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Saturated Fatty
Acids: Fat molecules that do not have double bonds between
their carbon atoms and are usually solid at room temperature.
Saturated fats are considered to play a major role in the
development of cardiovascular disease.
Semi-vegetarian: Not a
true vegetarian diet; based primarily on plant foods but
occasionally including lean, nonred meat.
Set: A set is a group of consecutive
repetitions that are performed without resting. When you have
completed 8 repetitions of bench press, and have reached temporary
muscular failure or put the weights down, you have completed one
set. See also: Working Set
Shoes: Shoes act to stabilize your
balance and improve your balance in training. The design of shoes
varies depending on their use, whether it is for running, or
outdoor recreational activities, or simply day to day wear. The
main quality of shoes, no matter which you choose, is support.
Solid, thick soled shoes with good arch support are the best you
can choose.
Shotgunning: See Megadosing
Sleeve: The hollow metal tube
that fits over the bar on most exercise barbell and dumbbell sets.
This sleeve makes it easier for the bar to rotate in your hands as
you perform an exercise.
Slow Twitch Muscle
Fibers: Red muscle fibers that contract slowly, weakly, and
continually for long periods of time. Slow - twitch fibers are
developed by light, high - rep weight workouts.
Smith Machine: Another name
for a brand of Nautilus machines at the gym which are used to add
variety to workouts. They offer many disadvantages, but normally,
free weights are preferred.
Smooth Muscle: One of two
kinds of muscle, composed of elongated spindle - shaped cells in
muscles not under voluntary control, such as the smooth muscle of
the intestines, stomach, and other visceral organs. The heart
muscle is an exception because it is a striated involuntary muscle.
Smooth muscle fibers are shorter than striated muscle fibers and
are smooth in appearance. Known also as involuntary muscle of
unstriated muscle.
Snake Oil: This is a general
term used to describe any supplement or concoction that
doesn’t give the same degree of results as claimed by its
advertisers. It originated with traveling carnivals back in the
1800s.
Somatotype: The classification
of individuals according to body build based on certain physical
characteristics. The primary types are ectomorph, mesomorph, and
endomorph.
Split Routine: A program
in which the body is divided into segments and trained more than
three times per week, as most beginners do. The most basic split
routine is done four days per week. The most popular type of split
routine happens by dividing the body into three parts which are
done over three consecutive days, followed by a rest day and a
repeat of the routine on day five. This is called a three - on /
one - off split.
Spotters: Training partners who
stand by to act as safety helpers when you perform heavy lifts in
bench press, or squats, as well as other exercises. If you reach
the point of temporary muscular failure, your spotter can help you
lift the weight up in order to complete the range of motion safely.
It is especially important to have a spotter when you are attempted
one - rep maximums (1RM).
Stacking: The practice of
taking two or more performance - enhancing drugs at one time. The
actual drugs, combinations, and dosages are known as a stack.
Static Contractions:
A muscle contraction is static when the length of the muscle does
not shorten during contraction. All muscle fibers enervated by a
single motor nerve fiber from the spinal cord are called motor
units, each of which may supply up to 150 or more muscle fibers.
The strength of contraction increases in proportion to the number
of motor units fired. Although a whole muscle cannot fully contract
at once, a single fiber of it contracts fully, never partially,
when stimulated by a motor nerve fiber. As the number of
contracting motor units increases, the force of contraction
increases proportionally. This also occurs when a muscle is tensed
without movement. High intensity training over a prolonged period
of time improves the ability of a neuro muscular system to recruit
a greater number of motor units (volley firing), and thus creates a
greater number of muscle fibers to contract.
Static Stretching:
Here, you stretch the muscle slowly and gradually and hold the
stretch for 10 to 60 seconds. Because the stretch occurs slowly,
there is much less reaction from the stretch receptors. Static
stretching is the type most often recommended by fitness experts
because it is as effective and safer than other types of stretching
exercises. The key to this technique is to stretch the muscles and
joints to the point where you feel a pull but not to the point of
pain. Over stretching the muscle leads to injuries.
Steroid: Biochemical term used
to denote a molecule having three, 6 carbon - containing rings, and
one, 5 - carbon - containing ring. Steroid molecules form the
nucleus of many of the body’s hormones.
Steroid Hormones: Any of
the ductless gland secretions that contain the basic steroid
nucleus in their chemical formulae. The natural steroid hormones
include the androgens, estrogens, and adrenal cortex
secretions.
Steroid Replacer:
General term used to describe any naturally occurring substance
that supposedly duplicates the effects of anabolic steroids. As of
yet, no “steroid replacer” is as effective as any
anabolic drug.
Sticking Point: A stalling
of bodybuilding progress. Also that point in a movement at which
you fail to continue the upward momentum of the bar.
Stimulants: Class of drugs
that increase or excite the central nervous system (CNS).
Stimulants may be mild (ephedrine), or powerful (amphetamines).
Straight Short Bar:
This bar is used in exercises such as the triceps pushdown, as well
as biceps exercises such as cable curls. It can also be used for
back exercises, and other body parts.
Straps: Straps are fastened
around your wrists and then twisted around a bar to strengthen your
grip in exercises where grip is your weakest link. Hand strength
will not develop as quickly if you use straps, but this may be
worth the value of being able to lift heavier weights which will
result in a better developed back. Weighing the opportunity cost of
straps is largely personal preference, and you can achieve great
results with or without including them in your regiment of
bodybuilding aids.
Stretching: A type of
exercise program in which you assume exaggerated postures that
stretch muscles, joints, and connective tissues, hold these
positions for several seconds, and then relax and repeat the
postures. Regular stretching exercise promotes body flexibility and
reduces the chance of injuries while training with heavy iron.
Stress: Stress can be defined as
anything that causes stress on the body’s physical or mental
resources. Working out is a great way to reduce your levels of
stress caused by day to day living. Lifting weights is a stress on
the body that is enjoyable and takes pressures off the other
stresses you are undergoing; it is a type of stress you will like
to include in your everyday life. Although stress has many negative
connotations, the stress which you will undergo in the gym is
(almost) enjoyable and, if controlled properly will invoke a
positive response in both your physical and mental fitness. If you
are mentally or physically stressed in your day to day life away
from the gym, it will be more difficult for your body to respond
with positive muscle growth. Reducing your levels of stress related
to your emotional, financial and work related stresses (as well as
others) is essential to maximize gains made in the gym. At the same
time, bodybuilding is a method of reducing these stresses, and in
very little time with some hard work and dedication you will see
your stress levels decrease after taking up recreational
bodybuilding.
Stretch Marks: Tiny tears
in a bodybuilder's skin caused by poor diet and too rapid increases
in body weight. If you notice stretch mark forming on your own
body, consult your physician for advice. One solution which has
worked for many people is to rub vitamin - E cream over the stretch
two of three times per day (unless you are allergic to the cream),
and try cutting back on your body weight by reducing body - fat
levels. It's much better to add pure muscle mass than excess fat
when attempting to gain body weight.
Striated Muscle: Muscle
tissue, including all the skeletal muscles, that consists of
myofibrils. Striated muscles are composed of bundles of parallel,
striated fibers. Each striated muscle is covered by a thin
connective epimysium and divided into bundles of sheathed fibers
containing smaller myofribrils. The muscle’s contractile
units, or sarcomeres, comprise the larger protein strands or
myofribrils.
Striations: The tiny grooves
of muscle across major muscle groups in a highly defined
bodybuilder. If you have muscle striations, even when completely
relaxed, you know you are in optimum condition.
Sugar: Any of several water -
soluble carbohydrates. The two principal categories of sugards are
monosaccharides and disaccharides. A monosaccharide is a single
sugar such as glucose, fructose, or galactose. A disaccharide is a
doble sugar such as sucrose (table sugar) or lactose.
Supination: You supinate your
hand when you turn the palm down.
Supine: Lying horizontally on the
back.
Supplements: Concentrated
vitamins, minerals, and proteins used by bodybuilders to improve
the overall quality of their diets. Many bodybuilders believe that
food supplements help promote quality muscle growth.
Symmetry: Essentially the
mirror image; how well the left side of your body matches your
right side. However, the term is frequently used in bodybuilding to
descript the shape or general outline of a person's body, as when
seen in silhouette. If you have good symmetry, you will have
relatively wide shoulders, flaring lats, a small waist - hip
structure, and general small joints.
Synergism: The biochemical
phenomenon where two or more drugs interact to produce an effect
that is greater than the effects of the individual drugs. In
bodybuilding terms, growth hormone and IGF - 1 taken separately
produce limited results, but when taken together produce dramatic
increases in size and strength.
Temporary Muscular
Failure (TMF): That point an an exercise at which you have
so fully fatigued the working muscles that they can no longer
complete an additional repetition of a movement with strict form.
You should always take your post - warm up sets at least to the
point of momentary muscular failure, and frequently past that
point. Also known as Failure.
Tendon: The tough tissue that
connects muscles to bones.
Testosterone: The male
hormone primarily responsible for maintenance of muscle mass and
strength induced by heavy training. Testosterone is secondarily
responsible for developing such secondary male sex characteristics
as a deep voice, body and facial hair, and male pattern
baldness.
Thermogenesis: Heat
production not accounted for by resting metabolic rate or physical
activity. Progress by which stored fat is liberated and mobilized
so that it can be burned as a fuel source. The most popular
bodybuilding thermogenic agents are ephedrine and caffeine. Factors
stimulating thermogenesis include food intake, thermogenic
substances (such as adrenaline, some drugs, some types of food and
some herbs), cold exposure and psychological stress. Thermogenesis
normally accounts for around 15% of daily energy expended.
Thoracic Type: See Ectomorph
Thyroid Gland: Small gland
located at the neck that controls the body’s level of calcium
and overall metabolic rate. Bodybuilders often add thyroid drugs to
their precontest drug stacks to increase their body’s
metabolic rate and increase the rate of fat loss.
Towel: A towel should be part of
your essential gym equipment.
Training Partner: A
training partner should be someone who is willing to take the time
he or she is devoting to bodybuilding, and share it with you. He or
she should be willing to make time in his or her schedule to
workout with you, as well as offer you constructive advice and a
good spot for those hard to perform, heavy lifts. It is very
important that both you and your training partner care about the
success and development of the pair, and make efforts to motivate
and encourage each other into achieving new muscular growth. A
training partner who does not have much concern over making it to
the gym with you, and helping you out isn’t much of a benefit
to either of you. A training partner who does not offer you
constructive advice isn’t really helping you either, if
advice is what you are looking for. Also, it is very effective if
both you and your training partner are trying to achieve the same
bodybuilding goals. This makes it a lot more natural for both of
you to help each other with steps along the way to achieving those
goals.
Trisets: A series of three
exercises performed with not rest between movements and a normal
rest interval between trisets. Trisets increase training intensity
by reducing the average length of rest interval between sets. As
such, trisets are markedly more intense than supersets.
Unsaturated Fatty Acids: Fat
molecules which have double bonds between their carbon atoms are
usually liquid at room temperature. Generally speaking, as the
number of double bonds increase, the fat becomes more oily in
nature.
Unstriated Muscle: See Smooth Muscle
Vascularity: A prominence of
veins and arteries over the muscles and beneath the skin of a well
- defined bodybuilder. Vascularity can be enhanced by properly
carbing up prior to appearence onstage at a competition.
Vegan: A diet
excluding all foods from animals, in any form. Items such as milk,
cheese, and eggs are excluded.
Vitamin: Organic compound used
by the body to regulate metabolism. Vitamins may be water - based
or fat - based.
Volume Training: The use
of very high number sets for each bodypart. The high volume of a
workout necessitates the use of lighter - than - normal weights in
each exercise, but it does build muscle in some individuals.
Warm Up: Before you pick up any
weights, even a two pound dumbbell, you should always remember to
warm up. You can do this by taking five easy minutes on the aerobic
exercise machine. Warm ups increase the temperature of your
muscles, making them more pliable and less susceptible to injury.
If you plan to so a particularly heavy workout, such as a
powerlifting routine, you should warm up for 10 minutes prior to
attempting that kind of poundage. Various warm ups may include one
of the following activities: Walking, jogging, stair climbing,
stationary biking, aerobic rowing machine cross country ski machine
doing many repetitions with the empty bar (bench press, military
press). 10 to 15 minute session of light calisthenics, aerobic
activity, and stretching taken prior to handling heavy bodybuilding
training movements. A good warm - up helps prevent injuries and
actually allows you to get more our of your training than if you
went into a workout totally cold.
Water Bottle: You will need
more water if you begin a weight training program, especially on
the days you are working out, and even more importantly, during
your actual workouts. A water bottle is a must.
WBF: The World Bodybuilding
Federation, founded in 1990 to offer competition for bodybuilders
not interested in the IFBB system.
Weight: The same as poundage or resistance.
Weight Class: In order for
bodybuilders to compete against men and women or similar size, the
IFBB has instituted weight divisions for all amateur competitions.
The normal men's weight classes are under 70 kilograms (154
pounds), under 80 kilograms (175 pounds), under 90 kilograms (198
pounds), and over 90 kilograms (over 198 pounds, term
"heavyweight"). In a minority of competitions, particularly in the
Far East, one additional class, under 65 kilograms (143 pounds) is
also contested. Women compete in three weight classes: under 114
pounds, under 123 pounds, and over 123 pounds.
Weight Lifting: The
competitive form of weight training in which each athlete attempts
to lift as much as he or she can in well - defined exercises.
Olympic lifting and power lifting are the two types of weight -
lifting competition.
Weight Training: An
umbrella term used to categorize all acts of using resistance
training. Weight training can be used to improve the body, to
rehabilitate injuries, to improve sports conditioning, or as a
competitive activity in terms of bodybuilding and weight
lifting.
Weight Training Log:
Recording your workouts in a weight training log is a good idea. It
keeps you motivated, and helps you to assess your goals
frequently.
Working Set: The set(s) you
perform after finishing a warm up or stretching.
Workout: A bodybuilding or weight - training session.
Wraps: Wraps are used to support
weak or injured joints or muscles. Wraps are used around the knees
for weight training athletes performing heavy squats, or around the
elbows during bench press.
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