CrossFit and functional training dictionary: Vocabulary, acronyms and abbreviations

Imagine you leave home or arrive at your workplace and everyone speaks a language unknown to you. The same thing happens when you land in a box. You’ve probably heard things like: “What do those initials mean?”, “I don’t understand a single exercise in the WOD”, “I don’t know if that’s a rep or no-rep…” Who invented this CrossFit vocabulary?

If the effort itself barely allows blood to reach your brain, imagine not understanding anything your fellow members say. So it’s normal that the first thing you look for when entering a box is a CrossFit dictionary 😉

When you start to take an interest in CrossFit, you realize the number of words, exercises, workouts and vocabulary that CrossFitters use and that sound like gibberish to you. To begin with, in a box the “novice” category is called “Scaled” and the more pro one is the “RX category”. If you want to reach RX, you have to work hard, both athletically and intellectually, to learn all the CrossFit exercise names.

Remember, you don’t just have to be it—you also have to look like it.

Because CrossFit has a wide range of exercises, a variety of equipment, most names are in English and, on top of that, are abbreviated… today we bring you a CrossFit dictionary to make things much easier for you.

If you’ve ever been unsure about some of the terms in the WOD posted at the box today, don’t worry—you’re in the right post.

With this CrossFit dictionary we help you understand all its vocabulary, acronyms and abbreviations…

SEE ALSO: 10 CrossFit routines you shouldn’t miss

General CrossFit dictionary and its abbreviations:

• Box: gym specific to CrossFit. It’s commonly called a “box” or “caja” because they are usually located in industrial units with “4 walls.”
• CF or CrossFit: training system with functional movements, constantly varied, executed at high intensity.
• Crossfitter: athlete who does CrossFit.
• No rep: invalid repetition.
• PR or Personal Record: personal best.
• Rep: repetition.
• RM or Repetition Maximum: maximum repetitions. Your 10RM is the maximum weight you can use to perform 10 consecutive repetitions of that exercise.
• RX: WOD performed with the competition weights and variables.
• Scaled: scaled. It means modifying or adjusting either the weight or the difficulty of the exercise within a WOD.
• Set: round. The number of repetitions to complete one full loop of a circuit. For example, 3 rounds of 10 repetitions, usually shown as 3×10, means you must do 10 reps, rest, 10 reps, rest, another 10 reps.

Vocabulary and abbreviations for CrossFit workouts:

• AMRAP or As Many Rounds as Possible: A type of WOD where a fixed execution time is set (for example, 5 minutes) and the athlete must complete as many rounds as possible of that circuit within the allotted time.
• EMOM or Every Minute On The Minute: a workout performed in 1-minute intervals.
• FT or For Time: For time. Another type of WOD where there is a fixed amount of repetitions to complete, and you will perform them in the time it takes you.
• Heroes: Heroes are also pre-designed WODs named after fallen military, firefighters and law enforcement officers. They are usually very tough WODs.
• Metcon or Metabolic Conditioning Workout: a type of short, high-intensity workout designed to improve cardiovascular capacity and rev up the metabolism.
• Tabata: another type of workout in which you complete 8 rounds of 20 seconds of maximal-intensity activity / 10 seconds of rest, totaling 4 minutes.
• The Girls: classic, established WODs that are named after women.
• WOD or Work Out of the Day: workout of the day. It refers to the circuit of exercises that everyone performs in class each day, in a competition, etc.
• WU or Warm Up: warm-up.

CrossFit vocabulary for equipment:

• Abmat: pad used as lumbar support for performing sit-ups.
• BW or Body Weight: body weight. There are many exercises that require no equipment, based solely on body weight (such as push-ups, pull-ups, air squats, pistols, sit-ups…).
• DB or Dumbbell: dumbbell.
• GHD or Glute Ham Developer: machine designed for posterior chain strength exercises and sit-ups.
• KB or Kettlebell: kettlebell. Consists of a cast-iron ball resembling a cannonball with a handle.
• Rack: metal structure from which the athlete hangs or supports the loaded bar to perform various movements.

CrossFit dictionary: abbreviations and terms for cardiovascular exercises

• Assault bike: cardiovascular machine used in CrossFit.
• Box jump: box jump. An exercise that consists of jumping onto a box of 50cm/60cm/70cm in a single jump with feet together. You step up and step down.
• Burpee: consists of dropping to the floor face down, supporting yourself on your hands; performing a push-up; from the plank position jump the feet forward to the chest and stand up into a squat; once upright, perform a vertical jump while clapping your hands in the air.
• DU or Double Unders: double jumps. The rope must pass twice under your feet in a single jump. 

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• Row: rowing on the ergometer. One of the cardiovascular machines inside a box.
• Run: running.
• Wall ball shot: ball throw. A medicine ball is thrown against the wall to a set height and caught while performing a deep squat.

CrossFit glossary for weightlifting and powerlifting exercises:

• BP or Bench Press: bench press.
• BS or Back Squat: back squat.
• C&J or Clean and Jerk: clean and jerk. Refers to the second Olympic competition lift in weightlifting, known as the 'two-part' lift.
• CLN or Clean: clean. It’s the first part of the 'two-part' weightlifting movement.
• DL or Deadlift: deadlift.
• FS or Front Squat: front squat.
• Hook Grip: grip used in weightlifting consisting of hooking the thumb around the bar and placing the index and middle fingers over it.
• OHS or Overhead Squat: overhead squat. Deep squat with the bar overhead, held with arms fully extended and elbows locked.
• PC or Power Clean: power clean. Refers to cleans where the pull is much higher and the lifter is not allowed to drop into a squat to receive it.
• PP or Push Press: a movement in which we take the bar from the shoulders to overhead with a small leg drive.
• Strict press: movement in which the bar is taken from the shoulders to overhead without leg drive.
• PSN or Power Snatch: power snatch. Snatches in which dropping into a squat to receive the bar is not allowed.
• Push jerk: movement in which the bar is driven from the shoulders to overhead using leg drive and the athlete slightly dips to receive the bar.
• SDHP or Sumo Deadlift High Pull: sumo deadlift high pull.
• SN or Snatch: snatch. The first Olympic lift in weightlifting competitions, where the bar is lifted from the floor to overhead in one motion.

CrossFit vocabulary for gymnastics exercises:

• C2B or Chest To Bar: chest-to-bar pull-up.
• Hollow rock: hollow rock. With the back on the floor, the core is engaged to lift the feet, arms and head and rock in the hollow position.
• HRPU or Hand Release Push-Up: push-ups in which it is mandatory to lift the hands completely off the floor on each repetition.
• HSPU or Handstand Push-Up: handstand push-up.
• K2E or Knees to Elbow: knees to elbow. Exercise in which, hanging from the rack, the knees are raised to touch the elbows.
• MU or Muscle-Ups: muscle-ups. Can be performed on a bar or rings; combines a chest-to-bar pull, a hip drive and a dip to finish above the bar with the arms extended.
• Pull-up: pull-up.
• Push-up: push-up.
• Russian twist: Russian twists. Abdominal exercise where, seated and holding a ball or KB, we rotate the torso side to side touching the ground with the weight.
• Sit-up: butterfly sit-up.
• T2B or Toes to Bar: toes-to-bar. Hanging from the bar, you bend at the waist to touch the bar with the tips of your toes.

Event names:

• The CrossFit Games: the annual world competition where the fittest man and woman on earth are sought. They go through different phases: in February-March the Open is held worldwide; the best from the Open qualify for the Regionals, which are held in May; in July we see the world’s top athletes compete for the title.
• The Regionals: the lead-up to the CrossFit Games, where the top athletes from each region in the Open will compete in the Regional events in May.
• The Open: the CrossFit Games Open  are the main global test to measure your CrossFit fitness. Since 2011 an online global 5-week competition has been held in February-March.

We hope you found it interesting and you know… if you find a term that’s not on the list, leave your comment and we’ll add it.

And if you liked the CrossFit dictionary we prepared, don’t forget to share it on your social networks.

Thanks.