Going to the gym for the first time can feel intimidating, especially when you’re surrounded by people who seem to be speaking a different language. Let’s change that! Our beginner’s guide to gym slang will help you understand the most common words and phrases used in fitness culture, so you can feel comfortable and confident in your workout environment.
Common gym terms
New to the fitness world? Let’s talk jargon! Here are some of the most commonly used gym words and their definitions, so you can get familiar with the lingo:
Bench press: A weight training exercise that targets the upper body muscles. It involves pressing a weight (either a barbell or a pair of dumbbells) upwards while lying flat on a weight training bench.
Cardio: Also known as aerobic exercise, cardio refers to any exercise that raises your heart rate and improves your cardiovascular health. Examples of cardio exercises include running, cycling, swimming and skipping.
Deadlift: A strength training exercise that involves lifting a weighted barbell off the ground toward your hips, and then lowering it back down. As with any exercise, proper form is key to a safe and effective deadlift.
DOMS: An acronym for “delayed-onset muscle soreness”, DOMS refers to the sore, aching feeling you experience in your muscles a day or two after a workout. DOMS can strike after you perform an intense workout or start a new exercise routine that your body’s not used to.
Drop set: A weight training technique in which you perform an exercise with a heavier weight until failure (meaning, until you’re unable to complete a rep with proper form). Then, you immediately drop to a lighter weight and complete another set until failure, with little to no rest in between sets.
Free weights: Weights that aren’t connected to any type of gym equipment and that you can freely move around, such as dumbbells, barbells and kettlebells.
PB: Stands for “personal best”, which refers to an individual’s best performance in a particular exercise. For example, the fastest time you’ve run a 5K or the heaviest weight you can squat.
Plate: The circular weights (plate-shaped discs) that are used to add resistance to barbells and dumbbells. Plates come in a variety of weights, typically ranging from 2.75 pounds (1.25kg) to 55 pounds (25kg).
PT: Short for “personal trainer”, a certified fitness professional who can work one-on-one with you to create a specific exercise programme to suit your body, fitness level, training goals and experience.
Pump: A term used to describe the experience of having a strong rush of blood in your muscles after an intense workout, which can temporarily make the muscles look bigger.
Rep: A short form of “repetition”, which refers to a single performance of an exercise, such as one bicep curl or one push-up.
Set: A group of reps that are performed consecutively without rest. For example, one set of squats equals 12 reps.
Spot: To spot someone means to assist them during a weightlifting exercise, typically by being ready to help prevent the weight from falling in case they can’t complete the lift.