Strength Training Basics: Gym Jargon

You’d often hear gym lingo as glutes, hamstrings, or pecs. It can be quite confusing. Sometimes scientific terms would be used that you wish you had paid more attention to in your anatomy class. So here’s a simple guide on what those muscles are and some of the best routines you could do to condition these muscles and get familiar with the lingo. Knowing how the equipment works and which exercises best target your muscles would give you the best workout results.

muscles

Gluteus or Gluteus Maximus

This is the muscle found in the buttocks. You can condition your glutes with leg curls and squats. This muscle also gets conditioned as you run and do high steps.

Quadriceps

This muscle is located in the front of your thigh. To target these muscles, you can do lunges, squats, and leg workout routines. Additionally, you can condition these muscles when you run, use stationary bikes, stair climbers, and elliptical machines.

hamstrings

These are muscles in the back of the thigh. To condition these muscles, you will need to do the exercises listed for the quadriceps. They work hand in hand together and support each other.

Hip abductors and adductors

The adductors should not be confused with the abdominals. These are muscles outside of the legs. You use an abductor machine that allows you weighted resistance when you open your legs. The adductors are muscles on the inner thigh. Use the same machine as the abductor but change the settings to work your inner thighs by squeezing weighted resistance between your legs.

Calf muscles

These are the muscles that you can find curvy in the back of your legs. To condition these muscles you will need to do a standing or sitting calf raise. During the seated calf raise, you can add weights on top of your knees for resistance. For standing calf raises, add resistance by carrying weights at your sides.

spinal erector

These are the muscles of the lower back. You can condition these muscles by doing deadlifts, squats, and rows. This is helpful for balance and posture.

sit-ups or abs

These are the muscles located in your core. You can condition these muscles by doing sit-ups and crunches. Side curls should focus on the muscles on the sides or you love those handles known as obliques. You can refer to many different variations of crunches to target a specific part of your abs.

Pecs or Pectoralis Major

These are found in the chest muscles. To condition your chest muscles, you can do push-ups, pull-ups or pull-ups, chest press, and chest fly. Modifications to these exercises are also available for optimal results.

rhomboids

These are muscles between the shoulder blades. To condition these muscles, you can use cable crossovers, pull-ups, lying chest flyes, and rowing exercises.

trapeze

These are muscles in the neck and shoulders. You can condition these muscles by doing shoulder rolls and shoulder rolls.

Lasitimus Dor

These are muscles in your mid-back that give your body the V-shape that tapers toward your waist. You can work them out with lateral pulldowns, bent-arm rows, and dip exercises.

Deltoid

These are muscles found on the tops of the shoulders. You can solve them by doing shoulder rotations. Additionally, working out your upper torso involves conditioning these muscles.

Biceps

Everyone is familiar with this. These are the muscles in front of the upper arm. These muscles are prominent when flexed. You can condition this muscle using bicep curls, rows, and pulldowns.

triceps

This muscle is located at the back of your arm. This is conditioned by doing triceps extension. This can also be toned by doing lower back raises and dips.

common slang

essays

Repetitions are the number of times you do an exercise movement. The repetition conditions your muscles by bringing them to their relaxed state and their flexed state to gain mass.