Bodybuilding Glossary

[MrJosh]

I just thought this would help all the people new to bodybuilding

Glossary of Terms

Aerobic- Aerobic is anything which increases oxygen consumption by the body.
Aerobic exercise is a low intensity longer duration exercise like cycling.

Anaerobic- Anaerobic is reactions which do not require oxygen to occur. Weight lifting
although it increases heart rate and breath rate is an anaerobic activity because the
muscle tissue has anaerobic metabolisms.

Antioxidants- Compounds at the cellular level which combat free radicals to reduce
oxidization of the body tissues.

Barbell ? A free weight apparatus consisting of a long bar with plates added to each
end for resistance. Used in exercises like barbell Bench Press, Biceps Curls and Squats
where two hands are required to hold the bar.

Calories- A unit for measuring the energy provided by foods.

Carbohydrates - Any of a group of organic compounds that includes sugars, starches,
celluloses, and gums and serves as a major energy source in the diet of animals. These
compounds are produced by photosynthetic plants and contain only carbon, hydrogen,
and oxygen, usually in the ratio 1:2:1

Carbing up ? Carbing up is the practice of depleting your body of carbohydrates then
systematically loading up again. The theory is if you exercise and eat the proper types of
carbohydrates you can store more than you could originally by tricking the muscle cell in
a deprived carbohydrate state.

Cholesterol ? A substance found in animal tissues and various foods that is normally
synthesized by the liver and is important as a constituent of cell membranes and a
precursor to steroid hormones. Its level in the bloodstream can influence certain
conditions, such as the development of atherosclerotic plaque and coronary artery
disease. There are two types of cholesterol HDL, the good cholesterol, and LDL, the bad
cholesterol.

Compound Exercises - Compound exercises require more than one muscle group to
perform. These types of exercises are excellent for building mass and training more
muscles in less time.

Cycle ? Training phases last one cycle. A cycle determines the length of a
training phase. There are three different training cycles depending on your level
of fitness. The harder you can train the more advanced of a cycle you follow. The
more advanced a cycle the more recuperation time between workouts.

Dumbbell ? A free weight made up of a short handle consisting of plates on each side
for resistance. One hand is required to use a dumbbell.

Glycemic Index - The glycemic index is a useful tool that measures how fast a
particular food is likely to raise your blood sugar. Pure glycogen has a rating of 100 and
raises blood sugar levels very quickly. The lower the number the slower the particular
food breaks down. Foods high on the glycemic index are good for post ?workout foods
to replenish blood sugars rapidly. High glycemic foods are also more likely to be stored
as fat. Lower glycemic foods are a better choice throughout the day for sustained energy
and less likely to be stored as fat.

Glucose ? Glucose is the major source of energy for your body.

Carbohydrates are
metabolized into glucose by your body. Any excess glucose is converted to glycogen
and stored in your liver or fatty acids and stored as fat!

Glycogen- The main form of carbohydrates stored by the body that is readily converted
to glucose to supply energy to the muscles.

Hyperthyroidism- An over productive thyroid gland that is producing abnormally high
amount of thyroid hormones compared to the accepted average.

Hypothyroidism- An abnormally slow thyroid compared to the average human
measured by the amounts of thyroid hormone being produced.

Isolation Exercises ? Isolation exercises require only one muscle group to perform.
These types of exercises are great for specializing on weak muscles. Examples of
isolation exercises are Leg Extensions and Preacher Curls.

Macronutrient ? A term for the groups of nutrients that include protein, carbohydrate
and fat.

Micronutrient ? A term for the individual vitamins or minerals your body requires .E.g.
Vitamin C is a micronutrient.

Oxidation ? The act or process of adding oxygen. The addition of oxygen has negative
effects to the human body which have shown responsible for degenerative disease.

Phase - Each method of training is called a training phase. For example when
you are doing drop sets you are in the drop set training cycle. When you are
doing rest pause training you are in the rest pause training phase. Each phase is
lasts for one cycle. Then the next type of training phase begins.

Repetition- A repetition is one full cycle of an exercise movement. For example if you
performed 10 repetitions of leg extensions you have completed ten full cycles of raising
the weight to completely contract your thighs fully then lowering the weight to the starting
position.

Set- A set is a group of repetitions performed together with no break between. For
example to perform three sets of 10 repetitions of biceps curls you would perform ten full
repetitions of curling the weight from the start position to the fully contracted position
then back to the start position again ten times then take a short break. Repeat the
process again two more times to equal three sets.
Standing Heart Rate- Standing heart rate is your hearts beats per minute when you
are well rested or have not done any type of movement for a little while. It is your heart
rate when you have been sitting around watching a movie or doing no physical activity.

Superset- Two exercise movements performed one after another with as little rest as
possible.

Supinate-To turn or rotate (the hand or forearm) so that the palm faces up or forward.

Warm up Set(s) - The first set(s) of an exercise performed for a body part solely to

warm up the muscle(s) to prepare for injury free intense training. Warm up sets are not
for stimulating muscle growth rather just to prevent injury.

Working Set(s) - The last set(s) performed for an exercise after the muscle is
thoroughly warmed up. These sets are the ones that are monitored carefully to increase
work loads every workout.

I hope this can help you understand what some of these guys are talking about

[MrJosh]

bump

[bigshayet]

very nice, repped on recharge

[MrJosh]

Anybody got anything they want to add that i have missed out please do

[MrJosh]

This is To help when deciding on what sets for what muscle


How many sets should you use, well that depends on many factors such as genetics, stress levels, how much sleep you get, your ability to train hard with good form among many others.

A good rough guideline is:

For the thighs 3-6 hard sets each
back 3-6 hard sets each (not counting warm up sets) will more than suffice
For the chest 3-6
The shoulders 3-5
Biceps and triceps 3-5 hard sets each
Forearms 3-4 hard sets
Calves 3-5 hard sets
Abdominal and oblique region 3 sets each
Neck 4 hard sets


When a lot of sets are done it becomes harder to maintain the proper effort in order to trigger a positive response in a trained muscle. Remember that you have been training for 6 or more months, your body is used to training so it will require harder sessions in order to throw it out of its comfort zone. Besides high intensity and shorter duration work has been shown to induce up surges in testosterone and Growth hormone two hormones that aid the muscle building process.

[747]

for you got giant sets

[MrJosh]

Just thought i would add


Rest

For the biggest gains, you should always get adequate rest and sleep. Of course, you have other activities as well, but don?t go to the extreme. You can?t expect to run track before training, then play football and go out dancing all night. You need to give your muscles a chance to rest. Anytime you train, muscle cells are broken down, resting gives muscle cells a chance to rebuild and increase muscle size. When you give your muscles adequate rest your cells will rebuild properly resulting in added strength and muscle size

Rest between sets

In general, rest as long as it takes for you to feel recovered from your previous set. That normally ranges from 45-90 seconds. Larger muscle groups take a bit longer to recover; smaller muscle groups clear low pH levels are are ready to go more quickly. Don't fall into the all too common mistake of talking with your buddies for 3-4 minutes between sets, during which time your muscle can become cold. This is counterproductive and lengthens the time you spend in the gym.

A longer rest time obviously means that you will be able to perform better than waiting to short a time

[MrJosh]

Now one of the best ways to improve gains is yes Form and Form again

This cannot be stressed enough.Do not sacrifice good form in ALL exercises for more weight just to feed your ego! Your muscles will develop MUCH quicker and you will have much less risk of injury if your form is good. If you cannot complete good form with the exercise then the weight is too heavy for you. It's that simple! Work at getting stronger while having perfect form. Do not try and compete against the bloke next to you who is doing it wrong but lifting heavier. (in 6 months time he'll be the one that won't have grown much at all and you can leave him to wonder how you have put on so much mass.)
Just lift what you can lift correctly its pretty obvious really

[akh_hi123]

Good value addition.

[CelticBhoy]

Though I would add to this thread.

ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate) : This is an important chemical involved in the energy production of a cell. ADP is formed when ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) is broken down within the mitochondria (the cells "furnaces") to provide energy for muscular contraction. In order to recreate ATP and replenish cellular energy stores, ADP must combine with creatine stores.

Aerobic Metabolism : Oxygen is used to break down primarily fatty acids and carbohydrates to release energy.

Amino Acids : A group of nitrogen-containing, carbon-based organic compounds that serve as the building blocks from which protein (and muscle) is made.

Anabolic : This term refers to promoting anabolism which is the actual building process of tissues, mainly muscle, in the body. This might occur through the body's own natural reactions to muscular work and proper nutrition or through the introduction of drugs. Anabolism occurs by taking substances from the blood that are essential for growth and repair and using them to stimulate reactions that produce tissue synthesis.

Anabolism : The building of tissue mass.

Anaerobic Glycolysis : Glucose is broken down for energy without the use of oxygen. This process is faster than aerobic metabolism, so it can support high intensity efforts.

Anti-Catabolism : The halting of cellular breakdown in the body. Slowing down the breakdown of protein tips the scales of protein metabolism in favor of new muscle growth.

Antioxidants : These minimize tissue oxidation and help control free radicals and their nasty effects.

Assimilation : This is the process by which food are absorbed and utilized by the body.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) : This is a high-energy molecule stored in muscle and other cells in the body. When a muscle cell needs energy to contract, ATP is broken down into ADP to provide this energy. ATP can be thought of as the actual fuel that makes muscles move. Oxygen and glucose contribute to the formation of ATP.

Bioenergetic : The replenishment of your metabolic fuel, stored glycogen as well as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and phospocreatine (PCr) - two main fuels for anaerobic exercise.

Biological Value (BV) : A measure of protein quality, assessed by how well a given food or food mixture supports nitrogen retention in humans.

Body Composition : The percentage of your body composed of fat versus lean mass. Very sensitive methods of body composition measurements, including DEXA, can actually subdivide body composition into more specific categories, such as percentage of bone mineral, body water, hair, etc.

Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) : These are leucine, isoleucine, and valine. BCAAs are considered essential amino because human beings cannot survive unless these amino acids are present in the diet. BCAAs are needed for the maintenance of muscle tissue and appear to preserve muscle stores of glycogen (a storage of carbohydrate that can be converted into energy). BCAAs also help prevent muscle protein breakdown during exercise.

Buffer : A substance that minimizes changes in hydrogen-ion concentration (pH). Buffers such as sodium phosphate are used by athletes to help reduce lactic-acid buildup during strenuous exercise.

Calcium : An element taken in through the diet that is essential for a variety of bodily functions, such as neurotransmission, muscle contraction, and proper heart function. Imbalances of calcium can lead to many health problems. Found in dairy products. May help promote fat loss.

Catabolic : This is the opposite of anabolic. It means the breakdown of tissue. Catabolic states occur with disease, infection, injury, intense training, strict dieting and immoblization. Catabolic conditions are not conducive to lean muscle mass gains; in fact, they typically cause a loss of lean muscle mass.

Catabolism : This refers to the breakdown or loss of muscle and other bodily tissues.

Cortisol : This is one of the primary catabolic hormones in the body needed to survive. However, catabolism, or the breakdown of body tissue, is not the only function of cortisol. It is typically secreted in response to physical trauma or prolonged stress. Its functions include controlling inflammation, increasing muscular catabolism and glycolysis (the energy-yielding conversion of glucose to lactic acid), suppressing immune response and maintaining normal vascular circulation and renal function, among other functions. Suppressing cortisol production at key times during the day may help bodybuilders avoid excess muscle breakdown.

Creatine Phosphate : This is an inorganic phosphate molecule that binds with ADP to form ATP. Supplementing with creatine helps increase CP reserves in muscles, which is good.

Daily Value : A blanket value that encompasses the average nutritional needs of most healthy individuals within all of the various RDAs. Daily Value is also a suggested daily intake levels for nutrients.

Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) : The microscopic tearing of muscle fibers during activity that is either more intense or more prolonged than one normally does.

Dietary Induced Thermogenesis (DIT) : Every time a meal is eaten, the body burns energy in order to process the food eaten; this increase in energy is called DIT.

Drop Sets : Lifting a given weight for as many reps as possible and then quickly reducing the weight and completing as many additional reps as possible with the newly reduced weight. Recommended with a partner.

Electrolytes : Substances that, in a solution, are capable of conducting electricity. These charged particles are present throughout the body and are involved in many activities such as regulating the distribution of water inside and outside cells in the body. Examples include the bulk minerals, potassium, sodium and chloride.

Energy : The capacity to do work. The energy in food is chemical energy: It can be converted to mechanical, electrical, or heat energy. Energy is sometimes measured in "calories."

Enzyme : A protein molecule that acts as a "helper" in thousands of chemical reactions in the body, including: digestion of food, hormone production, muscle-cell repair.

Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) : Amino acids not made by the body that must be obtained through the diet. Can be found in animal-based protein such as beef, pork, chicken, and milk proteins such as whey, casien, and eggs.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) : Fats that our bodies can't make that we must obtain through our diets. These fats (which include linoleic and linolenic acid) are very important to hormone production, as well as cellular synthesis and integrity. Good sources of these fats are flax seed oil and safflower oil.

Fat : One of the macronutrients. Fat contains nine calories per gram; it has the most calories of all the macronutrients. Dietary fats may also be referred to as lipids or triglycerids. Fats serve a vartiey of functions in the body; they act as structural components for all cell membranes, as well as supply necessary chemical substrates for hormone production. There are two types of fat - saturated "bad" fat and unsaturated "good" fat.

Forced Reps : When using forced reps, the lifter completes as many reps as possible with a given weight and continues with the help of a partner who manually assists the lifters as he/she continues the set.

Free Radicals : Highly reactive molecules possessing unpaired electrons that are produced during metabolism of food and energy production and are believed to contribute to the molecular damage and death of vital body cells. Free radicals may be a factor in aging or disease and may ultimately contribute to death. Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals.

Fructose : The main type of sugar found in fruit. It's sweeter than sucrose (table sugar) and has a low glycemic index (GI). In other words, eating fructose won't cause nearly as dramatic a release of insulin as glucose (dextrose). Eating a high-fructose diet may increase blood fats. Because of its low glycemic index and because it's metabolized mostly in the liver, fructose is often used as a sugar substitute for diabetics.

[CelticBhoy]

Glucagon : A hormone that is responsible for helping maintain proper blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels get too low, glucagon activates glucose production in the liver, as we as regulates the release of glycogen from muscle cells. Eventually it may cause the catabolism of muscle cell proteins for glucose. This is considered a catabolic hormone.

Glucose : The simplest sugar molecule. It's also the main sugar found in blood and is used as a basic fuel for the body. When you eat complex carbs, they're broken down by the body into glucose. Glucose is also found in various fruits but not in as high concentrations as sucrose and fructose, two other sugars. However, when too much glucose is eaten, it's converted to fatty acids and triglycerides by the liver and adipose (fatty) tissue. Due to its quick absorption by the body, it's often used as an invigorating and strengthening agent in many medicinal formulations. It will cause the body to release a rapid and large amount of insulin to counteract the large influx of sugar.

Glutamine : The most abundant amino acid in muscle cells and has been show to be an important fuel for certain types of immune cells. Glutamine levels have been shown to decrease in relation to extreme exercise and overtraining; supplementation is often recommended to those who regularly participate in strenuous exercise. Found in beans, meats, fish, poultry, and dairy products.

Glycogen : This is the principal storage form of carbohydrates energy (glucose), which is reserved in muscles and in the liver. When muscles are full of glycogen, they look and feel full/pumped.

Glycolysis : The process of breaking carbohydrates or glucose down to make energy.

Hormones : Substances in the body that are very important to bodybuilders. Two important hormone-producing organs are the pituitary gland and the testes. Hormones regulate various biological processes through their ability to activate or deactivate enzymes. Examples of this regulation are the effect of the testosterone hormone on the enzymatic activity relating to protein production of muscle cells. Other hormones, such as insulin and glucagon, control blood sugar levels and energy storage in the body. Hormones can be made of proteins.

Insulin : An anabolic hormone secreted by the pancreas that aids the body in maintaining proper blood sugar levels and promoting glycogen storage. Insulin secretion speeds the movement of nutrients through the blood stream and into muscle for growth. When chronically elevated, as with a high-carbohydrate diet, insulin can cause fat gain. However, short bursts of insulin, caused by consuming high-glycemic carbs, may help enhance the uptake of nutrients like creatine and glutamine by muscle cells.