Bodybuilding Dictionary: Meaning of the Most Common Terms

In this bodybuilding dictionary, you will find all the words about bodybuilding, bodybuilding and the fitness world that you have always been curious to know the meaning of and sometimes were embarrassed to ask or simply couldn't find their meaning.

Abbreviation for the muscles of the abdomen.

For example: abs training (abs workout).

Lactic acid is the natural result of our metabolism.

Oxygen in the blood is needed to convert glucose into energy.

However, when there is insufficient oxygen, the body must break down glucose without oxygen, generating lactic acid as a byproduct of this process.

When we perform an anaerobic exercise, such as weight training, this process occurs without oxygen, resulting in the accumulation of lactic acid and generating the famous burning sensation in the trained muscle.

Aerobic is any exercise done in a way that increases your heart rate, such as running, cycling, swimming, etc.

During aerobic exercise, you breathe faster and deeper than when your heart is at rest.

This allows you to maximize the amount of oxygen available in your bloodstream, thus feeding your muscles and lungs.

In Brazil, the alternative to the use of Synthol and other oils came through a low-cost and easily accessible veterinary medicine: vitamin ADE.

Each 100 ml of ADE provides 2,500,000 to 25,000,000 Ul of vitamin A, 500,000 to 7,000,000 Ul of vitamin D and 1,650 to 7,000 Ul of vitamin E.

This product is originally used to treat vitamin deficiencies and infections in cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, goats and rabbits (there are clear guidelines not to use it on dogs and cats).

Because it contains fat-soluble vitamins, the ADE vehicle is oily and very low cost, given the raw material (cheap vitamins) and the target audience (animals).

It is not known who or when the practice began, but the use of ADE as a localized injection has become routine.

AES is an acronym for anabolic steroids.

AES, or commonly anabolic steroids, are substances generally derived from testosterone.

These substances can be administered orally or by injection, and have the ability to increase the speed of muscle mass building, in addition to generating fat burning during this process.

Amino acids (also called aminos) are the building blocks of the proteins we eat.

BCAAs, for example, are also amino acids and are present in all animal proteins such as meat, milk and eggs.

Aminos can also be ingested in isolation through supplements, either in combination or alone (as is the case with leucine).

It is the part of metabolism that refers to the synthesis of substances in an organism, that is, from simpler molecules, more complex molecules are created.

For example: from amino acids, there is the synthesis (creation) of protein in the muscle.

Refers to exercises that require energy generation without oxygen (anaerobic = without air).

Anaerobic exercises are brief, high-intensity activities in which anaerobic metabolism occurs in the muscles.

Examples of anaerobic exercise include weight training, sprinting, jumping; any exercise that consists of rapid, high-intensity movements.

Anaerobic exercises are commonly used by athletes to develop strength and build muscle mass.

Antagonist, in bodybuilding, most often refers to an antagonist muscle.

In other words, a muscle that allows the opposite action to the movement caused by another muscle (agonist muscle).

For example: the triceps is the agonist muscle of the biceps, just as the quadriceps is the agonist of the hamstrings.

And the roles may be reversed depending on the point of view.

Muscular asymmetry, in simplistic terms, refers to inequalities in muscular development between the sides of the body.

For example: you may have the right side of your chest more developed than the left – this is chest asymmetry.

We all have asymmetries, but some people have them more discreetly, while others have them much more noticeably.

Full range of motion of a joint or muscle during exercise.

A series of light exercises performed before training to prepare muscles and joints, reducing the risk of injury.

Protein found in egg whites, used as a supplement for gaining muscle mass.

Analysis of the amino acid composition in a protein or supplement.

Relating to male hormones, such as testosterone, which influence muscle gain.

Olympic movement used to develop strength and explosiveness, usually with an Olympic barbell.

Loss of muscle mass due to inactivity or illness.

Cardiovascular training method performed without prior food intake.

Round weights used on bars for overloading in bodybuilding exercises.

BF% or simply BF is an acronym for bodyfat percentage.

Body fat percentage is the amount of fat a person has in relation to everything else.

If you have, for example, 20% “BF”, then 20% of your total mass is adipose tissue (body fat).

Bodybuilding is the equivalent of bodybuilding in Portuguese.

Bodybuilder means bodybuilder and BB is the acronym for bodybuilder.

Bolar is slang for “cycling,” that is, using anabolic steroids.

Period where we focus our efforts through bodybuilding and nutrition to gain muscle mass.

Bulking basically consists of following a diet with more calories than your body uses, generating an increase in energy that, in theory, will be used to build muscle mass.

Brazilian slang meaning to do bulking.

A bulking approach that doesn't pay much attention to food quality, prioritizing only increased calories.

Bulking strategy focusing on healthy foods, aiming to minimize fat gain while increasing muscle mass.

Acronym for Branched- Chain Amino Acids. Supplement containing leucine, isoleucine, and valine, used for muscle recovery.

Slang term for anabolic steroids, widely used in the fitness world.

Popular term to refer to someone with very developed muscles, usually attributed to steroid use.

Method used to measure body composition, including percentage of fat, muscle and water in the body.

English term for Olympic bar, used in exercises such as bench press, squat and deadlift.

Training technique where two exercises are performed consecutively without rest.

Advanced training and diet strategy to gain muscle mass and lose fat simultaneously.

Slang term used to describe extremely defined and lifted glutes.

Psychological disorder in which a person sees themselves as smaller than they actually are, despite having developed muscles.

Exercise for the posterior chain, especially the hamstrings and glutes, performed with a barbell on the shoulders.

Functional exercise that combines squats, push-ups and jumping for general fitness.

Slang for gyms specializing in CrossFit.

Elastic equipment for muscular resistance training.

Slang used to describe the pump , the feeling of “full” muscles after training.