Ever walked into a gym and wondered what everyone was talking about? Suddenly everything sounds like a different language and you are way out of your comfort zone? Whether it is your first time in the gym or you just don’t keep up with the latest fitness trends, we have decoded some gym jargon to help you make sense of it all.
Reps – Short for repetition, meaning a repetition of the exercise you are doing without stopping. (I.e. 8 reps of squats = 8 squats)
Sets – A collection of reps with a break in between. (I.e. 3 sets of 10 squats = 30 squats with an interval between each)
Supersets – Performing an exercise and following it up with a different one straight away (I.e. Doing squats and following it up straight away with planking)
Dropsets – It is a technique where you perform an exercise and then reduce the weight and continue with more reps until you can’t do it anymore.
Giant sets – Performing three exercises in a row without a break (I.e. Doing squats, planking and then burpees without a break)
Intervals – Interval training is when you alternate between performing an exercise at high and low intensity. (I.e. sprinting for 30 seconds then walking for one minute)
Spot – When a person provides assistance to another gym goer as they perform a type of exercise and it is done to avoid injury. People often spot people who are lifting weights and will help lift them when it gets too much.
Failure – Performing an exercise until you are physically unable to do it anymore.
Circuit – Performing a series of exercises in a row with a brief break or none at all.
Stacking – Adding more weights to your workout to set a personal best and gain more strength.
Negatives – Negatives is when you control the tempo of the repetition and slow down the lowering phase of the lift.
Cutting – Cutting is when you want to lose body fat, so you decrease your caloric intake during a certain amount of time.
Bulking – Bulking is when you increase your caloric intake in order to build muscles.
Burpees – Burpees are a full body exercise that consists of a couple of steps. You start off in a standing position, drop into a squat with your hands on the ground, kick your feet back into a plank position whilst keeping your arms extended, then return your feet into the squat position and stand back up.
Deadlift – It is a weight training exercise where the person lifts a loaded barbell or bar off the ground to hip level and then throws it back down to the ground.
Ass to grass – It means doing a full range of squats and beyond, meaning that when you squat you go a below parallel.
Planking – It is an exercise that involves your core muscles, improving your strength, balance and endurance. It is called ‘planking’ or ‘the plank’ as when done correctly you straighten your entire body and maintain it rigidly just like a plank of wood.
Supine position – The person is lying horizontally with their face and torso upwards.
Prone position – The person is lying horizontally face down with their back in the air.
Bench press – It is an upper body strength training exercise where the person presses weights upwards from a supine position.
Free weights – Free weights are weights that aren’t attached to anything such as kettlebells and dumbbells.
EZ bar – The short barbell has two humps in it.
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) – An exercise which alternates between high intensity periods where you give your all and low intensity periods where you give half of that. (I.e. one minute of sprint cycling and then two minutes of calmer cycling)
HEAT (High Energy Athletic Training) – HEAT is a sports-focused form of training that teaches your body to efficiently use its energy sources for maximum athletic output. It increases speed and overall fitness, builds lean muscle and improves agility.
Isolation exercises – Isolation exercises are movements that involve one joint or one muscle group.
Compound exercises – Compound exercises are movements that involve more than one joint or one muscle group.
Plateau – It is when a person goes to the gym frequently but they haven’t made any progression. (I.e. They have been lifting the same weights for six months without progressing)
Macros – Macronutrients are what make up the caloric content of a food: protein, fats and carbohydrates.
IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) – It is a diet plan that helps users lose weight by tracking macronutrients (protein, fats and carbohydrates) without restricting food choices.
MMC (Mind Muscle Connection) – It is about consciously engaging a targeted muscle and feeling it contract throughout its entire range of motion.
DOMS – Delayed onset of muscular soreness.
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) – The amount of calories your body burns per rest day.
BMI (Body Mass Index) – BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by his or her height in meters, squared.
BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids) – It helps to rebuild muscles faster.
Whey – It is a source of protein.
PB – Personal Best.
PR – Personal Record.
WOD – Workout of the day.
