What is a WOD?: Crossfit Abbreviations for Dummies

Inspired by my last post in rambling off my Crossfit workouts without realizing that half of the readers may not even know what is a WOD, I opted to put together a very basic list of what some Crossfit abbreviations and terms are so you can reference anytime you read my posts. 😉

What is Crossfit all about?

While I would love to dedicate a whole post to this question alone, this post is mostly just to keep you up on the jargon; I’ll break it down in more detail another time!

In the shortest definition possible, Crossfit is the “sport of fitness.” Crossfit combines elements of cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy, using a combination of fast-paced functional movements, Olympic lifts, and gymnastics.

What are all those Crossfit Abbreviations?

WOD: Workout of the Day

Although Crossfit combines many other elements, one of the key characteristics is a daily workout, hence the “workout of the day”. These are either done “AMRAP” (see below for definition) in a certain amount of time; or complete a circuit as fast as possible.

Benchmark WOD

Workout that is used as a baseline to measure progress, usually named after girls, such as Fran, Diane, and Grace.

AMRAP: As many reps as possible

AMRAP workouts are timed with a fixed time limit in which you need to do As Many Reps (repitions) As Possible. The higher the number, the better!

EMOM: Every minute, on the minute

Another type of workout with a fixed time limit is EMOM, or every minute on the minute. These workouts are also scored as how many reps you can do overall, but note that as time goes on your rest periods will likely get shorter!

RX: As prescribed

The goal for any crossfitter is to be able to do the workouts RX’ed, or as prescribed. Since Crossfit workouts can be scaled based on abilities  the goal is to work your way up to what the workout is supposed to be like. Examples of scaling could be using a lighter weight, completing less repetitions, or doing assisted pull-ups.

PR: Personal Record

With any workout or lift, the goal is to strive for a PR, or personal record. This is a great way to measure progress and track results!

More Terms:

Movements:

C&J: Clean and Jerk
DL:Deadlift
FS:Front Squat
PU: Pull-up

Equipment:

DB: Dumbbell
KB: Kettlebell

Other:

BW: Body-weight – using your body-weight, such as air squats
RM: Rep Max – maximum amount of weight that you can move for one repetition  can also be used as 5RM, such as maximum weight moved with five repetitions in a row

Are there any other terms you’ve seen that you are clueless about? What else would you love to know about Crossfit that I can answer for you? 🙂

Tagged as: amrap, crossfit, emom, wod