By Mae Rymer
Anyone who has at least a couple of gym-rat friends knows how funny it is to hear them talk gym-shop in front of others. If you don’t know what I am referring to, “let me paint you an image; it’s a cliché, but it’s an image”- Robin Williams, The Birdcage
[Insert Gym-Bro 1 here] “Oh Dude! You killed that superset! What’s your PR max on that, bro? That had to be at least five supersets of twenty reps at 650 (lbs.) each. Dude!”
[Insert Gym-Bro 2 here] “My PR max on weight was 685 (lbs.) but rep PR Max was 23 for sure! Wanna hit 30 before the end of this cycle!”
By the end of this you may be asking yourself, “What the hell did I just read!? I know they’re communicating something; I just know it! I just don’t know what “it” is!” You are not alone, and that is an absolutely normal response, I promise you!
What it is all coming down to is being able to understand and speak the lingo. If you’re going to hang with your gym bros, it is important to learn their vocabulary as well as how to use it correctly in context. For example, the above-mentioned conversation is broken down as follows:
- Superset (strength training): how quickly you move from one exercise to the next; regular resting periods go from 20-30 seconds of rest between exercises, but a superset goes from 12-18 seconds resting period.
- PR (personal Record): can refer to either max weight pushed or pulled and/or reps; usually is interchangeable with “max.”
- Reps (short for repetitions): how many times you perform the consistent movement of the exercise without stopping.
- Sets: how many broken up reps you do for one given workout.There’s typically a short break or rest period between sets.
Those are the bare basics. The more you learn, the deeper you can get into health and fitness, and even nutritional science terminology. Once you master these basics, you’ll better understand how they are practiced and utilized within the gym setting.
Are there any type of lingo or gym-talk words and phrases that you hear a lot of within your gym community? Leave a comment, explanation, or question if you need clarification on any that you might have heard!
Mae (Dutch Moore’s resident Gym Bro-girl)