Gift Guide for CrossFitters

Get gift ideas for Crossfitters with links to some of my personal favorite products (including protein powder, hand grips, cookbooks and gym bags).  

UPDATE: After I posted this, I thought…this post would be way more fun with a giveaway. 🙂 And since you guys are such fabulous readers, I want to give you something with every gift guide I post to express my thanks for reading and for being so supportive! I  truly love my readers and am so grateful you read my blog and share your thoughts with me; it makes my day when I get comments – truly. So, for this post, I’ll pick one winner and you can have your pick of the speed rope, Practical Paleo, or a blender bottle & box of Vega Sport travel packs! To enter, just leave a comment & tell me what you love about CrossFit or why you don’t do CrossFit! 🙂 For a bonus entry, tweet about the giveaway – just be sure to include the link & @afoodiestaysfit! [giveaway now closed]

I cannot believe it’s already time to be buying gifts for the holidays!! I love finding gifts for others though, so I’ve put together a series of gift guides to help you shop! In addition to this one, I’m also planning on a gift guide for runners, the person always on the go, and stocking stuffers for fitness junkies. Let me know if you have any other requests!

Shopping for CrossFitters is so fun and so easy, especially if they’re newer and don’t have a lot of the fun accessories. My gift ideas are below, but I’d love to hear from you too in the comments of what you’d like to get as a CrossFitter or what gifts you’ll be giving!

Speed Rope – $22

Double unders are notorious in Crossfit workouts, and having a good rope and one that is customized to your height makes a huge difference (you can read about my experience here!) vs. the beat-up ones at most gyms that are never quite the right length. The HumanX X4 Speed Rope is an affordable but high quality pick!

Nanos – $60-99 (some colors are cheaper!)

Most people start CrossFit with regular running shoes or sneakers and quickly learn that the “serious” CrossFitters have Reebok Nanos or Nike Metcons. However, they actually do make a big difference in CrossFit style workouts. The regular Nanos or Nano Sprints are both great options. I have the Nano Sprints and found them more comfortable for all types of CrossFit workouts than the regular Nanos. (Tip: I went up 1/2 size from my regular shoe size for these.)

Mobility Tools: $30-$50

(except lacrosse balls – those are much cheaper!)

If your loved one does CrossFit, you know they love to complain about how sore they are from yesterday’s WOD. 🙂 Help them work that out with a foam roller or lacrosse ball. There are bunch out there – these are my personal faves.

• Harbinger Mobility Kit (includes two mobility balls and a roller)
• Rumble Roller (this is a more intense one! I think it feels soooo good)
• Good ol’ simple lacrosse ball (you can also find these at Dick’s for a couple bucks cheaper)

Massage Gift Certificate: $50-$150

If you want to spoil them, get them a gift certificate to a local masseuse. If you don’t know the best person in town, call your local yoga studio, running store, or CrossFit gym; most have go-to practitioners they recommend! Or, you can buy a SpaFinder gift card & they can pick from a huge list of massage companies.

The cost will vary depending on the length, but I think 80 minutes is a great options if you can swing it; it’s long enough to really get the deep muscle work in and feels like a huge upgrade from the standard 30-60 minutes!

Protein Powder & Blender Bottle: $25-$50

Post-WOD nutrition is so important. A blender bottle helps your CrossFitting junkie fuel right after torching their quads. If you know their favorite protein powder, get them a container of that and they and their muscles will love you forever! If you’re not sure which protein powder they live, Sunwarrior and Vega Sport are great non-dairy/non-soy versions that I always have in my pantry. Or if they don’t avoid diary products, Designer Whey is a solid brand. If they’re paleo, Jay Robb Egg White Protein is a good option. If you really want to spoil them, get a few protein bars from whatever brand you get too!

The blender bottle is only $7, but protein powders start around $25 depending on the size you get. If you want a cheaper gift, just get a few of the travel packs of protein, which are typically $2-$5 each, instead of a whole container. Most brands have these, but I know Vega does for sure; I’ve seen them at Whole Foods, or you could buy a box and split it among a few gifts.

Hand Grips: $29

CrossFitters hands get rough from gripping barbells and doing bar work (pull-ups, toes to bars, etc.) I’ve torn my hands a number of times and even the times I don’t rip, griping the bar (especially with pull-ups) can just be painful. These Jaw Hand Grips are awesome.

Paleo Cookbook: $12-$25

There are a ton of options out there, but I love Practical Paleo. The recipes are simple, but flavorful, and I love the intro section that explains the ins and outs and why of paleo eating.

A nice gym bag: $30+

They’ve got to have something to tote all their things around in right? I like my Fabletics gym bag, but this Adidas women’s squad duffel bag looks awesome too. Here’s a guy’s Adidas gym bag that’s only $33 and has awesome reviews.

This would be my color pick but they have lots of colors, for both the men and women’s bag.

If you’re a CrossFitter, don’t forget that coaches love gifts too! I think it’s a great way to show appreciation for all the work they put into helping us improve and how they wake up early and give up many evenings to coach. As someone who used to teach group fitness, I definitely have an appreciation for the time it takes! I think CoffeeBars, a coffee gift certificate, or some awesome junk food (gotta splurge sometime, right??) would be fun gifts!

Don’t forget to use eBates for any and all online shopping! Cash back for shopping you’re gonna do anyway?  HECK YES. I use eBates for EVERYTHING.

Okay, your turn! What do you want/what are you planning to give? Leave a comment and share your thoughts; I’d love to hear your ideas! (I have a lot of CrossFitters in my life! 😉 )

Don’t forget to enter the “thank you!” giveaway!  One winner will have his/her pick of the speed rope, Practical Paleo, or a blender bottle & box of Vega Sport travel packs! To enter, just leave a comment & tell me what you love about CrossFit or why you don’t do CrossFit! 🙂 For a bonus entry, tweet about the giveaway – just be sure to include the link & @afoodiestaysfit!

Entries close at midnight EST 12/1/2015. [giveaway now closed]