Decoding Fitness Jargon: Your Guide to Common Abbreviations in the Gym! 💪

ROM, DOMS, OHP, RIR, RPE... so many acronyms

Abbreviations and the Gym

There are a ton of abbreviations when you start lifting. Not only do you have to learn all the names of all the lifts and machines, but then you start hearing terms like delayed onset muscle soreness, range of motion, time under tension, myoreps, partials, reps, sets, dodecahedrons........... IT CAN BE A LOT TO TAKE IN

That's where this article comes in. I figured I'd give a mini-dictionary that you can refer to. I got you

Your Guide to Common Abbreviations in the Gym!

• AMRAP - As many reps as possible with good form. Often performed as a test to determine your max strength.

• BB - Barbell.

• BW - Bodyweight.

• Concentric - The contracting (positive) aspect of the lift. So think bicep curls and curling upwards.

• DB - Dumbbell.

• DOMS - Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. This is muscle tenderness usually after a workout and is most intense 24-48 hours after the movement that caused it.

• Eccentric - The lowering (negative) aspect of the lift. So think of bicep curls and the lowering movement.

• Effort - How hard you are pushing the set relative to failure. Measured with RPE or %1RM (both explained below).

• Frequency - How often you train a given muscle throughout the week.

• HIIT - High-Intensity Interval Training. This is usually seen as a cardio variation of 40 seconds on and 20 seconds off. Think of doing sprints (running as hard as you can) and then getting a minute to rest.

• Hypertrophy - The growth/training of muscle tissue through controlled movements.

• Intensity - Effort + load.

• LISS - Low-Intensity Steady State. This is often seen in cardio, think walking, or jogging at one tempo.

• Load - The weight of the external resistance (how much you are lifting).

• MMC - Mind-Muscle Connection. This is your focus on the muscle that is working.

• Periodization - The organization of training over time. For this, it is usually certain sets and movement patterns to help you become stronger and fitter throughout the program.

• Primary exercise - Main heavy compound movements that involve a large muscle mass (for example: squats, bench presses, and deadlifts).

• Progressive Overload - The gradual increase of stress placed upon the body during exercise training. This generally involves progressively increasing some lifting parameters over time (usually weight or reps) in training contexts.

• RIR - Repetitions in Reserve. This is how many reps you have in your “tank” after completing a set. So if I was doing squats and finished on 8 reps but had 2 RIRs it means I could have done two more!

• ROM - Range of Motion. This is how you perform an exercise and if you complete the whole movement pattern. So did you take your deadlift through the full range of motion or partial? ROM can also refer to mobility and if you are not flexible or mobile you might not achieve the full range of motion of your deadlift!

• RPE - Rate of Perceived Exertion. A measure of how difficult a set was on a 1-10 scale, with 10 meaning muscular failure was achieved.

• RS - Resistance Band.

• Secondary exercise - Compound exercises which involve less muscle mass (for example: cable rows, lunges, hip thrusts, military presses, pull-ups, etc.).

• Tempo - The speed at which the lift occurs. Usually refers to concentric/eccentric speed. I have these in my programs to help increase strength!

• Tertiary exercise - Isolation movements involving only one joint and primarily targeting a single muscle. These are usually used to isolate a specific, smaller muscle or to generate metabolic stress.

• Volume - Total amount of work performed. Usually approximated as sets x reps x load.