Fitness Jargon Decoded: Your A-Z Guide to Popular Fitness Acronyms
The fitness industry is no stranger to jargon, especially when it comes to the fitness acronym. The industry is constantly evolving new fads and techniques to keep the most seasoned fitness professionals on their toes. In today’s blog, Fitshop will help you make sense of the common acronyms you can hear around the gym.
Fitness Acronyms: What’s in a Name?
Acronyms shorten key phrases into easy-to-digest terms. Some clarity is required for newcomers to the gym or maybe a refresher for those who have forgotten. We have composed an A-Z of popular acronyms you might hear around the gym. If there are any we have missed, feel free to leave a comment below!
AMRAP
An acronym you may find in a fitness plan or gym class is AMRAP. It stands for As Many Reps As Possible. Does exactly what it says on the tin: keep doing repetitions of an exercise until exhaustion!
BMI
Your BMI, or Body Mass Index, is an estimated ratio of human body weight across a population. It is found by dividing your weight in kilos by your height in centimetres. This is then scored against a chart to determine whether you are underweight, normal, overweight or obese body types. BMI is not considered a good method for assessing the fitness of an individual. Instead, it can be insightful for a large population of people, for example, the obesity rates in Scotland.
BMR
BMR, or Basal Metabolic Rate, is a calculation that determines how many calories your body burns at rest. It’s like measuring how much fuel your car uses whilst idle. It’s an important stat that is determined by weight, height, age, and gender and represented in calories. Once you know your BMR, you can gain insight into your dietary requirements and exercise needs. You can then align the results with your current regime. For example, if you burn 1,300kcal at rest, consume 2,000kcal per day and burn 700kcal through daily exercise, you will break even on your burn rate. If you are looking to lose weight, increasing your exercise and lowering the calories in your diet will place you in a calorie deficit. This means that your body will begin using stored calories (body fat) to maintain balance. Smart scales such as TANITA will provide this measurement for you, as well as a host of other statistics. We published a comparison blog earlier in 2024 to see which ones suit you best!
BOSU®
BOSU® is a registered term for a type of balance trainer sold under the same brand. It is also an acronym for BOth Sides Up. Balance trainers are great for training core muscles and adding challenge to exercises such as planks and squats.
DOMS
It doesn’t take long to hear someone complain about DOMS in the gym, especially after leg day! DOMS is an acronym for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and refers to the pain you get following vigorous exercise.
EMOM
EMOM is a type of interval training known as Every Minute On Minute. The training style involves performing a set of reps within a one-minute time frame. Once you have completed your reps, you use the remaining time to rest. When the minute is up, you repeat or move on to a new exercise following the same rules. This can be helpful for progressive overload and makes for some interesting exercise class challenges.
HIIT
HIIT is an acronym for High-Intensity Interval Training. It is a training method based on long periods of effort and short periods of rest. Classes such as Tabata use this method, with twenty seconds of effort and ten seconds of rest over eight rounds. During HIIT training, it is important to give maximum effort during the active phases for the most effective results. HIIT mostly, but not always, revolves around bodyweight exercises or light weights.
ORM
If someone asks you, “How much do you lift?” you could provide them with your ORM or One Rep Max. Your One Rep Max is the maximum amount of weight you can lift for one rep. It may seem self-explanatory, but achieving an ORM takes some level of work. Firstly, ensuring your form is good is essential for attempting an ORM, as is an effective warm-up beforehand. Lifting your ORM should put your body under considerable strain and should be approached with caution.
PB
Your PB is your Personal Best! It’s the score you’re next target to overcome and work towards breaking! Sometimes related to your ORM, this acronym is a bit more versatile. Many people will have a PB 5k time as well as a PB for their squat!
RIR
RIR, or Reps In Reserve, is a fitness technique that monitors exercise intensity. It refers to how many reps of an exercise you perceive you can perform with good form before failure. For example, if you’ve been performing 10 reps at 20kg, and you’re asked for your RIR, you may say “two left” after your eighth rep. As you continue to progress, you may find that you have three or four Reps In Reserve. This not only shows improvement in your training, but gives you the confidence to increase resistance in your training.
RPE
Like RIR, RPE is another acronym related to tracking exercise intensity. RPE stands for the Rate of Perceived Exertion. It uses a 1-10 scale to consider how close to exhaustion you are. This is particularly useful for cardiovascular training to monitor your exertion through a distance run or interval training. For example, a trainer may ask, “On a scale between 1-10, how much energy are you using?” Your answer will determine how to progress. Ideally, you would be at a 5 for a long-distance run. If you are struggling, you may say you are at a 7. If you’re finding it easy, you may say 4. Either way, you can adjust the speed to maintain a 5 during a long-distance run. As you progress, and notice the speed you are training at becomes easier, you can increase your pace!
TRX®
Like BOSU®, TRX® is a registered brand term that has become a staple of functional training. TRX stands for Total body Resistance eXercise. The namesake suspension trainer has become a crucial addition to functional training areas and gym classes.
WOD
WOD stands for Workout Of the Day, which has become significantly popular in the CrossFit community. Many gym classes and facilities use this acronym to set gym challenges. They add personality to classes and give new gym members something new to try out and get started.
YGIG
Another term popularised by the CrossFit and Hyrox community is YGIG, which stands for You Go I Go. YGIG workouts are usually done in pairs or teams. While one person or group is active, the other rests, and then you switch roles. This is particularly effective with power sleds such as the Torque Tank series.
We hope this guide has helped clarify some popular acronyms in gym culture. If there are any we have missed that you would like clarified, be sure to comment below! In our next blog, we will return to our interview series with fitness influencer Jay Younger!
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