…also to add one last tidbit…

If you injure yourself now (like I did years ago when I first started exercising), you will regret it when SHTF. I have finally been able to negate my back injury. I first began lifting because I was a skinny guy…I didn’t know anything and hurt myself deadlifting. Just be careful everyone. Look out for yourself and your health now, because nobody will be there for you when SHTF.

Do forget all of the negative press, because each crossfit trainer is different. DON’T forget that crossfit is under a lot of scrutiny from the entire fitness community. If you go from couch potato to crossfit, the chances of you injuring yourself are astronomical. Don’t be a weekend warrior, be smart and ease your way into physical fitness. Not trying to bash crossfit. Since I have never done crossfit, I can’t attest to it being either good/bad, but I can say that I am…”seasoned” in physical fitness and I have seen many people get injured due to a lack of understanding. People often jump to the hardest thing they can find at first with the hopes of quickly whipping oneself into shape.

Bottom line: If you are truly out of shape (i.e. low strength and poor cardio), begin at first with **AEROBIC** exercises. These include, but are not limited to: Distance running, swimming, “cardio” type exercises that include lots of motion over an extended period of time. By working on Aerobic (cardio) exercises first, you are allowing your cardiovascular (keyword vascular) system to wake up. In order to prep your body for health, wake up your veins, your heart, your ability to move your blood throughout your body to meet the demands of your new physical fitness program.

Once you begin making progress with Aerobic (cardio), move on to **ANEROBIC** exercises. This includes, but is not limited to: Weight lifting, sprinting, high resistance exercises…

Trust me, I’m not selling any one particular method, but I implore everyone of you looking to improve your fitness levels to EASE INTO THE PROGRAMS! The term “Weekend Warrior” is a real thing, and if you let your body set the pace, you will mitigate the “injury factor”.

Eyes open, stay safe.

Try MensHealth.com, or the magazine Mens Health….they have fitness programs, excellent ones at that, that are based on circuit and interval training with only your bodyweight for resistance

Joshua,

I definitely believe you can get in to shape without any equipment.

Maybe you need to vary up the types and intensity of exercises to keep stressing your body to react more positively to the exercise.

I don’t use any equipment currently, but I do find it useful to have a group to work out with (that way I feel bad if I don’t show up ;-) ). I found a group here in the Carolinas (F3Nation.com), and they have branches in other cities, that meet between 5 and 6a at various places around the city. There are different “classes” (there is no charge, just a group of guys with a similar goal) with some focusing on running, others are more boot camp style, and some use basic equipment like kettle bells. They don’t leave anyone behind (and I was really lagging the first few times) and they take turns leading the class. It lasts between 45 minutes and an hour. They’re very challenging and I started about a month ago to get ready to do the GoRuck Challenge. Its the most fun I’ve had working out and I actually look forward to the suck in the early morning gloom. I’m going at least 3 days per week, and then I’m rucking with 36lbs 2 days a week, and doing a more calisthenics based routine the other 2 days – I’ll probably scale all that back post-Challenge. I’m a banker

I dislike gyms and really dislike running more than 400m – 800m at a time. I did try Crossfit first, and it was okay (at $2k+ per year for a membership) and didn’t use much equipment either. I used to run track in high school and know how to run, but I’ve never liked it very much so I just focus on either riding a bike or rucking/hiking with a heavy pack instead.