One repetition maximum (1RM)
How much weight you could possibly lift for every exercise, stating that as 100%.
Barbell
A (usually weighted) bar that you add removable weights to.
Plate
A type of weight designed to fit on the end of a barbell. Usually in 2.5kg increments.
Rack
The structure a barbell sits on. It usually features at least two vertical poles with rests for the barbell that can be moved to different heights.
Metabolism
The process by which the body converts food into energy. It can be either aerobic or anaerobic. Having a faster metabolism means that you need to consume more food to fuel your body.
Lactate
Lactate occurs when your body breaks down carbohydrates (glucose) under extreme physical strain. Also known as lactic acid, a widespread misconception is that it causes the muscles to burn during anaerobic exercise. In fact, it's the hydrogen ions (H+), which are a byproduct of the same energy pathway (anaerobic glycolytic system) that make the muscles acidic and not the lactic acid.
HIIT
High Intensity Interval Training. It does what it says on the tin; short, intense anaerobic exercises with few pauses.
V02 max
The maximum rate of oxygen consumption during exercise. It is often used to determine cardiovascular fitness.
Aerobic
Any form of exercise that uses oxygen is aerobic. This usually involves sustained exercise in which the heart rate is gradually increased.
Anaerobic
Any exercise that is intense enough that the body cannot receive enough oxygen and lactate forms is anaerobic. Intense, high-resistance exercises fall under this category.
PB
Personal Best. The fastest you have ever completed an exercise or workout, with perfect form.
New to Freeletics, these a training cycles specific to you that are designed to help you achieve your personal goal in the most efficient way possible. Offering a more personal, specific program than ever before, these continually adapt to your progress, so no two Training Journeys will be alike.
Interval
Untimed workouts where the focus is on performing the exercises perfectly and sticking to the suggested pace rather than as fast as possible. Consisting of multiple rounds, exercises are repeated to encourage perfect execution.
The process that occurs as a result of resistance training wherein the muscles grow in size. Find out more here.
A training method where a heavily-resisted, weighted exercise is followed immediately by an unresisted, explosive bodyweight exercise. The fast twitch muscle fibers are activated, encouraging hypertrophy. Find out more in our contrast training article.
Plyometrics
Exercises that involve a short loading period before an explosive movement - most plyometric exercises are jumps.
Compound Movement
A movement or exercise that involves more than one joint or muscle group. Squats, deadlifts and bench presses are all compound movements.
Drill
Exercises that aren’t about speed or quantity, but are about practicing a move and striving to execute it perfectly. The Coach also uses these to test your capabilities in certain exercises.
Star
If you successfully complete every exercise with perfect technique, you can award yourself a Star. Don’t be generous with these; you have to earn your Star to truly deserve it. When you give yourself a Star, it gives your Coach the go-ahead to allocate you more challenging exercises.
Conditioning
Training designed to maximise your heart and lung capacity by challenging both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. This is the training that gets you fit and lets you run further and harder.
Metabolic conditioning
Exercises that improve the efficiency of the body’s energy systems. Placing large demands on your body’s energy systems through intense, continuous exercise burns calories at a higher rate and leaves your metabolism higher for a period of time after your workout. Both HIIT and circuit training are forms of metabolic conditioning.
