No pain, no gain, no idea what half these terms mean.
A set structure where you progressively increase weight while decreasing reps (ascending), or vice versa (descending), or both (triangle). Math class meets the weight room.
Sharing equipment with another gym-goer by alternating sets, requiring communication and trust with strangers. Gym etiquette as social contract.
Anything or anyone that interferes with your fitness progress—poor sleep, stress, your friend who always suggests pizza. The imaginary saboteur of swoletopia.
A phase of intentionally eating in a caloric surplus to gain muscle mass, accepting that some fat gain is inevitable. Permission to eat like you're training for hibernation.
Pre-workout supplements without stimulants like caffeine, for people who want focus without the jitters, heart palpitations, or 3 AM wakefulness. Decaf for gym rats.
A group fitness format using light weights and high reps to music, like BodyPump. Aerobics married strength training and produced exhausting offspring.
A workout format with a long list of different exercises performed once in sequence, chipping away at the list. Starts cheerfully, ends with existential questions.
The lifting or shortening phase of an exercise when muscle fibers contract, like the upward motion of a bicep curl. The part you actually brag about.
Exaggerated running movements emphasizing horizontal distance and hang time, used to develop power and explosiveness. Leaping through meadows, but with purpose and pain.
A high-intensity interval protocol of 20 seconds maximum effort followed by 10 seconds rest, repeated for 4 minutes. Named after the researcher, feared by everyone.
The target speed you aim to maintain during a competition, typically practiced in training to build familiarity and confidence. Hope disguised as a number.
Having the same osmotic pressure or solute concentration as another solution—typically referring to sports drinks that match your blood's chemistry so your body actually absorbs them. Medical solutions are isotonic when they won't cause your cells to shrivel or explode on contact, which is generally considered desirable. Also describes muscles with equal tension, though that meaning gets way less advertising dollars.
A training session combining two disciplines back-to-back, typically cycling followed by running, to simulate race conditions. Named for how your legs feel when you dismount the bike.
Cycling euphemism for crashing or falling off your bike. A gentler way to describe the sudden, intimate meeting between your body and the pavement.
Inflammation of the iliotibial band causing knee pain, primarily afflicting runners who've angered the running gods. Feels like someone is stabbing the outside of your knee with an ice pick.
The primal fitness philosophy that strength training should focus on compound movements with substantial weight. Caveman approach to fitness that actually works surprisingly well.
The profuse perspiration experienced after consuming large quantities of protein, typically post-competition or during bulking phases. Your body's way of complaining about its new carnivore diet.
A state of chronic fatigue and declining performance caused by excessive training without adequate recovery. What happens when more-is-better philosophy meets biological reality.
The optimal body weight at which an athlete performs best in competition, achieved through careful manipulation of body composition. The number on the scale that justifies months of dietary suffering.
The painful skin abrasions resulting from sliding across pavement during a cycling crash. Nature's reminder that Lycra provides minimal protection against concrete.
Lifting one repetition at a time with maximal or near-maximal weight, primarily used by powerlifters and Olympic weightlifters. The minimalist approach to sets and reps.
The total amount of work performed, typically calculated as sets × reps × weight. The number coaches manipulate to make you either grow or cry.
The slow, awkward walk to re-rack weights after failing a lift or having to bail on a set. Not to be confused with the college version involving last night's outfit.
Lighter weight sets performed before working sets to prepare muscles, joints, and nervous system for heavy lifting. The part of training responsible adults do but impatient teenagers skip.