“What’s an AMRAP, anyway???”
Have you ever been doing a workout and came across a phrase that you just weren’t too sure what it meant? It sounded important – it had a name like “high intense interval” or “superset”; but it really just confused you more than made you excited to work it out? Well say goodbye to exercise ineptitude with this list of “10 Workout Phrases You Need To Know”! Learn 10 of the most-popular workout terms now so you can get your burn on later!
Here we go!
1. “What is an interval workout?” – Interval training is a type of workout that involves alternating series of low-to-high intensity exercise interspersed with periods of rest/recovery. The
high-intensity periods are typically close to maximum intensity and the recovery periods are at a lower (<50%) activity level. Basically short periods of work followed by rest with the main goal being increasing speed and cardiovascular fitness. For example: jog for 60 seconds and then sprint for 30 seconds repeated 5 times. If you’re not up to jog:sprint you could utilize walk:run instead! The idea is to be comfortable with the “low” phase and push yourself with the “high” phase.
2. “What does H.I.I.T mean?” – H.I.I.T. stands for “High Intensity Interval Training”. This is basically taking interval training up a level and is an amazing way to shred a lot of calories in a hurry. This is the type of training that has recently become
popular with DVD series such as P90X and Insanity. The idea is after warming up, you perform 3-10 repetitions of high intensity (near-maximum intensity) exercise separated by intermittent medium-intensity (~50% intensity) exercises. The difference between regular intervals and H.I.I.T. intervals is the ratio of high intensity:medium intensity activity. Regular intervals are typically 2:1, low:high intensity. HIIT is the exact inverse: 2:1 high:low intensity. For example following a warm-up period you could sprint for 60 seconds then jog for 30; repeated 10 times. If that’s too intense maybe you could jog for 30 seconds and walk for 15 repeated 5 times. Because of this type of intensity these workouts typically last from 8-30 minutes; perfect for those limited on time! There is no specific formula, just whatever works for you! Check out some of our great H.I.I.T. style workouts right here!
3. “What is a circuit workout?” – A circuit workout consists of multiple exercises performed in sets one right after another. For example – if I am going to perform exercises #1-5 in a circuit format then I would do one set of exercise #1, then immediately move on to #2, then immediately on to #3, etc. After completing all 5 exercises I would then start again with #1 and go until I have repeated each exercise 3-5 sets. This is, in my opinion, the absolute best way to spend your time in the gym. Lots of times I’ll see people perform 1 set of exercise #1, rest for a while, perform their second set of exercise #1, rest for a while, and then perform a third set of exercise #1. If you’ve got that kind of time I applaud you! Most of my workouts are shredding through as many exercises as possible in the limited time I have available. Most days with circuit training I can get through 4 sets of about 4-5 different exercises in 30 minutes or less. Want to give them a try? I’ve got some circuits for you right here!
4. “What is a WOD?” – WOD stands for “Workout of the Day”. It is primarily used in CrossFit where groups of people typically perform the same WOD together during a training session. During a CrossFit WOD there is typically some type of time or point system applied that allows you to compete against other people or, more importantly, yourself! Try to beat your best time or score each time you perform revisit a particular WOD. Of course, you don’t need a CrossFit gym membership to perform these types of workouts – here are some of my favorite CrossFit-inspired WOD’s.
5. “What is a superset?” – Supersets are essentially two exercises performed back to back that target opposing muscle groups. Common superset groups include biceps and triceps, chest and back, and quads and hamstrings. This is a great way to maximize your time working out in the same manner as circuit training – you’re working muscle group #2 during #1’s rest period. I LOVE supersetting my workouts – you’ll get no bigger pump on arm day then picking 3 biceps exercises and supersetting them with 3 triceps workouts. Try it out the next time you’re in the gym!
6. “What does AMRAP mean?” – AMRAP can stand for two things: “As Many Rounds As Possible” or “As Many Rounds As Possible”. This is another primarily CrossFit term that encourages you to perform as many rounds/reps as you can of a certain exercise usually in a given amount of time. For example – if I gave you a 10-minute AMRAP of 5 deadlifts, 10 pullups, and 10 thrusters you would complete as many rounds as you could of these three exercises in the given 10-minute time period. If I were referring to “As Many Reps As Possible” then the workout might look a little different. Take this example from the opener in last year’s CrossFit games:
17-minute AMRAP of:
40 Burpees
75-pound snatch, 30 reps
30 Burpees
135-pound snatch, 30 reps
20 Burpees
165-pound snatch, 30 reps
10 Burpees
210 pound snatch, as many reps as possible
The goal is to perform as many reps as you can in the given 17-minute time frame. You cannot move on to exercise #2 until completing all the reps of exercise #1. Keep track of your reps and when 17 minutes is up record your score! Again – the part that draws me to this type of workout is competing with myself the next time I do it. Self-improvement is the name of this fitness game!
7. “What is a Tabata workout?” – Tabata is a form of H.I.I.T. training named after the Japanese doctor who though it up – Dr Izumi Tabata. His research was primarily investigating the effects of a 20/10 interval that was repeated 8 times. 20/10 refers to 20 seconds of high-intensity work followed by 10 seconds of rest. This should add up to about 4 minutes of a H.I.I.T workout. According to his research, this type of high-intensity interval had a greater effect on both aerobic and anaerobic capacity than moderate-intensity endurance training. His original research used spin bikes, but this idea has been adapted to running, core strengthening, and weight training. This type of workout definitely isn’t for everyone as it’s more intense then most other workout styles. Use caution when exploring this one!
8. “What does 1RM mean?” – 1RM stands for “One-Rep Max”. Simply this is the maximum amount of weight you can lift one time for a given exercise. Be it bench, squat, clean, snatch, etc it’s important to get a feel for what your 1RM to define effective workouts. For example if you’re looking to primarily Tone and Tighten, most of your workouts should consist of 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 60-80% of your 1RM. If you’re looking to put on some mass and increase muscle size, your sets will consist of 10 reps at 70%, 8 reps at 80%, 6 reps at 90%, 6 reps at 90%. When finding out your 1RM please use a spotter!! If (dare I say when) you fail you need someone there to help you out from under the weight!
9. “What does BMI stand for?” – BMI stands for “Body Mass Index”. This is a relative measurement of the relationship between you height and your weight. It is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in centimeters squared. For example, I weigh 185 pounds (84 kg) and am 6 ft tall (1.83 meters). My BMI is calculated like this:
84 / 1.83^2 = 25 kg/m^2
Admittedly 254 is on the high side, but one of the flaws of the BMI is it doesn’t do a very good job of accounting for muscle mass. If you are a muscly body type you will have a relatively high BMI. However, as a whole BMI is a pretty good indicator of your relative fitness level. Here’s a great table to help you get a feel for where you’re at:
10. “What is my target heart rate?” – Taking your heart rate regularly is a good way to monitor how hard you’re working during exercise. Your “target heart rate” is a range, typically 60-85% of your maximum heart rate, that ensures you’re working out aerobically at a level that can be reasonably maintained for some time. The simplest way to find your maximum heart rate is with the formula
220 – your age = maximum heart rate
For example, I’m 31 years young. 220 – 31 = 179. This is my maximum hear rate. For me to exercise consistently in my target heart rate range I need to consistently maintain my heart rate between 108 and 152 (60-85%) to ensure I’m working hard enough during exercise.
Don’t get confused, get results!
I hope this post was useful to you in helping understand some of the common words and phrases that are being used commonly in the world of health and fitness these days. If you enjoyed this post please feel free to leave a comment below!
Or if you have any questions about the information I’ve presented please feel free to email me at [email protected]
Make it happen,
Jared
By Jared Beckstrand
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Have a great day!
Jared