CrossFit glossary.

Deep squat without weight. The foundational movement: hips below the knees, chest up.

Squat with a barbell on the back of the neck. The classic strength exercise for legs and core.

Squat with the barbell racked in front of the body on the shoulders. More demanding on core and mobility.

Squat with arms locked out and the barbell overhead. One of the most mobility-intensive movements, and at the same time the precursor to the Snatch.

Pull the barbell from the floor to the hips. Flat back; the work comes from the hips.

Strict press: barbell or dumbbell overhead, with no drive from the legs.

A press with a short drive from the legs. Allows more weight than the strict version.

A press with drive and a dip back under the bar. For moving maximum loads overhead.

One of the Olympic lifts. The barbell goes from the floor to overhead in one movement, caught in a deep squat.

The barbell from the floor to the shoulders, caught in a deep squat.

The barbell driven explosively from the shoulders to overhead.

Clean plus Jerk in one combined movement: the second Olympic lift.

Front Squat plus Push Press in one fluid movement. Your legs give out before your shoulders do. A pain category all its own.

Strict pull from a dead hang, chin over the bar.

A pull-up using momentum from the hips and shoulders. Lets you hit high rep counts. The technique still takes time.

From a hang on the pull-up bar, bring your feet up to the bar. The abs do the work, not the swing. In theory.

The transition from a hang into support on rings or a bar. Combines pull and push. Sounds simple, takes years.

A push-up in a handstand against the wall. Vertical pressing with your bodyweight. HSPU for short.

From standing into a push-up, jump up, clap overhead. The exercise the whole gym groans at together.

Throw a medicine ball from a deep squat against a wall, catch, repeat. A cardio killer in sheep's clothing.

Jump onto a box, a clean stand at the top, controlled back down. Shins are very receptive to corrections.

Jumping rope with two passes of the rope per jump. One of the most frustrating and most satisfying movements.

As many rounds as possible in a set time. You give everything until the clock beeps.

At the top of every minute, a fixed block of work starts. The time left over is your rest. The faster you are, the longer you rest.

A set task done as fast as possible. Your finish time is the score.

A fixed number of rounds worked through as fast as possible.

Eight rounds of 20 seconds work / 10 seconds rest. Four minutes that feel like ten.

A long list of exercises, worked through once from top to bottom. Sounds relaxed. It isn't.

Workouts named after fallen soldiers, police officers, or firefighters. Usually long, heavy, and carrying real meaning.

Standardized workouts with their own names (e.g. “Fran,” “Cindy”) that get repeated regularly to measure progress.

The standard tool for weightlifting and heavy compound lifts.

A steel core with a rubber coating. They can be dropped without damaging the floor. A must for Olympic lifting indoors.

A tool for swing and stability work, one of the oldest training implements around.

The single-arm version of many exercises, ideal for unilateral training.

A jump box, 50, 60, or 75 cm high. Also a synonym for a CrossFit gym. Not a cardboard box from the furniture store.

The steel frame for pull-up bars and rings. The center of every CrossFit box.

Measures distance, time, and watts. One of the most honest conditioning machines there is.

A machine that mimics the double-poling motion of cross-country skiing. Trains the pulling motion and, above all, your breathing.

An air-resistance exercise bike. The faster you pedal, the harder it pushes back.

A medicine ball, usually 4 to 9 kilos. Thrown against a wall in many workouts.

A specialty bench for the posterior chain: glutes, hamstrings, lower back.

A steel mace: a weighted ball on a long handle. Trains shoulder stability and core rotation.

Improves your grip on the barbell and pull-up bar without dusting the floor with powder.

A hand pad the coach holds for you to strike during fitness boxing. Also called a punch mitt.

The workout exactly as laid out, with the prescribed weights and movements.

An adapted version of a workout: lighter weight, an easier variation, a shorter distance. The standard path for most people.

The time limit for a workout. When the clock runs out, you're done — no matter where you are.

The rep doesn't count. The movement wasn't clean. A coach or judge calls it. Hurts your pride, helps in the long run.

A personal best in a lift, a benchmark workout, or a distance.

The maximum weight you can lift cleanly exactly once.

It's on the whiteboard every day, changes daily, and is never exactly the same twice.

The CrossFit Open: the annual, worldwide competition phase with five workouts. Open to everyone.