Fuel Athletics coach Matin Fayzal lays down the basics of crossfit, where the aim is to finish the set and get better every time, writes Aznim Ruhana Md Yusup
1. Squats
Stand with your feet apart and your hands straight in front of you. Your hands need to stay up as you go down to balance your body so that it doesn’t tilt forward.
The squat hinges on your knees, and your knees need to track your toes. So lower your body, and you will likely need to spread your legs wider so the knees don’t go inwards, although you shouldn’t spread too much either. The knees should always line up to your toes as you go up and down.
Then dip low enough that your buttocks go below the knee before you rise up. “What we’re doing is technically called the Asian squat. If your buttocks is at knee level, it’s called a parallel squat,” says Fayzal.
Repeat 10 times.
2. Push-ups
Get yourself face down to the ground, with your toes curled towards your head. Place your hands at shoulder-width, and keep your elbows close to your ribcage. Then go all the way down, and push yourself up again, as you would if you were pushing someone off of you.
In a regular push up, the elbows are further away from the body. “But keeping the elbows in will get your triceps working,” says Fayzal.
Repeat 10 times.
3. Sit-ups
Sit-ups are a core movement, and a strong core is a strong body. Sit on a soft surface, such as an exercise mat or a carpet, spread your knees and join the soles of your feet together. Then push your body downwards before getting up again.
“Sit-ups are difficult to do if you don’t have someone or something holding your feet down,” says Fayzal. “So keep your feet together. That way you won’t move forward and you will execute the move correctly.”
Repeat 10 times, and do all three exercises for 10 rounds.
Have a timer with you, Fayzal advises. It will help you keep track of your fitness level and provide a benchmark as you progress.
“If you can’t finish 10 rounds, don’t get discouraged. If you completed three, you already have a foundation to build on. The next time you do four rounds, then five and so on. Once you reach 10 rounds, your target is to finish faster each time,” says Fayzal.”
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