Glossary of Weight Lifting Equipment Terms

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This glossary weight lifting and sports nutrition terms and definitions is organized alphabetically for your convenience. It is our hope that this will become an excellent reference headquarters for you.

Click on appropriate section for terms starting with:

[A-B]  [C-D]  [E-F]  [G-I]  [J-N]  [O-R] [S-Z]

Juice – Bodybuilding jargon that refers to, or means; anabolic steroids. Other slang words for steroids include gear, sauce and roids.

Knee-Ins – Abdominal Exercise – Sit at the edge of a flat bench. Keep your upper torso at a 45° angle above the bench, and your feet should be straight out. Simultaneously bring your upper torso and knees toward each other, as if you were curling into a ball. Contract your abs and then slowly uncurl your body. Return to the starting position and repeat for your designated number of reps.

Lactic Acid – A by-product of anaerobic metabolism or aerobic respiration. If enough oxygen is not available, lactic acid is produced and begins to accumulate in the muscles. Lactic acid was once thought to be a waste product, but we now know that is used as fuel by the heart. It is lactic acid that causes the burn sensation that athletes feel in muscles during high intensity exercise. Excessive lactic acid slows contractions in muscles and if it is not flushed out of the body it is part of the reason that we feel muscle soreness after a workout. It takes time for the body to flush out excess lactic acid.

Lateral Raises – Shoulder Exercise – Sit on the end of a flat bench, grasp two dumbbells and allow them to hang at you sides by your hips. Have your palms face in toward your body. With your elbows slightly bent, raise the dumbbells up and to your sides stopping at shoulder level. At the top of the movement the back of the dumbbells should be slightly higher than the front. Return to the starting position and repeat for your designated number of reps.

Latissimus Dorsi (Lats) - The big “fan shaped” muscle in the middle and lower parts of the back. When these muscles are properly worked out they are what give a bodybuilder the sought after hourglass back (sexy V-shaped looked). The primary function of the lats is to puoll the arms back and downwards.

Lean Body Mass – This term refers to a measurement of your body’s lean muscle weight, or fat free body tissue. Lean body mass is the main determinant of the body's basal metabolism (calories you burn at rest). This is why it is said that the more muscle you gain, the more fat your body will burn off. For more information on healthy body fat percentages for men and women please see: body fat percentage.

Ligament - A ligament is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that joins various structures in the body; such as two bones. One example of a joint that uses ligaments is the knee joint; it is connected by four main ligaments. Ligament injuries are common amongst athletes. Ligament injuries are quite serious and usually very painful, they are caused by extreme stretching or tearing of a ligament. Some ligament injuries will heal with physio and rest, others will require surgery for repair.

Low Cable Crossovers – Chest Exercise – Grasp the loop handles of the low pullies on a cable crossover machine. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and bend slightly forward at the waist keeping your pelvis tilted forward. Slowly pull both handles down and across your body in a semicircle. Bring your hands together at hip level and squeeze your chest muscles so that you feel a contraction. Reverse direction by releasing the cables back to their starting position. Repeat for your designated number of reps. For information on other chest exercises please see: Chest Exercise - Incline Dumbbell Flys, Chest Exercise – Cable Crossovers, Chest Exercise - One Arm Cable Crossovers, Chest Exercise – Peck Deck Flys, Chest Exercise – Push Ups.

Lying Leg Curls – Hamstring / Glute Exercise – Lie face-down on a lying leg curl machine with your heels hooked under the roller pads. Keeping your thighs, pressed to the machine, slowly curl your feet, stopping just short of your butt or as far a comfortably possible. Contract your hamstrings. Return to the starting position. Repeat for your designated number of reps.

Mesomorph - There are three basic body types: Mesomorph, Endomorph and Ectomorph. The typical attributes of the Mesomorph body type are: An hourglass shape that is broader at the shoulders and hips, and narrower at the waist. Well developed and defined muscles on limbs and body trunk. High muscle to fat ratio. Medium to large boned. This symmetrical body can look fit even without exercise. Moderate metabolism. The problems associated with the Mesomorph body type are that it’s naturally taut muscles get tighter with exercise. The upper back, neck and calf muscles are susceptible to injury. The effects of exercise on the Mesomorph are leanness, more muscle definition with a minimum of exercise and they are quick to drop fat. Weight loss enhances the Mesomorph’s natural muscular definition. Weight gain will add a layer of fat, but the body will maintain a symmetrical proportion. There is a tendency to add weight in the abdomen. The exercise goals for the Mesomorph should be to increase endurance, maintain muscle definition and to regularly stretch tight muscles.

Muscle Endurance - The ability of a muscle to contract repeatedly, or sustain a contraction, against a moderate resistance.

Muscle Hypertrophy – Research has shown that it muscles do not grow by increasing in number, they grow by increasing the size of each existing muscle cell.  When starting a weight training program remember that it can actually take up to two months for hypertrophy to begin. It is of utmost importance that you eat, or supplement with, enough protein as the muscles utilize proteins as they grow.  If you do not eat enough protein the muscles will not be able to grow. Also see: Hypertrophy.

Muscularity - A term used to describe how muscular a body looks, how much muscular definition a body has. In general the lower the body fat you have the better your muscularity will be.  Bodybuilding judges look for good muscularity, shape, definition, symmetry, proportion and muscle separation when judging bodybuilding contests.

Muscle - Tissues in the body that are composed of fibers that are capable of contracting and causing movement of the body (Examples of movements made by muscle are the movement of bones in the leg or arms, movement of fingers, opening and closing of the eyelids or the operation of the heart muscle).  Muscle fibers are think, long and tapered cylindrical cells that are capable of converting chemical energy into movement. The fibers of muscles are arranged in a parallel lengthways pattern. Sheaths of collagen surround each individual fiber, and muscles are covered in connective tissue. Motor neurons, blood vessels and nerves intertwine the bundles of fibers that make up muscles.

Nautilus - Nautilus is a brand of workout equipment that is world renowned for it's exercise machines and equipment. Nautilus equipment was invented by Dr. Arthur Jones in the late 1960's.  At this time Dr. Jones invented some highly specialized weight lifting machinery that used a combination of pulleys, cables and weight stacks - it was this machinery that revolutionized the fitness industry and is what became known as Nautilus equipment. Dr. Jones was perhaps the most influential fitness innovator ever in the history of mankind.

Dr. Jones recommended slower repetition movements for weight lifting (2 seconds to lift, 4 to lower), this was quite different from what most people were doing at the time.  It was also highly recommended to perform very intense and infrequent bouts of exercise using Jones' specialized machines to both enhance muscle stimulation and allow for adequate recovery. Dr. Jones believed barbells and dumbbells to be "the tools of the caveman" and he promised far greater fitness gains and strength if people used his machines and theory of exercising.

Negative Reps – In weight lifting terms a negative movement is one that goes on the same direction as gravity, or the downward part of an exercise. A muscle produces the most force during the eccentric (negative) phase of an exercise. Negative reps are best accomplished with a partner who will spot for you by lifting the weight for the upwards portion of the rep. You should just concentrate on the downwards phase of the exercise and concentrate on resisting it to maximize the effect of the exercise. This is a great method for increasing your max with any weight lifting exercises.

Neuromuscular System - The combination of the nervous system and your muscles, interacting together to permit movement, is known as the neuromuscular system. Your brain controls all the movements of skeletal muscles by means of specialized nerve cells and nerves.

Nosebreakers – Triceps Exercises - You will need an EZ-Curl bar and a flat bench for this exercise. Lie on the flat bench and keep you feet planted firmly on the floor. Grasp the EZ-curl bar with your hands about head width apart, keep your palms facing away from you. Straighten your arms so that the bar is directly over your chest. Keep your elbows in and pointed toward the ceiling, slowly lower the bar until the  bar is just above the level of your forehead. Press the bar up until it reaches the starting position. Repeat for your designated number of reps and sets.

Nutrition - This term covers a broad category, but in weight lifting and exercise terms it means the art of combining foods in the proper portions with the right types of foods to become lean and fit. In bodybuilding terms this specifically means; good nutrition that will allow you to eat to gain muscle size while at the same time you are reducing bodyfat.