When I wanted to start working out, I was immediately struck by the number of fitness terms I didn’t understand. “Plyometrics”, “HIIT”, “muscle confusion” and “afterburn”. After a bit of Googling and asking my friends that frequent the gym a lot of questions, I finally feel like I’ve built up a base vocabulary for talking about working out. I wanted to share some of the most common terms and explain them in a simple way for anyone else that might be confused when thinking of diving into fitness.
- Sets & Reps (repetitions)
A rep refers to a single movement of any exercise. Sets refer to the number of times you complete your repetitions.
Example: If you are doing jumping jacks for 3 sets of 15 reps, that means you do 15 jumping jacks, take a break. That completes one set. Then you repeat two more times for a total of 3 sets. - Superset
A superset is a when you perform one set of an exercise, immediately followed by a set of a different exercise with no rest in between.
Example: You do 15 reps of squats, immediately followed by 20 reps of leg curls. Take a short rest. And repeat. - Plyometrics (or “plyo”)
Plyo generally refers to jump training that is mixed with speed. The goal is usually to improve speed, power, coordination, and agility.
Example: Box jumps, broad jumps, vertical jumps, ladder drills, and skipping rope are different types of plyometrics. - Interval Training
Training that takes of the form of periods of intense work, followed by low exertion or rest. The length of the periods and exercises may vary and the entire workout length can vary.
Example: 30 seconds of burpees followed by 15 sit-ups. - HIIT
HIIT, or High-Intensity Interval Training, is a type of interval training where you go all out during the periods of work, then follow up with short periods of active recovery. The entire HIIT workouts typically last less than 30 minutes.
Example: Sprint at 100% capability for 30 seconds, then slow jog for 20 seconds. - Muscle Confusion
Basically, this is adding variety into your workouts. The idea is to not always do the same thing when you workout so that your muscles don’t get used to your routine. The goal is to avoid a plateau and keep asking your body to adapt to new workouts.
Example: Change your lifting routine by introducing new workouts or changing the sets & reps. - Afterburn
We all know we burn calories during our workout. But did you know that the work you put in during a workout actually causes you to burn more calories later? This is afterburn. If you are interested in the science behind afterburn, check out this article. - Abduction & Adduction
Abduction is the movement of the body part away from your body’s midline. So in contrast, adduction is the movement of a body part toward your body’s midline.
Example: Moving your arms from your sides to be up to your shoulder height is an abduction. Bringing your arms back down from your shoulders to your sides is adduction. - Bodyweight Training
No equipment required! This is training that uses just the weight of your body for resistance. Moreover, it is a great training style for when you are traveling and don’t have access to a gym!
Example: push-ups, lunges, and planks - Fitspo
Fitness inspiration. Often you’ll see this term on social media along with some image that is supposed to inspire you to reach your fitness goals - Swole
Short for swollen. This usually describes someone who is really muscular.
Not only has working out been a journey for me but learning the lingo has been a work in progress. While this list doesn’t cover everything, hopefully, it helps you on your way to becoming more comfortable with fitness language. Are there any particular words you’ve frequently heard but didn’t know the meaning of? Let me know in the comments!
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