the girls

Definition

A collection of classic CrossFit benchmark workouts given women's names (Fran, Helen, Diane, etc.), each designed to humble you in specific, memorable ways. They're all terrible; you just pick your preferred flavor of suffering.

Example Usage

I did Cindy today—20 minutes of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats AMRAP—and she destroyed me as usual.

Origin

Created by CrossFit founder Greg Glassman in early 2000s, named after hurricanes to reflect their destructive power

Fun Fact

There's also 'The Heroes'—workouts named after fallen military and first responders, which are even more brutal and come with emotional weight.

Source: CrossFit benchmark workouts

Related Terms

Beginner

huddle

In sports, that brief timeout where players gather in a tight circle to discuss strategy while pretending the other team can't read their lips. It's the athletic equivalent of a quick business meeting, except with more grunting and fewer PowerPoints. Bonus points if your quarterback actually knows the play they're about to call.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Beginner

second wind

That mysterious burst of energy after you've pushed through initial fatigue, when your body finally decides to cooperate with your workout. It's your cardiovascular system's way of apologizing for the first terrible mile.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Beginner

aerobics

A cardiovascular exercise regimen performed to music, typically involving synchronized movements that made the 1980s simultaneously the fittest and most fashion-challenged decade. Born from the radical idea that getting your heart rate up should involve matching spandex and enthusiastic arm waves, it remains a staple of gym classes where coordination goes to die. The original influencer fitness trend, before influencers existed.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Intermediate

CrossFit

A fitness program that combines weightlifting, cardio, and the uncontrollable urge to tell everyone you do CrossFit. The first rule of CrossFit is that you always talk about CrossFit. The second rule is also that you always talk about CrossFit.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Advanced

mechanical tension

The force produced when muscles contract against resistance, considered a primary driver of muscle growth. The scientific explanation for why muscles get bigger when you make them work really, really hard.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Intermediate

training max

A submaximal weight used for program calculations, typically 85-90% of your true one-rep max, because programming off your absolute maximum is how you get injured and disappointed simultaneously. It's the humble approach to getting stronger.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

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