Gym jargon: your definitive guide
Ever feel confused by gym jargon? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
One of the great things about personal training is that you don’t have to figure out all this stuff on your own – it’s one of the many perks of a private personal training studio like Ellie’s Gym.
“You’ll feel like you’ve learned a whole new language…. ”
But whether you’re keen to stay one step ahead of the game, or there are a few pieces of terminology you just can’t quite get your head around, we’ve got your back. And your head.
We’ve rounded up some of the most common gym jargon that you’re likely to hear, and deciphered it all for you. You’ll feel like you’ve learned a whole new language….
Reps –
this is simply a shortened way of saying ‘repetitions’, and it means one completion of a single exercise and returning to your starting position. For example, doing one squat by lowering your hips and then returning to standing would be considered one rep.
Sets –
think of these as happy little families of reps. One rep on its own is unlikely to do a lot, so you will often work in sets, which are a collection of reps executed one after the other without rest. For example, you might perform 10 squats in a row – that’s a set of 10.
Free weights –
these are the pieces of weighted equipment you’ll find neatly lined up in perfect rows at Ellie’s Gym. Free weights are moved purely by the person training with them, rather than as part of a machine. Examples of free weights would be dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells….
Dumbbell –
these are some of the most useful and versatile bits of kit you’ll find in the gym. Their exact design can vary by brand, but they are essentially small bars that fit into your hand, with equally weighted plates built into either end. Dumbbells come in a huge range of weights, from as little as 1kg up to 50kg – or even more – and can be used for a vast number of different exercises.
Barbell –
the dumbbell’s big brother. These come in the same shape as a dumbbell, but with a much longer bar, and are designed to be lifted using two hands. Some of them are fixed – the plated weights are built into either end – and others are compiled of a single bar, to which you can attach plates of varying weights.
Kettlebell –
ah, another member of the bell family. Think of the kettlebell as the kooky cousin, the one you probably either love or hate. As the name suggests, it’s a free weight shaped a bit like one of those retro kettles, with a chunky body and a handle over the top. These can be lifted using one hand, or two placed close together, such as in kettlebell swings.
Circuit training –
a common way to structure a strength workout, this involves moving through a set of ‘stations’. You’ll perform a set of one exercise, followed by a set of another, and so on. Once you’ve finished each one, you’ve completed a round, and these rounds can then be repeated. For example, a very simple circuit session might involve 15 squats, 10 lunge jumps, 15 press-ups and 10 deadbugs, done one after the other for one ‘round’, that is completed four times in total.
HIIT –
gym jargon is full of anagrams, but this is one of the most common. HIIT stands for high intensity interval training, and is a type of workout involving repeated bouts of high intensity effort followed by varied recovery times. The key word here is ‘high’ – we’re talking the sort of thing that gets your heart racing somewhere between 80% and 95% of its maximum, such as sprints.
AMRAP –
this stands for ‘as many reps (or rounds) as possible’. It’s a tough type of workout that generates maximum results in a fairly short amount of time, and involves completing – you guessed it – as many rounds or reps of an exercise within an allotted time. Essentially, this is training against the clock, and it’s a lot of fun.
DOMS –
ah, the fitness side dish nobody ordered. DOMS stands for delayed onset muscle soreness, and refers to that ache you’ll likely feel the day after a great workout. This is not the same as soreness or pain that might develop during the session itself, but is instead a normal response to the exertion placed on your muscles, and generally nothing to worry about. DOMS typically makes itself known 24-72 hours after exercise, and goes away after a couple of days.
Plyometric –
this type of training is all about improving your strength, speed and power by training using fast, explosive movements. In the gym, this often means different types of jumps – think squat jumps, lunge jumps and box jumps – although plyometrics can be applied to other movements too, such as press-ups.
Tabata –
no, not a spicy sauce, although these workouts are pretty spicy, and proof that you can achieve more in four minutes than you ever thought possible. Tabata is a form of HIIT training, involving very short, very intense bursts of exercise – usually 20 seconds – followed by an even shorter (sorry) period of total rest – usually 10 seconds. This format is repeated eight times to complete one Tabata circuit of four minutes, which itself can be repeated if desired (with a longer rest in between four-minute rounds). It’s a way of packing a hugely intense workout into a very short space of time.
PB –
peanut butter, Paddington Bear, and in the context of your training session, personal best. This is a piece of gym jargon everyone should use, because it’s a great way to monitor your progress and can be applied to any marker of performance, such as time, speed or weight. So, if you managed four minutes on the air bike last week, and this week you do five – congratulations, that’s a new personal best and something to jump up in the air and shout about (DOMS dependent, of course).
Callisthenics –
a form of strength training that uses your own bodyweight as resistance, rather than added free weights or machines. Think squats, press-ups, lunges and dips – all those good things.
Superset –
these will make you feel like superwoman (or superman). The term refers to two sets, each of a different exercise, performed back to back with no rest in between. Your trainer will usually pair exercises from two different groups together, for example an upper body with a lower body one, or a “pushing” move with a “pulling” move – think press-ups followed by bicep curls.
Compound exercises –
these bad boys are the best multi-taskers around. They’re exercises that recruit multiple different muscle groups, all at the same time. Performing these is the most efficient way to build muscle and improve strength, and the great thing is – you’re probably already doing lots of them. Examples include deadlifts – which use your back, hamstrings, glutes, core and upper body all at the same time – and squats, which recruit your quads, lower back, glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors and core.
Isolation exercises –
these are the opposite of compound exercises. They’re specialists in their area, so to speak, because they are moves that work a single muscle, such as bicep curls. They’re pretty useful too, for building strength in particular areas, and especially when it comes to correcting muscular imbalances.