Interested in doing CrossFit at home but need a program? Today I’m sharing my #1 CrossFit for Beginners Program that you can do at home! If you prefer a commercial gym, that’ll work, too.
Over the years, I’ve dabbled in CrossFit, but it never really lasted long because I didn’t have a gym near me and there wasn’t much of anything for online CrossFit programming at the time. It was hard to stick to any kind of routine other than finding random WODs to try.
Enter Constantly Varied Gear. Most people are probably familiar with Constantly Varied Gear because of their workout leggings and tank tops. I have spent a small fortune there myself! But I’m not here to talk about the clothes today.
Most people might not know that CVG also offers CrossFit-style programming for women that can be done at home or in a gym. It’s called Thick Thighs Save Lives Daily, or TTSL Daily for short.
*Please note that TTSL or Constantly Varied Gear programming is not certified by CrossFit, and they are not a CrossFit affiliate and don’t claim to be. TTSL coaches have varying levels of CrossFit certification between them, and the programming is CrossFit-style.
Price: $54/month, $144/quarterly (saves $72.00 annually), or $466/annually (saves $202 annually)
I personally paid for the TTSL eBook and TTSL Daily. I am not an affiliate of Constantly Varied Gear or TTSL, nor have I been paid to write this. They do have a referral program, and if you click through the links and make any purchase, you’ll save $10 on your purchase, and I’ll get a $10 credit on a future purchase.
#1 CrossFit for Beginners Program Women Can Do at Home
TTSL Daily is somewhat expensive compared to some other CrossFit-type programming I’ve seen, but it’s still a lot cheaper than a CrossFit gym membership, which ranges anywhere from about $100 up to $250 per month depending on the gym. I like that they offer an annual subscription option. It’s like getting almost 4 months free.
What I love most is how detailed their programming is and how super easy it is to follow without a CrossFit gym. I definitely think of it has one of my forms of self-care, and I find TTSL Daily to be worth every single cent.
We have tried various free trials of CrossFit programming in the SugarWOD app and found that most of them would require a CrossFit gym membership to make it easier to follow along. We had to modify programming quite a bit to make it work at home. TTSL is much easier to do from home, which is why it’s my favorite!
If you aren’t sure about committing to a subscription right off the bat, they also have an eBook you can purchase to get a feel for their programming. They actually have two. I started out with the 30-45 Day Workout eBook and was instantly hooked. They also have a Minimum Equipment Workout eBook now, too.
The eBook has a tester workout that you do on day 1 and again on day 30 (or 45), whichever track you follow, so you’re able to see how much you improve. I followed the 30-day programming and was over 4 minutes faster on the tester workout by the end!
After I completed the eBook, I purchased the monthly membership subscription to TTSL Daily. I even got a personalized welcome video from Coach Isley shortly after signing up. Love that!
What Equipment is Required?
In order to do these workouts, you’ll definitely want to have some equipment, but don’t worry if you don’t have everything when you start. Gym equipment is an investment and it can take time to build your home gym. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to get started, and you can always make do with what you have.
At the very bare minimum, you should have:
- Set of dumbbells (at least 10 pounds)
- Adjustable speed rope (or any jump rope)
- Good shoes
Please do not underestimate the importance of good quality shoes, especially for running!
From left to right:
- Saucony Guide 14 (running)
- Nike Romaleos 4 (heavy lifting)
- Nike Metcon 7 (metcons)
- inov-8 F-Lite G 300 (metcons, light running)
Tip to save money on shoes: The older models will typically be discounted when the new model comes out. Buy the previous version to save big bucks. I saved 50% on my Saucony’s this way. They are amazing shoes!
Additional equipment that would be super helpful:
- Kettlebell or kettlebell grip handle (we have this in teal mint/purple and it works great!)
- Squat rack or power cage (husband built ours years ago because they were super expensive back then!)
- Plyo box (I use this foam one now. See why here. Haha)
- Pull-up bar
- Barbell and plates
- Rower (we’ve had the Concept 2 now for many years and it’s still great)
- Cycle bike (we have the Sunny Health & Fitness Evolution Pro II and love it)
What’s to Love About TTSL?
Certified CrossFit Level 1 and Level 2 coaches
All of their coaches have completed the Level 1 Certificate Course, and one of them has completed the Level 2 Certificate Course as of this writing. A couple of them also have degrees or certifications in nutrition as well.
TTSL coaches know what they’re doing, and they really love to help. They all have very active Instagram accounts you can follow, too. They lead by example and practice what they preach.
3 Fitness Ability Tracks: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
It doesn’t matter if you’ve never done CrossFit in your life or if you’re more experienced. Their programming is literally for every fitness level. There are three different tracks to choose from for each day’s programming.
Each track includes suggestions for the amount of weight for each lift or modifications (if applicable) to try. This means you aren’t stuck on any one track; you can choose what’s best for you depending on the work for that day. If the weight is too heavy or not challenging enough, you can just pick a weight for you that works best.
The beautiful thing about CrossFit workouts is that you get out of each workout what you put into it, no matter your fitness level. It should never be too easy, and you can scale anything so it’s not impossibly hard.
Another thing I struggled with when trying to follow CrossFit programming in the past is I didn’t always know or couldn’t find what modifications to do instead, so I’d end up feeling frustrated and stop.
Can’t do handstand push-ups? There are mods for that.
Can’t do a full push-up? Struggle with pull-ups? There are several mods for both!
Don’t have a barbell? Use dumbbells.
About TTSL Workouts
There are 5 pre-programmed workouts each week, released every Sunday in PDF format sent right to your inbox.
I would suggest printing out the workouts from inside your CVG account.
Super secret tip: Copy the PDF text into a Word Document or similar file so you can format it in a way that uses less paper to print out, and then print on front and back. When I do this, it prints about 5 pages every time instead of 10 or more.
Thursdays are usually an active rest day, and Sundays are rest days. This is typical CrossFit programming from what I’ve experienced.
Each day is broken up into 4 or 5 sections. There’s always a warm-up and a cool down, and then in between you might have strength, skill(s), and a metcon. The strength and metcon sections are almost always daily, and then sometimes they’ll throw in a special skill to work on that’s related to the current cycle they’re in.
As far as the main lifting exercises go, you’ll find lots of squat variations and compound full-body movements like snatches, cleans, barbell complex combinations, and more. There are accessory movements, too.
I have all of my TTSL programming saved both on my computer and in a binder. I paid for them, so I’m keeping them! It’s nice to have something to refer back to. In the future, you can follow along again with what you’ve got, or print it out again.
How long are TTSL workouts?
Each workout is about 1 hour, and that includes a thorough 15-minute warm-up and a cooldown. The warm-ups aren’t all the same; they’re based on the muscles and movements that you’ll be working that day. I like that cooldowns are programmed in because that’s something I definitely tend to “forget”, along with the warm-ups. Oops.
How do I know if I’m doing the movement correctly?
First, check out their movement library. All movements are linked from the workout to their own YouTube video that demonstrates the movement for you.
The video help you easily see how the movement is supposed to look, and then they also have descriptions of each step to help you get set up and execute the moves correctly.
If you still have questions or need additional assistance, you can get in contact with the coaches, and they’ll help you. More on that in a minute.
Fitness and Nutrition Challenges
After following TTSL programming for almost a full year at this point, I’ve noticed they do a few FREE challenges throughout the year for their community. You actually don’t have to subscribe to TTSL to participate in these, but I wanted to add it here anyway. It’s just another option for you to check it out and see what they’re about before paying anything.
They provide free calendars with daily challenges and workouts, and each time you complete the challenge by commenting on their post, you’re entered to win CVG gear each week during the challenge.
Two of my favorite challenges over the past year were the Murph calendar to prep for the Murph WOD on Memorial Day and the 800 gram nutrition challenge they do in the fall.
My inside body parts were definitely a big fan of this challenge!
The CVG Nation app
The app is free whether or not you follow TTSL Daily, but that’s where you can connect with other ladies who are also following TTSL programming. There’s a post made each day where you can comment your workout results and see how others are doing, which can be very motivating. It can also provide great accountability for you.
In addition to the accountability, you have access to the coaches. Have a question about form? You can post a video for coaches to critique for you. Or you can ask a question in the “Ask a Coach” subgroup, and a coach will respond. Have a question about modifications? The coaches got you. They are helpful and super responsive.
How to Cancel TTSL Daily
They make it super easy. You don’t have to email them or call customer service. You can cancel right from your account.
- Log into your account at constantlyvariedgear.com
- Navigate to “My Account”
- Click on “Manage Memberships” to cancel or change payment methods
- If you ever have issues with anything at all related to CVG apparel or programming, just contact them. They have excellent customer service.
What’s Not to Love About TTSL?
I honestly haven’t figured that out. It’s just good programming if you love CrossFit-style workouts. They make it so easy to follow, and it’s constantly varied (see what they did there) so you never get bored. They change cycles about every six weeks. Sometimes they’ll throw in a month-long cycle to focus on something specific like push-ups, pull-ups, or Murph.
The Thick Thighs Saves Lives programming has helped me tremendously with body recomposition (losing body fat while gaining muscle). It’s a slow process, but if I’m consistent, I make steady progress.
I’m also stronger than I’ve ever been. I can bench press more now than I could when I did traditional strength training, and I can count on one hand how many times I’ve actually done heavy bench presses over the past year!
If you’re interested in doing CrossFit-style programming at home, I highly recommend TTSL. I’ve tried a few different programs over the past year or so (CrossFit Mayhem, CrossFit Invictus to name a couple), and this one is definitely the favorite for doing at home! You can check out Constantly Varied Gear and TTSL programming here.
Have experience with TTSL? Please share below! I’m also happy to answer any questions. :)
