“I’ve been doing a 5×5 routine with an upper/lower split but I think I’m going to incorporate some heavy negatives and some supersets.  The routing uses linear periodization but I think I’m going to switch to alternating periodization to try to stimulate more muscle growth.  On my off days,  I’ve been doing some HIIT on the bike.  On lifting days I just do some boring steady state cardio.”

Huh?

Getting started in the gym can, as you can see, be very confusing.  If you haven’t figured it out yet, it can be almost like another language.  Hopefully, after reading this, you’ll be able to understand some of it.  For some readers, this may be very, very basic but it is intended to be!  Maybe there will be one or two terms that are new to you and you’ll be able to take away some knowledge.

Ok, so let’s get started!

Sets/Reps -  I have paired these together since you can’t really have one without the other.  A rep, short for repetition, is on full movement of an exercise.  A set consists of how many reps you do of a specific exercise before resting.  In the first paragraph of this post, the “5 x 5″ routine mentioned means “5 sets of 5 reps”.  When you see a workout written this way, the first number is the number of sets and the second number is the number of reps.

Supersets- A superset is when you do one set of one exercise and then one set of a different exercise without rest.  After the second exercise, you rest, then do it again.  I’ve actually used some routines that put a rest between the sets of differing exercise as well.  Most good routines that I’ve seen will superset opposite movements within the same plane.  What I mean by this is a horizontal push (for example: bench press) with a horizontal pull (for example: bent over rows). 

Split:  Not referring to the banana or the cheerleading variety!  This is a routine that splits your lifting days based on working specific muscle groups.  There are generally two main types of splits:  Upper/Lower and Body Part.  Upper/Lower means you split your upper body from your lower body.  Body Part means you work one or more body parts per day.  An example of a body part split would be working your chest and triceps one day, then your back and biceps the next.  For more information, see my blog post on “The Great Workout Debate.”

Negatives:  There are two motions to lifting any weight: eccentric and concentric.  The concentric motion is where the muscle is shortened while contracting.  For example, the up motion on the bench press is the concentric motion.  The eccentric motion is where the muscle is lengthened while contracting.  Using the bench press example, this would be the lowering of the weight.  “Negatives” refer to the eccentric motion or the lengthening of the muscle under contraction.  When training using negatives, you are able to use more weight.  Negative training advocates say this produces greater muscle and strength gains.  It can also assist in breaking through some weight lifting plateus.

Periodization:Periodization is the organization and planning of your training (source).  There are two main types of periodation: linear and alternating.  Linear periodization is when you decrease the number of reps you perform with each phase of training (1st phase: 15 reps, 2nd phase: 12 reps, 3rd phase: 10 reps, etc.).  Alternating periodization is when you switch between higher reps and lower reps with each phase of training (1st phase: 15 reps, 2nd phase: 8 reps, 3rd phase: 12 reps, etc).  All professionally designed routines use some variation of periodization to continuously stimulate muscle growth.  There are other forms of periodization as well.  One used by Alwyn Cosgrove is undulating periodization which adjusts the number of reps with each workout.

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training): HIIT is a cardio training method that is intended to maximize fat burning and overall performance with shorter cardio sessions.  The basic procedure for a HIIT sessions is a period of moderate cardio activity followed by a burst of intense cardio activity.  For example, after a general warm-up period, you would jog for 90 seconds and sprint for 30 seconds.  This is repeated any number of times.  The length of the low intensity and high intensity periods can vary per session.  The numbers given are just an example.  There are many, many different variations on HIIT as well as many different theories on its effectiveness.

Steady State:  Steady state commonly refers to steady state cardio which is the most traditional form.  This is where you perform the cardio exercise at a steady pace for a set amount of time.  For example, you would jog at 6 mph for 30 mins or for a set distance.

Donkeyballs!: This means absolutely nothing, technically speaking, but you may hear it, or some other derivation, when someone tries to max out, pulls a muscle, or simply drops a weight on a body appendage.  I’ve been known to utter this a few times and a couple of other expletives. 

Hopefully, as a beginner, this will help you understand some of the gym lingo you’ll hear in the gym and online.  This is just the first in a series of Gym Speak Cheat Sheets so stay tuned! Do you have any you’d like to add?  Just leave them in the comments below.