If you’re getting CrossFit curious, chances are that your research has led you to a whole host of acronyms.
From WOD to AMRAP to the most basic term, Box, finding out if CrossFit is best for you can be hindered by simply trying to understand what everyone is talking about.
If you’re considering the high-intensity workout realm of CrossFit, here’s an introductory primer on some of the top lingo you’ll hear and how it fits into the broader CrossFit approach:
Box
Box simply refers to a gym at which CrossFit is hosted. To be a proper Box, the facility has to be properly stocked with all the equipment needed for a CrossFit workout.
The term is fitting, since most CrossFit facilities are barebones spaces that can look, quite literally, like a large box inside.
WOD
WOD stands for “Workout Of the Day.” This will be the specific set of moves each CrossFitter will do in a given session, usually determined in advance by the class coach.
Rep
A rep refers to just one completed given exercise. This could be, for example, one pull-up.
Set
A set consists of some number of reps of a given exercise. To continue the above example, 10 pull-up reps could be a set.
PR/PB
If someone is throwing these acronyms around, it means they’ve achieved either their PR or PB — Personal Record or Personal Best.
This means that they’ve achieved the highest weight on a lift yet, or accomplished something in their fastest time, or otherwise improved on their past workout stats.
AMRAP
This mouthful of a term refers to “As Many Reps as Possible.” AMRAP refers to getting as many reps of a specific movement completed as possible in a given time limit.
C&J and SN
These are the shortened version of the Clean and Jerk and the Snatch, the two key movements involved in Olympic weightlifting.
Rx
If this term calls to mind a pharmacy, you’re not entirely off base. Rx in a CrossFit context means “as prescribed,” which just means not changing anything about the suggested parameters (such as weight) for an exercise.
EMOM
When you’re told to a specific move or set of movements EMOM, it means doing it Every Minute On the Minute.
Metcon
You might have already heard this term if you shop at Nike, since they named a line of shoes after this term.
The term means “metabolic conditioning,” and it refers to the style of training where intense bursts of activity are staggered with brief rests.
This introductory language lesson for the CrossFit world should equip you to understand what the community is talking about, but nothing can teach you the terms quite like total immersion.
TexanFit can get you started on your CrossFit journey!