CrossFit Terms Glossary: WOD, AMRAP, EMOM, Metcon, Rx, and 40+ More

Walk into a CrossFit box for the first time and the whiteboard can look like a foreign language: "AMRAP 12: 10 T2B, 15 WB, 200m run. Rx 20/14." Searches for "WOD CrossFit," "metcon CrossFit," "CrossFit WOD" and "que es CrossFit" show how many people are trying to decode it.

Here's a complete glossary of CrossFit terms, grouped so it's easy to scan, with examples.

Workout formats

Term	Meaning	Example
WOD	Workout of the Day: the main conditioning piece of a class	"Today's WOD is Cindy."
Metcon	Metabolic conditioning: a hard, mixed-modality workout	See metcon workouts
AMRAP	As Many Rounds (or Reps) As Possible in a set time	AMRAP 12: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats
EMOM	Every Minute On the Minute: start a set at the top of each minute; rest for what's left of it	EMOM 10: 3 power cleans
E2MOM / E3MOM	Same idea, every 2 or 3 minutes	E2MOM × 5: 5 front squats
For time (FT)	Complete the work as fast as possible	21-15-9 thrusters and pull-ups for time
Time cap (TC)	Maximum time allowed	For time, 15-min cap
Chipper	A long list of exercises done once through, "chipping away"	50-40-30-20-10 of five moves
Ladder	Reps or weight increase (or decrease) each round	1-2-3-4-5… burpees each minute
Tabata	8 rounds of 20 s work / 10 s rest	See Tabata workout
Interval	Set work and rest periods	5 × (3 min work / 1 min rest)
Death by…	Add one rep every minute until you can't finish in the minute	Death by burpees
Partner WOD / team WOD	Work is shared between athletes	"You go, I go"

Scoring and standards

Term	Meaning
Rx	"As prescribed": the workout done with the listed weights and movements
Rx+	Harder than prescribed
Scaled	Modified weights, reps or movements. See how to scale
20/14 (or 95/65)	Men's/women's weights (e.g. 20/14 lb wall ball, 95/65 lb barbell)
PR	Personal record
1RM	One-rep max. See how to calculate 1RM
No rep	A rep that didn't meet the movement standard
Unbroken (UB)	A set done without putting the bar down or coming off the rig
Benchmark	A standard named workout repeated to measure progress
Leaderboard	Class or online ranking of scores

Movements and abbreviations

Abbrev.	Movement
T2B / TTB	Toes-to-bar
K2E	Knees-to-elbows
C2B / CTB	Chest-to-bar pull-ups
MU / BMU / RMU	Muscle-up / bar muscle-up / ring muscle-up
HSPU	Handstand push-up
HSW	Handstand walk
DU / SU	Double-unders / single-unders (jump rope)
WB / WBS	Wall ball (shots)
KBS	Kettlebell swing
BJ / BJO	Box jump / box jump-over
GHD	Glute-ham developer (sit-ups, back extensions)
OHS	Overhead squat
FS / BS	Front squat / back squat
DL / SDHP	Deadlift / sumo deadlift high pull
C&J	Clean & jerk
PC / PS	Power clean / power snatch
Thruster	Front squat straight into an overhead press
Cal	Calories on a rower, bike or SkiErg
DB / KB / BB	Dumbbell / kettlebell / barbell

Technique and gym-culture terms

Term	Meaning
Box	A CrossFit gym (affiliate)
Kipping	Using a hip swing to generate momentum (pull-ups, T2B, HSPU)
Butterfly	A faster, cyclical kipping pull-up technique
Strict	No kip; pure strength
Hook grip	Thumb wrapped under the fingers on the bar (Olympic lifting)
Rig	The steel frame for pull-ups and racks
Goat	Your weakest movement
Engine	Aerobic capacity
Redline	Working so hard you have to stop
Box jump rebound	Bouncing between jumps without pausing
Cash-in / cash-out	Work done at the start or end of a workout
Mobility / MWOD	Stretching and joint-prep work

The famous named workouts

Name	Workout
Fran	21-15-9: thrusters (95/65 lb), pull-ups
Cindy	AMRAP 20: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats
Grace	30 clean & jerks (135/95 lb) for time
Helen	3 rounds: 400 m run, 21 KB swings, 12 pull-ups
Annie	50-40-30-20-10: double-unders, sit-ups
Murph	1 mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, 1 mile run (with vest, Rx)

"The Girls" are classic benchmark workouts. "Hero WODs" (like Murph) honour fallen service members and first responders. The Open is CrossFit's annual online competition, and workout "26.1" is the first workout of the 2026 Open. See the CrossFit Open guide.

Reading a whiteboard: an example

WOD: AMRAP 12 10 T2B · 15 WB (20/14) · 200 m run Scale: hanging knee raises, 14/10 lb

Translation: for 12 minutes, repeat 10 toes-to-bar, 15 wall-ball shots (20 lb ball for men / 14 lb for women) and a 200 m run as many times as you can. Beginners can do hanging knee raises and use a lighter ball. Your score is total rounds plus extra reps.

New to CrossFit?

Start with what is CrossFit and CrossFit workouts for beginners. Comparing with Hyrox? See Hyrox vs CrossFit.

Keep a log of your numbers

CrossFit is full of numbers: 1RMs for percentage work, benchmark times, unbroken sets. Recording them is how you see progress in a training style where no two days are the same.

GymMonster logs your lifts set by set and keeps personal records for every movement, so your 1RMs and strength progress are always at hand.

The bottom line

WOD is the workout of the day, AMRAP is as many rounds as possible, EMOM is every minute on the minute, a metcon is a conditioning workout, and Rx means as prescribed. With this glossary you can read any whiteboard and scale the workout to suit you.