| Active Recovery |
Low-intensity exercise or movement performed during rest days to aid recovery without causing fatigue. |
| Aerobic Exercise |
Cardiovascular exercise that stimulates and strengthens the heart and lungs, improving overall endurance. |
| AMRAP |
As Many Reps as Possible, usually meaning exercise to failure. After that, you literally can do no more.
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| Anaerobic Exercise |
Intense, short bursts of physical activity that do not rely on oxygen, such as weightlifting or sprinting. |
| Balance |
The ability to maintain equilibrium, often trained through exercises that enhance stability and proprioception. |
| Body Composition |
The proportion of fat and non-fat mass in the body, crucial for assessing overall health and fitness. |
| Body Mass Index (BMI) |
A numerical representation of a person's body fat based on height and weight. |
| Bulking |
Bulking is to gain as much mass as possible by eating more calories and lifting weights to create muscle mass. |
| Calisthenics |
Bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups, squats, and pull-ups, that build strength and flexibility. |
| Caloric Surplus |
Calories more than your maintenance calories; essential for muscle building. |
| Calory Deficit |
Calories under your maintenance calories; essential for weight loss and fat burning. |
| Cardiovascular Exercise |
Physical activity that elevates the heart rate and improves cardiovascular health, often referred to as "cardio." |
| Circuit Training |
A series of exercises performed in a sequence, targeting different muscle groups with minimal rest between each exercise. |
| Compound Exercise |
Weight training exercises where more than one muscle is used to move weight, such as a squat or deadlift, where multiple muscles activate. |
| Concentric Phase |
The phase of muscle contraction where the muscle shortens, often associated with lifting or positive resistance. |
| Cool-Down |
A period of low-intensity exercise following a workout to gradually reduce heart rate and ease the body back to a resting state. |
| Core |
The muscles of the abdomen, lower back, and pelvis, crucial for stability, posture, and overall body strength. |
| CrossFit |
A high-intensity fitness program incorporating elements from various sports and exercise modalities. |
| Cutting |
Trying to reduce body fat and other weight through various means like calorie reduction and increased calorie burn. |
| Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) |
Muscle soreness and stiffness that occur 24-48 hours after intense or unaccustomed exercise. |
| Drop Sets |
A set style in an exercise that gradually lowers the weight to push progressive overload. |
| Dynamic Stretching |
Stretching exercises that involve controlled, fluid movements to improve flexibility and range of motion. |
| Eccentric Phase |
The phase of muscle contraction where the muscle lengthens, often associated with lowering or negative resistance. |
| Endorphins |
Neurotransmitters released during exercise, contributing to a sense of well-being and reduced perception of pain. |
| Fixed Weights |
Weights that are set to a fixed motion range or bound by cables. |
| Flexibility |
The range of motion in a joint or group of joints, influenced by muscles, tendons, and ligaments. |
| Foam Rolling |
Self-myofascial release technique using a foam roller to alleviate muscle tightness and improve flexibility. |
| Form |
The technique you use in your exercise; how well you can perform an exercise. To have good form is to do the exercise correctly. |
| Free Weight |
Weight like dumbbells, barbells and kettlebells; weights that have free motion and aren’t bound by cables or guides. |
| Functional Strength |
The ability to apply strength to everyday activities and movements. |
| Heart Rate Zones |
Intensity levels based on heart rate during exercise, helping individuals optimize training for specific goals. |
| High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) |
Alternating short periods of intense exercise with brief rest periods to maximize cardiovascular benefits and fat burning. |
| Hypertrophy |
The training phase that focusses on the increase in muscular size most through weight training. |
| Imbalances |
Your body is bound to have imbalances that may lead to injury, and need corrective exercises. |
| Isometric Exercise |
Muscle contraction without joint movement, such as holding a plank position. |
| Kettlebell |
A cast-iron weight resembling a cannonball with a handle, used for dynamic exercises to improve strength and endurance. |
| Lactic Acid |
A byproduct of anaerobic metabolism, often associated with muscle fatigue and soreness. |
| Lean Muscle |
Lean muscle is muscle mass that is not covered by fat, or having a particularly low body fat percentage. This is what gives the most muscle definition. |
| LISS |
Low-intensity steady-state exercise; exercising at a constant prolonged slow speed to match a higher calorie burn with much less impact. Walking is a great example, instead of running. |
| Low-Impact Exercise |
Activities that minimize stress on joints, making them suitable for individuals with joint issues or those seeking lower-intensity workouts. |
| Macros |
Macronutrients; protein, fat, carbohydrates. The building blocks of foods and nutrition. |
| Metabolism |
The chemical processes in the body that convert food into energy. |
| Micros |
Micronutrients; vitamins and minerals that are in various foods. |
| Negative Reps |
Performing only the eccentric part of an exercise, like bringing the weight down again form a bench press. A spotter is useful here to prevent injury and help rack. |
| One Rep Max |
The highest amount of weight you can lift successfully in a single repetition. |
| Personal Best / PB |
A personal record of achievement for anything you try and do. |
| Plateau |
A period during which progress in physical fitness or performance levels off, often requiring changes to the exercise routine. |
| Plyometrics |
Exercises that involve rapid contraction and extension of muscles, enhancing power and explosiveness. |
| Progression |
Gradual increase in the intensity, duration, or complexity of exercise to promote ongoing improvement. |
| Progressive Overload |
Performing sets and reps to cause your muscles to go into hypertrophy and grow further. |
| Pyramid Sets |
The inverse of drop sets, with the weight getting higher ever round with decreasing reps. |
| Repetition (Rep) |
The number of times a specific exercise is performed in a set. |
| Reps |
Abbreviation for repetitions, indicating the number of times an exercise is performed in a set. |
| Resistance Training |
Exercise that uses resistance, such as weights or resistance bands, to build strength, tone muscles, and improve endurance. |
| Resting Heart Rate |
The number of heartbeats per minute when the body is at complete rest, indicating cardiovascular fitness. |
| Set |
A group of repetitions performed consecutively during weightlifting or strength training. |
| Spotter |
Someone supporting your weight lifting by physically helping you in case of need or even racking weights for you. |
| Stability Ball |
A large, inflatable ball used for core strengthening exercises and stability training. |
| Static Stretching |
Stretching exercises that involve holding a position to elongate a muscle and improve flexibility. |
| Strength Training |
Exercise designed to improve muscle strength, endurance, and size through resistance. |
| Superset |
Performing two exercises back-to-back with little to no rest in between, often targeting opposing muscle groups. |
| Tabata |
A form of HIIT consisting of 20 seconds of intense exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated for four minutes. |
| Target Heart Rate |
The optimal heart rate range during aerobic exercise for maximizing cardiovascular benefits. |
| Tempo |
The pace at which and exercise is done ie 3111 is 3 second eccentric, one second pause, one second concentric and one second pause before next rep. |
| Time Under Tension |
How long your muscles are under strain from a contraction due to exercise. |
| VO2 Max |
The maximum amount of oxygen a person can utilize during intense exercise, indicating aerobic capacity. |
| Volume |
The amount of training you undergo rather than the weight at which you train. |
| Watts |
A unit of power used in exercise, particularly in activities like cycling, to measure the rate of energy expenditure. |
| Weight Training |
Lifting weights or using weighted exercises to reach your workout goals. |
| Workout Splits |
The plan you use to split up your workouts long term. Examples include push-pull legs or compound from/back splits. |
| Yoga |
A mind-body practice combining physical postures, breath control, and meditation for flexibility and relaxation. |
