Getting started
How to Read the Workouts
A quick guide to the formats and shorthand you'll see at BANR
New to functional training? No problem — BANR is built for everybody. Here's what all the terms mean so you can jump into any workout with confidence.
Workout formats
Tabata
A short, intense interval format: 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times — 4 minutes per movement. In BANR workouts, a Tabata with 2 movements runs 8 minutes, and 3 movements runs 12 minutes. Give each movement everything you've got during the 20-second pushes.
EMOM — "Every Minute On the Minute"
At the start of each minute, do the prescribed work, then rest for whatever time is left until the next minute begins. Many of our EMOMs rotate through stations — Min 1 is one movement, Min 2 another, Min 3 another — then repeat. Example: a 36-min EMOM with 3 stations = 12 times through.
AMRAP — "As Many Rounds As Possible"
Move through the listed exercises for the full time cap, completing as many rounds as you can. Pick a steady, repeatable pace — it's a grind, not a sprint.
For Time
Complete the prescribed work as fast as you can (sometimes with a time cap). Push the pace.
Every 30 / 90 sec for X min (and "Every 2 min," "Every 3 min")
A cousin of the EMOM with a different clock. "Every 90 sec for 12 min" means you start the work every 90 seconds, for 12 minutes total — then rest the remainder of each interval.
OTM — "On The Minute"
Same idea as EMOM. Often used for a ladder (see below), starting a new distance or rep count each minute.
Rounds
Do the listed movements for the given number of times through. "10 Rounds" = complete the sequence 10 times, resting as prescribed.
Sets
One "set" is a single time through the listed work, usually followed by a rest. "6 Sets" = do the block 6 times with rest between.
Ladder
A rep or distance scheme that climbs or drops each round. Example: 500-450-400-350…m is a descending ladder — the distance shrinks each round.
Buy-in
A chunk of work you do once at the start, before the main piece begins.
Max rep / Max distance
Do as many reps (or cover as much distance) as you can in the time given.
"Into"
Simply means "then move on." Finish the first block, then start the next one.
Movement shorthand
- DB
- dumbbell
- KB
- kettlebell (when you see "kb or db," use whichever you have)
- RDL
- Romanian deadlift (a hip-hinge with soft knees)
- C&J
- clean & jerk
- s/a
- single arm
- s/l
- single leg
- alt
- alternating (switch sides each rep)
- HR pushups
- hand-release pushups (chest to the floor, lift the hands, then press up)
- dubs
- double-unders (the jump rope passes twice per jump)
- GHD
- glute-ham developer (a gym station for sit-ups and back extensions)
- v-up
- a core move where your hands and feet meet over your midline
- bosu ball
- the half-dome balance trainer (marked "if available" in travel workouts)
- "on dbs"
- hands on the dumbbells (e.g., pushups with your hands gripping the dumbbell handles)
- (R) / (L)
- right side / left side
Reading the numbers
- #
- pounds. "40#" = 40 pounds.
- m
- meters (distances). We show the mile alongside, e.g., 400m (.25 mi), so you can set a treadmill either way.
- M / W
- when you see a pair like 70/53, the higher number is the men's prescribed weight and the lower is the women's. We write it M: 70 / W: 53. Use the number that fits you — or scale to any weight that lets you move well.
The golden rule: scale to you
Every workout can be adjusted. Lighten the weight, shorten the run, drop the reps, or swap a movement for one that feels right for your body today. The goal is to show up, move well, and be a little better than yesterday. That's a win.