Glossary: Gym Slang

Overview

Gym culture has its own vocabulary, most of it never explained to newcomers. Here it is.

Quick Answer

Common gym slang includes PR for personal record, DOMS for delayed onset muscle soreness, the pump for the temporary fullness after training, spotting for assisting someone on a heavy set, and working in for sharing equipment between sets.

Abbreviations

Term	Meaning
PR or PB	Personal record or personal best
DOMS	Delayed onset muscle soreness
1RM	One rep max
RPE	Rate of perceived exertion
RIR	Reps in reserve
AMRAP	As many reps as possible
EMOM	Every minute on the minute
BW	Bodyweight
DB and BB	Dumbbell and barbell
OHP	Overhead press
RDL	Romanian deadlift
SLDL	Stiff leg deadlift
PPL	Push pull legs
GVT	German volume training, 10 sets of 10

Gym floor etiquette terms

Term	Meaning
Spotting	Assisting someone through a heavy or failed rep
Working in	Sharing a station with someone between their sets
Curling in the squat rack	Using a rack for an exercise that does not need it
Re-racking	Returning weights to where they belong
Dropping in	Joining a station without asking. Do not
Half rep	A rep through an incomplete range of motion
Mirin	Admiring, usually said ironically

Training culture terms

Term	Meaning
The pump	Temporary muscle fullness from blood and fluid during training
Newbie gains	The rapid progress of the first six to twelve months
Noob gains	The same thing
Ego lifting	Using more weight than you can control
Gainz	Muscle or strength progress, deliberately misspelled
Cutting	Losing fat deliberately
Bulking	Gaining weight deliberately
Dirty bulk	Gaining with little regard for food quality or rate
Lean bulk	Gaining slowly in a small surplus
Recomp	Recomposition, gaining muscle while losing fat

Body and physique terms

Term	Meaning
Natty	Training without performance enhancing drugs
Enhanced	Using performance enhancing drugs
Cut or shredded	Low body fat with visible muscle definition
Bulky	Carrying noticeable muscle mass
Skinny fat	Low muscle mass with relatively high body fat
Toned	Visible muscle with relatively low body fat
Vascularity	Visible veins, largely a function of low body fat
Taper	A wide upper back narrowing to the waist

Things worth knowing as a beginner

-Working in is normal and expected. Ask politely, and let people finish their set first.
-Spotting should be arranged before the set, including how many reps of help are wanted.
-Re-racking weights is the one piece of etiquette everyone genuinely cares about.
-Headphones signal that someone is not looking for conversation.

Nobody is watching you as closely as you think. Almost everyone is looking at their own phone between sets.

Common Mistakes

Confusion	Clarification
The pump means muscle growth	It is temporary fluid, gone within an hour
Newbie gains last forever	Six to twelve months, then progress slows sharply
Toned is a distinct training goal	It means muscle plus lower body fat
Natty is always accurate	Physiques presented as natural often are not

Frequently Asked Questions

What does PR mean?

Personal record, your best ever performance on a lift, whether that is weight, reps or both.

What is the pump?

The temporary swelling of a muscle during and shortly after training, caused by blood and fluid accumulation. It feels good and disappears within an hour.

What are newbie gains?

The unusually rapid strength and muscle gains of the first six to twelve months of training, driven mainly by neural adaptation and untapped potential.

What does it mean to work in?

To alternate sets with someone else on the same equipment. It is standard practice; just ask between their sets.