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Dictionary of Weight Lifting Terms
*Also see Weight Lifting Terminology Links
bulking - the act of eating more
calories than usual in an attempt to gain weight in a
short period of time in the hopes that more muscle than
fat will be gained. bitch tits/gyno - term for the the condition whereby fat accumulates in the lower portion of a man's pecs juice, juicing, or being on the sauce - the act of using anabolic steriods or some growth hormone type substance shredded, or cut - to have very low bow fat and have well defined muscles V Taper - term for having well developed upper back muscles or Lats that seem to form a V along the sides of your upper body in relation to upper arm areas. Six pack - term for visible abs which appear as 6 sections due to low bodyfat. Lactic Acid - a type of acid produced primarily from higher rep workouts. Feeling the Burn - term for the burning sensation felt from lactic acid as one does high rep workouts. Power Rack - an apparatus used by weight lifters to support the weight and provide a safety net in exercizes such as the squat or bench press. Used primarily by home lifters so they don't injure themselves when they fail on bench presses or squats. Smith Machine - also referred by some hardcore lifters at a "hat rack" this is a machine that guides the body in a specific predefined range of motion on exercizes such as bench presses and squats. The disadvantage being one does not have to stabalize the weight and the machine will not allow one to follow the body's natural path for a given exercize movement. Muscle Memory - term for the theory that it is easier to regain muscle or strength after having first had it and lost it. Muscle Confusion - term for a theory in which changing up ones exercize routine can confuse the mucles and shock them into growing because of some new stimulus that confuses them in comparision to the routine they are accustumed to. Pump and Toners - term for weightlifters that lift lightly with high reps to feel a pump of blood in their muscles. They speak of nonsense such as wanting to tone a muscle rather than growing a muscle as well. Cardio Bunny - term for aerobics focused individuals that work on treadmills, run or do light activities often without seeing results. Hardgainer - term for someone who has difficulty gaining muscle or strength. Most people who do not possess exceptional genetic abilities often consider themselves hardgainers. EasyGainer - term for someone who finds it very easy to increase muscle mass or strength with a minimum of effort. Plateau - a real or imagined point at which one can not improve from either in terms of strength, endurance, or muscular size. When plateaus are reached people often change their exercize routines or try to do something differently to try to bring new enthusiasm and no stimulus to overcome. Vascularity - term for having clearly defined veins due to low body fat often in the forearm and upper arm areas. Vascularity is thought to be a sign of manliness or toughness to some. 1 rep max - the maximum amount of weight one can use for a given exercize movement Circuit Training - a type of weightlifting style in which one moves from exercize to exercize with little rest in an attempt to get some cardiovascular and endurance based benefits. Supersets - a type of weightlifting training in which one does different exercizes targetting the same muscle group with minimal rest between. Doing barbell curls followed by dumbell curls, followed by one arm barbell curls would be an example of a superset or giant set. Drop Sets/Strip Sets - exercizing style in which one uses heavy weights and immediately follows this up with lighter weights and perhaps even lighter weights for as many levels down as one wishes with no rest. Drop sets are useful for really knowing what failure is as you can work down to very light weights. Periodization - a style of weight training in which one varies the weight, reps done, or number of sets as part of a cycle over many days or weeks. Pyramiding - to start with a light weight and work up to a heavy weight. Standard Plates and Bars - term for standard sized bars used for most dumbells and for cheap barbell weight sets. Olympic Weights and Bars - term for a type of bar that is wider at the point where plates are put on. Olympic bars are heavier than standard bars and have larger holes through the plates so they can work with the Olympic bar. Thick Bar - term for a barbell or dumbell with a larger than average grip thickness often 2 or 3 inches Blobs and Blob Lifting - a type of grip strengthening exercize in which one picks up a weighed end of a hex dumbell that has been sawed off. The sawed off half is a blob. This is done for reps to improve odd ball grip strength. Atlas Stones - these are round stones often made of concrete with metal mixed in to allow for various weights in about the same general volume of space. Atlas stones are also referred to as McGloshen stones, Mavrocks or Mastiff stones. Atlas stones generally range in weight between 100 and 350 or so pounds. Slang Terms Big Wheels - this is a slang term for a barbell loaded with two 45 pound plates. Guns -slang term for upper arm mass; biceps and triceps Wheels - slang term for upper legs Band Work - slang term for a type of training in which large elastic bands are used to provide resistance either alone or in combination with free weights on compound movements. Chain Work - slang term for a type of weight training in which heavy chains are used to provide additional resistance on the top portions of movements where one is strongest. Chain work is done with chains attached to a bar. Most of the chain weight is on the floor as one begins, as one raises up more and more of the chain weight is lifted. Board Work - a slang term for a bench press assistance movement in which a board or a few boards are placed on the chest and a bench press is done until the bar touches the board. Board work is helpful in improving ones ability to lock out a heavy bench press weight. Boulders - slang term for large deltoid muscles Little Gems - slang term for microweight plates Singles, doubles and Triples - slang terms for the maximum weight one can do for one rep, two reps, or three reps Dimes - slang term for 10 pound weight plates Quarters - slang term for 25 pound weight plates Platemates - a type of magnetic microweight that is attached to dumbells to allow for smaller than normal increases in weight Leverating A Sledgehammer - slang term for a forearm exercize in which one grabs a sledge hammer from the end and holds the weight out in front with the weighed end as far away from the body as possible. Poor leverage makes the lift difficult hence the name. Abbreviations AS - Anabolic Steriods OHP - Overhead Press 1RM - One Rep Max MP - Military Press BP - Bench Press BLDL - Bent Leg Dead Lift SLDL - Stiff Leg Dead Lift LBM - Lean Body Mass DB - Dumbell DE - Dynamic Effort or Speed Lifting ME - Maximum Effort or near 1 rep max lifting 1RM - one rep mex PR - Personal Record or personal best weight achieved in a given movement COC - abbreviation for a Captain of Crush or a person certified as closing the number 3 hand gripper created by the Ironmind Company |