72 Weightlifting Terms You Need to Know

To the neophyte, power coaching is simple: decide up a weight, put it down, get robust.

Spend a couple of weeks or months on the web or chatting up your new fit-buddies, and also you come to appreciate there’s an entire lot of science, artwork, and jargon behind the obvious simplicity: compound workouts; plyometrics; supination; RPE; 1RM; ATG.

That will help you work out what the health club bros and health nerds are yapping about, we’ve put collectively a cheat-sheet of weightlifting phrases that breaks all of it down for you.

So subsequent time somebody recommends that you simply “Attempt to PR on the ultimate pyramid set of your compound actions the ultimate mesocycle earlier than deload,” you’ll know what they’re speaking about.

FORM/MOVEMENT

Ass to grass

A motion carried out in squat variations whereby the knees and hips flex totally, and the glutes are shut as potential to the ground. Usually abbreviated as ATG.

Compound motion

An train that includes important motion of two or extra main joints. Examples embody squats, lunges, deadlifts, pull-ups, and presses of every kind.

Concentric motion

A kind of muscle contraction during which a working muscle goes from a lengthened to a shortened place. In power coaching, it’s the a part of the transfer at which the load (or your body weight) strikes upward, as within the ‘pushing’ portion of an overhead press.

Eccentric motion

A kind of muscle contraction during which a working muscle goes from a shortened to a lengthened place. In power coaching, it’s the a part of the transfer at which the load (or your body weight) strikes downward, as within the ‘decreasing’ portion of an overhead press.

Flexion

A motion during which a joint goes from an open to a closed or bent place, as in a biceps curl or sit-up.

Extension

A motion during which a joint goes from a closed to an open or lengthened place, as in a triceps extension or a deadlift.

Purposeful motion

A motion, train, or drill that resembles, or helps to enhance, actions commonly encountered in on a regular basis life. As an example, carrying groceries or hoisting baggage into an overhead bin.

Grip power

The capability to know, maintain, pinch, carry, and dangle from objects of varied shapes, sizes, and weights utilizing primarily the power of your fingers and palms.

Grip power is a part of many alternative health club actions, together with farmer’s carries, rows, deadlifts, pull-downs, pull-ups, and, to a lesser extent, presses, and is taken into account an indicator of normal well being and a dependable predictor of longevity.

Hip hinge

A motion during which each hip joints flex (bend) whereas the backbone stays braced and inflexible. A Romanian deadlift is an instance, as is the set-up place for the standing row.

Isolation actions

Workouts that contain important motion of only one main joint. Examples embody lateral raises, triceps extensions, and biceps curls.

Isometric train

An train that locations pressure on a number of muscle teams, however requires minimal motion at any main joint. Examples embody the wall sit and the plank.

Lengthening

The act of extending, enjoyable, or releasing a muscle or muscle group. Within the ahead bend stretch, for instance, the hamstring muscle group on the backs of the thighs lengthens as you fold ahead.

Shortening

The act of tensing or contracting a muscle or muscle group. Within the curl train, for instance, the biceps muscle tissue of the higher arms shorten as you elevate the load.

Lifting to failure

Performing an train till you might be unable to finish one other repetition.

Technical failure refers to performing an train till you might be unable to finish one other full repetition with good type.

Absolute failure refers to performing the train till you’ll be able to now not transfer the load in any respect, and often includes performing a number of partial repetitions — generally with the assistance of a coaching companion — till your muscle tissue are fully exhausted.

Supination

The act of turning your hand or foot upward or outward in order that the palm or sole is pointing up. In a dumbbell curl, supinating your hand as you elevate the load leads to higher pressure in your biceps muscle tissue.

The time period additionally applies to the entire physique, when an train is carried out on one’s again (supine).

Pronation

The act of turning your hand or foot downward or inward in order that the palm or sole is pointing down. The time period additionally applies to the entire physique, when an train is carried out on one’s abdomen or going through down (susceptible).

Time underneath pressure (TUT)

The time taken to finish all phases of a strength-training train, generally expressed as a four-digit quantity, with every digit referring to the time taken to finish a particular portion of the motion.

So a pushup with a 4210 tempo can be a set of pushups during which you’re taking 4 seconds to decrease your self in the direction of the ground; two seconds holding the “down” place; one second to push your self again up, and nil seconds — no time — within the “up” place. Every rep of the pushup would give your chest, shoulders, and triceps seven complete seconds underneath pressure.

WORKOUT DESIGN

Energetic restoration

Mild, straightforward motion carried out on non-exercise days — or between or after coaching classes on exercise days — supposed to stimulate circulation, relieve soreness, and improve restoration. Examples embody foam rolling, straightforward swimming, strolling, stretching, dynamic warmups, and yoga.

Bulking

A coaching block centered on constructing muscle mass, often involving heavy, compound workouts, further protein and energy, and a deal with relaxation outdoors the health club.

Calisthenics

Repetitive workouts involving body weight solely. Examples embody push-ups, squats, leaping jacks, and sit-ups.

Slicing

A coaching block centered on dropping fats, often involving diminished energy, continued deal with protein consumption and power coaching, and an emphasis on extra low-intensity train outdoors the health club.

Deloading

A brief interval — often every week — of diminished quantity and depth in a strength-training program, often following every week or extra of high-intensity and high-volume coaching.

Density coaching

A coaching type centered on finishing as many reps, units, and/or workouts as potential in a given time period. Instance: performing as many rounds as potential of 10 reps every of push-ups and squats in 10 minutes.

Drop set

A set of a power coaching train carried out instantly after a number of medium to heavy units during which you drastically scale back the load used to be able to additional exhaust a muscle.

Dynamic stretching/warmup

Mild warmup strikes, carried out with body weight solely, to extend core temperature, loosen joints, improve circulation, and scale back damage. Examples embody excessive kicks, leaping jacks, and strolling lunges.

Full-body coaching

A coaching block or program during which you’re employed all the foremost muscle tissue of the physique in every exercise.

Muscular endurance

The capability of a muscle to contract repeatedly underneath pressure earlier than fatiguing.

One-rep max

The quantity of weight you might be able to lifting, for a single repetition at maximal depth, in a given strength-training train.

Overtraining

In power coaching (versus endurance coaching), understanding at a stage of quantity and/or depth from which you might be unable to get better from one exercise to the following.

Signs embody elevated resting coronary heart price, diminished coronary heart price variability, lack of motivation, and hampered progress.

Periodization

An method to coaching which focuses on totally different objectives — power, energy, endurance, restoration — in coaching blocks lasting 4 to 12 weeks, all through the coaching yr.

An instance is the Tremendous Blocks idea, during which you’re employed out in three-week blocks, every centered on a selected side of health, separated by one-week deloads (see above).

Energy

The capability to precise power shortly. A 100-meter dash or an extended soar are exams of energy. In physics, energy is expressed as pressure x acceleration, so the stronger you might be and the quicker you progress the extra highly effective you might be.

Plyometrics

Jumps, throws, and calisthenics strikes designed to develop athletic explosiveness and energy, and improve power.

PR (Private document)

A person’s efficiency in a raise or different train that represents their finest effort thus far. Examples in power coaching may embody performing extra pull-ups in a row than you’ve ever finished with out dropping from the bar, or lifting extra weight for a single repetition than you ever have in a deadlift.

Progressive overload

Systematically growing the reps, weight, and/or quantity of a power coaching program over time to be able to enhance power, muscle mass, endurance, and different elements of health.

Pyramiding

A power coaching technique during which the load will increase incrementally in an train over a number of units whereas repetitions inversely lower, typically culminating in a single all-out set of 5 or fewer reps.

Reps

A single cycle of a strength-training motion, together with — if relevant — decreasing, lifting, and/or isometric holds.

Units

A rep or group of reps of an train carried out in succession to extend some side of health. Often expressed together with the rep rely of the train, as in, “Three units of 10 reps,” or, merely, “3 x 10.”

Cut up coaching

Versus full-body coaching (see above) a cut up program focuses on totally different muscle teams or actions on totally different days of the week, or days inside a cycle of exercises.

Some examples embody “push-pull” during which the lifter performs actions that contain pushing workouts on some days, and pulling workouts on others; “upper-lower,” during which the lifter works higher physique some days and decrease on others, and “physique half splits,” during which the lifter works only one or two particular person muscle teams — say, arms or again or legs — every exercise.

Power

The flexibility to exert pressure to beat resistance. In physics, power is expressed as pressure x distance — so the extra pressure you’ll be able to exert, and farther you progress the resistance, the stronger you might be.

Tremendous setting

Alternating units of no less than two workouts, again to again, often to avoid wasting time, or to extend the workload on a given muscle group.

Undulating periodization

A variation of the usual periodization (see above) mannequin during which you range the main target of the exercises throughout the similar coaching block to be able to scale back stress, and create a stimulus for broader adaptation.

So, as a substitute of specializing in endurance for 4 weeks, hypertrophy for 4 weeks, and power for 4 weeks, you may carry out two endurance exercises, two hypertrophy exercises, and two power exercises every week for a six- or eight-week interval.

Quantity

The full quantity of labor carried out in a given exercise, week, or coaching block. Typically expressed as “weight lifted x units x reps,” however typically quick handed as “variety of working units.”

METABOLISM/ENERGY/NUTRITION

Amino acids

The constructing blocks of dietary protein, which type the uncooked supplies for muscle- and tissue-building throughout the physique.

Anaerobic vs. cardio

In biology, cardio reactions are those who require oxygen, and anaerobic ones don’t. So, many trainers and exercisers confer with endurance actions (operating, swimming, biking, and so on.) as cardio, and power and energy actions (power coaching, sprinting) as anaerobic.

In reality, few if any bodily actions are purely one or the opposite; most actions lie on a spectrum someplace between the 2 extremes.

ATP (Adenosine triphosphate)

The first gas that powers organic exercise within the physique. Power in meals (carbohydrate, fats) is transformed by means of metabolism into this vitality to carry out work.

Broscience

Scientifically unproven coaching and dietary recommendation, typically delivered by folks with few if any respectable credentials, in individual or on social media.

EPOC (Extra post-exercise oxygen consumption)

The tendency for the physique to proceed burning vitality above your baseline metabolic price after the conclusion of a exercise.

EPOC is considerably greater after high-intensity actions like sprints and circuit coaching than lower-intensity ones, however, opposite to some older analysis, not a serious contributor to caloric burn or fats loss.

Hypertrophy

Muscle development.

Lactate

An often-misunderstood and mischaracterized gas supply for muscle contraction, produced and burned throughout extended high-intensity power or endurance coaching.

RPE (Fee of perceived exertion)

A subjective scale, expressed as a quantity from six to twenty or one to 10, of how exhausting an individual is working relative to their maximal capability.

ANATOMY

Biceps

The muscle tissue on the fronts of the higher arm, chargeable for flexing (bending) the elbow.

Glutes (gluteals)

The “butt muscle tissue” on the backs of the hip joints chargeable for extending the hips.

Lats (latissimus dorsi)

The thick muscle tissue on the edges of the torso chargeable for drawing the arms again and down, and serving to to increase the decrease again.

Pecs (pectorals)

The chest muscle tissue, chargeable for drawing your higher arms in the direction of, and previous, your heart line.

Quads (quadriceps)

The muscle tissue on the fronts of your thighs, chargeable for extending your knee joint.

Traps (trapezius)

The kite-shaped muscle in your higher again, chargeable for drawing your shoulder blades upwards, backwards, and downwards.

Triceps

The muscle tissue on the backs of your higher arms, chargeable for extending (straightening) your elbows.

Abduction

The act of shifting an arm or leg away from the middle line of the physique.

Adduction

The act of shifting an arm or leg towards the middle line of the physique.

Anabolism

All metabolic actions that contain development, or the assembling of smaller organic elements into bigger ones. Muscle development, which includes the development of recent muscle tissue from amino acids, is one instance.

Atrophy

Muscle loss or breakdown.

Physique composition

A measurement or the proportion of physique fats in an individual relative to their total physique mass.

Muscle fiber sort

A means of categorizing the lengthy, parallel, hair-like fibers that comprise muscle tissue. (See additionally quick twitch and gradual twitch).

Recomposition

Altering the relative proportion of physique fats and muscle tissue within the physique, with minimal change in complete physique mass.

Catabolism

Metabolic actions that contain breakdown, or the breaking of bigger organic elements into smaller ones. Fats loss, which includes the breaking of fats tissue into triglyceride gas, is one instance.

DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness)

Soreness in muscle tissue felt many hours — or generally days — following a tough train session.

Quick twitch

A kind of muscle fiber, often known as sort II, that’s massive and light-weight in coloration, and chargeable for quick, high-effort, high-exertion actions like all-out sprints and heavy lifts.

These are distinguished from slow-twitch, or sort I, fibers, that are slimmer and darker, and chargeable for slower, decrease effort actions like jogging and lighter, quicker lifts.

Midline

An imaginary heart line that bisects the physique vertically.

Thoughts-muscle connection

The psychological consciousness of the motion of your muscle tissue as they lengthen and contract, proven to enhance the effectiveness of a strength-training program.

Muscle imbalance

A distinction within the relative power of muscle tissue on two sides of the physique or two sides of a joint, believed to play a task in posture and susceptibility to damage.

Vary of movement

The route and diploma to which a joint or a collection of joints transfer — or are able to shifting — in a selected train or stretch.

Sarcopenia

Lack of muscle mass stemming from illness, ageing, or disuse.