Have you ever visited a gym and heard some words thrown around that left you wondering which planet they really belonged to? If so, I have come to your rescue—fitness language will confuse you no more. Here below, I will help you define the commonly used fitness acronyms. So, read on!
HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)
HIIT refers to short periods of intense exercises with maximum effort. These exercises take around 20 to 30 seconds and are followed by rest sessions.
HIT (High-Intensity Training)
Don’t confuse it with HIIT. HIT refers to strenuous training that uses a lot of energy are raises your heart rate to a high level.
LIT (Low Impact Training)
Low-impact training requires you to leave at least one leg on the floor. These exercises are gentler on joints and muscles since they have a lesser impact. Examples of LIT include cycling, yoga, hiking, dancing, and pilates.
LISS (Low-Intensity Steady State)
LISS refers to a cardio workout that involves exercising at low or moderate intensity for a long period. Types of LISS exercises include running, walking, and swimming.
AMRAP (As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible)
Here you are required to repeat a certain exercise many times or do several rounds of exercises with little resting.
DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)
DOMS refers to the stiffness or pain you feel twenty-four to forty-eight hours after a workout. Experts say that this condition results from inflammations arising from microtears of the muscle fibers.
PB (Personal Best)
PB is a measurement of your top performance. For example, the heaviest weight lifted or the highest number of repetitions of a workout.
BMI (Body Mass Index)
Body mass index is the ratio of your weight to your height. This ratio can be an indicator of your health but doesn’t measure the amount of fat or fat distribution in your body.
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)
Total daily energy expenditure refers to the number of calories you burn each day when you exercise.
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
This rate refers to the number of calories you burn daily when your body is resting.
CNS (Central Nervous System)
The central nervous system comprises the brain and the spinal cord and is responsible for sending, receiving, and coordinating signals in the entire body.
DYEL (Do You Even Lift)
DYEL is a term often used on anyone who claims to be a fitness or nutrition expert, yet their body is just skin and bones. For example, “Hey brother, I often seen you giving out advice on workouts and have never seen you at the gym, DYEL?
GPP (General Physical Preparedness)
GPP refers to the foundational skills an athlete should always seek to improve. These skills include speed, stamina, strength, mobility, etc.
EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption)
Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption takes place after an intense workout. During this time, calorie expenditure increases due to increased oxygen intake.
WOD (Workout Of the Day)
WOD refers to the primary workout of the day and often involves multiple exercises.
EMOM (Every Minute On Minute)
EMOM exercises challenge you to do a workout for a certain number of repetations within less than a minute. The remaining seconds within the minute will act as your recovery period.
PNS (Peripheral Nervous System)
These are nerves located outside the central nervous system.
AC (Anterior Chain)
AC is a muscle or muscle group found in the front body and is visible from a front view. These body parts include the chest, biceps, abdomen, etc.
PC (Posterior Chain)
The posterior chain refers to the muscle or muscle group located at the back of the body or can be visible from a back view.
BP (Bench press)
This is an exercise you do when your back is lying on a bench and pushing weight above you.
DL (Deadlift)
DL is a powerlifting exercise where you lift a weight from the ground in a perpendicular movement.
FS (Front Squat)
This is a common type of squat. Here, the weight is placed in front of the body and not at the back.
AT (Aerobic Threshold)
AT is a point at which your body stops using oxygen only as the energy source and starts using other sources like carbohydrates.
BPM (Beat Per Minute)
BPM refers to the number of times your heart beats per sixty seconds.
MHR (Maximum Heart Rate)
MHR refers to your fastest heart pulse.
PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs)
These drugs help improve muscle mass, strength, or performance.
ATG (Ass To Grass)
This term is commonly used in squats and means that you should get your glutes as low to the ground as possible.
MMC (Mind Muscle Connection)
MMC refers to focusing tension on a particular muscle or body part when exercising.
RM (Repetition Maximum)
This is the highest number of times you can do a particular exercise until you fail or can’t do it any longer.
RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion)
RPE refers to the energy or effort required to complete an exercise. This rate is measured on a scale of 1 to 10 and is based on how you feel. 1 represents extremely effortless, while 10 represents extremely challenging.
TUT (Time Under Strain)
This is the amount of time a particular muscle is subjected to continuous strain during an exercise.
Other Acronyms
● BW - Body Weight
● TTB - Toes To Bar
● KTE - Knees To Elbows
● Rep - Repetition
● MU - Muscle Ups
● SQ - Squat
● DNS - Did Not Start
● PC - Power Clean
● BJ - Box Jump
● GHD - Glute Harmstring Developer
● OHS - Overhead Squat
● PU - Pull-Ups
● SPP - Specific Physical Preparedness
● BB - Barbell
● BBJ - Burpee Box Jump
● C2B - Chest To Bar
● GTG - Grease The Groove
● H2H - Hand To Hand
● KBS - Kettlebell Swing
● BBJO - Burpee Box Jump Over
● OHWL - Overhead Walking Lunge
● OWL - Olympic Weight Lifting