Embarking on your fitness journey or enhancing your gym routine? It's essential to get familiar with the lingo. From workout jargon like 'AMRAP' to nutritional terms like 'macros', understanding these key phrases is vital for your fitness success. This guide is your go-to resource for demystifying the most common gym and nutrition terms, helping you confidently navigate your fitness path.
AMRAP: "As Many Reps/Rounds As Possible" – a workout structure focusing on completing as many repetitions or circuits of a series of exercises within a set time frame.
Sentence: "Today's CrossFit class focused on an AMRAP session of 20 minutes, pushing everyone to their limits."
Ass to Grass: A term used in squat exercises, meaning to squat down as deeply as possible.
Sentence: "When doing squats, I aim for 'ass to grass' to ensure full range of motion and maximum glute activation."
Bulking: A phase in fitness where individuals focus on gaining weight, particularly muscle mass, often through increased calorie intake and strength training.
Sentence: "During his bulking phase, John increased his protein intake and lifted heavier weights."
Cardio: Cardiovascular exercise, which is any form of exercise that raises your heart rate and is key for burning fat and improving heart health.
Sentence: "I like to do 30 minutes of cardio, like running or cycling, after my weightlifting session."
Concentric: The phase of an exercise where the muscle shortens, typically the lifting phase.
Sentence: "The concentric part of a squat is when you push back up to standing position."
Conditioning: A type of physical training designed to improve aspects of fitness such as strength, speed, endurance, and flexibility.
Sentence: "Her weekly routine includes strength training and conditioning exercises."
Cutting: A phase in fitness where the goal is to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass, usually involving a calorie deficit and high-intensity workouts.
Sentence: "After bulking for six months, she started her cutting phase to shed fat and reveal her muscle gains."
Eccentric: The phase of a lift where the muscle lengthens, often the lowering phase of an exercise.
Sentence: "Focusing on the eccentric phase of the lift, like slowly lowering the dumbbell in a bicep curl, can improve strength gains."
EMOM: "Every Minute on the Minute" – a type of workout where you perform a specific task at the start of every minute for a set amount of time.
Sentence: "We did an EMOM workout with 10 burpees at the start of each minute for 15 minutes."
HIIT: High-Intensity Interval Training – a training technique involving short bursts of intense exercise followed by brief periods of rest or lower-intensity exercise.
Sentence: "HIIT sessions are great for burning calories quickly and improving cardiovascular health."
Hypertrophy: Muscle growth achieved through exercise, specifically by stressing and damaging the muscle fibers.
Sentence: "He follows a hypertrophy-focused training program to increase muscle size."
Macros: Short for macronutrients, which include carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, crucial for body function and energy.
Sentence: "Tracking macros is essential in her diet plan to ensure balanced nutrition."
Maintenance: In fitness and nutrition, this refers to maintaining your current body weight and muscle mass through a balanced diet and regular exercise.
Sentence: "After reaching his goal weight, he switched to a maintenance diet to keep his results steady."
Plateau: A stage where progress (in weight loss, muscle gain, etc.) halts despite consistent efforts.
Sentence: "After months of steady progress, he hit a plateau in his weight loss journey."
Pre-workout: A supplement taken before exercising, designed to increase energy, focus, and endurance.
Sentence: "He takes a pre-workout drink to boost his energy levels before hitting the gym."
Reps: Short for repetitions, a rep is one complete motion of an exercise.
Sentence: "She completed 12 reps of squats in each set."
ROM: Range of Motion, the full movement potential of a joint or muscle during exercise.
Sentence: "Improving your ROM can lead to more effective workouts and reduced injury risk."
Sets: In strength training, a set is a series of consecutive repetitions performed without resting.
Sentence: "For today's workout, we're doing four sets of ten reps each for bicep curls."
Spot: To support or assist someone in completing a lift to ensure safety, especially during heavy or challenging exercises.
Sentence: "Can you spot me while I try to bench press my new max weight?"
With this concise glossary of fitness and nutrition terms, you're now better equipped to tackle your health and fitness journey. These terms are your toolkit for a more effective and informed workout and diet plan. Embrace this knowledge and step into your fitness routine with assurance and enthusiasm.
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