Strength training glossary

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) A 1 to 10 score of how hard a set was, where 10 means no more reps were possible and 8 means two were left in the tank. RIR (Reps in Reserve) How many more reps a lifter could have done at the end of a set; 2 RIR means they stopped two reps short of failure. One-rep max (1RM) The heaviest weight a lifter can move for a single rep through the full range of motion with acceptable technique. Training to failure Continuing a set until another rep with good form is impossible, so the last rep completed is the hardest one available that day. Training intensity How heavy the load is relative to a one-rep max, not how hard the session feels. Autoregulation Adjusting the day's load or volume to how the lifter actually performs, using a rule agreed in advance.

Progressive overload Gradually increasing the demand on the body over time, through more weight, reps, sets or better quality, so it keeps adapting. Double progression Add reps inside a rep range first; when every set reaches the top of the range, add weight and start again at the bottom. Linear progression Adding a fixed amount of weight to the bar every session or every week while sets and reps stay the same. Periodization Planning training in phases so volume, intensity and exercises change on purpose over weeks and months instead of staying the same. Undulating periodization (DUP) Varying rep range and load within the week (daily undulating) or from week to week, rather than holding one scheme for a whole block. Block periodization Dividing training into blocks of three to six weeks, each with one main goal, such as volume, then strength, then a peak. Mesocycle A training block of roughly three to six weeks built around one goal and usually ending in a deload. Microcycle The smallest repeating unit of a programme, almost always one week of sessions. Deload week A planned week of reduced training, usually 40 to 60% less volume or load, that clears fatigue while keeping the habit. Training volume The total amount of work done, counted as hard sets per muscle per week, or as sets times reps times load. Training frequency How often a muscle or a lift is trained each week, counted in sessions rather than in total sets. Specificity principle (SAID) The body adapts to the exact demand placed on it, so training has to look like the goal: heavy for strength, longer sets for size, the sport's own pattern. Cumulative fatigue Fatigue that builds across sessions faster than recovery clears it, so performance drops even though each session felt fine. Density training Doing more work in the same time, or the same work in less time, by shortening rests or adding sets inside a fixed window. Strength endurance The ability to keep producing force over many reps or a long time, such as sets of 20 or a loaded carry for distance. Macrocycle The longest planning unit in a training program, usually six months to a year, made up of several mesocycles aimed at one outcome. Linear periodization A periodization model where volume falls and intensity rises steadily across a block, moving from many light reps to few heavy ones. Tapering A planned reduction in training volume before a competition or a test, holding intensity high, so fatigue clears while fitness stays. Peaking The final phase of a training plan, where volume drops and intensity rises so the lifter expresses maximum strength on a chosen date. Overreaching A short planned period of training harder than the body can recover from, followed by rest, so performance rebounds above where it started. Detraining The loss of fitness that follows stopping training, which happens faster for endurance than for strength and faster than most clients expect. Junk volume Sets that add fatigue without adding adaptation, either because they are too easy to stimulate anything or because they sit past the point of useful returns. Effective reps The idea that only the last few reps of a set, the ones performed close to failure, drive most of the growth from that set. Stimulus to fatigue ratio How much adaptation an exercise produces relative to how much recovery it costs, used to decide what belongs in a program and what does not. Training load A single number for how much work a session or a week contained, most simply session RPE multiplied by session length in minutes. Velocity-based training Using bar speed, measured by a device, to set the day's load and to decide when a set should stop. Newbie gains The unusually fast strength and size progress an untrained person makes in their first six to twelve months of training. Training age How many years a client has trained consistently and appropriately, which predicts their rate of progress far better than their calendar age does.

Push pull legs (PPL) A training split that divides the body into pushing muscles, pulling muscles and legs, run over three or six sessions a week. Upper lower split A training split alternating upper-body and lower-body sessions, usually four days a week, giving each half two sessions. Bro split A five-day split training one muscle group per session, so chest, back, shoulders, arms and legs each get one day a week. Full body split A program where every session trains the whole body, usually two or three times a week with a day of rest between sessions. 5x5 workout A beginner strength template built on five sets of five reps on a handful of barbell lifts, adding weight every session. 5/3/1 program Jim Wendler's strength template built on four-week waves of 5, 3 and 1 rep top sets, using percentages of a deliberately understated training max. Texas method A three-day intermediate program that splits the week into one volume day, one light day and one intensity day, progressing weekly instead of every session. Conjugate method The Westside Barbell system of training maximal, dynamic and repetition effort in the same week, rotating the main exercise every one to three weeks. German volume training A hypertrophy method of ten sets of ten reps on one exercise, using about 60 percent of 1RM with a fixed rest period.

AMRAP (As Many Reps or Rounds As Possible) A set or a block in which the lifter does as many reps, or as many rounds, as possible at the given weight or in the given time. EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute) Start a set at the top of every minute; whatever is left of the minute is the rest. Superset Two exercises done back to back with little or no rest between them, then a rest before the next pair. Drop set Take a set to near failure, immediately reduce the weight by 20 to 30%, and continue without rest, once or more. Rest-pause A set taken close to failure, then 10 to 20 seconds of rest, then more reps with the same weight, repeated once or twice. Cluster set One set broken into small groups of reps with short rests inside it, such as 5 reps done as 2, 2 and 1 with 15 seconds between the groups. Tempo The speed of each phase of a rep, written as four numbers in seconds: lowering, pause at the bottom, lifting, pause at the top. Time under tension (TUT) How long a muscle works during a set, which is the reps multiplied by the tempo. Forced reps Reps completed after failure with a spotter lifting just enough of the load to keep the bar moving. Working set A set performed at the prescribed training weight and effort, as opposed to a warm-up set done to prepare for it. Warm-up sets Progressively heavier light sets performed before the working sets, to prepare the joints and rehearse the movement without adding fatigue. Top set The heaviest set of an exercise in a session, usually a single hard set that the rest of the work is built around. Pyramid sets A set structure where weight rises and reps fall across the exercise, or the reverse, instead of every set using the same load. Myo-reps A rest-pause method where one long activation set is followed by several short mini-sets with about 5 breaths of rest between them. Lengthened partials Partial reps performed only in the stretched half of the range, typically added at the end of a set once full reps have failed. Giant set Four or more exercises performed back to back with no rest, usually for the same muscle group or the same region of the body. Post-activation potentiation A short-lived boost in power output that follows a heavy set, used by pairing a heavy lift with an explosive one a few minutes later. Accessory exercise A secondary exercise chosen to support the main lifts, either by building a muscle they depend on or by fixing a specific weak point. Isolation exercise An exercise that moves one joint and loads mainly one muscle, such as a biceps curl, a leg extension or a lateral raise.

Eccentric loading Emphasising the lowering phase of a lift, by slowing it down or loading it heavier than the lifting phase. Isometric contraction Producing force without the muscle changing length: holding a position still, or pushing against something that does not move. Range of motion (ROM) How far a joint moves during an exercise, from the start position to the end and back. Compound exercise A movement that uses more than one joint and muscle group at once, such as a squat, press or row, as opposed to an isolation exercise like a curl. Bracing Tightening the trunk before a lift by breathing into the belly and pushing out against it, so the spine stays stable under load. Static stretching Holding a muscle at length without moving, typically for 30 to 60 seconds, to increase range of motion over time. Ballistic stretching Using bouncing or swinging momentum to force a joint past its normal range, as opposed to holding a position or moving through it under control. Mobility vs flexibility Flexibility is how far a joint can be moved passively; mobility is how far the client can move it themselves, with control, under load.

Sagittal plane The plane that divides the body into left and right halves, containing every movement that travels forward or backward. Frontal plane The plane that divides the body into front and back halves, containing every movement that travels side to side. Transverse plane The plane that divides the body into upper and lower halves, containing every rotational movement. Flexion and extension Flexion closes the angle at a joint and extension opens it, so a biceps curl flexes the elbow on the way up and extends it on the way down. Abduction and adduction Abduction moves a limb away from the midline of the body and adduction brings it back, so a lateral raise abducts the shoulder and a cable crossover adducts it. Internal and external rotation Rotation of a limb around its own long axis, inward toward the midline or outward away from it, most often coached at the shoulder and the hip. Protraction and retraction Movement of the shoulder blades away from the spine (protraction) or toward it (retraction), as in the top of a push-up versus the top of a row. Elevation and depression Movement of the shoulder blades straight up toward the ears (elevation) or straight down away from them (depression). Pronation and supination Rotation of the forearm so the palm faces down (pronation) or up (supination), which is what separates an overhand grip from an underhand one. Dorsiflexion and plantar flexion Movement at the ankle that brings the toes up toward the shin (dorsiflexion) or points them away (plantar flexion). Agonist muscle The muscle that produces the movement in an exercise, also called the prime mover, such as the biceps in a curl. Antagonist muscle The muscle on the opposite side of a joint from the one doing the work, which lengthens and controls the movement rather than driving it. Synergist muscle A muscle that assists the prime mover in a movement, either by adding force or by holding a joint steady so the prime mover can work. Concentric contraction The phase of a rep where the muscle shortens under load, such as standing up out of a squat or curling a dumbbell upward. Isotonic exercise Exercise where the muscle changes length against a constant external load, which is what almost all free-weight training is. Isokinetic exercise Exercise where the speed of movement is held constant by a machine, so resistance matches whatever force the muscle produces at every joint angle. Open and closed kinetic chain Closed-chain exercises fix the hand or foot against a surface and move the body, while open-chain exercises fix the body and move the limb freely. Active and passive range of motion Active range is how far a client can move a joint under their own power; passive range is how far it will go when something else moves it for them. Posterior chain The muscles running down the back of the body, mainly the glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors and calves, which work together to extend the hip. Hip hinge A movement pattern where the hips travel backward and the torso folds forward while the spine stays neutral and the knees bend only slightly. Scapular retraction Pulling the shoulder blades back toward the spine, which is the finishing position of a row and the setup position of a bench press. Fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers Slow-twitch (type I) fibers are fatigue-resistant and produce force slowly, while fast-twitch (type II) fibers produce force quickly and tire quickly. Motor unit recruitment The order in which the nervous system calls muscle fibers into a contraction, from the smallest and most fatigue-resistant to the largest and most forceful. Muscle imbalance A meaningful strength or size difference between two sides of the body, or between a muscle and its opposite, large enough to change how a client moves. Sticking point The specific part of a lift where the bar slows down or stops, caused by the joint angles there being the weakest position in the range. Mind-muscle connection Deliberately focusing on the target muscle during a set, which measurably increases how hard that muscle works at light to moderate loads. Force-velocity curve The inverse relationship between how much force a muscle produces and how fast it shortens: heavy loads move slowly, light loads move fast. Strength curve How a lifter's force capacity changes through the range of an exercise, which is why every lift has a hardest position.

Hybrid training Training strength and endurance seriously at the same time, rather than treating one as an afterthought to the other. Zone 2 training Steady aerobic work at an easy, conversational intensity, roughly 60 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate, held for 30 to 90 minutes. Lactate threshold The intensity above which blood lactate starts accumulating faster than the body can clear it, marking the edge of sustainable effort. Steady state cardio Continuous aerobic exercise held at one intensity for the whole session, as opposed to intervals that alternate hard and easy. Heart rate reserve The gap between resting and maximum heart rate, used to set training zones that account for how fit a client already is. Tabata A four-minute interval protocol of eight rounds of 20 seconds all-out work and 10 seconds rest, from Izumi Tabata's 1996 study. Circuit training Moving through a series of exercises with little or no rest between them, completing one round before repeating the sequence. Bodyweight training Resistance training using the body itself as the load, progressed by changing leverage, range and tempo rather than by adding weight. Free weights vs machines Free weights load the body through space and demand stabilisation, while machines fix the path and load one muscle more consistently.

Active recovery Low-intensity movement on a rest day or after hard training, such as walking, easy cycling or mobility work, that aids recovery without adding fatigue. DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) Muscle soreness that peaks 24 to 72 hours after unfamiliar or eccentric-heavy training. Supercompensation The bounce above the previous baseline that follows a training stress and enough recovery, which is the adaptation the next session builds on. Grease the groove (GTG) Practising a movement many times a day at an easy effort, far from failure, to improve strength and skill through frequency. Body recomposition Losing fat and gaining muscle over the same period, so the scale may barely move while the body changes. Central nervous system fatigue A drop in the nervous system's ability to drive muscle, which shows as weakness and poor coordination on days when the muscles themselves feel fine. Muscular endurance A muscle's ability to keep producing force over many repetitions or a long hold, rather than to produce a lot of force once. Maximal strength The greatest force a muscle or a group of muscles can produce in a single effort, usually expressed as a one-rep max. Rate of force development How quickly a lifter can produce force, which matters whenever the available time is shorter than the roughly 0.3 seconds a maximal contraction needs. Myofibrillar vs sarcoplasmic hypertrophy Two proposed kinds of muscle growth, one adding contractile protein and the other adding fluid and non-contractile content inside the fiber. Mechanical tension The force a muscle fiber experiences while contracting under load, currently considered the main driver of muscle growth. Metabolic stress The build-up of metabolites during a set, felt as the burn and the pump, once proposed as a growth driver in its own right. Muscle protein synthesis The process of building new muscle protein, which rises after a training session and stays elevated for roughly one to two days. Lean body mass Everything in the body that is not fat: muscle, bone, organs and water, usually estimated rather than measured directly. Reverse dieting Raising calories gradually after a diet, in small weekly steps, to return to maintenance without regaining fat quickly.