Working out is much more than just showing up to the gym and lifting some weights. If you’re new to the gym you might be bombarded by a slew of technical terms and it can get intimidating. Its like learning a new langue or learning how to code. And to be honest, you need to understand the terminologyin order to do pre-made workouts properly. Well we've got you covered, this is GYMCADDY’s Workout Glossary.
SuperSet- A Super Set means you do one set of exercises and then immediately follow it with another set of exercises that activate the same muscles group. Example: 10 Reps Of Bench Press SUPERSET with 10 Reps of Dips. In this example you will do 10 reps of bench presses and then immediately follow itby doing 10 reps of dips WITHOUT resting in between.
Drop Set - A Drop Set is when you do a certain exercise with a certain amount of weight and repetitions and then do a second set of the same exercises but with a lower amount of weight. Example: Dumb Bell Curl 10 Reps with 30 Pounds Drop Set with 10 Reps with 20 Pounds. In this example you would do a set of Dumb Bell Curls with 30 pound dumb bells for 10 reps, and then immediately follow it by doing a set of Dumb Bell Curls for 10 reps wth 20 Pound Dumb Bells. Drop Sets are great for adding volume in a workout plan.
Giant Set - Giant Sets aren't as popular as they used to be, but they are great for cardio. A Giant Set is when you do three or more exercises back to back without or with little rest in between sets. Example: Giant Set Of Over Head Press, Pull Ups, and Lateral Raises for 10 reps each. In this example you would do a set of 10 reps of Over Head Presses, followed by 10 reps of Pull Ups, and followed by 10 reps of lateral raises all with little or without rest in between sets.
To Failure - Doing a set to failure means you do a certain exercise until you literally cant do any more repetitions. Usually you might have a certain rep range in mind like 10 or 12 reps, but its your job to select the proper weight that will make you naturally fail said exercise in the appropriate rep range.
Hold / Pause - A Hold or Pause is when you hold an exercise on the concentric portion for a certain amount of time. Example: Barbell Row 10 Reps with a 3 Second Pauses at the top. This means that when doing the Barbell Row, you would pause at the top of the exercise for 3 seconds before allowing the weight to move back to the starting position and doing another rep. Holds or Pauses are great for adding time under tension to muscles.
Alternating - Alternating in an exercise means you do one rep with your left arm and then do the next repetition with your right arm. Example: Alternating Machine Rows for 10 reps. In this example you would do a single arm row with your right arm, and then follow it by doing another repetition with your left arm. So counting would look like this, 1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4 and so on.
Single Arm / Single Leg - Unlike Alternating, you would do an exercise with the same arm or leg until you've hit the required repetition and then follow it up by doing the same amount of repetitions with the other arm or leg. Example: Single Arm Cable Row for 10 reps. In this exampleyou would do 10 reps of Cable rows with your right arm and then follow it by doing 10 reps of Cable Row with your left arm.
Supinated - Supinated or Supine means your palms are turned so your thumbs are facing outwards.
Supination - Supination in an exercise means you rotate your hand in its natural range of motion. For example, when doing single arm cable rows at the beginning of the exercise your palms are facing the floor, and at the end of the exercise your palms are facing the ceiling.
Concentric - The concentric portion of an exercise is when your muscles are contracting. Take the Dumb Bell Curl for example, the CONCENTRIC portion of said exercise is when your palm is making its way up.
Eccentric - The eccentric portion of an exercise is when your muscle are releasing on the second half of an exercise. Lets take the Dumb Bell Curl as an example again, the ECCENTRIC portion of said exercise is when your muscles are releasing and your palm is on its way back down to the starting position.
Hypertrophy - This is the technical term for Muscle Growth
Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy - Trying to keep things simple here… this is the type of Hypertrophy that promotes muscles size, but not so much pure strength.
Myofibrillar Hypertrophy - Yeah we know big words here… to keep things short and simple, this is the type of Hypertrophy that promotes strength gains.