Gym Slangs

I have included some Workout Terms, Body Parts, Training words in this article. If you want to appear as a familiar one, then you should learn these words before hitting the gym. 

Reps:

Refers to one complete movement of one exercise.

Sets:

Refers to number of reps performed in a row.

Forced Reps: 

These are extra repetitions at the end of a set that require the help of a spotter. 

1RepMax (1RM): 

Refers to the amount of load you can lift for only one rep, and no more.

Failure: 

Refers to the point at which you can't lift another rep with proper form. 

Super Set:

It is two exercises performed back-to-back with little to no rest for the opposing (antagonist) body parts, like biceps and triceps.

Compound Super Set: 

It is two exercises performed back-to-back with little rest for the same body part. 

Giant Set: 

It is three or more lifts performed back-to-back with minimal rest.

Drop Set:

In a drop set, you start with a weight (say, 25 pounds) and lift to failure, then you grab a lower weight (say, 20 pounds) and lift to failure again, effectively extending the set. You can drop the weight multiple times in a drop set.

Circuit: 

A sequence of exercises that is done with little or no rest in between the sets.

Isolation Movement: 

Any exercise or movement that places stress on a single muscle or muscle group. Example: Bench Press.

Compound Movement:

Any exercise or movement that places stress on several muscle or muscle group. Example: Squat. 

Plateau:

If you are doing lot of efforts in the gym and still you are not getting results, it means you have hit a plateau.

Pecs: 

Short for pectoral muscles (chest).

Lats: 

Short for latissimus dorsi (back).

Traps: 

Short for trapezius muscles, which span across the neck, shoulders and upper back. 

Delts: 

Shoulders. You can work the front, middle and rear deltoids.

Quads: 

Quadriceps (front of the thighs).

Hams: 

Hamstrings (back of the thighs).

Glutes: 

Short for gluteas maximus – a much nicer way to say “butt”.

Core: 

Refers to your trunk – your low back, mid back, abdominals, obliques and stabilizers.

Slip N’ Slide: 

Refers to the person who sweats on a bench and doesn’t think they need to wipe it up. 

 “Can I get a spot?”

It means someone is asking you to help him do an exercise with an amount of weight he is nervous about.

“Hey bro! Can I work in?”

The guy just wants to use the machine you are on. 

“What are you lifting today?"

For those following a split training routine, the question is what muscle group are you going to work today. 

Gym Essentials: Items You Need In Your Gym Bag

Is that empty gym bag staring you in the face? Fill it with these gym bag fundamentals, and carry the basics of fitness with you wherever you go!

Your gym bag should be your fitness "bag of tricks." Although every gym bag is unique, and will probably reflect the fitness goals and personality of the person who carries it, every bag should have a few essentials. These fitness must-haves are perfect for anyone and any goal.

No more going to the gym empty-handed! Fill your bag with these items and set yourself up for a more productive workout. Whether you're just starting out or have been in the trenches for years, you'll benefit from a bag stocked for your success.

1. Quality Workout Threads:

Without good training clothes, your workout is probably going to be less than satisfactory. So, if you hit the gym after work, remember to pack some breathable, well-fitted clothing.

2 . Good Shoes:

If you're an advanced lifter, you may prefer lifting shoes to traditional cross-trainers or running shoes. Whatever choice you make, make sure it provides the support you need for the type of training you will do. Box jumps or running in sandals would turn out even worse than it would look.

3. Shaker Bottle:

A gym bag isn't complete unless it contains a quality shaker bottle. You can use it for your all of your refreshment needs. It can hold your pre- and intra-workout supplements, water, or shake up your post-workout protein. Be sure to grab a good shaker bottle so you end up with a protein that's easy to drink instead of some nasty, clumpy mixture you have to choke down.

4. Gym Gloves:

Wearing weight lifting gloves is a personal choice. Some people swear by them and would not go to the gym without their weight lifting gloves. Others claim they interfere with their workout. You should consider the pros and cons of weight lifting gloves before making your decision.

 

·        Grip

Weight lifting gloves improve your grip on weights. Hands get sweaty during a workout. When they do, your hands can slip. This can be annoying if you are doing pull ups and keep falling off the bar. It is also dangerous if you are holding heavy weights over your body. Weight lifting gloves make workouts safer.

·        Calluses and Blisters

Lifting weights over long periods of time results in calluses and blisters on the hands. Some people find these unattractive and use weight lifting gloves to preserve the appearance of their hands. Even those people who do not mind tough hands can still benefit from weight lifting gloves. A tiny blister can prevent a weight lifter from using his hands that day. Weight lifting gloves prevent blisters.

·        Pressure

Weight lifting gloves relieve pressure placed on your hands when lifting heavy weights. This allows you to move beyond the limitations of your hands. The chest and back muscles on most people can handle much more weight than their naked hands can support. Weight lifting gloves increase the pressure capacity on your hands.

·        Wrist Support

Most weight lifting gloves also wrap around your wrists. This provides valuable support for the wrists while they support heavy weights. The material of the glove acts like extra ligaments and tendons while the wrist is bent backward. Weight lifting gloves help prevent wrist injuries in the gym.

·        Increased Lift

Weight gloves with wrist straps can make you stronger. They do this by distributing the weight being lifted across the forearms instead of making your fingers hold it all. This is especially effective in pulling exercises like deadlifts or upright rows. Weight gloves with wrist straps allow you to lift much more weight than you could with just your hands.

5 . Towel:

Sweating is normal—especially in the gym! But nobody wants to sit in your sweat. Bring a towel to wipe down the equipment after you finish using it, or simply to keep your sweat to yourself.

6. Workout Log:

A workout log is absolutely essential to consistent progress. Use your workout journal to record sets, reps, weights, and rest. You need to know how much you lifted in past workouts to lift more in future workouts. A gym log is an essential tool for anyone trying to build their best self. Be sure to track every session!

A Guide to the Weightlifting Room

 Dumbbells:

You are probably familiar with this weightlifting room staple, but dumbbells are very versatile and great for isolation exercises. If you are looking to build strength in specific muscles or muscle groups, dumbbells are your best choice.

A few suggestions for dumbbell exercises are alternating bicep curls, lateral raises, and triceps kickbacks.

Weight Plates:

These were originally designed to be put on the ends of barbells (covered below). However, weight plates are also great for making bodyweight exercises more difficult. For example: placing a plate on your back while holding a plank position, or holding a plate overhead during lunges.

Barbells:

There are a few variations of barbells, and you should choose wisely depending on your goals.

Olympic Barbell:

An Olympic barbell is 7 feet long and 45 pounds. It can hold up to 800 pounds of weight. This barbell is the choice for Olympic Lifts. Check out this Olympic Lifting Starter Plan for how-to video tutorials on barbell lifts.

There are also smaller, straight barbells ranging from 4-7 feet, and 20-35 pounds. The smaller barbells are good for exercises such as barbell curls and military presses.

Fixed Weight Barbell:

These are barbells shorter in length, and of a fixed weight. Theoretically, you can use them exactly the same as non-fixed weight barbells. However, it is less common to use fixed weight barbells for Olympic lifts.

Fixed weight barbell exercises include barbell lunges and skull crushers.

EZ-Curl Bar:

This is the funny, wiggly-shaped bar at the gym. Like the name implies, it is designed specifically for curling exercises (mostly biceps). The funny shape actually allows for a more “natural” hand grip when curling, and some say they can curl more weight with an EZ-Curl bar than with a straight barbell. Ez-Curls come as bar-only, and as fixed-weight.

Two exercises you can do with the EZ-Curl bar are spider curls and triceps presses.

Barbell Collar Clips:

If you are going to add plates to your barbell, you must use barbell clips to hold them in place, otherwise they will fall of the ends once you start moving the barbell around.

Benches:

These will probably be scattered throughout the free weights section and have a plethora of uses. There are flat benches, incline benches, and decline benches. “Olympic style” benches mean that there is a barbell rack attached to the bench.

Olympic benches are for barbell exercises, while benches with no racks are generally for dumbbell & bodyweight exercises.

Flat Bench:

These benches are the most versatile, and can be used to support you in a huge variety of exercises.

To give you a few ideas, flat benches can be used for Bulgarian split squats, bench triceps dips, decline push ups, chest presses, dumbbell rows, and more.

Incline Bench:

These benches are for performing exercises while you sit, the advantage being back support.

Exercises you can do on the incline bench includes shoulder presses, incline bench presses, and dumbbell flys.

Decline Bench:

These are benches for performing exercises during which your head is below your feet.

Exercises include decline sit ups and decline triceps extensions.

Olympic Bench:

These are most commonly used for bench presses. However, some Olympic benches are adjustable to be incline and decline, as well as flat. On those Olympic benches you have more choices for exercises, such as incline military presses or decline bench presses.

 Hyper Extension Bench aka Roman Chair:

This confusing looking bench is for strengthening your core & back muscles. Use this bench by hooking your feet around the rollers, and resting your thighs on the padding, so that your torso hangs off the bench (here is a picture of how to sit on the roman chair).

You can do GHD sit ups or back extensions on the roman chair.

Preacher Bench:

This is a bench with an angled pad for you to rest your upper arms on for stability during bicep exercises. You can use either dumbbells or a barbell for bicep curls on the preacher bench.

Squat Rack:

The squat rack is for squatting, obviously. The basic squat rack will have pegs on the side for holding plates, hooks for storing the barbell, and two spotter “arms”. The spotter arms are there the catch the weight in case you fail on a squat.

However, along with back, front, and overhead squats, it is also socially acceptable at the gym to use the squat rack as a station for deadlifts, cleans, thrusters, and other Olympic lifts. To do lifts other than squats, simply back out of the range of the spotter arms. Keep in mind that if you do so, you must be much more careful because there is no spotter if you drop the barbell.

Power Rack:

The power rack is probably the single most versatile piece of equipment at the gym. A good power rack will include a pull up bar, dip bars, and spotter arms/hooks that are adjustable. This is a big deal because unlike the fixed spotters of the squat rack, spotters that are adjustable to any height for any exercise means you can safely do almost every heavy lift alone.

Any barbell exercise can be done in the power rack, but it is considered “rude” to do isometric exercises (such as bicep curls) in the rack. The power rack should be used for heavy, multi-joint lifts that require a spotter.

Smith Machine:

The Smith machine is a cross between a machine and a free weight barbell. It is a barbell that slides on a fixed rail, and can lock into certain places on the track. there is a simple J-hook locking mechanism that acts as a spotter. The Smith machine is good for exercises in which the barbell moves only along the vertical plane. For instance, this would be a horrible choice for practicing snatches, but a good choice for bench presses.

Captains Chair:

Any good gym should have at least two of these. A captains chair will have a pull up bar, dip bars, and back & arm padding (the “chair” part) for leg raises. Here is a picture of how to use the captains chair for leg raises.

Pull Up / Dip Station:

These are less common in gyms, as there are usually multiple other pieces of equipment with pull up and dip bars attached. However, if you see an object like this, it is for pull ups and dips.

Introduction to the Gym:

If you like variety among your workouts, then the gym is the place for you. Different gyms will have different features, however, most will include the following sections:

Cardio machines: These will help you improve your cardiovascular fitness through sustained, low-intensity aerobic exercise.

·         Common cardio machines include: Ellipticals, treadmills, stair climbers, and rowing machines.

·         HIIT Workouts are some of the most effective cardio workouts for losing weight.

·         Ladder Workouts are great for building endurance & stamina.

·         A 15-minute Beginner Treadmill Running Workout.

Weight machines: These are great for helping beginners build muscle when starting at ground zero. The daily routine workouts with good proteins intake are helpful in building muscles.

Free weights: A step-up in difficulty from weight machines, free weights are used in strength training.

·        Whole Body Free Weight Workout: Do 3 sets of 10 reps at your max weight for a full workout. Some of the workouts are…,

·        Squats , Hanging leg raise , Pull ups.

Aerobics classes and studio: A fun, instructor-led way to burn calories, increase flexibility, and tone muscles.

·         Common aerobics classes include: Pilates, Yoga, Step, Kickboxing, Boot Camp, Zumba, and Cycling.