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Abduction
Movement of a limb away from the median plane of the body. An example being moving your arms upwards to shoulder level from a position where the arms were by your sides. Abduction is the opposite of adduction.
Abdominals or Abs
The rectus abdominis muscle. The muscle is mainly responsible for the flexion of the lumbar spine, and is generally trained with a crunch type exercise.
Adduction
Movement of a limb towards the central plane of the body. Example being moving your arms down to by your sides from a position where they were shoulder level and perpendicular to the floor. Adduction is the opposite of abduction.
Adipose Tissue
Fat tissue, mainly responsible for storing energy as fat, and also to insulate the human body. Adipose tissue is found beneath and the skin and around internal organs of the body.
Aerobic Exercise
Exercise that requires greater oxygen consumption, often increasing the heart rate and requiring the cardiovascular system to complete the exercise.
Agonist
A muscle which is primary responsible for the movement in question to occur, often the target muscle of an exercise for a bodybuilder or weight trainer.
Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Amino acids are often split into two categories; essential and no essential amino acids.
Essential amino acids: Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine, Arginine and Histidine.
Non-essential amino acids: Alaine, Asparagine, Aspartate, Cysteine, Gluamate, Glutamine, Glycine, Proline, Serine, and Tyrosine.
Anabolic
Anabolism is the process of creating more complex molecules from simpler units. An example is the muscle building process by using amino acids as the simple building blocks.
Anaerobic Exercise
Lower reps weight training is an example of anaerobic exercise. non-endurance exercise which is short in duration and high intensity.
Antagonist
A muscle that can provide an opposite force to the agonist.
Arm Blaster
An old school device which has a strap that goes around the persons back of neck, and supports that go down by the users sides for support when performing biceps curls. Having the back of the upper arm supported it was thought that the intensity of the biceps work during the curl would be intensified.
ATP
The compound within muscle tissue which is broken down to provide energy for muscle contractions. Creatine is said to aid ATP for greater energy for muscle contractions.
Atrophy
Disuse of muscle or disease can lead to atrophy, the decrease in size and usability of body tissue (often referring to muscle tissue within the bodybuilding community).
BCAAs
Branched Chain Amino Acids. The essential amino acids; leucine, isoleucine and valine.
Benching
A shortened term used to refer to bench pressing exercise(s).
Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the circulating blood on the wall of the arteries. For a resting average adult male a measurement of 120 mmHg systolic and 80 mmHg diastolic (120/80) is usually said to be within normal range
Body Composition
The make up of the body from muscle mass, fat, and other tissues. Can be given as a body fat percentage, or lean mass percentage. Bodybuilders in competition state would strive for high levels of lean body mass, with extremely low levels of body fat.
Bodyfat
The level of fat tissue stored by the body.
Bulking up or Bulking
The implementation of hard weight training, with an excess calories diet in the aim of increasing body mass. Body fat levels are less of a concern and an increase is mostly accepted because of the increase in calories within the diet.
Burn
The sensation of heat within a muscle when it becomes fatigued, full of blood, and has a build up lactic acid and other metabolites.
Burnout
This can include a physical and/or mental burnout where a trainer needs rest as they are over exerting themselves. This is also referred commonly as over training.
Callisthenics
The word originates from the words kalos, 'beautiful' and sthénos, 'strength', in Greek. This is exercise with no equipment which tries to promote body strength and flexibility.
Calorie
The Calorie is a unit of energy, equalling 1,000 small calories. A large Calorie is spelt with a capital ‘C’ to represent it as the large calorie. A (large) Calorie is the amount of energy required to heat 1kg of water to 1 degrees Celsius.
Caps
A term used by bodybuilders to describe the deltoid (shoulder) muscles. Caps can also mean capsules, the containers used for supplement powders for oral use.
Carbohydrates or Carbs
A macronutrient that is the most common source of energy within a persons diet. Carbohydrate foods include; pasta, rice, potatoes, vegetables and fruit.
Cardiovascular Training or Cardio
Training that conditions the cardiovascular system (the heart and blood transport system). Cardio training is often introduced into a bodybuilding cutting phrase with the aim of reducing body fat.
Catabolism
Catabolism is the process of breaking down complex molecules into simpler units. An example of catabolism is the break down of proteins within muscle tissue during high intensive exercise.
Cheat
Using the momentum of the body to aid with the execution of a lift. This can describe someone with poor lifting form, but is also used as a technique for advanced bodybuilders to obtain a few more repetitions at the end of a set if they can not perform a full range of motion rep due to fatigue.
Chin Up Station or Chinning Bar
A bar mounted above head height for a person to be able to hang freely from it and perform a pull up.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a component of the outer membrane of cells within the body, and is vital for the body to operate correctly. It also plays a big role in the production of hormones. Its levels in the blood can be very influential on health, and can lead to coronary heart disease. HDL is often referred to as the good cholesterol, and LDL the bad.
Circuit Training
A training session which involves moving non stop between different stations, which involved different exercises.
Complete Protein
A complete protein refers to a protein that contains all the essential amino acids for a persons nutritional needs. A verity of protein sources if the wisest choice for most people so they have a high spectrum of nutritional intake of amino acids.
Concentric Muscle Contraction
This the part of a muscle contraction in which the muscle is shortening. Often referred to as the up or positive part of an exercise.
Conditioning
Physical training referenced to get the athlete prepared for sporting performance. A bodybuilder may also be said to be in condition if they have a great body composition on stage.
Connective Tissue
Tissue that often provides support and structure for organs and muscles, mainly made from collagen.
Cool Down
A process post workout where a trainer will slow down the intensity to allow the individual to return back to normal functioning and possibly reduce the likeliness of muscle soreness and cramping.
Crunch
An abdominal exercise which involves the ribs coming towards the pelvis, and thus flexion of the spine. This exercise differs from the traditional sit up as it tries to eliminates hip flexor involvement, and place more stress on the target abdominal muscles.
Cutting or Cut Up
A process of stripping away body fat and water retention, whilst maintaining muscle mass, to increase muscle definition. This does not involve any need to increase the number of repetitions during weight lifting sets as this will do very little in creating a cut up look. Some bodybuilders will lighten the weight used and increase the reps during this phrase of training, but this is merely because the calorie deficient diet required to loose body fat can make the chances of injury heighten if using heavy weights.
Cycle
A term used to describe a set period of time where a trainer uses certain rep and set schemes, nutritional intake and other activates, to reach a specific goal. An example may be a bulking up time where training is hard, and a calorie excess diet is introduced to help increase muscle hypertrophy.
This term is also used to describe a time period of use for an aid, such as creatine or anabolic androgenic steroids.
Deadlift
A power lifting exercise, which is also used by many bodybuilders and other athletes, which involves squatting down, gripping a bar, and then standing up whilst gripping the bar until the person is erect and back is straight.
Definition
A highly defined physique has extremely low levels of body fat and water retention, coupled with thick separated muscles. A goal for a competitive bodybuilder on stage.
Deltoids or Delts
The shoulder muscles. Composed of three heads, the front (anterior), middle (lateral), and rear (posterior) head.
Dextrose
Another name for glucose.
Dipping Belt
A belt that is worn which allows the person to attach weights to add further resistance during dips (and also commonly used for pull ups).
DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)
The soreness felt within a muscle the following days after a training session. Soreness should not be used as a gauge of how effective a workout was for muscle building.
Dumbbell
A commonly used device for exercise. Composed of a handle, and weighted discs on either end.
Eccentric Movement
The phrase of a movement which involves the muscle lengthening. This phrase is also sometimes referred to as the down or negative phrase.
EFAs
Essential Fatty Acids. Fats which have to obtained by the diet because our own bodies can not produce them.
Endogenous
Created or originated from within the body.
Endurance
Being able to produce a force or movement over a period time, often heavily involving both the cardiovascular system and also correctly conditioned muscles.
Energy
The ability to produce work.
Estrogen
The female sex hormone. Responsible for feminine characteristics, such as breast development, body fat storage, and water retention. Undesired by male athletes, but can be produced from the conversion of testosterone, especially during anabolic androgenic steroid cycles. Bodybuilders who use hormone therapy may also choose to take auxiliary drugs to combat the production of, or reduce the effects, of estrogen.
Exogenous
Produced or originated from outside of the body.
EZ Bar
A bar designed to be bent, thus enabling a more comfortable position for a persons wrists when biceps curling.
Fascia
A sack which contains muscle tissue, fibrous in nature, which separates and supports muscles. Many bodybuilders are convinced that intense stretching post workout, and deep tissue massages can aid muscle growth as it stretches the Fascia and allows more room for muscle growth to occur.
Fast Twitch Muscles Fibres
Quick firing muscle fibres that are recruited greatly during high intensity, short duration activity, such as power lifting.
Fatigue
In inability to maintain the optimal level of output for an activity. You may become fatigued after three exercises for chest, and unable to perform another chest exercise at well due to this.
Fibre
Nutritional fibre is a substance from plants that is not digested by humans. Fibre is important to maintain healthy intestines and cardiovascular health. A diet which is deficient in fibre can often lead to constipation, and also other long term negative impacts on health.
Flat
A physique that is not full and unappealing. Can be caused on low carbohydrate diets due to the muscles being starved of carbohydrates, or another cause can be over training and poor nutrition.
Flexibility
The ability of movement of a joint.
Flex or Flexing
To tense your muscles so they appear bigger and more defined.
Flexion
The movement of limbs creating a decrease in the angle of the joint. An example being when you move your fist towards your shoulder, whilst maintain the position of your elbow (a traditional arm curling movement).
Flush
The increase of blood flow to a muscle via intense exercise, and ridding metabolic toxins.
Forced Reps
Repetitions that require additional help off a training partner to complete, often when the lifter is very fatigued from the previous repetitions performed.
Free Weights
Exercises performed with dumbbells and barbells are often referred to as free weight exercises. The opposite to this would exercises that are performed on machines.
Full
The opposite of flat. To have a physique that has large and full muscles that are visible.
Glucose
Sugar within the blood which is the transportable carbohydrate source used within the body for jobs such as cell energy.
Glutes
A shortened terms used to describe the gluteal muscles of the body (the back side).
Glycemic Index (GI)
The measurement and extent of how much a certain food or substance raises blood sugar levels within a person.
Glycogen
Glycogen is the immediate source of glucose for muscle cells, for the production of energy.
Guns
A slang term used to describe the arms.
Hams or Hamstrings
The muscles located to the rear of the upper leg.
Hormone
Chemical substances which carry messengers from one cell to another, usually transported in the blood.
Hypertrophy
Hypertrophy is the increase in size of muscle cells, commonly due to specific resistance training. Muscle hypertrophy is also experienced in most males during puberty due to the increase in testosterone released. Muscle hypertrophy should not be confused with muscle hyperplasia which involves an increase in the actual number of new muscle cells.
Insertion
The attachment of the muscle to the body structure with the most movement during contraction.
Intensity
The amount of effort put into something. In weight lifting it is sometimes quantified by a percentage of a persons 1 rep max.
Isolation
Working a muscle (or a small group of muscles) directly with no additional muscle aiding in the lift. An example of an isolation exercise would be a strictly performed biceps curl.
Isometric Exercise
An exercise which is performed without the resistance actually moving. An example being trying to push a wall away from you, or loading a barbell and keeping it static a few inches above your chest (ensure you have a spotter!).
Isotonic Exercise
An exercise where there is a lengthening and shortening of the working muscle. Most commonly used exercises are isotonic, such as free weights and machines.
Juice
Slang term for anabolic androgenic steroids.
Kinesiology
The study of the human muscles and their movements.
Knee Wraps
Wraps that are worn around the knee which are elastic in nature to help support the joint during heavy exercises which involve the knee joint, such as dead lifts and squats.
Lactic Acid
You may have experienced lactic acid in your muscles before, it often causes some pain and muscle fatigue. Lactic acid is a by-product of glucose metabolism, and is believed to have no connection to DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) which was previously thought.
Lats
A shortened term used to describe the latissimus dorsi muscles in the back, which are mainly responsible for width of a persons back.
Lean Body Mass
A persons body mass, minus that of body fat.
Ligament
Connective tissue composed of long, stringy, fibrous collagen fibres which often connect bones to form a joint.
Lock Out
A term used to describe the very top portion of an exercise where the joint locks out.
Lumbar
The five lumbar vertebrae which are the strongest and biggest in the movable part of the spinal column. Pertaining to the lower back, the Lumbar region is located just above the sacrum.
Max Out
A one repetition maximum lift with the most amount of weight you can lift.
Metabolism
Composed mainly of the process anabolism and catabolism, metabolism is the chemical processes necessary to maintain life.
Midsection
The muscles of the abdominal region including the abdominals, oblique’s, and rectus abdominals. These muscles are often very visible in bodybuilders with low body fat levels.
Military Press
Standing erect, press a barbell from the upper chest directly overhead.
Minerals
Minerals are natural substances required by life. Minerals often combine with other substances digested by people to form enzymes.
Muscle
Muscle can be split into three main categories; skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle. Skeletal muscle is fibrous tissue which is responsible for bodily movement via contractions. Bodybuilders aim is to develop skeletal muscle via hypertrophy.
Muscle Group
A collection of muscles which are often closely located and work together to produce a movement of a joint.
Negatives
A training technique which involves performing an exercise slowly through the eccentric phrase of an exercise.
Nutrients
Nutrients are substances which are obtain from an organism's environment, and used for the metabolic process. This term can be used to describe both macronutrients (protein, fats, and carbohydrates) and also micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).
Nutrition
The use of nutrients. Choice and structure can be altered depending on a personas goals and needs.
Obesity
An excessive level of body fat.
Obliques
A general term used to describe the internal and exterior oblique’s which are responsible for the twisting of the mid-section. The oblique’s are located on either side of the abdominal region, and are often visible by those with low levels of body fat.
Olympic Weight Set
A thicker and longer barbell compared to regular barbells, with larger weight discs, used in the Olympic Games.
One Rep Max (1RM)
The maximum amount of weight a person can lift for one repetition of a particular exercise.
Origin
The muscle attachment of a muscle to the structure with minimal movement during contraction.
Overload
Exerting more resistance to a muscle then it is used to, a training technique sometimes used to break through a training rut.
Over Training
A situation where a person is doing all or a collection of the following; training too long, training too often, no leaving enough rest time for a muscle to recover, have a poor diet or not eating enough. This can lead to poor, none or backwards steps in muscle building, and leave a person depressed and in a poor state of mind.
Partial Reps
A movement through a limited range of the full range of motion a muscle is able to obtain during an exercise. Often used to exhaust a muscle after it is unable to perform a full range of motion, or used with a greater amount of load through a limited range of motion to overload a muscle.
Pecs
Shortened term used to describe the pectoralis chest muscles.
Peroidisation
A phrase used to describe splitting up training into time periods where training techniques and/or goals may change.
Plyometric Exercise
Plyometric exercise is exercise which involve explosive movements, often designed to aid in sport specific goals, such as throwing further, jumping higher, or run faster.
Posing
Performing posing positions to show off a bodybuilders muscles in the best possible way.
Powerlifting
A weight lifting competition which involves bench pressing, dead lifting and squatting, for single repetitions to obtain the highest overall total weight shifted.
Power Rack
A training station framework which allows a user to lift without a spotter and be safe due to the safety weight catchers.
Progressive Resistance
The progression of the amount of resistance applied to a muscle during weight training, over a time period. The progression of weight being applied over time will hopefully lead to greater strength and/or muscle size.
Protein
One of the three main food stuffs, a long with fats and carbohydrates. The macronutrient, protein, is vital in the building of new tissue, and also the repairing of broken tissue.
Pumped or Pump
A sensation within a muscle of enhanced blood flow and accumulation of lactic acid, often giving a more full look to the muscle for as long as the pump lasts.
Pyramiding
The training technique of increasing the poundage lifted whilst lower the reps on each set you perform.
Quads
The shortened term used to describe the quadriceps, the four headed muscle of the front of the upper leg.
Range Of Motion
The angle of movement during an exercise. Full range of motion will be from the extended position of a joint or muscle, to the fully flexed position. Some exercises do not go through the whole range of motion, and some techniques, such as partials, encourage the use of a smaller range of motion.
Repetition or Rep
Moving through a desired range of motion, and back again.
Rep Out or Go To Failure
A technique of weight training where a trainer will continue to perform repetitions with a given weight until they can no longer perform a repetition.
RHR
Stands for “resting heart rate”. The number of beats the heart makes within a minute, at rest.
Ripped
A term used within the bodybuilding community to describe a physique that has extremely low levels of body fat and water retention, with visible muscle mass.
Scott Bench
Old school term used to describe a preacher curling bench - a steep pad in which a lifter rests their upper arms and perform a biceps curl.
Set
A collection of a desired number of repetitive repetitions performed, or performed until muscle failure is reached. If a training routine states “3 sets of 10 reps”, this means perform 10 repetitions with the correct weight, and then stop. This is one set. You will then have some rest time and then start on your second set of 10 repetitions, and repeat.
Shape
The appearance of muscle mass on a persons frame. Improved shape is not achieved by higher repetition work. Genetics play a major role on how a person carries muscle tissue, and shape and definition is also vastly improved when the person is carrying low levels of body fat and water retention.
Shredded
A state of extremely low levels of body fat and water retention, and noticed muscle mass. Also see Ripped.
Slow Twitch Muscle Fibres
The muscle fibres within a muscle that are commonly used during endurance events due to their low tendency to fatigue. These muscle fibres have a lower potential to grow as large as fast twitch fibres, and therefore often not trained much by bodybuilders.
Spot or Spotting
To stand and keep a watchful eye on a lifter during a set if called upon, and intervene if the lifter begins to fail and risk injury. The lifter may require help re-racking the weight, or aid with forced reps.
Stabilising Muscle
A muscle which contracts to help keep a limb in place during an exercise.
Stack or Stacking
To combine more then one performance enhancing drug to achieved heightened and more desirable effects. The term is sometimes used to describe the combination of supplements also.
Straps
Wrist straps which wrap around a lifters wrist and then around a bar to enable the lifter to not worry as much about their grip failing during the exercise execution.
Stretch Marks
Small scars on the skin which has resulted from muscle or fat expending too quick compared to the skin.
Striations
Detailed lines which can be seen within a muscle when a bodybuilder has extremely low levels of body fat and water retention, with decent muscle mass.
Super Set
A large set which involves two sets back to back with no rest time. It can describe two sets back to back involving a protagonist and an antagonist, such as a back exercise and a chest exercise. It is also sometimes used to describe two sets back to back which target the same muscle group, but are different exercises.
Symmetry
The balance of muscle mass upon a bodybuilders physique.
Tendon
Fibrous tissue which connects muscle tissue to the bone.
Testosterone
The male hormone which is responsible for male characteristics such as muscle growth, hair growth, and deepening of the voice. Levels of testosterone are high during early adulthood, and decrease as a person ages.
Training Belt
A device worn around a lifters midsection that can aid in the stabilisation of the core during heavy lifts.
Traps
Shortened term used to describe the trapezius muscles, the large muscle that runs up from the middle of the back extending up to the neck.
Vascularity
The level of visible veins and their size. High vascularity is highly looked upon within the bodybuilding community.
Warm Up
Preparation for a training session, involving warming the body temperature and warming up the specific muscle for training to decrease risk of injury.
Wheels
A slang term used to describe the legs.
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