Hi Friends!
Now that we’ve been doing Crossfit for a while now, I feel like I’ve got a pretty good handle on the lingo. But I remember how overwhelmed I felt when I first started. Since I regularly post about my Crossfit workouts, and I know a lot of you don’t do Crossfit, I thought I’d break things down a little bit for you! I’ll explain some of the terms we use and hopefully it will help my Fitness Friday posts make a little bit more sense. Ready?
So let’s start off with the basics:
What is Crossfit?
Crossfit is constantly varied, high intensity, functional movements. It includes a mix of Olympic lifting, gymnastics, plyometrics, running, rowing, bodyweight exercises and so much more!
Where do we workout?
The Box = a crossfit gym. It’s called a box because it’s typically in a warehouse-type space. Instead of seeing the machines you see in a typical gym, you’re more likely to see stacks of weights, barbells, pull-up bars and lots of open space.
What do we do?
Warm-up = Various exercises done to help loosen and warm our muscles
Skill/Strenth Session = We work on a specific skill or lift. Technique is reviewed and we work on our form, as well as increasing weight to get stronger.
WOD = Workout of the day. The “competitive” part of the session where you race the clock!
How are the WODs broken down?
RFT = Rounds for Time
AMRAP = As Many Rounds As Possible
What is a round?
A round is a set or group of exercises that make up a workout. Here’s an example:
One round of this WOD would be 5 pullups, 10 pushups and 15 squats. If this WOD was done as RFT, you would be given a set number of rounds to do, and you would do them as quickly as possible. So, if it was 3 RFT, you would do 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats and then start over and do it twice more. By the end, you will have done 15 pullups, 30 pushups and 45 squats as quickly as you can.
If this same workout was done as an AMRAP, you would be given a set amount of time and you would complete as many rounds as possible in that time. So, if it was a 20 minute AMRAP, you would do 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats over and over again until the time limit was reached.
How are the WODs scored?
If it’s a RFT workout, your score is the time you finish in. You want it to be as fast as possible.
If it’s an AMRAP, your score is the number of rounds you’re able to complete in the set amount of time. If you finish 15 complete rounds and then 5 pullups and 2 pushups of the next round before time runs out, your score would be 15 + 7. This shows people you completed 15 whole rounds and then got seven reps of the next round.
Are there any other kinds of WODs?
Chipper = A chipper is done for time, but it’s generally a long workout that you “chip away” at it.
Benchmark WOD = Also known as the Crossfit girls, they are workouts with girls names, like Isabelle shown above, that can be repeated every so often to gauge your progress. They can also be used to compare your fitness level to other crossfitters. For example, one of the benchmark workouts is Fran. You could ask someone, “What’s your Fran time?” and you could compare your time to theirs.
Hero WOD = Crossfit is often used in military training. Hero WODs are some of the most intense crossfit workouts, done to honor fallen members of the military. They’re often completed with weighted vests or masks to make them even more difficult.
How much weight should you use in the WOD?
For the exercises in the WOD that require weight, there is a “prescribed” or recommended weight. This is also know as Rx. So, if you’re strong enough, you can use the Rx weight for the WOD. If an exercise requires weight, the Rx weight will be written after the exercise in parentheses. The first weight is for men, the second is for women. For example, in the above workout, the Rx weight for the bear complex is 95# for men and 65# for women. If you’re just starting, or haven’t lifted weights before, you can always “scale down” or use less weight.
How do you show people how much weight you used?
When you are finished with a workout, you record your score either on a dry erase board or into a computer. Depending on the type of WOD, you either write your time, or the number of rounds and reps you completed. In parentheses after that, you write any modifications you made to the WOD. If you used the prescribed weights for all exercises, you write (Rx). If you used more or less weight, you write how much weight you used. So if the Rx weight was 135# and you used 100# you would write your time/score followed by (100#). If you modified anything else, you can note that to. So, if you can’t do a pull-up and you did a jumping pullups instead, you might write (100#, JP).
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So, now that we’ve got all of that down, let’s move on to a few other terms that you might encounter, especially during the skill/strength sessions.
Strength Session Terms
- Rep = one performance of an exercise. For example, one squat, or one pushup, would be one rep.
- Set = a number of repetitions. So, if you’re supposed to do 3 sets of 5 reps, that might be written 3 x 5, and you would complete 5 reps, rest, 5 reps, rest, 5 reps.
- 1RM = One Rep Max. The heaviest weight you can use to perform a specific lift one time. For example, my 1RM for deadlift is 175#. I can do one deadlift with 175#, but if I tried to do it a second time, it would be too heavy. You can use your 1RM to calculate how much weight you should be doing during your strength sessions. For example, maybe your coach says your warmup should be 60% of your 1RM and that you should work up to 80% of your 1RM during your sets. Maybe your sets for your strength session are 6 x 3, or 6 sets of 3 reps. If I was doing deadlifts, I would warm up with about 105# and then work up to 140# over the course of those 6 sets.
- PR = Personal record. Basically lifting a heavier weight than you have in the past. So, if my previous 1RM for deadlifts was 175# and I was able to lift 185# one or more times during a strength session, that would be a new PR!
- EMOM = Every Minute on the Minute. For example, during a strength session you may do 2 reps of a specific exercise, like cleans, EMOM for 12 minutes. So the timer would start, you would do two cleans and then you would have the remainder of that minute to add more weight to your bar, stretch, reposition the bar, etc. When the timer got to 2 minutes, you would do two cleans again and repeat
- OLY Lift = Olympic Lift. These are things like squats, cleans, squats and deadlifts.
Whew! I think that’s enough for now. Come back next week to learn more about different types of exercises and lifts we do during the WODs!
If you want to read more about Crossfit today, check out the post I wrote about Things Crossfit Has Taught Me!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
PS…if you liked this post/found it helpful, please PIN IT/tweet it/share it with friends 
PPS…good luck to anyone competing in the Open that’s doing 13.2 today or this weekend! I’m doing it tomorrow morning!
Crossfit should use your description! This is a great way to explain it – better than the manual I got when I tried it out. So glad you’ve found something you love!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table recently posted..Strange But Good Breakfast
This was so helpful! I don’t do crossfit, and usually just skipped any post talking about it because I didn’t understand it! Now I do! Thank you! It will all make so much more sense now
good luck with 13.2! (Speaking of, why are they 13.1 and 13.2?)
glad to help! they’re labeled 13.1, 13.2 etc because the year is 2013 and then the point whatever is what number workout it is in the open.
This was so insanely helpful, you have no idea! I’ve been a reader of yours for a while, and while I love reading your posts, it’s often a bit tough, especially on fitness Friday, to understand all the Crossfit terms. I’m determined
To try Crossfit by the end of this year, so learning a bit more oughta help with the confidence!
Avery @ Southern Belle Living Well recently posted..Motivation to Continue On
I sort of know some of the terms for CF but this post really broke it down. Agree with Laura – you wrote their manual for them!
Hoping to maybe get into a box this summer or fall. I’ve been itching to do it!
Angela @ Happy Fit Mama recently posted..5 Yoga Poses for Post Run Bliss
thanks, lady! glad it was helpful!
Seriously thank you so much for posting this. I have wanted to try crossfit for a while now but was too scared of all the stuff I would have no clue about so this is perfect!
Allison recently posted..My Favorite Snacks
yay!!! hope you like it!
Okay this post is just so good!!! So many things I did not know about Crossfit! Thanks for sharing this info with us
Kierston @candyfit recently posted..#RECIPEFRIDAY: No Carb Chicken Poppers!
I don’t do CrossFit (and likely never will LOL) but I read a lot of blogs with people who do so this was incredibly helpful! Thanks for the education!
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh recently posted..Google Reader, virtual mooning and Food Journal Friday
you’re so welcome!
Great way to lay out the basics!
Pamela Hernandez recently posted..The Best Fit Things to Do in San Francisco
Great post! Very informative!
Betsy recently posted..Managing Stress
Love this linz! it helps so many people feel less intimated too! Crossfit fun!
lindsay recently posted..ChobaniATX dinner: Just Add Good
Love this post. Super helpful Lindsay!!
Christine @ Love, Life, Surf recently posted..Friday Round-Up: Parenting, Healing and Bye-Bye Google Reader
Great overview! Very helpful to those who are curious. I will pin it when I get home today.
Best of luck in 13.2!! I did it last night. I was very worried about those heavy shoulder to overheads but it was actually the box jumps that were rough. You have good running stamina though, so you’re going to kill it!
thanks girl!
Thanks for posting this, Lindsay! I always have coworkers, family members and random strangers ask me how to describe CrossFit and have never come up with a great way to tell them. I am going to refer them to your post from now on
Becky @ Olives n Wine recently posted..Get Lucky 7K Race Prep
awesome!! glad to help!
Thank you for such a great explanation of Crossfit!! I can’t wait to see your post with the descriptions of some of the moves – maybe if I feel like I know the moves I will be confident enough to try it out!!
Kim recently posted..What’s Your Favorite Exercise or Move?
stay tuned! it’ll either be up this friday or next
I think we are doing 13.2 tomorrow! Ah, It actually looks better to me than the 13.1!
Sara @ fitcupcaker recently posted..Healthified Hot Chocolate
yay! hope it went well for you!
I’m so happy you posted this! I have always wondered about this and never really knew who to ask. This description answered all of my questions and was so easy to follow.
awesome! so glad to hear it!
Great post! This is so informative, I had no idea there was more than one kind of WOD! Pinning this!
thanks so much, girl!
i took all the intro classes to crossfit and then never took a real class #fail
Linz @ Itz Linz recently posted..We’re here!
LOVE this! I feel like I’ve learned a lot from your posts already, but it’s so helpful to see it all spelled out. Definitely lots of crossfit lingo!
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast recently posted..Thursday Track and Endorphin Bracelet Giveaway
there’s so much! it’s kinda crazy!
Thanks for the uber-informative post Lindsay!
A new CrossFit box just opened up right behind my son’s Taekwondo dojo. I’m thinking it might be the perfect way for me to combine parenting with some new fitness challenges!
Sharing with my peeps!
Tamara recently posted..#FatblasterFriday | Strength, speed and balance training on the BOSU
awesome!!!! let me know if you try it! thanks so much for sharing!
Great post! I just took my first crossfit class last week, and I’m figuring out how to swing joining a box!
Lauren recently posted..Shamrock 5K PR and a Winner!
hope it works out for you!
Great information!! I’m doing 13.2 tomorrow, too – good luck!
Heather recently posted..It’s the Little Things
hope it went well for you!!
Went to my first two crossfit classes this week, including this thursday’s crazy one. So much fun, I haven’t been this sore in a long time, and it feels great.
i def know what you mean! i was SO sore after my first couple classes!
LOVE THIS!! I will need to refer to this often anytime the hubs comes home from Crossfit and starts babbling on about the workout he just completed. He just signed up for a whole year at the crossfit near our house and is SO excited about it. What a good wifey I am for introducing him to it. hehe
Jess recently posted..The #presence2013 project — (almost) 30 days in
yay!! i’m so glad he liked it!
LOVE This! I’ve tried reading blog posts about cross fit, but I have 0 idea what the abbreviations meant, so never knew whether to congratulate or console LOL! Thank you so much
Jen@HealthyFoodandFamily recently posted..Throwback Thursday
You did a great job of explaining everything!
Good luck on 13.2.. I did it this morning but will probably do it again on Sunday. It’s a good one
Haley @ fullnfit recently posted..Strange but Good: Blooby Chicken
thanks girl! how’d it go for you? did you redo it or no?
I had no idea! Thank you so much, for the first time ever, I feel like I understand CrossFit and why people are so obsessed with it. If I didn’t run, I am pretty sure this would be my activity, sounds challenging and so much fun!
Lisa @ RunWiki recently posted..A Healthier Strawberry Milk
you’d be great at it!
This is really informative I’ve always wondered what all the terms mean. It still seems quite confusing but I think if you actually do it then it becomes clearer how it all comes together. This is by far the best explanation I’ve seen
Jan @ Sprouts n Squats recently posted..Friday Favourites #2
glad to hear it! it definitely makes even more sense once you start doing it!
Thank you for the interpretation I really tried to decipher before, but was clueless to a few things. It sounds very intriguing.
Jennifer Speer recently posted..Managing stress instead of it managing you
glad it helped clarify!
Good overview! I’ve picked up some of the lingo just by reading fitness blogs, but this really explains it. From what I’ve read, I’ve gathered that Crossfit would not be right for me and this confirms it. The “as fast as possible” combined with my competitive streak and previous injuries that demand that I use perfect form and not lift too heavy would be asking for trouble.
Mary@FitandFed recently posted..My skate at Pacific Coast Adult Sectionals
it’s definitely not for everyone, that’s for sure!
Thank you so much for breaking it down! I’ve been attending a military style fitness camp in my neighbourhood for the past two months and it was so intimidating to get started, but it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I feel the same way about CrossFit – looks intimidating but I’m sure so worth taking the risk!
Hailey recently posted..I run because…
exactly! scary to start but so worth it once you get into it!
Love this!! Not a CrossFitter (is that a term?) but great explanations on the lingo. I feel like I’m all in now!
hehe glad it helped!
Thanks for the info. I have seen this term used elsewhere and had not gotten around to Googling it to see what it was. Sounds interesting, although I doubt I have a training center near where I live. Probably not any fun without doing it in groups.
Love this breakdown! I’ve never done Crossfit, but I’d love to try–honestly, the money holds me back.
Kate @KateMovingForward recently posted..Things I Love Friday!
it’s def expensive! keep an eye out for a groupon!
Excellent article Lindsey. This is a perfect “Primer” for anyone starting CrossFit. I started about a month ago, because I was bored with my strength training at the gym, and I love it. Great Job!
Brad recently posted..Goof Review – Jaybird Sportsband Bluetooth Headset
I’ve been very curious about Crossfit. This is an awesome post!
Kim @ Living, Laughing & Losing recently posted..My First Giveaway!
glad it was helpful!