Ultimate Guide to Understanding Your Workout Program
Are you new to strength training? Maybe it’s the first time you’re following a specific training programme…
…you’re excited to start your plan, but then you find yourself reading through it and feeling a sense of dread as you’re overwhelmed by all the terminology and numbers and have no idea how to actually get started. Maybe you’ve Googled some definitions but it’s still not clear. Maybe you’ve thought about asking someone at the gym but felt too shy or embarrassed.
I get it. It’s tough to be a beginner. It’s tough to ask the ‘basic questions’. It’s tough to sift through the mountains of information on Google and social media to find concise, simple answers.
So today, you’re in luck, because I’m going to give you those exact answers, in an easy, step-by-step format, so you’ll be ready to start your workout programme with confidence.
PLUS, at the end of this guide, you’ll find a FREE downloadable cheatsheet to refer back to any time you’re needing to decode a workout plan!
Let’s dive into some definitions!
The Basics
Reps = Repetitions
Reps are the number of times you perform a specific exercise movement in a row without stopping. For example, if you do 10 push-ups in a row, you have completed 10 reps of push-ups.
Sets
Sets are groups of reps. After you complete one set of reps, you’ll take a brief, usually specified rest before starting the next set. For example, if your workout plan says to do 3 sets of 10 push-ups with 1 minute rest, you would:
Do 10 push-ups (1st set)
Rest for 1 minute
Do another 10 push-ups (2nd set)
Rest for 1 minute again
Do a final 10 push-ups (3rd set)
So, in this case, you've completed 3 sets of 10 reps each.
Programmes usually write this as sets x reps - so 3 sets of 10 will often be written as 3x10
Rest
Rest is the time that you take between each set. Rest time is important - taking too short rests may make you feel like you’re working harder, but it will mean that you’re not able to push as hard during your sets, resulting in less progression over time. Resting for too long could lower the intensity of your workout, or leave you prone to injury if you cool down too much.
Intensity
Measuring intensity is essential for making the sets and reps you perform effective. Intensity in strength training doesn’t just refer to how hard a workout feels - instead, we use specific ways to measure intensity. Let’s explore them.
RM = rep max
The maximum you can lift for a specified number of reps. Your 1RM = the most you can lift for 1 repetition. 3RM = the most you can lift for 3 reps, etc. This is a standard way to test strength progress, but in addition, finding a ‘rep max’ may form part of a training programme. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to hit a personal best every time, rather, it’s a way to push your intensity for the day and prescribe working sets relative to your daily rep max.
PB or PR = Personal Best or Personal Record
Your best performance on a particular exercise, workout or cardio activity. This is often a rep max.
%
Strength programmes will often tell you to perform your sets and reps at a percentage - unless otherwise specified, this will be the percentage of your 1RM. Example: 5x5 at 80% means 5 sets of 5 reps at 80% of your 1 rep max.
Failure
The point during an exercise at which you can no longer perform another repetition with good form.
RIR = Reps In Reserve
Rather than using a specific percentage to lift, you will pick a weight that leaves you feeling like you could do X number of additional reps at the end of the set. For example: if performing an exercise prescribed as 3RIR, you should finish your sets feeling like you could do 3 more reps before failure.
RPE = Rate of perceived exertion
This is another way of prescribing intensity, using a scale out of 10 to measure how hard you feel you are working.
RPE numbers relate to RIR - see the table for reference.
Relative intensity
Relative intensity is a way of prescribing intensity based on your individual capacity. A programme based on your 1RM is an example of using relative intensity.
It can be used in 2 ways:
Using a fixed maximum to base the training block off - for example, testing a 5RM or 1RM at the start of a programme then basing the entire programme off that 5RM or 1RM.
Using daily maximums to base individual sessions off - for example, building to a 5RM at the start of a session then basing that session’s weights off that 5RM.
Tempo
Tempo refers to the speed at which you perform each part of a repetition in an exercise. It is usually described using a four-number system, which represents the following phases of the movement, each of which is explained below:
Eccentric Phase
Pause at the Bottom
Concentric Phase
Pause at the Top
Let’s use a tempo squat as an example. If the programme says tempo 2-3-1-1 or 2/3/1/1, here’s what that means:
2 seconds (Eccentric Phase): Lower slowly into your squat for 2 seconds.
3 second (Pause at the Bottom): Hold a pause at the bottom for 3 seconds - note: this doesn’t mean relaxing at the bottom - you should feel your muscles working hard to keep your position!
1 seconds (Concentric Phase): Stand up from your squat in 1 second.
1 second (Pause at the Top): Hold the weight at the top for 1 second before going into the next rep.
Eccentric
The eccentric phase of an exercise is the lowering part, where the muscle lengthens.
Examples: lowering yourself into a push up, or lowering into a squat.
This can be confusing for some machine-based exercises such as a lat pull-down, when the ‘lowering’ phase is the phase where the bar is moving upwards - remember that your muscles are lengthening here, as if you’re lowering your body from the top of a pull up.
Concentric
The concentric phase is the ‘lifting’ part of an exercise, when the muscle shortens. Examples: standing up from the bottom of a squat, pushing up from the bottom of a push up, pulling the bar on a lat pulldown or row exercise.
The eccentric phase of an exercise is the lowering part, where the muscle lengthens.
Examples: lowering yourself into a push up, or lowering into a squat.
An isometric high ring hold
This can be confusing for some machine-based exercises such as a lat pull-down, when the ‘lowering’ phase is the phase where the bar is moving upwards - remember that your muscles are lengthening here, as if you’re lowering your body from the top of a pull up.
Isometric
An isometric or isometric hold is when you hold a position without moving, where the muscle is engaged but not lengthening or shortening.
A common example of this is performing a plank hold, but they also form an important part of tempo exercises.
Other key terms
Superset
Performing two exercises back-to-back without resting in between - your rest period will come after you’ve completed both exercises.
ROM
The range that your joints move through during an exercise. Unless otherwise specified, moving through full range of motion - provided you can maintain safe form - is recommended. For example, lowering your chest all the way to the floor on a push up; getting your chin over the bar on a pull up; hips passing lower than your knees at the bottom of a squat.
Progressive overload
Gradually increasing the difficulty - for example through an increase in weight, frequency, or number of repetitions - in your strength training routine to continue building muscle. hips passing lower than your knees at the bottom of a squat.
Compound exercise
Exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time (e.g., squats, deadlifts).
Isolation exercise
Exercises that target a single muscle group (e.g., bicep curls).
Mobility vs Flexibility
Often used interchangeably, it’s important to understand the difference. Mobility is the ability of your body to move actively through its full range of motion, whereas flexibility refers to muscles or muscle groups passively lengthening through a range of motion. Mobility involves control, and we need good mobility to perform certain exercises effectively, whereas flexibility is passive.
Your FREE Gym Dictionary
I hope reading and understanding a workout programme no longer feels like trying to crack a code - but if you haven’t soaked it all up in one read, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!
I’ve put all the lingo into a handy, concise PDF Gym Dictionary for you to download then save to your phone or print out. That way, you can access it anytime you need to refresh your memory or double-check you’re reading your programme correctly!
Do you still have questions? No shame in that! You can contact me here or find me on social media - linked below - where I'm always happy to answer any questions.
Looking for a programme to follow?
Don’t have a workout plan right now? You’re in luck!
I’ve just launched my FIRST fixed-length programme: Squat Version 1 - a programme dedicated to helping you build a stronger, faster squat.
Click here, or on the image, to learn more and get started!
I also have a handful of spaces available for 1:1 online programming which you can apply for right now - just click here!
Plus, if you’ve downloaded the PDF above, you’ll be the first to hear about all of my future fixed-length programmes as and when they launch, covering a range of goals and abilities.
