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