Glossary
Every term, defined.
76 terms covering lifting, nutrition, programming and the rest. Click any term for the full definition, context, and related terms.
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A
B
Barbell
A barbell is a long bar (usually 20 kg / 45 lb) loaded with plates on each end.
BMR
BMR is basal metabolic rate — the calories your body burns at rest to keep you alive.
Body fat percentage
Body fat percentage is the proportion of your bodyweight that is fat rather than lean tissue.
Bro split
A bro split is a training split where each muscle group gets its own day, typically over 5 sessions a week.
Bulk
A bulk is a phase of eating in a calorie surplus to build muscle.
C
Cable machine
A cable machine uses pulleys to apply resistance through a cable rather than a free weight.
Calorie deficit
A calorie deficit is eating fewer calories than you burn, which makes the body use fat for energy.
Calorie surplus
A calorie surplus is eating more calories than you burn, so your body has fuel to build muscle.
Cardio
Cardio is exercise that raises your heart rate and trains the cardiovascular system.
Compound lift
A compound lift is a multi-joint exercise that works several muscles at once.
Concentric
The concentric phase is the shortening part of a lift — when the muscle contracts to move the weight.
Cut
A cut is a phase of eating in a calorie deficit to lose body fat while keeping muscle.
D
Deload
A deload is a planned week of reduced training volume or intensity to allow the body to recover.
DOMS
DOMS is delayed onset muscle soreness — the dull soreness that peaks 24 to 72 hours after training.
Double progression
Double progression is a simple progression pattern: add reps within a rep range, then add weight when you hit the top.
Drop set
A drop set is a working set followed immediately by lighter sets, with no rest, to extend the effort past failure.
Dumbbell
A dumbbell is a short, hand-held weight used one in each hand.
E
F
H
I
K
L
M
Macros
Macros are macronutrients — protein, carbohydrate, and fat. The three nutrients that provide calories.
Maintenance calories
Maintenance calories are the daily calories at which your bodyweight stays the same.
Mechanical tension
Mechanical tension is the force a muscle generates against resistance during a lift.
Mesocycle
A mesocycle is a multi-week training block, typically 4 to 12 weeks, focused on one goal.
Metabolic stress
Metabolic stress is the buildup of metabolic byproducts like lactate in a muscle during high-rep work.
Microcycle
A microcycle is a short training cycle, usually one week — the building block of a mesocycle.
Mind-muscle connection
Mind-muscle connection is deliberately focusing on contracting the target muscle during a lift.
Mini-cut
A mini-cut is a short cut, usually 4 to 6 weeks, used to strip fat before continuing a bulk.
Mixed grip
A mixed grip has one palm forward and one palm back — used mainly on heavy deadlifts.
Mobility
Mobility is the ability to move a joint actively through its full range.
Motor unit
A motor unit is a single motor neuron and all the muscle fibres it controls.
Muscle protein synthesis
Muscle protein synthesis is the biological process by which your body builds new muscle protein.
N
O
P
Periodisation
Periodisation is the structured variation of training variables — volume, intensity, exercises — across weeks and months.
Plates
Plates are the round weights you load onto a barbell or weight machine.
Power
Power is the ability to produce force quickly — strength expressed at speed.
PPL
PPL stands for push, pull, legs — a popular workout split organised by movement pattern.
Programme
A programme is a structured training plan — what you do each session, set by set.
Progressive overload
Progressive overload is the principle of gradually doing more work over time — more weight, reps, sets, or better form.
Pronated grip
A pronated grip is an overhand grip — palms facing down or away from you.
Pump
The pump is the temporary swelling of a muscle during training, from blood and fluid being trapped in it.
R
Rack
A rack is the frame that holds a barbell at standing height — used to start squats, presses and similar lifts.
Range of motion
Range of motion is how far a joint moves through a lift, from full stretch to full contraction.
Recomp
Recomp is building muscle and losing fat at the same time, usually at or near maintenance calories.
Rep
A rep is one complete repetition of a lift — lowering the weight and lifting it back.
Rep range
A rep range is a target span of reps for a set — for example, 8 to 12.
Resistance band
Resistance bands are elastic loops that provide increasing resistance as they stretch.
Rest-pause
Rest-pause is a technique where you train to failure, rest 10–20 seconds, then do more reps with the same weight.
RIR
RIR is reps in reserve — how many more reps you could have done before failing.
RPE
RPE is rate of perceived exertion — a 1 to 10 scale of how hard a set felt.
S
Set
A set is a group of consecutive reps performed without resting.
Smith machine
A Smith machine is a barbell fixed to a vertical or near-vertical track.
Spotter
A spotter is someone who stands by during heavy sets to help lift the bar if it stalls.
Sticking point
The sticking point is the hardest part of a lift where the bar is most likely to stall.
Strength
Strength is the ability to produce force — how much weight you can move at all.
Superset
A superset is two exercises performed back to back with no rest between them.
Supinated grip
A supinated grip is an underhand grip — palms facing up or toward you.
T
TDEE
TDEE is total daily energy expenditure — the total calories you burn in a day.
Tempo
Tempo is the speed of a lift — how long each phase (lower, pause, lift, pause) takes.
Time under tension
Time under tension is how long a muscle spends under load during a set.
Training frequency
Training frequency is how many times per week you train a given muscle.
Training volume
Training volume is the total amount of hard work done for a muscle, usually counted as hard sets per week.