Glossary

• Posterior

  In fitness terms, posterior refers to muscles which are found in the rear or back of a particular body part. Common examples include the posterior chain muscles and posterior deltoids.

• Plyometric

  Plyometrics or plyos are exercises which aim to increase muscular power. Fitness experts also refer to them as “jump training.” Examples include squat jumps, burpees, box jumps, and stairway hops.

• Personal trainer

  A personal trainer is a fitness professoinal who helps formulate fitness programs for clients. Personal trainers also guide clients through exercises and in some cases, assist in nutrition-related concerns.

• PB

  This is an acronym which means “personal best,” a personal record one sets for a particular exercise. For instance, if the most you’ve ever lifted in the bench press is 110 kg, that is a PB.

• One-up

  When you one up somebody at the fitness centre, you gain an advantage over him. For example, if you’re used to unilateral training, you can perform more concentration curls than the competition. You one up them.

• Muscle memory

  This pertains to a muscle’s ability to perform a specific movement brought about by frequent repetition. For example, even if you haven’t done deadlifts in a long time, your muscles are already accustomed to the movement because you did deadlifts previously.

• Mobility

  Mobility refers to one’s strength within the muscle’s range of motion. The more you can actively move within that range of motion, the more mobile you are.

• Military press

  This is an exercise which targets the shoulder muscles. Here, you either lift two dumbbells or a barbell with the triceps parallel to the ground as the starting position whilst sitting on a bench.

• Maxing out

  When you max out, you lift heavy resistances for one repetition. This strategy works best for individuals who want to increase their strength levels at the gym.

• Max

  This refers to the maximum weight one can lift. In some cases, it also refers to your one-rep max or the most amount of resistance you can handle for a single lift.

• Load it up

  When you load it up, you increase the resistance of a bar, dumbbell, kettlebell, or machine. For instance, by adding plates to a barbell to increase its weight, you’re loading it up.

• Load

  This refers to the total resistance of a particular machine or gym equipment. It can also refer to the act of increasing a machine’s or equipment’s resistance by adding plates and the like.