The lingo!!!

Many terms are flung around the gym and fitness circles.

Some of them incorrectly and some of them just to make you feel like someone knows what they are talking about.

If you want people to know that you know what they know…??¿¿ here are a few words and definitions that might help and a some details that you might want to know about them.

Hypertrophy: (from Greek ὑπέρ "excess" + τροφή "nourishment") is the increase in the volume of an organ or tissue due to the enlargement of its component cells. This term is used around profesional circles to describe the state of bulking up, without actually saying bulking up. The opposite of this is Shredding.

Anabolic state: a physiological state of building tissue. This combined with Hypertrophy is what a body builder wants to achieve before going into a shredding phase.

Catabolic state: simply means muscle breakdown. You want to avoid this unless you feel you are too big in muscle. This will occur when you do not provide your body with the right amount of fuel to sustain your workout regieme and goals.

Metabolism: The chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life. This is something that should increase as your exercise levels rise. This increases energy burn which increases fat loss.

Super set: When you perform a set of a particular exercise, then move on to another one with no rest. This is a great fat burning and toning technique.

Negatives: Often referred to as "Negative." An advanced training technique in which you stress the negative/opposite/or eccentric phase of an exercise. This is a good strength building technique as you can do a negative with more weight than a full rep up AND down.

TUT: Time under tension, the time each repetition takes. This is an important factor in muscle building or toning. Extensive tut with lighter weights trims while about 60 secs per set with heavy to moderate weights build.

Cardio: Also called aerobic exercise, this type of exercise builds endurance by keeping the heart pumping for an extended period of time. It strengthens your heart and blood vessels, improves cholesterol, strengthens bones, and helps you lose weight.

Carb loading: The process of building glycogen stores three days before a long distance event, usually done by increasing consumption of carb rich foods and drinks. Not an excuse to eat lots of stuff!


Shredded: to have extremely low bodyfat with superior muscle separation. Also, sliced, cut, and cross-straited. This is a goal that is wanted by many but only achieved by the elite and dedicated.

So with all this lingo in mind you might feel a little bit comfortable talking about your goals and targets rather than just sayin "I wanna get big" or "I want to loose some weight" …

Instead you might want to say, "I want to achieve a great amount of hypertrophy in the upper body!" or "I want to increase my metabolism and get shredded!!"


större hårdare starkare. erövra!