I began regularly working out when I was 14 years old, and since then have tried just about every popular fitness fad out there. Zumba? Check. Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guides? Been there. P90X, Insanity, Pilates, Ballet Barre—you name it, I’ve probably tried it. The most recent trend I began following (and the only one I’ve stuck with) is CrossFit. (Yes, I am fully aware that the sport has its fair share of naysayers, and some make extremely valid points, but I’d rather save that argument for another time. I stuck with the sport for its overwhelming sense of community and the personal empowerment it brings.) Love it or hate it, CrossFitters have their own language, one I found extremely confusing when I first began doing it in 2014. Aside from the lingo, the sport also has numerous abbreviations that I still struggle to remember: AMRAP, MetCon, WOD, TGU, S2OH, G2OH, T2B, EMOM, HSPU, the list goes on forever. Here are some basic terms to keep you up to date.
1. Box
What we hear: a standard square, cardboard box, some sort of container
What a CrossFitter hears: any affiliate gym is known as a “box”, generally because they’re very industrial in nature and/or location. A place to shed blood, sweat, and tears…but also to kick ass.
2. Clean
What we hear: chores, mopping, removal of dirt, long Saturday afternoons of Mom nagging at us to tidy up our rooms
What a CrossFitter hears: The first Olympic movement; moving a barbell from the ground to a front rack position in one fast movement.
3. Jerk
What we hear: narcissist, obnoxious, potentially your last ex-boyfriend/girlfriend…
What a CrossFitter hears: The movement immediately following a Clean; getting the barbell overhead in a second fast movement.
4. Snatch
What we hear: stealing, to grab from someone or something
What a CrossFitter hears: The other major Olympic movement; moving a barbell from the ground to an overhead position. Also synonymous for pain.
5. Clock
What we hear: a timekeeper
What a CrossFitter hears: Your worst enemy
6. Pistol
What we hear: some form of gun or firearm
What a CrossFitter hears: A single-legged squat that is both difficult and impressive to master
7. RX
What we hear: a pharmaceutical prescription
What a CrossFitter hears: a challenging (but attainable) goal, also the two best letters to see next to your name on the whiteboard
8. Scale
What we hear: a weighing instrument
What a CrossFitter hears: adjusting the workout to meet your abilities, also knowing when to push and when to respect your limitations
9. Wall Ball
What we hear: a game we often played as kids at recess
What a CrossFitter hears: attempting not to get smacked in the face by a 20 pound medicine ball
10. Burpee
What we hear: gibberish
What a CrossFitter hears: death
