Glossary

• Baby’s Butt

  A deep recess between two heads of bicep muscles of an individual with an aesthetic physique.

• Antagonistic Pairs

  These refer to two opposing muscle groups. For instance, your chest and back are antagonistic pairs. Another example is your biceps and triceps.

• Anaerobic Threshold

  You reach your anaerobic threshold when your body produces too much lactic acid. Symptoms include extreme fatigue, muscle cramping, and weakness.

• Anaerobic

  This term relates to exercises which don’t utilise oxygen. These movements are typically strength training exercises which help build muscle mass and increase strength levels.

• AMRAP

  This is an acronym which means “as many reps/rounds as possible.” It hints at training to failure, which is a popular training method among individuals who want to increase muscle mass and endurance.

• Amino Acids

  Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. The former is classified into three categories: essential, non-essential, and conditional.

• Alligator Arm

  Someone has an alligator arm when he doesn’t do the full range of motion for a particular exercise. For instance, if a person does a half rep on bench presses, he has an alligator arm.

• All-or-None

  This is a principle which states the response of a muscle fibre doesn’t depend on how strong a particular stimulus is.

• Airplane Mode

  A person is in airplane mode if he enters the gym in a confused state and has no idea what to do. He typically stares at the equipment and does nothing.

• Agonist Muscle

  This muscle performs the primary movement of an exercise. For instance, your pectorals act as the agonist muscles during a barbell bench press.

• Adrenaline

  This hormone helps offset the effects of stress and improve performance. It’s also known as epinephrine.

• Acute muscle soreness

  This refers to muscular discomfort which occurs in the immediate aftermath of a workout. Whilst hints of soreness may show up at the beginning of a routine, acute muscle soreness doesn’t last for a long time.