Fitness Vocab Basics: Part 1
Fitness Terms & How It Looks Depending on What Kind of Human You Are
Fitness Terms & How It Looks Depending on What Kind of Human You Are
Fitness can be intimidating. For most people the intimidation stems from a lack of knowledge of the basics and understanding the terminology that goes with it. No one wants to look stupid, especially at the gym where everyone is watching you nonstop right? Joking of course!
Many people simply don’t understand how to put together a workout routine or program that would cater to their individual needs and lifestyle. Which makes sense, why would the regular gym goer know all there is to know about training? I know I don’t and never will! Most of us trainers went to school for this and continue to seek out information non-stop to advance our knowledge.
Creating an efficient and effective workout program requires a well-rounded approach and takes all training variables, lifestyle, previous training, injury history, and goals all into consideration. Training variables include the amount of sets & reps you complete, the weight (load) you use, the rest periods, the tempo of the exercise and much more. When I create a program I think of it as similar to giving a prescription. The training variables are the dosage amounts for the prescription of movement and it is my responsibility to make sure we are dosing an individual with the appropriate amount of movement for their individual needs.
For each variable I’ll give recommendations and generalizations for three separate categories of humans.
Everyday Humans: People who fall into this category don’t have a ton of time available for workouts but recognize the benefits of engaging in regular strength training and exercise. They want to feel that they’ve had a good workout, but they also need to monitor their energy levels since they’re a full-time student, a parent, a caregiver, have a busy time demanding career, or any other scenario where time is precious. Workouts are typically short, sweet, and to the point.
Athletic Humans: People who fall into this category are any individual who is an athlete competing in sports that want to maximize their performance on the field, court, track, etc. Athletic Human’s top priority is their performance in the game NOT in the weight room, so their workouts should be very detailed, precise, and efficient.
Strong Humans: People who fall into this category live for their gym session each day. They love getting under the bar and pushing themselves physically every workout. They enjoy grueling workout programs that leave their muscles screaming and while getting a good sweat. These workouts will be a bit longer, a bit more intense, but very specific to the goal of getting stronger and building muscle.
Of course, I’ve built extensive workout programs for all three types of humans so if you’re interested just click the link to each one to check it out! Now let’s get into some trainer lingo basics. In part one of this fitness vocabulary series, we’re talking about the four basic variables when it comes to exercise programming: sets, reps, rest periods, and tempos.
Sets
Sets are the number of times an individual will perform an exercise in a workout. Think of sets as rounds of an exercise. The number of sets used can range from 1-10+ depending on the exercise, the individual's goals, and the intensity of the exercises. I typically program and recommend for each type of human the following number of sets, but at times it may vary depending on the individuals training level.
Everyday Humans: 1-4 sets per exercise is usually perfect
Athletic Humans: 1-5 sets per exercise depending on reps, load, and tempo
Strong Humans: 1-10 sets per exercise depending on goal of movement, load, tempos
Reps
Reps are the number of times an exercise is performed within a single set. Reps can range anywhere from 1-30+ depending on the goal of the exercise. For strength purposes, it is generally recommended to do 1-5 repetitions. For hypertrophy goals, 6-12 is generally recommended, but can be achieved in all rep ranges. For endurance 12+ reps are recommended. This does not mean that those rep ranges are the ONLY rep ranges to use for those specific goals. Strength and hypertrophy rep ranges can blend into each other and complement each other well. Hypertrophy and endurance rep ranges also will complement each other well assuming the loading is appropriate. Recommendations & typical programming are as follows:
Everyday Humans: 6 to 15 reps per set for MOST exercises
Athletic Humans: 1 to 15 reps per set for MOST exercises depending on other variables
Strong Humans: 1 to 20 reps per set depending on all other variables
Rest Periods
Rest periods happen after the completion of a set. A rest period can last anywhere from 15 seconds all the way up to 5 minutes. Rest periods will depend on how much effort was exerted during the set and what the goal is. If strength and/or power is a goal (heavy deadlifts/squats/bench/sprints) then a longer rest period of 2-5 minutes is recommended. If hypertrophy & strength are the goal, 45-120 seconds is appropriate depending on the reps & load. If endurance is the goal, then keeping rest periods between 30 to 60 seconds is recommended depending on how quickly an individual can recover after a completed set. It is important to remember that you want to be nearing full recovery when performing an exercise so that you can give your best effort and keep your form intact to reduce injury risk. A longer rest period is recommended over a short rest period for most. This will all depend on your ability to recover and how hard you are working within your set. Recommendations for rest periods below:
Everyday Humans: 30-90 seconds between sets in most cases
Athletic Humans: 15 seconds to 3 minutes between sets depending on other variables
Strong Humans: 15 seconds to 3 minutes or more between sets depending on other variables
Tempos
A tempo refers to how fast or slow an individual will perform reps within a set. This might be one of the most misunderstood and underrated training variables. A typical tempo would be 2-0-2. The first number is the eccentric or lowering action. The middle number is the time you’ll spend at the end range of motion. The third number is the concentric or raising action of an exercise. 2-0-2 tempo is most commonly used, but there are numerous other tempos we can use depending on the goal and the skill level of an individual. Mixing up your tempos can create a new stimulus, make exercise more challenging at different weights, and increase enjoyment at times. Recommended tempos below.
Everyday Humans: 2-0-2 or 3-1-1 generally recommended for nearly all movements
Athletic Humans: 3-1-1, 5-1-1 or 1-1-1 most commonly used tempos for most movements
Strong Humans: 2-1-2, 3-1-1, 2-2-2, 1-1-1 are some of the more commonly used tempos depending on other variables
An example of what different tempos look like and how it changes the dynamic of the movement can be seen here with a Bulgarian Split Squat tempo of 5-1-1. With this slower eccentric I’m increasing the time under tension of the movement and forcing myself to stabilize on one leg longer. This slower tempo will also result in me not being able to handle a heavier load than a normal tempo. As you see above this is generally programmed in my Athletic Human program so the 1 second concentric portion is meant to produce speed, power, and force.
5-1-1 Tempo for Bulgarian Split Squats
Compare that to this video below of me using 70-pound dumbbells for the same movement but using more of a 1-1-1 tempo where I’m moving a heavy load as fast as possible with the hopes of building single leg strength as the primary goal.
1-1-1 Tempo for Bulgarian Split Squats
You can see that the subtle change of just going faster or slower can increase or decrease the intensity of a movement. If you make changes to your tempo, you’ll find your body might respond more favorably to certain tempos than others. I encourage you to explore all options with tempos and find the 2-3 that you enjoy doing most that also deliver you the results you’re hoping for. My favorites are 1-1-1, 2-1-2, and 3-1-1.
So how does this look when it is programmed? Well, each trainer might do it slightly different, but for me I typically do it as follows:
Bench Press: 3X10@60 seconds Tempo: 3-0-1
“3” is the amount of sets to be performed
“10” is the amount of reps to be performed each set
“@60 seconds” is the amount of rest to use after each set
“Tempo: 3-0-1”: Is how fast to perform each rep. The 3 is the eccentric, 0 is the bottom/top of the movement, 1 is the concentric. If no tempo is given assume it is 2-0-2.
If you found this article helpful, why not share it with a friend or workout partner?
Let me know what sets, reps, rest periods, and tempos are your favorite by commenting below or sending me an email back.
Tyler