No pain, no gain, no idea what half these terms mean.
A systematic approach to organizing training into specific phases with different focuses, because randomly destroying yourself every session isn't actually a plan. It's the difference between strategic progress and habitual suffering.
Muscle growth from increasing the volume of sarcoplasm (the fluid and energy substrates in muscle cells) rather than contractile proteins. It's the type of growth that makes you look bigger without proportional strength gains, beloved by bodybuilders and Instagram.
Active exercises that improve range of motion and movement quality through controlled motion, as opposed to static stretching that just makes you bendy and weak. It's the difference between being a functional human and a wet noodle.
The annual worldwide online competition that serves as the first qualifying stage for the CrossFit Games. Where regular people discover that they're neither as fit as they thought nor immune to existential crisis via burpee box jump-overs.
Short for squat rack or power rack, the sacred structure where heavy compound lifts happen. Also the place where people perform bicep curls and make everyone else contemplate homicide.
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.
That mysterious burst of energy after you've pushed through initial fatigue, when your body finally decides to cooperate with your workout. It's your cardiovascular system's way of apologizing for the first terrible mile.
A long, grueling workout or race segment designed to test mental toughness more than physical ability. Also describes athletes who lack natural talent but compensate with relentless work ethic.
Consuming fewer calories than you expend. The only reliable way to lose fat, which is why everyone's looking for shortcuts.
Performing mini-sets with brief rest periods within a larger set. Getting more volume with better form than normal sets.
In sports (especially basketball and hockey), a defensive play where you intercept the ball or puck directly from your opponent's possession—basically the athletic equivalent of pickpocketing with better intentions and more witnesses.
The age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, typically beginning around age 30 and accelerating after 60. Biology's way of saying 'use it or lose it' becomes less suggestion and more threat.
Rate of Perceived Exertion—a subjective 1-10 scale measuring how hard you're working based on feel rather than numbers. It's like rating your life stress, but for deadlifts.
The actual challenging sets where you're using serious weight and trying to induce adaptation, as opposed to warm-up sets that are just rehearsals. Where the real work happens.
The alleged automatic credential that natural (non-steroid using) athletes can play to explain their slower progress or smaller physiques. The fitness equivalent of 'I have a boyfriend.'
The controlled lowering phase of an exercise, typically performed with heavier weight than you can lift concentrically. It's the part of the rep where gravity becomes your training partner and your muscles scream about the betrayal.
The organization of your workout schedule by muscle groups or movement patterns across different days. It's how you scientifically justify why today isn't the day for that body part you're trying to avoid training.
A supplement consumed before training, typically containing caffeine and various stimulants to increase energy and focus. It turns regular humans into temporarily jittery superhumans with questionable decision-making abilities and tingling skin.
Exercises involving walking while carrying heavy objects in various positions, the functional fitness equivalent of helping your friend move furniture but calling it training. Surprisingly effective for building strength and questioning your gym bag contents.
The total time your muscles spend under tension during a workout session or specific exercise, measured by people who apparently have the mental bandwidth to count seconds while their muscles are screaming. Related to 'time under tension' but encompasses the full training session.
The strategic timing of nutrients around your training session, encompassing pre-, intra-, and post-workout eating. It's the art of treating your body like a race car that needs precisely timed fuel stops, except you're probably just jogging.
Controlling the speed of each phase of an exercise using a prescribed count (like 3-1-2-0 for eccentric-pause-concentric-pause), because apparently just lifting the weight isn't complicated enough. It's micromanaging your reps for maximum time under tension.
The phenomenon where concurrent endurance and strength training can compromise gains in both modalities, because your body isn't a limitless adaptation machine. It's biology's version of 'you can't have your cake and deadlift too.'
In fitness lingo, the art of targeting a single muscle group while pretending the rest of your body doesn't exist. Think bicep curls where you're completely ignoring that your back is doing half the work. This technique is beloved by bodybuilders who enjoy having conversations about their left pec versus their right pec.