to reach their goals and feel sucessful. I think you can always ask for deals OR for a punch card system which may be more reasonable if you can’t make it 2-3x week.
Thanks for all the answers Tina!
What do you think is the best larabar flavor? I think my fave is peanut butter and jelly, cashew cookie being a close second.
I like them all, but my favorites are the dessert-like ones. I’m actually hosting a giveaway on Trading Up Downtown tomorrow for my favorite ones. Be sure to check it out! http://tradingupdowntown.com
@Tina: Awesome, I will check back tomorrow. I just saw a twitpic of Hannah from the Biggest Loser eating a banana bread larabar and I was mucho jealous because I’ve NEVER seen that flavor in stores.
i have never tried that flavor larabar but it sounds pretty darn good. i got hooked on lara from HLS when they had those delicious samples in our swag bags!
i think its nice cross fit offers some free stuff for those who cannot afford expensive gym memberships. i no longer belong to a gym but i love exercise TV and i pay about 10$ a week to attend Zumba classes, which I guess sounds like it could add up to be a lot, but you cant put a price on fun, fitness and girl time! the most expensive part is our lunches out afterwards haha
$300 just seems really outrageous to me. Even if you do get unlimited access….thats more than I pay for groceries for an entire month.
My dad made me a pullup bar out of metal piping and a 2 x 4 piece of wood for support so I could kip… it cost us about 40 bucks. We found a youtube “how to” and kind of modified it.
OMG, $300/month? That is quite an investment. But if it is for both of you, you love it, and it helps you stay healthy, sounds like a great deal!
Gosh, crossfit is definitely the new thing these days. I’ve seen people get really into it. Looks interesting. I kinda want to see it in action.
I think 300 for the pair is pretty reasonable. Most East Coast gyms that are higher end charge upwards of 100+ per person, so if you and Mal love it and it benefits you – go for it! One of the best budgeting tips I ever heard was get rid of the things you don’t love or aren’t benefiting you, and then do the things you love! I have an expensive gym membership, but I use it every day because it’s close by, the classes are awesome, and I was wasting my $40/month membership before because it was a crummy overcrowded gym. Sure, I might go out a little less or not shop as much, but I wouldn’t trade my gym (gym = sanity) for the world! Go Tina go!
A friend of mine in a smaller city pays only about $60 a month for unlimited…insane! I would join, but paying $175 for a month is a big pricey for me. That’s about how much I was paying to see a personal trainer twice a week…eeek.
I love this post!! I want to do Crossfit at a gym someday, but the timing isn’t right. But I don’t mind dipping my toes in at home!!
That link to the 16 days of beginner cross fit workouts is a gold mine! This is seriously perfect for me when I travel for work (and at home actually since I have a home gym). Thanks so much for this post!
Literally every single time you have Lime Lead it makes me want it! Looks delicious as always!
great post, and thanks for outlining some of the alternatives for those of us who don’t have crossfit in the budget
do you think if you didn’t have an unlimited membership, you would go less often? At first I was confused why you were strength training so much, but it makes sense if you are trying to get your money’s worth. When I’ve had unlimited deals in the past (like for my yoga studio) I made a point to go as often as possible.
Absolutely! The financial aspect is a huge motivator for us. $300/month is a lot of money, so Mal and I talked quite a bit before we joined and decided that health and fitness was a priority for us. We decided to spend less money on boozing face and going out to bars, and put that money toward CrossFit.
Holy moly that’s expensive! Especially considering they don’t have expensive equipment like treadmills, ellipticals etc to upkeep. How many instructors are there per class?
Two instructors per class and most have 4-10 people.
I am excited to try some of these free home workouts though!!
When my boyfriend moves to my city in spring, I am going to suggest creating our own box because CrossFit monthly fees here in the district are around $200!
I just found out that there is a CrossFit gym in my town. I had no idea. I know people complain about the prices but they will complain regardless so I think if people are willing to pay for it than it’s a great form of accountability. Thanks for sharing so much info about this all. Definitely so helpful!
$300 a month??? Wow, I had no idea it cost that much.
Thanks for the at home options for those of us who can’t afford a membership
Your dinner looks amazing!
I’m glad my gym costs $30/month! However, it’s just a normal gym without all the cool stuff that Crossfit has. If I did have a Crossfit in my area and I liked it, I think it would be worth the money. I like the idea of trying to replicate it at home.
I have yet to try a Lara Bar, but I will pick one up next time I’m at the store, I keep hearing how good they are!!
Man…. I know different strokes for different folks, but I could just never pay what equals almost half my rent for a workout when there are so many free/cheaper ways to do it.
I would LOVE to try that flavor of Lara bar!
ooh that coconut cream pie bar sounds out of this world! ive never seen that flavor! gonna have to get my hands on some
very excited about this post… starting tomorrow!
THANK YOU so much for all of the crossfit resources!! I don’t have a place near my home and don’t have a gym membership this year, so I love the travel workout ideas!
How cool! I’ve always wanted to try Cross Fit
This is a great post. Thanks for all the info about Cross Fit and home workouts. I would love to try a class someday it is just too pricey at this time.
I haven’t tried that LARA bar type but I wanted to. I am trying to switch to them from Kashi granola bars (because I like that I can picture all the ingredients alone) but they’re more expensive. It’s good motivation to eat real food instead, though!
Thanks for all those budget friendly ideas!
I love Crossfit but the prospect of adding another membership is pricey, for sure.
If only I wasn’t on a student budget… but these ideas are all great ways to try it out for cheap! Thanks for posting them!
Thanks for this post Tina! I think I will check out the 16 day crossfit challenge! Sounds fund
I want Thai for dinner now! love your post on Superbowl food, thank you!
I think that another thing to include about Crossfit is that it’s not the same as a gym membership, you have a structured workout and are essentially paying for “group” personal training. When you put it into perspective of unlimited group personal training, $150/month doesn’t sound that bad!
Great ideas on how to do Crossfit at home you can always start with uncomplicated movements like sit ups, push ups, squats, and burpees to get a killer workout in your living room!
I pay 160 a month for unlimited, but I would pay a ton more than that if I did personal training. I feel like crossfit is on the same level as working with a trainer.
I have been thinking of doing CrossFit but I’m afraid that I will not make it through. I’m slightly worried about passing out. Any suggestions?
What a great post! Very helpful. And mmm…larabar. Those things are pretty much like candy…at least the PB Choc Chip one is.
Call me crazy but I’m sure the expensive cost of Crossfit is motivation in itself to stick to the workouts…no matter how killer they are!
Thanks so much for this posting! Great info.
Whoa! CrossFit is pricey. Thanks for linking to the pages that have their workout ideas. I’d like to try to incorporate some CrossFit into my routine to see if it helps my running.
Your lunch looks super yummy. I’ve never seen coconut larabars but that is like a dream come true.
Next Comments →
{ 3 trackbacks }