Spring Break
Gym lingo defined for weaker species
Issue date: 8/20/07 Section: Sports
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A lot of first-time trainees hear these phrases thrown around in the gym, but never know what they mean. Here's a key of commonly used terms, so you can strike up a conversation with the hulk in the corner.
• Tri-sets: They're three exercises performed back-to-back without rest. They can shorten your workout, increase its intensity and are commonly used by people trying to gain definition rather than bulk up.
• Giant-sets: A tri-set on steroids. It's multiple exercises performed back-to-back, with no rest between sets. It's a great technique for losing weight, especially when paired with a regular cardiovascular routine.
• Staggered sets: One of Arnold Schwarzenegger's favorites, they involve working a muscle group during your rest periods for another. They're usually used to bring up lagging body parts.
• Rest-pause principle: This is a short 10-to-15 second break at the end of an exercise. It allows your body to prepare itself for additional repetitions without letting it completely recover. Only use this technique on the last set of your last exercise for each muscle group.
• Down-the-rack: When you perform an exercise with a heavy dumbbell, then immediately grab a lighter dumbbell, and perform the same exercise again. Continuing this, you can move down the entire rack of dumbbells. A great finishing exercise.
• Burns: Quick three or four inch movements at the end of a set. Burns are used when you can't perform a complete repetition and want to take the muscle beyond failure.
• Cheating: Involves using a little body English to get the weight started. The cheating principle allows you to overload a muscle with more weight than it can handle.
-Daniel Hanna is a columnist for the Red and Black
• Tri-sets: They're three exercises performed back-to-back without rest. They can shorten your workout, increase its intensity and are commonly used by people trying to gain definition rather than bulk up.
• Giant-sets: A tri-set on steroids. It's multiple exercises performed back-to-back, with no rest between sets. It's a great technique for losing weight, especially when paired with a regular cardiovascular routine.
• Staggered sets: One of Arnold Schwarzenegger's favorites, they involve working a muscle group during your rest periods for another. They're usually used to bring up lagging body parts.
• Rest-pause principle: This is a short 10-to-15 second break at the end of an exercise. It allows your body to prepare itself for additional repetitions without letting it completely recover. Only use this technique on the last set of your last exercise for each muscle group.
• Down-the-rack: When you perform an exercise with a heavy dumbbell, then immediately grab a lighter dumbbell, and perform the same exercise again. Continuing this, you can move down the entire rack of dumbbells. A great finishing exercise.
• Burns: Quick three or four inch movements at the end of a set. Burns are used when you can't perform a complete repetition and want to take the muscle beyond failure.
• Cheating: Involves using a little body English to get the weight started. The cheating principle allows you to overload a muscle with more weight than it can handle.
-Daniel Hanna is a columnist for the Red and Black
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