Strong Terms: Weight Training Foundations

If you want to perfect any craft you need to understand it from the bottom up. At the foundation of any good weight training program is understanding. Understanding of the language.

Going to the gym for the first time is a lot like visiting a foreign country. Here is a list of terms that will help prepare you for your first day in the gym.

Basic Terms

Resistance Training: Any movement against resistance. This includes weights (dumbbells, plates, kettlebells) and your own body weight. Mixing bodyweight with free weight exercise is a great way to challenge the body.

Strength: Maximum power during a single absolute effort. Examples include a 1RM (one rep max) where a lifter uses maximum force to overcome resistance.

Power: The use of explosive movements. Force mixed with speed. This is important for players who need to be both powerful and quick. The equation for power: weight x vertical distance weight travels / time to complete rep. You can increase power by increasing speed or using heavier weights with the same speed you use with light weights.

Muscular Endurance: Ability of the muscle to perform repeated contractions or hold a contraction against resistance. Runners, swimmers, and cyclists need muscular endurance to perform their craft over long periods.

Variables

Reps: Any one complete action of an exercise. One squat, one curl, one bench press are all examples of one rep. A repetition usually consists of a lifting (concentric) and a lowering (eccentric) phase. This number could range from 1 to 20 or more.

Set: Any combination of repetitions for a specific exercise. There is no break between reps during one set.

Resistance: The amount of weight lifted on any given exercise.

Rest interval: The amount of time taken for a break between sets. As intensity increases so do the required rest interval between sets to allow the body time to recover.

Workout: One complete exercise session consisting of different sets for each of the different exercises. Here is an example of a 3 exercise workout (Exercise, Sets, Reps, Resistance).

Bench Press
3
12
100 lbs

Squat
2
8
50 lbs

Leg press
1
6
200 lbs

Exercise Types

Isometric: When a muscle generates force, but the length of the muscle does not change. An example would be holding a weight in place without lifting or lowering the weight or pushing against a door frame.

Isotonic: When a muscle generates force and there is a change in the length of that muscle. For example, the biceps shorten during the lifting phase of a barbell curl and lengthen during the lowering phase.

Isokinetic: A type of exercise utilizing machines that control the speed of the movement throughout the range of motion. The length of the muscle changes, but the speed remains constant regardless of individual effort.

Equipment

Free Weights: While they’re not exactly free, you can set up a pretty sweet home gym for a relatively low cost with free weights. Free weights are barbells, dumbbells, and all the bells and whistles that go along with these to help you lift (benches, racks, collars). Most barbells allow users to add weighted plates from 2.5-45lbs with metal or plastic collars on the ends to secure the weights. Some come with fixed weights already added to the barbell.

Variable Resistance: Weight training machines that use cams, levers, and weighted plates to vary the resistance. The goal for all types of variable resistance equipment is to provide more resistance where the muscles exert the most force during normal range of motion and less resistance where muscles provide less force.

Movement

Prone: Lying with your face towards the ground.

Supine: Lying on your back with your face towards the ceiling.

Pronated Grip: Grabbing a bar with palms down, thumbs facing towards each other. Chest press.

Supinated Grip: Grabbing a bar with palms up, thumbs facing away from each other. Barbell bicep curl.

Flexion: Bending. Movement at a joint that decreases the joint angle. Seated knee flexion.

Extension: Straightening. Movement at a joint that increases the joint angle. Seated knee extension.

Dorsiflexion: Flexion of the toes. This happens when the toes move towards the knees.

Plantarflexion: Extension of the toes. This happens with the toes point away from the knees.

Abduction: Movement away from the midline of the body. Hip abduction machine.

Adduction: Movement toward the midline of the body. Hip Adduction machine.

Sagittal Plane: A plane that divides your body between left and right parts. Exercises in the sagittal plane: barbell curls, dumbbell curls, knee flexion/extension, chest press.

Coronal Plane: A plane that divides the body between ventral (front) and dorsal (back) parts.

Transverse Plane: A plane that divides the body between superior (higher) and inferior (lower) parts.

Concentric Muscle Action: Any movement that causes the length of the muscle to shorten. This typically happens during the lifting phase of the movement.

Eccentric Muscle Action: Any movement that causes the length of the muscle to lengthen. This typically happens during the lowering phase of the movement.

SOURCES

1. Cook, B. B., & Stewart, G. W. (1996). Strong Terms. In Strength Basics: Your guide to resistance training for health and optimal performance (pp. 19-34). Human Kinetics.
2. Cronkleton, E. (2018, September 18). Isokinetic Exercise: Benefits, How to Begin, Risks, and More. Retrieved December 28, 2019, from https://www.healthline.com/health/isokinetic.
3. Fleck, S. J., & Kraemer, W. (2014). Basic Principles of Resistance Training and Exercise Prescription. In Designing resistance training programs, 4E (pp. 1-15). Human Kinetics.