Dictionary of Weight Training Terms

(Simplified for those new to weight training; perhaps over-simplified.)

abdominal muscles - Also called “abs”.  The “tummy” muscles, in front of your stomach.  Responsible for bending the body in half to bring the knees and head closer to one another, and for helping to stabilize the body.  Often seen as a gold standard for fitness, many people seek to have their abs bulge visibly in that “cobblestone” look by doing lots and lots of abdominal exercises.  This will help, but it is even more important to have a very low amount of overall body fat, explaining why so few people actually have cobblestone abs.  See also “spot reducing”.

aerobics - See “cardio”.

band - See “resistance band”.

bar - A long, cylindrical, metal object, usually with rough areas for secure gripping, on which weights can be placed, used for many of the best-known weight training exercises (squat, bench press, deadlift, military press, etc., etc.).  There are many varieties of bars:

• long bar - Also called “Olympic bar”.  The longest bars in the gym--more than 6 feet-- and probably the most numerous.  Your gym may not have bars that are true Olympic bars or powerlifting bars; those have very specific requirements.  But people sometimes call them Olympic bars anyway.
• short bar - A bar that is shorter than an Olympic bar, usually around 4 feet.  Useful for arm and shoulder exercises and lunges, especially where space is tight.
• E-Z curl bar - A short bar that has bends along its length, shaped like a stretched-out “W”.  Used for exercises where gripping a straight bar might cause discomfort in the wrists or elbows.
• trap bar - A hexagon-shaped bar.  The lifter stands in the middle of the hexagon and grasps the bar using handles that run perpendicular to the direction a typical bar would.  This bar allows the lifter to do exercises with a neutral grip, meaning palms facing one another.
• fixed barbell - A bar with weights permanently attached.  More convenient because you don’t have to load and unload them, but less convenient because some idiot has usually taken the 40-pound barbell you want and hidden it in the aerobics room.

barbell - A bar with weight plates on it.

bench - A padded horizontal or angled surface shaped like...a bench.  Some benches are shaped suspiciously like chairs, but are still called benches.  All benches are designed to support your body while you do an exercise.  There are a number of different kinds:

• bench press - A bench with a rack at one end to hold a barbell.  Mostly just useful for the exercise also called bench press and its variations, but if you set aside the bar, it can be used as a flat bench.
• flat bench - Like a bench press, but without the rack.  Useful for dumbbell presses, dumbbell flyes, one-arm rows, and many, many other exercises.
• incline bench - A bench tilted at about a 30 degree angle, with a seat added at the lower end.  May or may not have a rack for a barbell.
• decline bench - A bench tilted in the opposite direction from an incline bench, so that the lifter’s head will be lower than the lifter’s knees.  There will be a padded arm of some kind to hold the lifter’s legs or knees in place so the lifter does not slip off the lower end of the bench.  May or may not have a rack for a barbell.
• adjustable bench - An incline bench that can be tilted to a variety of angles.  Some can be adjusted for use as a flat bench. The fanciest ones are called F.I.D. benches, which stands for Flat / Incline / Decline, because they can also adjust for use as a decline bench.
• upright bench - A padded chair.  It’s still called a bench.
• preacher bench - Does not look like a bench.  It has a padded surface to support the lifter’s armpits and upper arms while performing preacher curls, and a rack for short bars, E-Z curl bars, or fixed barbells.  May have a padded seat, or may be taller for use while standing.

bench press - A chest exercise where the lifter lies on a bench (also called a bench press) and holds a barbell horizontally in both hands.  The bar is lowered and then pressed upward to complete one rep.

biceps - Also called “bicep” or “bi”.  The muscle that runs from the inside of your elbow to the front of your shoulder, responsible for bending (“flexing”) your arm.  The classic “make a muscle” muscle.

bodybuilding - A sport where athletes train to develop their muscles size as much as they can, develop their overall physique as aesthetically as they can, and also to reduce their body fat as much as they can.  Competition events involve flexing and posing before judges, who rate the competitors on a number of criteria, including how clearly defined their muscles appear (which indicates muscle development and low body fat), how large their muscles are, and how balanced and symmetrical their muscle development is.  Used more loosely, the term bodybuilding defines a training regimen that emphasizes muscle size and fat loss.

boot camp - A type of exercise, often done in groups, that emphasizes aerobic conditioning as well as strength training.  Usually based on military-style training regimens.  Also refers to the place where boot camp-style training occurs.

butterfly - See “fly”.

cable tower - An apparatus with a weight stack attached to a cable or belt that runs through one or more pulleys.  The other end of the cable has a clip that can accommodate any of a number of attachments, allowing a variety of exercises.  Many common attachments include:

• handle - A metal, plastic, or rope handle grasped in the hand.
• double handle - Also called a V-bar.  Two metal handles welded together into a “v” shape. 
• long bar attachment - A metal bar about 4 feet long, usually slightly bent at each end.  Most often used to do lat pulldowns.
• short bar attachment - A straight metal bar about 2 feet long.  Usually used for arm exercises.
• bent bar attachment - A metal bar about 2 ½ feet long, bent like a stretched-out “W”.  Used for exercises where gripping a straight bar might cause discomfort in the wrists or elbows. 
• rope attachment - A fat rope (about 2 inches thick) with knots at each end, or some kind of collar at each end, and a metal piece in the middle for hooking to the cable. Often the most popular attachment in the gym.

cardio - Short for “cardiovascular exercise”; also called “aerobics”.  An exercise or category of exercises that requires your body to use oxygen as its primary energy source (called ‘aerobic exercise”).  Often seen as the opposite of weight training, which requires your body to use other energy sources than oxygen (called “anaerobic exercise”).  Examples of cardio exercise include walking, running, cycling, dancing, calisthenics, rowing, and many others.

chin-up - Not quite the same thing as a pull-up, but see “pull-up” anyway.

clip - Also called “end clip”.  A safety device that keeps weight plates from sliding around or even falling off the end of a bar.  Should be used even when you’re not worried about weights falling off, because if the plates on one end of the bar shift, that causes an imbalance that can cause difficulties or injuries.  An object that is often confused with those grip-strengthening things that were popular decades ago that you squeeze in your hand.

CrossFit - A trademarked term owned by CrossFit, Inc.  A type of exercise that emphasizes both strength development and cardio conditioning and incorporates elements from a large variety of training styles.

crunch - An abdominal exercise in which you bring your knees and head closer together.  Not quite the same as a sit-up.  Crunches are controversial, as many trainers feel they are too hard on the spine and other body parts.  I will only say that if you want to do them, do them carefully.

curl - A biceps exercise that involves the lifter grasping a weight and bending the arm, then letting the arm straighten out again, to complete one rep.  Variations include barbell curl, E-Z bar curl, dumbbell curl, concentration curl, hammer curl, preacher curl, and many others.  Leg curls exercise the hamstrings, and are usually done on a specialized machine.

deadlift - An exercise where the lifter grasps a barbell resting on the ground, lifts it up into a standing position with the bar hanging from straight arms, then lets it down again to complete one rep.  This exercise is well-known for working nearly every muscle in the body: hamstrings, quads, glutes, lower back, lats, traps, and forearms.  Variations include sumo deadlift, Romanian deadlift, single-leg deadlift, and deadlift from deficit.  

deltoid - Also called “delt”.  The primary muscle group of the shoulders, divided into three parts.  The deltoid muscles work together when you are pushing your hands straight up over your head.  The three separate parts are:

• anterior deltoid - (“front delt”) Lifts the arms from straight down at your sides to straight in front of you (like a zombie in the movies).
• lateral deltoid - (“side delt”) Lifts the arms from straight down at your sides to straight out to the sides (like you’re making a “T”).
• posterior deltoid - (“rear delt”) Moves the arms from the “zombie” position to the “T” position.

dip - An exercise for the chest and/or triceps that involves the lifter holding him- or herself up by handles on either side of the body, then lowering and raising his or her body up again to complete one rep.  This exercise is done with the lifter’s bodyweight alone.  Less experienced lifters can do “assisted dips” on a special machine that has a platform the lifter can stand or kneel on; the machine counter-balances the lifter’s bodyweight with its own weight stack, making the exercise easier.  More experienced lifters may do “weighted dips” by adding weight plates hung from a special belt called a “dip belt”.  The lifter can put more emphasis on the chest or on the triceps, depending on his or her body position.

dumbbell - A handle, usually about a foot long, with small plates of equal weight at each end.  Dumbbells are usually held in one hand, and often used with a matching one in the other hand.  Dumbbells are especially useful for addressing strength imbalances (right arm stronger than left, for example) because they force the weaker side of the body to work without relying on the assistance of the stronger side.

extension - Any exercise that involves the lifter straightening a joint like the knee or elbow, then allowing the joint to bend again to complete one rep.  Examples include leg extension machine and dumbbell triceps extension, and many others.

fly - Also spelled “flye”; short for “butterfly”.  A chest exercise that involves the lifter lying on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, extended out to the sides; the lifter brings the dumbbells together in a curved motion while constantly keeping the elbow at the same angle, then returns them to the starting position to complete one rep.  Variations can be done on an incline or decline bench; a variation called the “cable fly” or “cable cross-over” can be done standing between two cable towers instead of using dumbbells.  Asking a group of lifters how to spell the plural of this exercise is a quick way to suck the air out of the room.

gluteal muscles - Also called “glutes”.  The muscles of your butt.  Don’t laugh, they’re important.  Responsible for moving the hips forward, and for straightening the body from a bent position into a standing position and maintaining a standing posture.  Part of the group of muscles called the posterior chain.

hamstrings - A set of muscles at the back of the leg, running from the butt down to the back of the knees.  Responsible for bending (“flexing”) the knee, and for straightening the body from a bent position into a standing position.  Part of the group of muscles called the posterior chain.

kettlebell - A metal sphere with a handle attached, usually available in a variety of weights.  Useful for certain exercises because the load hangs below the grip, rather than to each side of the grip, as with a dumbbell.

lat pulldown - Also called a pulldown. An upper back exercise where the lifter grasps a bar suspended above his or her head by a cable that runs through a pulley and is attached at the other end to an adjustable weight stack.  After selecting the appropriate weight by inserting a pin into a corresponding hole, the lifter pulls the bar down toward his or her chest, then lets the bar up again to complete one rep.

latissimus dorsi - Also called “lats”.  The largest muscles of your upper back.  Responsible for pulling your arms downward from over your head (or conversely, pulling your body straight upward) and for pulling objects horizontally toward your body.  Having big lats and a lean stomach is what gives bodybuilders’ torsos a “V” shape.

lower back - A group of muscles located at your lower back, including the erector spinae and others.  Responsible for straightening the body from a bent position to a standing position, and for stabilizing the body.  Part of the group of muscles called the posterior chain.

Olympic weightlifting - A sport in which athletes strive to lift the heaviest weights they can in a number of different exercises called lifts.  Olympic weightlifters train to emphasize strength gains, but also must develop very well-honed technique, as Olympic lifts require precise timing and coordination as well as strength.

pectoralis - Also called “pecs”.  The chest muscles.  Responsible for pushing things horizontally away from your body, and bringing your arms in a curved motion toward your midline.  There is an old myth that exercising the pecs will make a woman’s breasts larger.  Sadly, it doesn’t work that way.

plank - An exercise designed to strengthen the core muscles in which you lie face-down on a mat or the floor, brace yourself up on your forearms and toes, and keep your body in a rigid, straight line for as long as you can.  Many trainers recommend planks as a good alternative to crunches; others see them as only useful for beginners, and recommend you switch to other exercises once you can hold your position for longer than 30 seconds or so.

plate - Also called “weight plate”.  A (usually) disc-shaped piece of metal with a hole in the center so that it can be loaded onto the end of a bar.  Plates are made in different sizes so that you can add different amounts of weight to the bar.

posterior chain - A set of muscle groups on the back side of the body.  Especially important for maintaining good posture.  Includes the hamstrings, gluteal muscles, and lower back muscles.  Some people also include the lats, traps, and posterior delts in this category. 

power rack - Also called "power cage". See “squat rack”.  Although some people will tell you there’s a difference, others will say they’re the same thing.

powerlifting - A sport where athletes compete to see who can lift the most weight in the bench press, back squat, and deadlift.  Powerlifters train to emphasize strength gains, specifically in those three exercises. 

press - An exercise that involves the lifter pushing a weight over his or her head if standing or seated, or perpendicular to the spine if lying down.  The most famous example is the bench press, but other excellent variations include military press, dumbbell overhead press, incline press, decline press, push press, and others.

program - A plan for all the exercises to be done in a set period of time, usually one to twelve weeks.

progressive overload - The principle that one must continually increase the challenge of one’s workouts in order to continue to make progress.  Whole libraries' worth of writing have been devoted to the hundreds of ways this can be accomplished, but the classic way is to simply use a heavier weight.

pulldown - See “lat pulldown”.

pull-up - Also spelled "pullup". An upper back exercise where the lifter grasps a bar or handles above his or her head and pulls his or her body upward, then lowers it down again to complete one rep.  Related to a similar exercise called the chin-up.  Pull-ups involve the lifter’s palms facing forward or away from the face (called pronated grip), or facing each other (called neutral grip).  Chin-ups involve the lifter’s palms facing backward or toward the face (called supinated grip).  Chin-ups exercise both the biceps and the lat muscles.  Pull-ups focus mostly on just the lats.

quadriceps - Also called “quads”.  The muscle group at the front of the thigh, running from the waist to the knee.  Responsible for straightening the knee, bending the hip, and swinging the leg forward when walking, running, or kicking.

range of motion - The total distance traveled by the weight you are moving.  Although there are legitimate reasons to use a reduced range of motion (called “partial reps”), many beginners and even experienced lifters make the mistake of not moving the weight far enough for the exercise they are intending to do.  For example, a classic range-of-motion mistake is not lowering the body far enough when doing squats.  Problems with a too-small range of motion are often caused by selecting a weight that is heavier than the lifter should be using.  As a counter example, many lifters use an excessive range of motion when doing various kinds of rows by pulling the weight all the way to the chest; this can put unnecessary strain on joints and possibly lead to injury.

rep - Short for “repetition”.  One single execution of an exercise.  For example, if you’re doing a bicep curl, lifting the weight up then letting it down again would be called one rep.

resistance band - Essentially a giant elastic or rubber band, used for certain exercises.  Bands are sometimes just a very large loop, or may be a straight length of elastic with handles or clips at each end.  They can be used to make many standard weight lifting exercises less or more challenging.  They can also be a useful on their own as a way to add variety to your workout, especially when traveling or when you otherwise don’t have access to a full-service gym.  

rest - A period of relative inactivity between sets.  Most often, a rest period will be around a minute, but might be anywhere from 30 seconds or less to a couple minutes, depending on the type of exercise and how many reps you did in the previous set.  In general, the more reps you did in the previous set, the shorter your rest period should be.  This seems backwards, but it’s true...in general.

Roman chair - A tall structure with padded armrests, designed for you to do leg raises.  Many will also have handles so you can do pull-ups and dips on the same apparatus.

row - An exercise during which the lifter pulls a weight toward his or her chest, perpendicular to the spine.  Variations include seated cable row, one-arm dumbbell row, bent-over row, chest-supported row, and many others.

set - A group of reps.  For example, if you are doing the bench press for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps, that means you are going to try to lift the weight at least 8 times (reps), Then you are going to rest, then try again to lift the weight for 8 reps, rest, and try one more time.  In this example, if you succeed at doing 10 reps for all 3 sets, it’s time to increase the challenge.  See “progressive overload”.  For more experienced lifters looking for ways to add challenge, there are many, many special kinds of sets; here are only a few:

• drop set - Do all the reps you can, then quickly change to a slightly lighter weight and immediately do as many more reps as you can; repeat this several times, pausing as little as possible.  This technique is best saved for just the last set of an exercise.
• 21’s - Do the first half of the range of motion for an exercise 7 times, then immediately do the second half of the range of motion, then immediately do 7 complete reps.  This kind of set is most often done with barbell bicep curls, but can be done with lots of other exercises as well.
• pyramids - Instead of doing the same number of reps for every set, pyramids are a method of varying the number of reps in every set.  This excellent technique has a thousand variations, so I’m just going to encourage you to do some internet research on this one.
• I go, you go - A technique the requires a workout partner.  Do an exercise for a certain number of reps, then hand the bar to your partner and have them do the exercise for the same number of reps.  When they immediately hand you back the bar, do one less rep than you did before and hand the bar back to your partner so they can do that many reps.  Continue in this manner until you and your partner finish with just a single rep.

sit-up - Like a crunch, only with the feet immobilized by a workout partner or fixed object.  Like crunches, many trainers regard sit-ups as too hard on the bones and joints to be healthy.

Smith cage - An apparatus somewhat similar to a squat rack, except the bar is permanently attached to two rails that guide its path along an almost vertical plane.  The bar can be loaded with weight plates like a regular long bar.  In addition, there are many safety stops along the bar’s path; when the bar is rotated by a twist of the wrist, it engages with the nearest safety stop and will remain in that position.  Many weight trainers look on the Smith machine with scorn because it makes exercises somewhat easier by not requiring as much stabilization by core muscles and other muscles the way a free-weight bar does.  This gives it a reputation of being “just for beginners” or “cheating”.  But there are many excellent, legitimate reasons to use a Smith machine.  A good warrior knows anything can be a weapon if used properly.

spot reducing - The theory that you can focus your fat loss efforts on one particular part of your body.  This is an extremely appealing idea, constantly reinforced by those wanting to sell you products that won’t do any good.  Sadly, it doesn’t happen that way.  Your body will burn fat from whichever part it wants, and for most people, the tummy area stubbornly holds on to fat the longest.

spotter - A person who stands ready to assist the lifter in case he or she is not able to complete a rep, or is unable to get the bar safely racked.  There is an unwritten rule in the gym that if someone asks you to “give them a spot”, you do.  If someone asks you to give them a spot and you don’t know what to do, say so and they should clearly explain what they want you to do, or find another spotter.

squat - An exercise during which the lifter bends his or her legs, then straightens up again into a standing position to complete one rep.  The most famous variation is the back squat, in which a barbell is held on the lifter’s back as he or she performs the exercise. If someone talks about squats without specifying what kind, they mean back squats.  Other variations include bodyweight squats, goblet squats, sissy squats (not for sissies), front squats, box squats, and many, many, many more.

squat rack - A structure intended to hold the bar and provide safety stops for a lifter performing back squats.  The squat rack is an often-coveted piece of equipment in the gym.  If you are using it, be sure you are doing an exercise that can not be done elsewhere; if you’re just doing bicep curls or lunges, please don’t use the squat rack.

toning - A word that personal trainers dislike, because it represents a misunderstanding of how fitness works.  Most people think of toning as making the muscles slightly firmer, and see it as a separate process from actually growing the muscles.  In reality, it is actually all the same process.  Your muscles can either grow and get stronger, or shrink and get weaker.  There’s no other option.  They will feel firmer if you lose fat, too.  If you want the muscles to be stronger and slightly firmer, you do pretty much what bodybuilders do.  Don’t worry, you’re not going to accidentally blow up into a 300-pound muscle monster overnight.  

tower - See “cable tower”.

trapezius - Also called “traps”.  Imagine a classic “kite” (diamond) shape whose top point is at the back of your neck, the side points are at the tops of your shoulders, and the bottom point is about halfway down your spine.  That is where your traps are.  Responsible for lifting the shoulders straight up in a “shrugging” motion, and for retracting the shoulder blades backward toward one another.  They are most noticeable as the bulges that stick up on either side of the neck, but they also add thickness to the back.  

triceps - Also called “tricep” or “tri”.  The muscle that runs along the back of your upper arm, from your elbow to the back of your shoulder.  Responsible for extending the arm.  Since the triceps muscle accounts for 2/3 of the thickness of your arm, it’s important to exercise the triceps if you want big arms.