80+ Helpful Fitness Terms To Know As A Beginner
This post shows you 80+ beginner fitness terms to know!
When you first start working out, one thing I know that can be especially overwhelming, is the amount of ‘GYM LINGO’ there is to learn!
But never fear! I’ve put together this comprehensive list of commonly used workout terms below, that will help you feel like a more confident gym newbie from the GET-GO!
And remember, you don’t need to learn every single bit of fitness ‘slang’ when you are just starting out, but even knowing a few helpful words and abbreviations can be useful!
Commonly Used Fitness Terms
Here are 80+ bits of fitness terminology to help you build your knowledge up!
Nos
1RM – the MOST amount of weight you can lift on any exercise with good technique for just ONE repetition.
A
ACCESSORY EXERCISES – these are exercises that will supplement and help improve your main compound movements. We usually do compound movements first, then our accessory exercises to compliment them!
ACTIVE RECOVERY DAY – this is the term we use to refer to those days where we perform lower-impact exercise, such as walking, yoga or even mobility work. It gives our body a break from our heavy lifting or intense workouts & helps recovery.
AEROBIC EXERCISE – this type of exercise (also known as cardio), will help strengthen your heart and lungs. Some examples are walking, running, cycling or dancing!
AGILITY – the ability/skill to be able to change direction or velocity quickly.
AGONIST – the muscle that brings about the most movement in an exercise & contracts is called the Agonist or Prime Mover.
AMRAP – as many rounds as possible of chosen exercises in a prescribed amount of time.
ANTAGONIST – the muscle that slows down or stops the movement of the agonist muscle during an exercise.
ANAEROBIC EXERCISE – Any exercise which breaks down glucose for energy without the presence of oxygen. Usually characterized as short, intense bursts of exercise. Examples are hill sprints and weight lifting!
B
BILATERAL – This term refers to an exercise where we are utilizing both sides of the body to perform the movement – eg; a barbell squat, bench press or dumbbell row.
BARBELL – those long metal looking things at the gym – those are barbells! We can lift them on their own (they’re usually either 15kg or 20kg) or we can load weight plates on each end to make an exercise heavier.
C
CLOSED GRIP – This is simply a common way to grip the barbell with all the fingers and thumb tightly wrapped around it.
CIRCUIT TRAINING – performing several exercises in a row with minimal rest periods (20-30 seconds).
COMPOUND MOVEMENTS – exercises that recruit several muscle groups at one time & is usually given priority at the start of a workout.
CONCENTRIC – when a concentric muscle action occurs, your muscle contracts and shortens. An example would be when you are squeezing your bicep on a curl.
COOL DOWN – a Cool-Down is normally incorporated at the end of a workout, to help your body relax and recover from the exercises you’ve just done. It can be as long as you wish, and usually involves static stretching.
D
DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – the soreness you feel in the few days post weight training session!
DUMBBELL – Dumbbells will usually sit all together on a rack in the gym, from lightest to heaviest. They are designed for you to be able to use for many different exercises – they have a small metal bit in the middle which you hold onto & then two weights either end. They’re a really versatile piece of equipment & great for a home gym too.
DURATION – refers to the length of time of a training session or an exercise itself.
DYNAMIC STRETCH – a stretch that mimics an exercise you are about to do, to prepare the body for that activity & move through its range of motion.
E
ECCENTRIC – when an eccentric muscle action occurs, your muscle is lengthening. This usually happens on the lowering phase of an exercise. Example would be when you are lengthening the arms out on a bicep curl.
EXERCISE PROGRESSION – A progression of an exercise is basically another variation you can to do work towards achieving a certain movement, that may suit your abilities better.
F
FITNESS – the ability to meet the demands of your environment or a certain task.
FLEXIBILITY – the range of motion in or about a joint. Ability to move joints through a good range of motion.
FOAM ROLLING – this is a form of self-myofascial release (like self-massage), which you can do with a piece of equipment called a foam roller. You can do it at the start or end of a workout.
FREE WEIGHTS – This normally refers to equipment such as barbells, dumbbells or kettlebells. ie; weights that are not fixed to a machine or certain spot!
FREQUENCY – the number of training sessions you do per week or number of times you train a certain muscle group.
FRONTAL PLANE EXERCISES – these are any exercises in which you move from side to side (or up & down). eg. side lunges or lateral raises.
H
HOOK GRIP – A hook grip says that it’s a pronated (palms facing the lifter) grip in which the thumb is trapped between the bar and usually the first and second fingers, depending on hand size. (Source: Catalyst Athletics)
HYPERTROPHY TRAINING – put simply, this is a way of training with weights that will increase your muscle mass and size.
I
INTENSITY – the intensity of a session or exercise refers to how hard it was, how much effort you put in.
INTERVAL TRAINING – a method of training which utilizes defined intervals of exercise & rest periods.
ISOLATION EXERCISE – an exercise that is focused around only one muscle group or joint.
ISOMETRIC EXERCISE – an exercise in which the muscle produces tension whilst staying contracted (or at the same length.) eg. plank
L
LOAD – simply refers to the amount of weight lifted in an exercise.
O
OVERTRAINING – put simply, this means training excessively without adequate rest, recovery etc. Can lead to lower performance, injury & illness.
P
PERIODIZATION – a training design strategy that aims to achieve progression over time from an exercise program.
PLYOMETRIC EXERCISES – exercises which require you to use maximum exertion and power to perform. They will help will improve your power, speed, endurance and athletic performance. Example are Depth Jumps, Box Jumps, Skater Jumps.
PR – personal record for weight lifted in an exercise. Also can be called PB – personal best.
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD – progressively placing gradual & greater stress on the body during an exercise or training session eg; adding more weight.
PRONE POSITION – a prone exercise is one where you are facing downwards to the floor.
PYRAMID SET – a style of weight training where you start with lower weight & do higher reps, then gradually start to increase the weight and lower the reps – like a pyramid!
R
RECOVERY – the time needed to recuperate from training & repair the damage caused by exercising.
REPS – simply refers to the number of repetitions of an exercise.
RESISTANCE TRAINING – is any form of physical activity designed to strengthen the body by using external resistance. Often called strength training or weight training.
REST PERIOD – the amount of time it takes or is prescribed to recover adequately between exercises or sets. RPE – this stands for Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale. It is a simple tool used to assess the intensity or difficulty of an exercise.
REST DAY – just what it says on the tin – a day where you take complete rest from the gym and don’t do any intense workouts. They are super important for the repair and recovery of your muscles, and for your relationship with exercise.
S
SAGITTAL PLANE EXERCISE – any exercise in which you move straight forward or backwards. Most gym exercises are sagittal plane movements. Eg; front lunges, running on the treadmill, bicep curls.
SETS – a set is just the amount of rounds you must do of an exercise. Sets are used to structure a good exercise routine. Within each set you will have your reps.
SINGLE JOINT EXERCISE – an exercise which only involves one primary joint.
SPLIT ROUTINE – an exercise program which involves training different muscle groups on different days.
STATIC STRETCH – a stretch which is performed slowly, with no movement & usually held for 15-30 seconds in the end position.
SUPERSET – a pair of exercises performed together with little or no rest in between. Normally involving two opposing muscle groups. eg; bicep curls paired with tricep pushdowns.
SUPINE – any exercise where you are lying facing upwards.
SYNERGIST – a muscle which works in concert with another muscle to assist in movement.
T
TEMPO – put simply, how quickly you lift a weight or move through an exercise.
TRANVERSE PLANE – an exercise which involves rotational or twisting movements. Can also include shoulder & hip movements. eg; bench press, push up, russian twists.
TRI-SET – this is when you perform 3 exercises back to back in a ‘tri’-set.
U
UNILATERAL EXERCISES – these are movements that utilize one side of the body at a time. Eg. a Single-Leg Deadlift or a Single-Arm Row! Really you are just using one arm or leg at a time!
V
VOLUME – can refer to the total amount of weight lifted during a session.
W
WARM-UP – a warm-up is performed at the beginning of a workout, before you start your strength training. It helps get the body and muscles prepared for exercise. It can include a cardio machines, dynamic stretches or even foam rolling.
WEIGHT PLATE – you know those round or circular weights at the gym? I call them ‘heavy circles 😂’. Those are weight plates! You will most likely use them to load weight onto your barbell. However you can use them as weights in their own right too!
Additional Useful Abbreviations To Know
Maybe you’ve got a new workout program & you notice that there are some weird abbreviations here and there!
Never fear, I’ve got you covered on those as well!
Here are some of the most popular abbreviations for workout terms and what they mean:
BW – Bodyweight
When you see BW written, this simply means you will do an exercise just using your bodyweight – no equipment required! Such exercises that require just your bodyweight are Push-Ups, BW Squats or even Pull-Ups!
BB – Barbell
And if you see ‘BB’ that means you use a barbell for that exercise 🙂
RDL – Romanian Deadlift
This is a hip/hinge movement that we can do with a barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell. It mainly helps strengthen the hamstrings, glutes & hip musculature.
SL – Single-Leg
Single-Leg exercises are important to help strengthen both sides individually & challenge your balance, core muscles & even you co-ordination too. Examples of ‘SL’ exercises are the SL Deadlift, Step-Ups or SL Glute Bridge.
SA – Single-Arm
Similarly, Single-Arm exercises are those in which we lift with one arm at a time. Again this helps strengthen each arm individually, helping to balance out your muscles & improve stability. Such exercises are SA Shoulder Press, SA Row or the SA Dumbbell Chest Press.
DB – Dumbbell
If you see ‘DB’ it just means you use a dumbbell for that exercise!
PB – Personal Best
Your ‘PB’ is simply the heaviest weight you have lifted for an exercise. It could also be the longest time you’ve performed an exercise or the most reps you’ve done too!
PR – Personal Record
This is really the same as Personal Best, just another way of putting it!
AMRAP – As Many Rounds As Possible
In an AMRAP workout, you will do as many rounds as you can of a pre- prescribed set of exercises in the allocated time frame. It’s really to get you working as hard as you can in a short period of time.
HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training
Repeated bouts of short to moderate duration exercise completed at an intensity that is greater than the anaerobic threshold (Laursen & Jenkins 2002). Can improve metabolic function and cardiorespiratory fitness.
EMOM – Every Minute On The Minute
This term refers to a workout or a prescribed set of exercises, that you begin at the start of each minute. Normally if you finish the exercises before the start of the next minute, that will be your rest period.
1RM – 1 Rep Max
Put simply, this is the heaviest amount of weight that you can lift for just ONE REP of a certain exercise.
DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
After a heavy lifting session or even doing a new exercise, you may feel soreness in your muscles the day or two after your workout! This is what we call Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS!
LISS – Low Intensity Steady State (Cardio)
This type of cardio is performed at a ‘low intensity’ for longer periods of time. Think jogging, swimming or walking.
RPE – Rate Of Perceived Exertion
This scale measures the intensity of your workout or lift. It runs from 0-10, 0 being super easy, 10 being the most difficult.
RIR – Reps In Reserve
How many reps you have left ‘in the tank’ or how many more reps you could do before you LITERALLY cannot do anymore lol.
ROM – Range Of Motion
Your ROM is really how far you can move your joints and muscles in various directions.
SS – Superset
A superset describes when you perform two different exercises back to back, with little or no rest in between.
KB – Kettlebell
This is a large cast iron bell-shaped weight with an easy to grip handle at the top. Can be used for a whole host of different exercises for example – Kettlebell Swings, Kettlebell Deadlifts, Kettlebell Rows or Kettlebell Windmills.
WOD – Workout Of The Day
Simply put this is a term used to describe the daily workout routine of that day. Often used in Crossfit or Bigger Gyms.
TUT – Time Under Tension
Time Under Tension will simply refer to the length of time a muscle is held under tension or resistance during an exercise. TUT can be utilized on the concentric or eccentric portion of the movement.
SM – Smith Machine
This is a machine in the gym which has a fixed barbell attached to it, which allows on vertical movement (up and down). Can be used for various lower body & upper body exercises.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it!
I hope that by reading this post, you now feel a bit more confident with popular workout terms & gym lingo!
Feel free to BOOKMARK this page or PIN IT so you can check back on it anytime you like!
Jane 🌞✨💞
Ps. This is my FIRST blog post – woohoo! Keep checking back here as I aim to add 2-3 new blog posts each week, mainly focused on learning how to lift weights & working out at home!
PIN THIS POST FOR LATER! 📌✨☁️
Disclaimer: The information provided on this website by Jane Rafferty (Strong With Jane), is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is simply for educational & informational purposes. If you have any queries regarding any injuries, health conditions, or other physical limitations please seek the advice of you doctor or another qualified health professional.
