Common workout terms

2 min read
Thought I'd throw a few random training terms up here with some definitions - comments welcome. GETTING RIPPED: bodybuilding slang for extreme muscularizing (is that a word)? Or gaining awesome muscle hardness and definition through hard training and dieting. Also known as cutting. (Can also mean other things in other contexts - eg: going out and getting ripped) ISOLATION: Exercising one specific muscle exclusive of others to focus effort on or protect that muscle. (In other contexts - eg: that feeling you get when it's toooooo quiet) PUMP: The enlargement and tightening felt in the working muscle resulting from the blood engorgement. (hmmm - other contexts??) ATROPHY: Decrease in size and functional ability of tissues or organs. If you work out for 10 years and get big, then you stop working out, your muscles will begin to shrink or atrophy (Other contexts - what you win when you come first) CHEATING: A method of pushing a muscle to keep working far past the point at which it would normally fail to continue contracting due to excessive fatigue buildup. In essence, where you are not strict with your form / technique in order to push your rep numbers up. (Other contexts - when you are not strict with your morals in order push your numbers up) ESTROGEN: A female sex hormone. For example, in men excess testosterone is converted to estrogen sometimes leading to gynecomastia (breast development). (NO other context - just wanted to let all those taking tribulus and other natural wonder "test" drugs what may happen to their pecs) SET: A set is a group of consecutive repetitions that are performed without resting. After the set, a rest interval occurs before you begin another set. (Other contexts - comes between ready and go) TRAINING TO FAILURE: Continuing a set until it is impossible to do any more repetitions without assistance. Nowhere else in the world is training to fail a good thing..... MAX: Maximum weight you can do for one repetition of an exercise. (Other contexts - that scary bloke on the supplement tubs - WTF is going on with that guy) The list goes on but I think that will do for me.......for now.