P.s. I’m not calling you dummies, it’s just a phrase 😉

General terminology:

Calories – a measurement of the energy content of food. Each person needs a set amount of calories day to day to maintain their current weight. This is referred to as TDEE (see definition below).

Calorie surplus – when the number of calories that were consumed in a single day is higher than your TDEE or total number of calories burnt overall for the day. This is used for bulking or trying to gain weight/muscle. The most common/healthy calorie surplus used is 200 calories over your TDEE.

Calorie deficit – when the number of calories that were consumed in a single day is less than your TDEE or total number of calories burnt overall for the day. This is used for cutting or trying to lose weight/fat. The most common/healthy calorie deficit is between 200-500 calories below your TDEE.

TDEE aka “total daily energy expenditure” – an estimation of how many calories you burn per day based on your weight, height, age and activity level. This estimation INCLUDES your “workout calories burnt” so you should never add those back into the calculation. TDEE is made up of 4 different parts – BMR, EAT, TEF & NEAT (see definitions below).

BMR aka “basal metabolic rate” – refers to the number of calories you burn each day while doing absolutely nothing (literally just from living and breathing air). This accounts for the MAJORITY (about 70%) of the total calories you burn each day.

EAT aka “exercise activity thermogenesis” – refers to the number of calories you burn each day from physical exercise such as doing cardio, going to the gym etc. This accounts for about 5% of the total calories you burn each day. (that’s a lot less than you thought, huh?)

TEF aka “thermic effect of food” – refers to the number of calories you burn each day from eating and digesting food. This accounts for about 10% of the total calories you burn each day.

NEAT aka “non-exercise activity thermogenesis” – refers to the number of calories you burn each day from moving around but not necessarily working out. Activities like walking from room to room, cleaning the house, gardening and such are considered to fit into this category. This accounts for about 15% of the calories you burn each day. I highly recommend trying to be as active as you can throughout the day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator if you can and so on.

Macronutrients aka Macros – the nutrients that your body requires in large amounts. The three main macros are protein (most important), carbohydrates & fats.

Protein – Made up of amino acids which are the building blocks. 9 of them are essential to human survival and your body cannot naturally produce them. They must be eaten in your diet. Protein supports growth and maintenance of our cells and tissues and is the most important macronutrient for muscle gain/fat loss. The recommended range for protein is around 20-30% of your total calorie intake. Each gram of protein is 4 calories.

EX: with a 2000 calorie intake, you should be consuming anywhere from 400-600 calories worth of protein each day or 100 to 150 grams of protein (400/4 calories per gram and 600/4 calories per gram) This is the complicated way to calculate it but just for example purposes.

Carbohydrates aka carbs – Carbs are considered sugar molecules. They break down into glucose overall which is the main source of energy for the body’s cells, tissues, and organs. Our muscles can store glucose for later use when needed such as during an intense workout. The recommended range for carbs is around 45-65% of your total calorie intake. Each gram of carbohydrates is 4 calories.

Dietary fats – Considered to be essential to your health. Fats help the body absorb vitamins and minerals. The recommended range for fats is around 20-35% of your total calorie intake. Each gram of fat is 9 calories. It is important to note all fats are not made equally. There are healthy and unhealthy fat sources. Fats from natural peanut butter or avocado are very healthy whereas fats from cookies and cakes are not.

*the key when picking ranges is to make sure they add up to 100 overall

Micronutrients – the nutrients our bodies require in smaller amounts. These come in the form of vitamins and minerals. EX: Vitamin A,B,C,D.E,K, calcium, iodine, iron, potassium, sodium & zinc. They are not as important as macros and do not need to be religiously tracked but it is important to keep note of them.

More about supplementation here.

Bulking – refers to the muscle gaining phase. Can be done by consuming more calories than your body needs for a set number of weeks or months. Most commonly, a 200-calorie surplus is preferred.

Cutting – refers to the fat loss phase. Can be done by consuming less calories than your body needs for a set number of weeks or months. Most commonly, a 200-500 calorie deficit is preferred for slow but sustainable long term fat loss.

PR aka “personal record” – refers to the heaviest weight you are able to lift for a certain number of repetitions within a set of a certain exercise. For example, say you were able to lift 200 lbs for 8 repetitions on your squat and that’s your best weight yet.

 1RM aka “one rep max” – refers to the heaviest weight you can lift for 1 repetition of a certain exercise. For example, say you lifted 300 lbs for 1 repetition of a squat.

Hypertrophy – a form of training that focuses on developing your muscles by increasing the size of your muscle fibers overall. During hypertrophy training, you should train in the 6-12 rep range with moderate to heavy weight.

Progressive overload – *EXTREMELY IMPORTANT* 

Progressive overload refers to increasing the number of sets, repetitions, or the weight over a period of time. It is the KEY to making progress in the gym with any goal. If you consistently lift the same weight for the same number of reps and sets for months or even years, you will never be able to get stronger or gain more muscle since you are no longer challenging your muscles. Your muscles should always be trained close to failure (within 1-3 reps) to ensure progress will be made.

DOMS aka “delayed onset muscle soreness” – refers to soreness of the muscles after a day of training. This generally happens the next morning you wake up after your prior training session and can last a few days. It is a normal response to new stimuli within your muscles. A great way to reduce muscle soreness is by using a foam roller.

Link to one below if you have no idea what that is: https://amzn.to/3TkM569

Deload week – during a deload week, you will still go to the gym as normal BUT you will decrease the intensity of your workouts. You can reduce it by either dropping the weight and/or the volume (sets and reps) overall. This is used as a recovery method by allowing your muscles and joints time to rebuild and grow back stronger. A deload week should be implemented every 4-8 weeks or as you feel necessary. These are not required especially as a beginner but as you get into a more intermediate phase, you should consider adding them into your program.

Acronyms

DB = dumbbell

BB = barbell

KB = kettlebell

BW = bodyweight

Intra-workout terminology (during workouts):

Exercise – refers to a specific movement used to build muscle or strength. Examples: squat, deadlift, bicep curl, etc. (list goes on forever) 

Repetitions aka reps – refers to the single execution of an exercise. For example, you do a bicep curl. You start at the bottom of the exercise, lift the weight up and then back down. That is considered 1 repetition.

Sets – refers to the execution of many repetitions back-to-back with no rest in between. For example, if you take the bicep curl above and repeat that 7 more times without resting first, you have done 1 set of 8 repetitions.

Different types of sets:

AMRAP aka “as many reps as possible” – This means completing a set until absolute failure (can’t physically get another rep up with good form).

Straight set (most common) – as described above, doing back-to-back repetitions with no rest in between. After 1 set, you rest for X amount of time and then do another set of the same exercise. Beginners should start with these and not get into the complicated set types below for at least a few months.

Superset – doing “one set” of two different exercises back-to-back with no rest in between. For example, you do 1 set of 8 reps of a bicep curl then you immediately (with no rest) do 1 set of 8 reps of a tricep extension. The two of these sets combined is considered to be 1 set overall since you did one large superset. These are great to use when you are in a time crunch.

Circuit – doing “one set” of three or more different exercises back-to-back with no rest in between. For example, you do 1 set of 8 reps of a bicep curl then you immediately (with no rest) do 1 set of 8 reps of a tricep extension and then 1 set of 8 reps of squats. The three of these sets combined is considered to be 1 set overall since you did one large circuit. These are most commonly used in HIIT (high intensity interval training) style workouts.

Drop set – refers to reducing the weight at the end of a set and continuing to do more repetitions until complete failure. These are best used at the end of your workouts and on the last set of an exercise since they exhaust the muscles completely. They should be mainly used for isolation exercises. For example, if you do 4 sets of 8 reps on a bicep curl using 20 lb DBs – on your 4th set, you complete the 8 reps, then immediately with no rest pick up 15 lb DBs and continue to do as many reps as you can until failure.

There are more types of sets but those are the simple ones for now.

TUT aka “time under tension” – refers to how long a muscle is under strain during a rep of an exercise.

General example to understand programming:

3×8 refers to 3 sets of 8 reps.

If a number follows after the reps, that usually refers to the weight you’re lifting.

Types of exercises

Compound exercises – exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time. These are the most effective types of exercises, and they should be put first/the focus of your workouts. EX: squats, deadlifts, hup thrust, bench press, overhead press

Isolation exercises – exercises that work a single muscle group at the same time. These are best for focusing on a single muscle group if you have one lacking. The should be put at the end and be supplemental to the rest of your workout. EX: bicep curl, tricep extension, leg extension, hamstring curl, calf raise

Unilateral exercises – completing an exercise or movement using a single arm or leg. These are great to balance uneven strength in your dominant/non-dominant arms/legs. When dealing with uneven strength, you should use the same weight on each side but try to get a few more reps in on your weaker side until it catches up to your stronger/larger side.

EX: alternating bicep curl, alternating lunges, alternating step ups

If you’re still unsure of how to navigate the fitness world or just don’t care to understand the fitness lingo, I totally understand. It can be a lot!

This is where hiring a trainer may come in handy for you as it takes the burden off of you. I have a few spots opening up in my 1:1 program and would love to work with you! Apply here.

Until next time,

Coach Emily