Blog

I’ve previously provided a guide to general gym terms; now it’s time to get a little more specific and talk about strength training terms in more detail. An online glossary may not be the most exciting thing you’ve ever read, but if you’re comfortable with weight training terms and definitions you’ll be better equipped to learn about other strength training topics. Let’s get started!

Strength Training

Training where improved strength is the priority as opposed to burning fat, gaining muscle etc. In the gym, we measure our strength training performance by increasing weight lifted, increasing reps with a given weight, or by performing harder exercises (moving onto pullup rather than horizontal rows, for example).

“Newbie” Gains

Increases in strength or muscle growth that occur in the early stages of training (within, say, the first year of following a particular training method). In strength training terminology, newbie gains are normally explained by the learning effect. This is where the nervous system makes rapid improvements in mastering your lifting skills and muscle contractions.

In strength training and muscle growth training, newbie gains are explained by the fact that relatively small changes in physical activity (compared to our day-to-day baseline) cause a large amount of stress. This stress causes the body to adapt and become stronger. However, as we adapt to a given challenge, the amount of stress needed to cause more change increases. Thus the gains become harder to come by, and newbie gains are replaced with regular, slower gains.

Training Sensitivity

A term used to describe our journey through levels of adaptability as described above. In other words, training sensitivity is your responsiveness to a given stimuli. Due to the adaptive powers of the human body, applying the same level of stress over time produces diminishing returns in terms of adaptations.

However, our training sensitivity can move through peaks and troughs based on what our recent training has been like. For example, imagine you’ve just done 10 sets of bicep curls. This is a big stimulus for someone that normally only does 3 sets. However, if you normally do 20 sets, then 10 sets won’t provide much of a stimulus.

We can use these fluctuations in training sensitivity to trigger more adaptation. We can do this by moving through higher and lower amounts of volume, and by changing exercises.*

*Click here to read why you shouldn’t always rely on changing exercises to increase sensitivity.

Sticking Point

In strength training terms, this refers to the point in an exercise overcoming the resistance is hardest. This dramatically slows the momentum of the exercise, and may bring the movement to a brief halt. If you cannot push through a sticking point, you will fail the exercise in question. Sticking points are caused by a number of factors including lever lengths, momentum, technique, and more.

Grind

Grinding is the act of pushing through a sticking point. When we reach a sticking point, it takes an increased level of effort to finish the exercise. Grinding requires you to fully commit to completing the rep. Grinding is a skill, and on some occasions the sticking point can harm morale (for example, when the bar doesn’t instantly leave the floor in a deadlift). There may be times when it’s not worth grinding – if you’ve misjudged the weight, or you’re meant to be having a lighter week, or you have another 4 sets of this exercise still to go.

Repetition Maximum (Rep Max)

A record of your strength, usually a weight that you have completed for a certain number of repetitions (for example a 5-rep max, 3-rep max, 1-rep max). Using a rep max calculator, you can use this number to extrapolate what weight you should be lifting at other reps. For example, squatting 90kg for 3 reps after squatting 100kg for 1 rep. Here is an example of a rep max calculator.

Training Max

The training max is arguably a more useful number than the repetition maximum. It assumes that you’re 5-10% weaker than you actually are, and uses that number to extrapolate the weight you need for a given number of reps. A training max is simply 90-95% of your repetition maximum, which you then pretend is your best weight. For example, your 1 rep-max squat of 100kg becomes 90-95kg, so your 3 rep weight becomes 85-90kg.

This may feel like you’re robbing yourself of gains, but it’s usually still a good amount of resistance for creating stimulus without every set feeling like a battle with the barbell. That’s because on a daily basis, our strength levels are subject to fluctuations. Fatigue, soreness, mental arousal, confidence, hormones, nutrition and a host of other factors can all affect our strength performance on a given day. The training max accounts for this.

Most people are skeptical when they first use a training max and discover that most sets can be completed with absolute confidence. However, this is not a bad thing. To improve strength, you basically need lots of practice at lifting weight really well. I’ve used training maxes for my own training and my clients’ training for years, and it almost always yields great results.

Max Out

Maxing out means emptying the reserves and holding nothing back. Typically, this means lifting the heaviest weight you can, or completing as many reps as possible with a given weight. The end result is a huge training stimulus that comes with a higher level of risk and requires lots of recovery. However, it’s hotly debated whether you actually need such a big training stimulus on a regular basis in your training to get results. Most research says you don’t need to regularly max out to get results, but people still like doing it.

That’s All for Now

I hope you’ve found this breakdown of weight training terms useful. The information here will come in handy when I’m talking about my squat progress in next week’s blog. Follow my Instagram to see when that post goes live!