DAY 8 OF 10: THE GYM VOCABULARY
The gym can be pretty intimidating place specially when you are new. It’s like going to a whole new different world. People there may be speaking words you’ve never heard before. But here I am to help you out learn the language. You just need to be familiar with just a few words. Pick a few easy ones. The rest will come along throughout your gym citizenship.
If you are find this helpful, please comment and share with your mates. If you think I should add some to the list, don't hesitate to comment it or message it to me. (The definitions used here are courtesy of Urban Dictionary, Bodybuilding.com , Seanal.com, Wikipedia, Medicinenet.com, skinny2fit.com)
Do you even speak gym?
Beast Mode / Beast
When in a state of serious training or at a level of high effort."Jeremy is a beast when it comes to his workout."
Bodybuilder
A kind of athlete who will work out with heavy weights and consume large amounts of protein. Attempts to achieve a muscular and well-defined body."Arnold is a famous body builder."
Broscience
Broscience is the predominant brand of reasoning in bodybuilding circles where the anecdotal reports of jacked dudes are considered more credible than scientific research."Brah, you should avoid cardio because it will make you lose gains."
Brosplit / Bro Split
Unlike a basic full body routine, upper/lower split or legs/push/pull split, bro splitstarget just 1 or 2 muscle groups per workout while utilizing a lower overall training frequency for those muscles of just once per week as opposed to the 2 or 3 times per week you'd get from most other popular training approaches.
Bulking / Cutting
Bulking is a process commonly used by an individual wishing to gain weight which involves eating lots of food. Bulking attempts to build muscle mass but the usual side effect is gaining extra body fat.
Cutting, on the other hand, is the process of getting rid of that excess body fat gained while bulking. This involves strict dieting: calorie management, high protein, control carbs and healthy fats. Bulking and Cutting is usually used in bodybuilding (Bulking when Off-Season and Cutting when On-Season) but will also be used by other fitness enthusiasts.
Calisthenics
Calisthenics can also be referred to body weight workout. There are exercises consisting of a variety of gross motor movements—running, standing, grasping, pushing, etc. — often performed rhythmically and with minimal equipment.
Carbs
Carbs is short for Carbohydrates.
Cardio
Aerobic exercise is sometimes known as "cardio". This exercise requires pumping of oxygenated blood by the heart to deliver oxygen to working muscles.
Cardio Bunny
People(usually women) that you see in the gym every single day whose entire workout revolves around cardio exercise. You'll pretty much never see them in the free weights section or even on the machines. Their whole workout can be summed up as either a lengthy period of time on some cardio machine (like a treadmill an elliptical) or they take some group cardio class. They get all sweaty and really think they're killing it in the gym, but as time goes on, you notice that their bodies look no different because they plateaued ages ago.
Cheap Rep
A cheat rep is a rep or repetition of an exercise that is performed without perfect form, so if perfect form equals 100%, and good form is around 85-99%, then a cheat rep would be anything less than that. Should you avoid cheat reps? Find out in my upcoming blogs.
Circuit Training or Circuit Workout
Circuit training is a form of body conditioning or endurance training or resistance training using high-intensity. It targets strength building or muscular endurance. An exercise "circuit" is one completion of all prescribed exercises in the program. When one circuit is complete, one begins the first exercise again for the next circuit. Traditionally, the time between exercises in circuit training is short, often with rapid movement to the next exercise.
Compound Exercise
Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that work several muscles or muscle groups at one time. A great example of a compound exercise is the squat , which engages many muscles in the lower body and core, including the quadriceps, the hamstrings, the calves, the glutes, the lower back and the core.
Concentric
A concentric contraction causes muscles to shorten, thereby generating force. An example of a concentric contraction is the raising of a weight during a bicep curl. There are three muscle contraction that are important to know: Concentric, Isometric and Eccentric (also known as negatives).
DOMS
DOMS is the acronym for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. It is the pain and stiffness felt in muscles several hours to days after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise.
Drop Set
Drop set is a technique where you perform an exercise and then drop(reduce) the weight and continue for more reps until you reach failure.
Failure
In weight training, training to failure is repeating an exercise (such as the bench press) to the point of momentary muscular failure. For example, it is the point where the neuromuscular system can no longer produce adequate force to overcome a specific workload.
Fatitude
Having false expectations that things are supposed to get easier without even trying to change.
Forced Reps
A rep is considered "forced" when a bodybuilder reaches muscle failure during a set and has a training partner assist in completing past the normal point of failure and therefore fatigues more muscle fiber, as well as those that are normally used, thereby stimulating more complete growth and muscle density.
Form
Form is a specific way of performing a movement, often a strength training exercise, to avoid injury, prevent cheating and increase strength.
Free Weights
Any equipment used for weight training that is not connected to an external apparatus. Examples of free weights are barbells, dumbbells and kettle bells.
Guns
Guns refers to strong arms."Sun's out, Guns out!"
Gymrat
A word used to describe an individual who is addicted (or passionate) to lifting weights. Gymrats have well developed physiques and broad knowledge of training regimens and diet plans. Gymrats are not the same as meatheads. Gymrats are much more intelligent and often have a physical addiction to lifting weights.
HIIT
HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training
Interval training
Interval training is a type of training that involves a series of low- to high-intensity workouts interspersed with rest or relief periods.
Isolation
Isolation exercises in weight training are exercises that involve only one joint and a limited number of muscle groups. This is in contrast with compound exercises that work two or more joints and more muscles.
Isometric
Isometric contractions generate force without changing the length of the muscle. There are three muscle contraction that are important to know: Concentric, Isometric and Eccentric (also known as negatives).
Juicehead
Someone who uses steroids in order to aid in the production of muscle mass.
Macros
Macros or Macronutrients refer to Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats
Max Rep (MR)
1-rep max is the most weight you can lift once for an exercise.
Meatheads
An enormously muscular guy who cannot hold a conversation about anything other than weight-lifting and protein shakes. Gets upset very quickly when he cannot complete his own sentences and thoughts. Can be found at nightclubs wearing shirts that are 10 sizes too small (if at all). They are by far the most closely related human beings to that of apes, chimpanzees, and other primate.
Mirin
Short for admiring. Popularized by Zyzz."They 'mirin my 'stethics"
Muscle Confusion
Muscle confusion is the idea that by constantly changing your workouts you “confuse” your muscles and thereby increase the stimulation and resulting adaptation.
Negatives also known as Eccentric
Negatives or Eccentric contractions cause muscles to elongate in response to a greater opposing force. An example of a concentric contraction is the lowering of a weight during a bicep curl. There are three muscle contraction that are important to know: Concentric, Isometric and Eccentric (also known as negatives).
Newbie
A person new to the gym.
Pecs
Short of Pectoral or chest muscles.
Plateau
A body plateau refers to a period of time in which your body no longer responds to your fitness or diet routine.
Power-lifting
Power-lifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift.
Prepping
Refers to Meal Preparations.
Progressive overload
Progressive overload is the gradual increase of stress placed upon the body during training.
Protein Window or Metabolic Window
The metabolic window is a term used in strength training to describe the 30-minute period after exercise during which nutrition can shift the body from a catabolic state to an anabolic one. Specifically, it is during this period that the intake of protein and carbohydrates can aid in the increase of muscle mass.
Pumped
The muscle sensation one feels after doing a set at the gym. The muscles are tight and are larger because they have literally been pumped with blood.
Pyramid set / Reverse pyramid set
In resistance training, a pyramid is a basic structure that you create when arranging your sets and reps of a given exercise. It entails starting out light and stepping up the weight you use on successive sets.
Range of Motion (ROM)
The full movement potential of a joint without risking injury.
Rep or Reps
Rep is short for repetition. The execution of a single movement of exercise
Rest or Rest Period
Time spent between sets and exercises.
Roid Rage
Spontaneus anger outburst due to overuse of steroids (one of it's side affects). Sometimes in your workout, a steroid user may come up to you in the gym and intimidate you.
Set
A set is a group of consecutive reps.
Shredded
Low body fat
Spare TireA bulge of fat around the waist
Spotting or SpotterSpotting is the act of supporting another person during a particular exercise, with an emphasis on allowing the participant to lift or push more than they could normally do safely.
Stacking
Usually refers to usage of multiple sports nutrition supplement.
Superset
A set the includes another set or sets.
Swoldier
Someone who is both strong physically and mentally.
Swolemate
The one you cannot lift without. Your right hand Swoldier. Your pump is simply not the same without your Swolemate. There is no weight that can come in the way of you and your Swolemate.
Swollen
Very muscular
Time Under Tention (TUT) TUT refers to how long a muscle is under strain during a set.
V-taper
The perfect melding of broad shoulders, small waist and flaring lat muscles, a look synonymous with perfect symmetry and proportion.
Warm-up
The warming up is prepare for physical exertion or a performance by exercising or practising gently beforehand. Warming up is performed before a performance or practice.Weekend warrior
Work in
During busy times most of the gym equipment is in use so it's helpful to “work in”, which simply means allowing someone else to use your machine or bit of kit during your rest between sets.
Workout
To exercise.