Terms To Know

Hypertrophy– The process of muscle growth (closely related to the concept of anabolism).

Atrophy– The process of muscle loss/breakdown (closely related to the concept of catabolism).

Repetition (Rep) – One complete cycle of a full range-of-motion, from starting-point to end-point and then back to the start.

Set – A grouping of reps, typically inferred as being unbroken.

% of RM (i.e., 1RM) – This refers to the percentage of your one rep max (RM) on an exercise or how much weight you can perform for a single rep at max effort with perfect technique. For example, 70% of a 1RM of 100lbs would be 70lbs. We can also expand to 2RM, 3RM, etc., which would follow the same stipulations for the higher rep max.

Personal Record (PR) – This refers to your best effort on a particular exercise. We can track this in terms of reps achieved with a given weight. We can also summate this over multiple sets which are referred to as volume PRs.

AMRAP – As Many Reps As Possible

ALAP – As Long As Possible

Training Week – The amount of time it takes to complete one full cycle of training sessions and prescribed rest. This is also commonly referred to as a microcycle. 

Volume – A measure of total work done. This is typically tracked as sets per session or sets per training week. 

Intensity – This can be defined multiple ways, but for our purposes, we will use intensity to mean how close to technical failure a set is taken, as measured by RIR or RPE.

Frequency – A measure of how many times a specific lift or muscle group is trained during a period of time, typically within a microcycle. 

Mind-Muscle Connection (MMC) – The ability of the nervous system to efficiently and effectively recruit the desired muscle(s). This often is present as a sensation of “feeling” the muscular contraction during a rep.

Mobility – The active ability of a joint or structure to control a range of motion (ROM) and exert strength in that range.

Flexibility – The passive ability of a muscle to go through a ROM.

Eccentric – The lengthening phase of a muscular action when the muscle fibers are under tension and being stretched. For example, during the downward phase of a squat or lowering the barbell to your chest in a bench press.

Concentric – The shortening phase of a muscular action when the muscle fibers contract and generate active force. For example, standing up out of the bottom of a squat or pressing the barbell up in a bench press.

Progressive Overload – The gradual increase in stressors — generally through more load and/or more reps — placed upon the body during training. Some form of PO is essential for consistent and continuous strength acquisition and hypertrophy.

Time Under Tension (TUT) – The total duration of time that a muscle is being strained during a set, whether continous or otherwise. While the causal relationship between TUT and hypertrophy is somewhat dubious, it is still a useful variable to understand in its application to training.

Beginner/Novice – An individual who can make consistent progress through relatively minimal effort and/or attention to the intricacies of programming and nutrition. Typically, beginners are also characterized by a lack of technical aptitude on most, if not all, movements in the gym, and an inability to push themselves close to failure/strain.

Intermediate – An individual who can still make solid progress, but the rate and magnitude of gain is more dependent on a structure/planning with both training and diet. Intermediates generally have a solid grasp of technique on most movements and can push themselves close to failure without said technique faltering.

Advanced – An individual who must follow an individualized, near-optimal plan with a high level of adherence to allow for progress to be made. Advanced athletes are proficient on ALL variations of exercise selection and can take sets to, and beyond, failure without any breakdowns.