Hi Folks, I thought that in this month’s edition we could take a light-hearted look at some of the more amusing and/or bizarre terms that we hear in the fitness world, and where better to start than with ‘bonking’.

Excuse me??

Hi Folks,

I thought that in this month’s edition we could take a light-hearted look at some of the more amusing and/or bizarre terms that we hear in the fitness world, and where better to start than with ‘bonking’.

BONKING: a point during your exercise workout where you suddenly feel that you have no more energy and can’t continue because your body has run out of glycogen stores. I first heard this term in cycling circles 36 years ago and have since heard its sister term ‘hitting the wall’ in running circles.

BURPEE: not a tiny cute burp but rather a simple yet brutal full body movement where you go from a standing position to a high plank position and back up to standing. People also throw in press ups or jumps for fun but the original burpee is awesome.

FARTLEK: not a term relating to flatulence but derived from the Swedish for ‘speed play’.  A form of runners’ interval training where the pace and timings are continually altered.

FREE WEIGHTS: unlike the name suggests these are not weights that the gym is giving away to a good home but a description of resistance equipment that is not attached to a machine, ie dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells.

METCON: not an extra from a Transformers movie but an abbreviation for metabolic conditioning, a form of high intensity cardio and strength training.

NEGATIVE REPS: rather than describing pessimistic sales people this is a description for the lowering phase of any lifting movement ie letting the weights return down towards the ground under control after performing an arm curl

SWEATISFACTION: honestly!! The sensation of satisfaction after an intense sweat soaked workout. 

CUTTING: the act of stripping body fat whilst retaining maximum muscularity. It often goes hand in hand with the saying ‘ripped’ ie “you look ripped”.

FUN: this is admittedly an Andali favourite and somewhat of a euphemism or oxymoron.  I encourage my fitness family by telling them that we are going to have some ‘fun’ which generally means we are going to work hard or simply throw in an extra exercise set.