‘A-Z Guide to Gym Lingo’
It’s been a while since we’ve all been in the gym and it’s understandable that we’ve forgotten a few things along the way. We’ve put together an A-Z list of all the important terms and buzz words that we think you’ll need as you head back into the gym.
A
Active Rest: This is when a person continues to move during their rest interval between exercises or sets, for example jogging on the spot.
Adductor Muscles: The group of muscles located in the upper thigh that are responsible for moving the leg inwards, towards the centre line of the body.
Aerobic Exercise: Another term for steady cardiovascular exercise, which increases breathing rate and heart rate.
Agonist Muscle: The muscle that is contracting throughout the exercise, supported by the antagonist muscle.
Anaerobic Exercise: This involves short bursts of very high intensity activity, causing the body to demand more oxygen than it can take in.
Antagonist Muscle: The muscle that supports the contracting muscle in a movement.
B
Barbell: A long bar that has weights on each end. Can be adjustable or fixed. Commonly used in compound exercises such as Squats, Bench and Deadlifts.
Bodyweight Exercises: Exercises performed without additional weight, such as press ups or pull ups.
Bulking: The art of consuming more calories than your body requires to help put on weight or in order to gain muscle, often followed by a period of cutting.
C
Calisthenics: Exercises which rely on using your bodyweight, with no added equipment.
Calorie: A measure of energy.
Cardio: A term used to refer to exercises that develop cardiovascular fitness.
Circuit Training: A series of exercises performed in a cyclical process.
Compound Movements: These are movements that employ multiple muscle groups to carry out, such as squats, bench and deadlift.
Concentric Contraction: When a muscle bearing weight shortens and contracts.
Cool Down: The period towards the end of your workout, where the level of intensity reduces to slow your heart rate back towards a resting state.
Cutting: A process used to reduce body fat, usually after a period of bulking.
D
DOMS: Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness. This is when a muscle or group of muscles begin to feel stiff after – or a couple of days after – a workout. During this period, the muscle is healing.
Dumbbell: A small bar with weights at each end, designed to be lifted in one hand. Can be fixed or adjustable.
E
Eccentric Contraction: When a muscle lengthens and contracts at the same time when bearing weight.
Endorphins: ‘Feel good’ hormones that are released by the body in response to exercise.
F
Flexibility: The range of motion in a joint. Stretching exercises can help to improve flexibility and benefit overall mobility.
Form: The technique employed by an individual during an exercise or movement. ‘Good form’ is when the exercise is performed well and ‘bad form’ is when the exercise is performed poorly.
Free Weights: Strength training which utilises dumbbells, barbells and kettlebells. When using free weights, you’ll have to support your own posture and form.
G
Giant sets: these are performing 4 or more exercises back to back with no rest.
H
HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training. Involves exercising at maximum effort for very short intervals. Each work interval is followed by a period of rest.
I
Interval Training: Interval training programmes such as HIIT involve alternating periods of activity with periods of rest.
Isometric Exercise: The muscle will be in a contracted state and bearing weight, but the person performing the exercise remains static. E.g., when planking.
J
Got nothing for this one ……
K
Kegel Exercises: Also known as pelvic floor exercises.
Kettlebell: A spherical weight with a looped handle used for functional and strength training.
L
Lean mass: the total weight of the body minus body fat weight. This includes bones, ligaments, internal organs and muscle.
Low impact exercise: Any exercise where at least one foot has contact with the ground. Swimming and using the cross trainer are great low impact forms of exercise.
M
Medicine Ball: A weighted ball, typically used in mat-based exercises.
N
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O
One Rep Max: The maximum amount of weight that can be lifted for one repetition without being able to lift any heavier.
P
Plyometric Training: This type of exercise uses quick, explosive movement to increase strength.
Q
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R
Rep: This term refers to a single complete movement when performing an exercise.
Rest: The pause taken between sets of exercises.
Resistance Band: An elasticated band used to generate force when performing strength exercises. They come in a variety of sizes and strengths. Some have handles, while others are a continuous loop of elastic.
Resistance Training: Involves working with an external resistance, such as free weights, a machine, resistance band or bodyweight.
S
Set: A series of repetitions of an exercise.
Spot: Or ‘Spotter’. You might need a partner to ‘spot’ you during certain activities. A ‘spotter’ can help you to safely lift a weight if it is slightly more than you are used to lifting on your own. A spotter can also point out drops in form and make sure the exercise is carried out correctly.
Static Stretch: A static stretch is performed by stretching a muscle to a tolerable position and holding it for up to 30 seconds.
Steady State Cardio: This refers to a cardiovascular workout that maintains a consistent level of intensity for a sustained period of time. It can be used to help increase fitness and endurance levels whilst also burning fat.
Superset: Performing two sets of two different exercises on an alternating basis, with little to no rest taken between them.
T
Tabata: A form of HIIT developed by Izumi Tabata. It employs 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise followed by a 10 second rest interval, usually repeated for eight sets.
Triset: Three different exercises are carried out one after the other before a rest interval is taken.
U
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V
VO2 Maximum: Refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that a person’s body is capable of utilising during intense exercise. It is thought to be a good indicator of a person’s cardiovascular fitness levels – the higher someone’s VO2 max is, the better cardiovascular shape they are in.
W
Warm Up: The aim of a warm up is to slowly introduce the body to the desired workout intensity. Warming up increased heart rate and muscle temperature and can help to reduce the risk of injury.
Weight Plates: Flat. Round-shaped weights that are used in conjunction with adjustable barbells or dumbbells.
Work In: When gym-users share a piece of equipment. If someone asks to ‘work in’, they may perform a set using the machine or free weight whilst the other person is resting.
X, Y & Z
Oh, come on! I challenge you to think of common gym terms beginning with these letters!
by Nicky Marie