Common Gym Terminology

If you’ve never stepped foot into the gym before, or perhaps it’s been longer between visits than you’d like to admit, chances are you’re probably feeling nervous about starting. Sometimes the language used within the gym environment can seem confusing, which then contributes even further to your general feeling of unease and anxiety. That’s why I have put forward a glossary of common terms you’re likely to read written on your next program or hear on your next visit to the gym. This is by no means an exhaustive list of everything you’re likely to see or hear, but it should give you a bit of a head start and hopefully help put you at ease a little so you can focus on getting to work.

Reps – short for repetitions. Refers to the number of times you will complete the prescribed movement/exercise before resting. For example, if your trainer has asked you to perform five push-ups, each push represents one repetition.

Sets – a series of consecutive repetitions. Using the example above, your trainer may ask you to perform three sets of five push-ups (which may be written as 3x5 on your program). This means that you will complete five consecutive push-ups, rest for a determined amount of time, perform another five push-ups, rest, and perform your third and last set of five push-ups.

Weight – the amount of weight (expressed in either kilograms or pounds) you are lifting.

Intensity - refers to how hard you are working, or feel you are working, in the gym. This can be expressed objectively as a percentage of your maximum heart rate (%HR max), repetition max (%1RM), or subjectively as the rate of perceived exertion (RPE). Varying the intensity of your workouts is recommended to avoid injury and illness whilst ensuring you are working hard enough to create change in your body and see progress.

Rest – yep, you guessed it. This refers to the amount of time you take to rest and recover between the end of one set and the beginning of the next set. This time will vary and is dependent on your training goals. Typically speaking, longer rest periods (3-5 minutes) are associated with training for maximal strength and power, whereas much shorter rest periods (30-90 seconds) are more closely aligned with hypertrophy and local muscular endurance goals. Again, this is a very generalised recommendation, and the finer details will be dependent on your training goals, history, medical conditions, etc. which should be discussed with your trainer.

Duration – the length of the individual training session.

Frequency – typically refers to the number of training sessions completed in one week. Overall training frequency will likely impact the duration of the session, the intensity of the session, as well as the exercises/movements performed during the session. To help minimise the likelihood of injury and illness, it is important to factor in adequate rest and recovery to your training program.

1RM – short for repetition maximum (or “rep max”). A 1RM is the most amount of weight you can lift for one repetition only. Likewise, a 3RM or 5RM refers to the most weight you can lift on a particular exercise for three or five reps only. Whilst certainly not necessary when only beginning your weight training journey, knowing your 1, 3 or 5RM is helpful in determining your training intensity for a given exercise, which can be expressed as a %RM.

HR max – refers to your maximum heart rate. The generally accepted formula for determining your maximum heart rate is 220 - your age, however individual differences do exist. In the same way as knowing your 1RM, getting an estimate of your HR max allows you or your trainer to set an appropriate intensity for your workout, which will be dependent on your training goals.

Tempo – refers to the speed in which you perform an exercise, and can appear as a series of three (e.g. 312) or four numbers (e.g. 3121) on your workout program. The first number will always refer to the eccentric (or lowering) portion of the exercise and represents the desired amount of time (in seconds) you take to complete that portion. Using the bench press as an example, this would mean that you take three seconds to lower the bar to your chest from the top (or starting) position with your arms out straight. The second number (in this case, 1) means that you would pause for one second in the bottom position with the bar just above your chest. The third number in the above scenario represents the concentric phase of the lift and the two seconds it should take you to return the bar from your chest back to the starting position. This number may sometimes also be replaced with X (not a number, I know) and this signifies lifting the weight as explosively as you can. The fourth number may not always appear on your program, however in this scenario it represents holding the bar in the starting position for one second before repeating the movement with the same tempo for the desired number of reps.

Time Under Tension – often written as TUT and closely related to the tempo of a given exercise, this refers to the length of time your muscles are placed under tension when lifting a weight. By manipulating the different phases of the exercise (most commonly the eccentric/lowering phase) to extend the time, each repetition and therefore each set will last longer and place your muscles under stress for an increased amount of time. TUT training involves very slow and deliberate repetitions performed in a smooth, controlled manner and adds a layer of difficulty to your workout.

Concentric phase – the portion of the exercise where the target muscle contracts (shortens) as it produces force. In simpler terms, it is most thought of as the “lifting” part of an exercise. Examples include lifting the bar up towards your shoulders during a bicep curl, standing up straight in a squat, or pushing the bar away from you during the bench press.

Eccentric phase – this is the portion of the exercise directly opposite to the concentric phase. This is the portion of the exercise where the muscle lengthens as it resists gravity to lower the weight. This includes the descent back toward the floor in a squat or lowering the bar back to your chest during the bench press in a controlled manner, rather than just letting the weight fall to the ground or crushing your chest. Focusing on the eccentric portion of the exercise instead of only the concentric part by lowering the weight safely and in a controlled manner places your muscles under mechanical tension, which is required to make them bigger and stronger.

Compound exercises – those exercises giving you the most “bang for your buck”. Compound exercises are great in that they can help save time on your workout by targeting multiple muscle groups at the one time. Perhaps the most well-known examples of compound exercises in the gym are the big three – the bench press, squat and deadlift. Using the bench press as an example, it targets not only the major muscle groups such as your chest and shoulders, but also your smaller muscle groups too (the triceps) and requires the use of multiple joints (shoulder, elbow and wrist joints).

Isolation exercises – whilst compound exercises are great for the reasons mentioned above, isolation exercises also have their place in any gym program, especially when it comes to those wanting to build muscle and sculpt their physique. Unlike compound exercises, isolation exercises are those that target one muscle group and generally only involve the use of a single joint. Perhaps the best-known example of an isolation exercise is the bicep curl, targeting the biceps muscles which cross the elbow joint.

Isometric exercises – are those exercises such as planks, wall sits or holding the top of a pull up, whereby the muscle is producing force to perform the exercise without a change in muscle length. What is common in these exercises is that there is not a lifting or lowering portion of the exercise, rather it involves you engaging your muscles to stay in the one position for a set amount of time.

Progressive overload – to see changes in the way your body performs or looks, you need to give it a reason to change, right? The way to ensure your body is being forced to adapt and grow is by applying the appropriate intensity (stress) to your workouts on a consistent basis, and this is achieved via progressive overload. Rather than lifting the same weight on the same exercises for the same amount of reps and sets every single workout, you should aim to progressively challenge yourself by increasing either the weight, reps, sets, range of motion, training frequency or TUT. Alternatively, you can also choose to reduce the rest period in between sets to further challenge yourself. Whilst the training variable/s you choose to manipulate will be dependent on your training goals, the point is that you need to continue raising the bar to elicit the training response that you are after. Please note that this does not mean that you need to change the variables every single session, only that you should do it once you feel the benchmarks you have set for yourself are no longer sufficiently challenging you. Beginners to the gym will often find they are able to make more significant increases to their workouts in relation to the weight on the bar, reps, sets, etc. more regularly than someone who has spent plenty of time in the gym, this is often referred to as “newbie gains”. Take advantage of this phase of your training and enjoy seeing the numbers rise.

PB/PR – “personal best” or “personal record”. There’s not too many better feelings in the gym than when you hit a new PB or PR on a lift. After all, the aim of the game is to keep improving and setting new benchmarks, right? Similarly to the concept of progressive overload, you can probably expect to hit a PB much more regularly when beginning your strength training journey as opposed to your more experienced lifters, but don’t let that discourage you from continuing to show up and put in the work on a regular basis. Your mind and body will thank you for it.

Supinated grip- also known as an underhand grip, it describes the grip you are using when your palms are facing upward or towards you, and your knuckles are facing away from you. This is the grip you use when performing a bicep curl with a barbell.

Pronated grip- opposite to the supinated grip described above. Also known as the overhand grip, a pronated grip often means your palms are facing away from you, such as when performing an overhead press. Sometimes though, it can also mean your palms are facing toward you, such as when using a pronated grip during a deadlift. A pronated grip is the grip you’ll most likely use to perform each of the big compound lifts in the bench press, squat and deadlift.

Neutral grip- the in-between grip. A neutral grip is performed when your palms are facing each other, halfway between supination and pronation. The neutral grip will most often be performed when using dumbbells during a press or curl. Certain attachments on cable machines also allow for the neutral grip to be used.

Now, as I mentioned earlier, this is by no means a comprehensive list of all the terms you’re likely to see or hear if you spend long enough in the gym. However, it is something to help you get started, and hopefully after reading this you can walk in with a bit more confidence than you may have otherwise had. Now get to it and start smashing your goals!