AMRAP means as many rounds (or reps) as possible in a set time, and it is only one of the shorthand terms you will meet. CrossFit has its own vocabulary, and the whiteboard in any box can look like a code. The good news is that a couple of dozen terms cover nearly everything you will see in a class. This glossary explains them in plain English, grouped by type, with a note on how each one changes the way you should approach a workout.
Workout formats
WOD (Workout of the Day)
The main conditioning piece of a class. A WOD might take four minutes or forty. It is usually written on the whiteboard with the format, the movements, the reps and the prescribed loads.
For time
Complete the prescribed work as quickly as possible. Your score is the time on the clock when you finish. Most for-time workouts also have a time cap, a limit after which you stop and record how many reps you completed.
AMRAP (As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible)
The clock is fixed and the work is not. In a 12-minute AMRAP you repeat a circuit for 12 minutes and your score is the number of rounds plus any extra reps. Pacing matters: the people who score best usually start slower than they think they need to.
EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute)
At the start of each minute you do a set amount of work, then rest for whatever time is left in that minute. The faster you move, the more rest you get. We cover this format in depth in our guide to EMOM workouts.
Tabata
Eight rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest, four minutes in total. It is named after Izumi Tabata, the Japanese researcher whose 1990s study used that interval structure on a cycle ergometer.
Chipper
A long workout with many movements done once each in a list, so you "chip away" at it from top to bottom.
Ladder
Reps go up (or down) each round, for example 1-2-3-4-5 or 21-15-9. The 21-15-9 rep scheme is one of the most common in CrossFit.
Metcon
Short for metabolic conditioning: any workout designed to push your heart rate and breathing hard. In practice, most WODs are metcons.
Scoring and standards
RX (as prescribed)
Doing the workout exactly as written: the full weight, the full movement and the full reps. Writing "RX" next to your score means you did not modify anything.
Scaled
Doing a modified version that keeps the intended stimulus. Scaling is how beginners, older athletes and anyone coming back from injury train safely. Read more in how to scale CrossFit workouts.
Movement standards
The definition of what counts as a rep. A wall ball counts when the ball hits the target; a squat counts when your hip crease passes below the top of your knee. Standards matter most in competitions, but they also keep training honest.
No rep
A rep that did not meet the standard and does not count.
PR (personal record)
Your best ever lift or time. You will hear PB used just as often in Ireland and the UK.
Benchmark workouts
Standard workouts repeated over time to measure progress. "The Girls" (Fran, Grace, Helen, Diane, Cindy and others) are short benchmark workouts; "Hero" workouts such as Murph honour fallen service members and tend to be longer.
Weights and percentages
1RM (one-rep max)
The heaviest weight you can lift once with good form. Strength sessions are often written as percentages of your 1RM, for example 5 x 5 at 70%.
Kg and lb
Many published CrossFit workouts are written in pounds because the brand started in the United States. Most Irish gyms use kilos. As a rough guide, 95 lb is about 43 kg, 135 lb about 61 kg and a 20 lb vest about 9 kg. Your coach will usually round to the nearest plate.
Movements you will hear about
- Air squat: a bodyweight squat.
- Thruster: a front squat that flows straight into an overhead press.
- Clean: lifting the bar from the floor to the front of the shoulders in one movement. A power clean is caught above a parallel squat.
- Snatch: lifting the bar from the floor to overhead in one movement.
- Wall ball: squatting with a medicine ball and throwing it to a target on the wall.
- Kipping: using a swing of the body to make pull-ups, toes-to-bar and other gymnastic movements more efficient. Beginners learn strict versions first.
- Double-unders: the skipping rope passes under your feet twice per jump.
- Burpee: chest to the floor, then stand and jump.
Places and kit
- Box: a CrossFit gym. The name comes from the warehouse-style units many gyms use.
- Affiliate: a gym licensed to use the CrossFit name.
- Rig: the steel frame with pull-up bars and squat racks.
- Erg: an ergometer, usually the rowing machine. See our rowing technique guide.
- PVC pipe: a light plastic bar used to learn lifting positions.
Competition terms
The Open
CrossFit's annual online competition, open to anyone. Workouts are released over several weeks and athletes complete them at their gym or at home, submitting scores online in Rx, scaled or other divisions (games.crossfit.com). Many gyms run the Open workouts as Friday-night events.
Hyrox
Not a CrossFit term, but you will hear it in most boxes. It is a separate fitness race format; we compare the two in Hyrox vs CrossFit.
Once these terms are familiar, the whiteboard stops being intimidating and starts being useful. If you are starting out, read our CrossFit for beginners guide next, or see what a CrossFit gym in Athlone offers new members.
Frequently asked questions
- What does WOD mean in CrossFit?
- WOD stands for Workout of the Day: the main conditioning workout written on the whiteboard for that class.
- What does RX mean in CrossFit?
- RX means as prescribed: you completed the workout with the full weights, movements and reps as written, with no modifications.
- What is the difference between AMRAP and EMOM?
- In an AMRAP you do as many rounds or reps as possible in a fixed time. In an EMOM you start a set amount of work at the top of every minute and rest for the remainder of that minute.
- What is a box in CrossFit?
- A box is simply a CrossFit gym. The name comes from the plain warehouse-style units many gyms operate from.