definition

en-noun

definition (countable and uncountable, plural definitions)

From Middle English diffinicioun, from Middle French definition, from Latin dēfīnītiō, from dēfīniō. Equivalent to define + -ition.

(bodybuilding) The degree to which individual muscles are distinct on the body.

definició

bodybuilding: the degree to which individual muscles are distinct


BSS

Bulgarian split squat
Bulgarian split squat#English

(bodybuilding) Initialism of Bulgarian split squat.


twig

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
From Middle English twig, twyg, twigge, twygge, from Old English twigg, twicg, from Proto-West Germanic *twiggu (“small twig, shoot”), apparently a diminutive of Proto-West Germanic *twig (“branch, twig”) (whence also Old English twiġ and twiġa), from Proto-Germanic *twīgą (compare West Frisian twiich, Dutch twijg, German Zweig), from Proto-Indo-European *dweygʰom (compare Old Church Slavonic двигъ (dvigŭ, “branch”), Albanian degë (“branch”)), from *dwóh₁. More at two.

cog

You need to find a source of motivation and play off of that. Whether it be the jock in high school that always called you fat, or the guy who picked on you and called you a twig.

2007 February 24, Matt Weik, CSCS, “Successful Tips and Tricks For Contest Prep!”, in Bodybuilding.com:

Schwarzenegger was long past his professional bodybuilding days when he and Carrere shot the tango scene, but he wasn’t a twig.

2022 July 19, Jason Rossi, “Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Most Dangerous Mistake on ‘True Lies’: ‘It Would Have Put Us Back 30 Days in the Production’”, in Showbiz CheatSheet:

(bodybuilding, slang) Somebody, or one of their body parts, not looking developed.


oral

en-noun

oral (countable and uncountable, plural orals)

PIE word
 *h₁óh₃s
Early 17th century borrowing from Late Latin ōrālis, from ōs (“the mouth”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).

af

(bodybuilding, countable) Ellipsis of oral steroid.


hard

en-adj

hard (comparative harder or more hard, superlative hardest or most hard)

harder (comparative)
more hard (comparative)
hardest (superlative)
most hard (superlative)

→ Finnish: haarti

→ Spanish: hard

From Middle English hard, from Old English heard, from Proto-West Germanic *hard(ī), from Proto-Germanic *harduz, from Proto-Indo-European *kort-ús, from *kret- (“strong, powerful”). Cognate with German hart, Swedish hård, Ancient Greek κρατύς (kratús), Sanskrit क्रतु (krátu), Avestan 𐬑𐬭𐬀𐬙𐬎 (xratu).

صَعْب

requiring a lot of effort to do or understand

(bodybuilding) Having muscles that are tightened as a result of intense, regular exercise.


mass

en-noun

mass (countable and uncountable, plural masses)

In late Middle English (circa 1400) as masse in the sense of "lump, quantity of matter", from Anglo-Norman masse, in Old French attested from the 11th century, via late Latin massa (“lump, dough”), from Ancient Greek μᾶζα (mâza, “barley-cake, lump (of dough)”). The Greek noun may be derived from the verb μάσσω (mássō, “to knead”), ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European *maǵ- (“to oil, knead”), although this is uncertain. Doublet of masa.
The sense of "a large number or quantity" arises circa 1580. The scientific sense is from 1687 (as Latin massa) in the works of Isaac Newton, with the first English use (as mass) occurring in 1704.

der

After all, muscle maniacs go "ga ga" over mass no matter how it's presented.

1988, Steve Holman, “Christian Conquers Columbus”, in Ironman, volume 47, number 6, pages 28–34:

(bodybuilding) Excess body mass, especially in the form of muscle hypertrophy.


pin

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: pins

→ Polish: pin

→ Spanish: pin

→ Swahili: pini

→ Swedish: pin, pins

From Middle English pinne, from Old English pinn (“pin, peg, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *pinnaz, *pinnō, *pint- (“protruding point, peak, peg, pin, nail”), from Proto-Indo-European *bend- (“protruding object, pointed peg, nail, edge”). Related to pen (“enclosure”).
Cognate with Dutch pin (“peg, pin”), Low German pin, pinne (“pin, point, nail, peg”), German Pinn, Pinne (“pin, tack, peg”), Bavarian Pfonzer, Pfunzer (“sharpened point”), Danish pind (“pin, pointed stick”), Norwegian pinn (“stick”), Swedish pinne (“peg, rod, stick”), Icelandic pinni (“pin”). More at pintle.
No relation to classical Latin pinna (“fin, flipper, wing-like appendage, wing, feather”), which was extended to mean "ridge, peak, point" (compare pinnacle), and often confused with Latin penna (“wing, feather”). More at feather and pen (Etymology 3).

cog

(bodybuilding, slang) An injection of PEDs.


pin

en-verb

pin (third-person singular simple present pins, present participle pinning, simple past and past participle pinned)

pins (present singular third-person)
pinning (participle present)
pinned (participle past)
pinned (past)

(bodybuilding, slang, ambitransitive) To inject for performance enhancement.


cut

cut (third-person singular simple present cuts, present participle cutting, simple past cut or (nonstandard) cutted, past participle cut or (archaic) cutten)

cuts (present singular third-person)
cutting (participle present)
cut (past)
cutted (nonstandard past)
cut (participle past)
cutten (archaic participle past)

From Middle English cutten, kitten, kytten, ketten (“to cut”) (compare Scots kut, kit (“to cut”)), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse *kytja, *kutta, from Proto-Germanic *kutjaną, *kuttaną (“to cut”), of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *kwetwą (“meat, flesh”) (compare Old Norse kvett (“meat”)). Akin to Middle Swedish kotta (“to cut or carve with a knife”) (compare dialectal Swedish kåta, kuta (“to cut or chip with a knife”), Swedish kuta, kytti (“a knife”)), Norwegian Bokmål kutte (“to cut”), Norwegian Nynorsk kutte (“to cut”), Icelandic kuta (“to cut with a knife”), Old Norse kuti (“small knife”), Norwegian kyttel, kytel, kjutul (“pointed slip of wood used to strip bark”). Displaced native Middle English snithen (from Old English snīþan; compare German schneiden), which still survives in some dialects as snithe or snead. See snide. Adjective sense of "drunk" (now rare and now usually used in the originally jocular derivative form of half-cut) dates from the 17th century, from cut in the leg, to have cut your leg, euphemism for being very drunk.

tondi

to cut out fabric to specific lengths and shapes to make clothes

klippa bort

remove a portion during editing of a tape

cut the ground from under someone's feet

one's stomach thinks one's throat has been cut

you could cut the atmosphere with a knife

(bodybuilding) To lose body mass, aiming to keep muscle but lose body fat.


cut

en-adj

cut (comparative more cut, superlative most cut)

more cut (comparative)
most cut (superlative)

silvottu

colloquial: circumcised — see also circumcised

Or how 'bout Shane DiMora? Could he possibly get rip-roaring cut this time around?

1988, Steve Holman, “Christian Conquers Columbus”, in Ironman, 47 (6): 28-34:

That's the premise of the overload principle, and it must be applied, even to ab training, if you're going to develop a cut, ripped midsection.

2010, Bill Geiger, “6-pack Abs in 9 Weeks”, in Reps!, 17:106:

(bodybuilding) Having muscular definition in which individual groups of muscle fibers stand out among larger muscles.

geschnitten

bodybuilding: having individual groups of muscle fibers stand out


cut

en-noun

cut (countable and uncountable, plural cuts)

leikkaus

notch, passage, or channel made by cutting or digging

en:any act of cutting, literally or figuratively

(literal, figurative) The act of cutting.

(bodybuilding) A time period when one attempts to lose fat while retaining muscle mass.

rasvanpolttokausi

bodybuilding: time period when one tries to lose fat while retaining muscle mass


hit

en-verb

hit (third-person singular simple present hits, present participle hitting, simple past hit or (dialectal, obsolete) hat or (rare, dialectal) het, past participle hit or (archaic, rare, dialectal) hitten)

hits (present singular third-person)
hitting (participle present)
hit (past)
hat (dialectal obsolete past)
het (dialectal past rare)
hit (participle past)
hitten (archaic dialectal participle past rare)

miss

antonym(s) of “manage to touch in the right place”

From Middle English hitten (“to hit, strike, make contact with”), from Old English hittan (“to meet with, come upon, fall in with”), from Old Norse hitta (“to strike, meet”), from Proto-Germanic *hittijaną (“to come upon, find”), from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd- (“to fall; fall upon; hit; cut; hew”).
Cognate with Icelandic hitta (“to meet”), Danish hitte (“to find”), Latin caedō (“to kill”), Albanian qit (“to hit, throw, pull out, release”).

cog

don't let the door hit you on the way out

let the door hit you where the good Lord split you

not be able to hit the broad side of a barn

This is another great exercise which hits the long head.

(transitive, bodybuilding) (of an exercise) to affect, to work a body part.

With that said, the group hitting their legs just once a week still made gains.


split

→ Irish: spliota

Attested since about 1567, from Middle Dutch splitten (“to split”) and/or Middle Low German splitten (“to split”), both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *splittjan, an intensive form of Proto-West Germanic *splītan (“to split”), from Proto-Germanic *splītaną (whence Danish splitte, Low German splieten, German spleißen), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pley- (“to split, splice”).
Compare Middle English ysplett (“split”, past participle of splatten (“to split”)), Old English speld (“splinter”), Old High German spaltan (“to split”), Old Irish sliss (“splinter”), Lithuanian spaliai (“flax sheaves”), Czech půl (“half”), Old Church Slavonic рас-плитати (ras-plitati, “to cleave, split”).

cog

past participle of <i class="Latn mention" lang="enm">splatten</i> (“to split”)

(bodybuilding) A workout routine as seen by its distribution of muscle groups or the extent and manner they are targeted in a microcycle.


bi

You cannot train your back without regard to your tris and bis.

(bodybuilding, colloquial, uncommon) A biceps muscle.


dead

From Middle English ded, deed, from Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic *daud, from Proto-Germanic *daudaz. Compare West Frisian dead, dea, Dutch dood, German tot, Danish, Norwegian død, Norwegian Nynorsk daud.

(bodybuilding, colloquial) Clipping of deadlift.


volume

en-noun

volume (countable and uncountable, plural volumes)

volumes (plural)
vol. (alternative abbreviation)

From Middle English volume, from Old French volume, from Latin volūmen (“book, roll”), from volvō (“roll, turn about”).

(key muscle growth stimuli)

(bodybuilding) The total of weight worked by a muscle in one training session, the weight of every single repetition summed up.


test

(informal, slang, bodybuilding) Clipping of testosterone.


natural

en-adj

natural (comparative more natural, superlative most natural)

more natural (comparative)
most natural (superlative)
naturall (alternative obsolete)
nat'ral (alternative)

/ˈnæt͡ʃ(ə)ɹəl/

From Middle English natural, borrowed from Old French natural, naturel, from Latin nātūrālis, from nātus, the perfect participle of nāscor (“be born”, verb). Displaced native Old English ġecynde. By surface analysis, nature + -al.

luonnollinen

that exists and evolved within the confines of an ecosystem

(bodybuilding) Not having used anabolic steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.

luonnollinen

having the character or sentiments properly belonging to one's position

luonnollinen

bodybuilding: not having used performance-enhancers


natural

en-noun

natural (countable and uncountable, plural naturals)

naturals (plural)
naturall (alternative obsolete)
nat'ral (alternative)

/ˈnæt͡ʃ(ə)ɹəl/

For so long I stayed natural because it was a sense of pride to me that as a natural I was still competing and beating guys who were juicing up.

2010, Gregg Valentino, Nathan Jendrick, Death, Drugs, and Muscle:

(bodybuilding) Someone who has not used anabolic steroids or other performance-enhancing substances.


tri

Shortening of words with the initial component derived from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes (“three”).

(bodybuilding, colloquial, uncommon) triceps


mast

(bodybuilding slang) The anabolic steroid drostanolone propionate, also known as Masteron


Christmas tree

Christmas trees (plural)
Christmas's tree (alternative)
X-mas tree (alternative)
Xmas tree (alternative)

PIE word
 *dóru
[[File:Emoji u1f384.svg|thumb||200px|The emoji for Christmas tree: see the entry at 🎄.]]
From Christmas + tree, a calque of German Weynacht Baum (obsolete, 17th c.), Weihnachtsbaum, from Weynacht, Weihnacht (literary or poetic variant of Weihnachten (“Christmas”)) + -s- (genitive interfix) + Baum (“tree”). The custom of Christmas trees was adopted in the United Kingdom from Germany in the 19th century, having been popularized by their use by the royal family during the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901.
Sense 3 (“Christmas party”) refers to the fact that there is usually a Christmas tree (sense 1) at the event.

joulukuusi

something which resembles a Christmas tree in appearance or shape

The V-bar pull-up is a great retro exercise I pulled from the Arnold [Schwarzenegger] & Franco Columbo^([sic – meaning Franco Columbu]) Golden Era bodybuilding days. […] These are great for really developing that Christmas tree in your lower back and the proper arch at the top is key in that regard.

2013, Cory Gregory, “Get Jacked! The 1,000 Rep Workout”, in Fitness Rx, volume 11, number 4, Seatauket, N.Y.: Advanced Research Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 56; reproduced with changes as “The 1,000 Rep Workout”, in CoryGFitness, September 2021 (22 June 2023 version), archived from the original on 2024-12-19:

(by extension) Something which resembles a Christmas tree (sense 1) in appearance (for example, in having coloured lights) or shape.

(bodybuilding) A pattern of muscles visible in the lower back, resembling in outline the shape of a conifer.


builder

Etymology tree
Proto-West Germanic *buþlijan
Old English bytlan
Middle English bylden
Latin -ariusbor.
Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz
Proto-West Germanic *-ārī
Old English -ere
Middle English -ere
Middle English byldere
English builder
From Middle English byldere, buyldere, from bylden + -er. By surface analysis, build + -er. Compare Old English bylda, bytla (“hammerer, builder”).

etymon

In the competitions, bodybuilders go through "mandatories"—a set of mandatory poses—in the morning, where the judges compare the body parts of the builders.

1991, Samuel Wilson Fussell, chapter 4, in Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder:

(rare, bodybuilding) Clipping of bodybuilder.


juice

en-noun

juice (usually uncountable, plural juices)

Tok Pisin: jus

→ Czech: džus

→ Danish: juice

→ Faroese: djús

→ Hungarian: dzsúsz

→ Icelandic: djús

→ Indonesian: jus

→ Japanese: ジュース (jūsu)

→ Korean: 주스 (juseu), 쥬스 (juseu)

→ Norwegian:

Norwegian Bokmål: juice, jus

Norwegian Nynorsk: juice, jus

→ Papiamentu: djus

→ Serbo-Croatian: džus

→ Slovak: džús

→ Swahili: juisi, jusi

→ Swedish: juice, jos

→ Zulu: újúsi

From Middle English jus, juis, from Old French jus, jous, from Latin jūs (“broth, soup, sauce”), from Proto-Indo-European *yéwHs, from *yewH- (“to mix (of meal preparation)”). Doublet of jus and ukha. In this sense, mostly displaced native Middle English sew (“juice”), from Old English sēaw (“juice, sap”) (> English sew (“juice, broth, gravy”)). Sense of "soft drink" most likely an ellipsis of fizzy juice, another similarly common term in Scotland.

the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice

the darker the berry, the sweeter the juice

(uncountable, slang) Any source or enabler of significant positive effects.


juice

en-verb

juice (third-person singular simple present juices, present participle juicing, simple past and past participle juiced)

juices (present singular third-person)
juicing (participle present)
juiced (participle past)
juiced (past)

I followed the home run race between Sosa and McGuire, and any fool could see they were juicing.

2012, Phil Denapoli, Preying on the Innocent, page 233:

(intransitive, slang, bodybuilding) To take a performance-enhancing drug.


cruise

cruises (plural)
cruize (alternative obsolete)

Borrowed from Dutch kruisen (“cross, sail around”), from kruis (“cross”), from Middle Dutch cruce, from Latin crux.

bor+

(bodybuilding, slang) A period of reducing the dosage of PEDs instead of cycling them off as opposed to a full-dosed cycle (blast).


cruise

en-verb

cruise (third-person singular simple present cruises, present participle cruising, simple past and past participle cruised)

cruises (present singular third-person)
cruising (participle present)
cruised (participle past)
cruised (past)
cruize (alternative obsolete)

→ Dutch: cruisen, cruise

→ French: cruiser

blast and cruise

(bodybuilding, slang) To have a period of reducing the dosage of PEDs instead of cycling them off as opposed to going through a full-dosed cycle (blast).


horseshoe

/ˈhɔːɹs.ʃuː/

From Middle English horsscho, horssho, horscho, hors schoo, equivalent to horse + shoe.

almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades

close only counts in horseshoes and darts

close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades

The lateral head of your triceps forms the outside of the horseshoe, the long head forms the inside, the medial head lies beneath the long head, and the tendon occupies the flat space in the middle.

2004, Ellington Darden, The New High-Intensity Training, page 58:

(bodybuilding, slang) A well-developed set of triceps brachii muscles.

hevosenkenkä

bodybuilding: well-developed set of triceps brachii


bulk

en-noun

bulk (countable and uncountable, plural bulks)

From Middle English bulk, bolke (“a heap, cargo, hold; heap; bulge”), borrowed from Old Norse búlki (“the freight or the cargo of a ship”), from Proto-Germanic *bulkô (“beam, pile, heap”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ- (“beam, pile, prop”). Compare Icelandic búlkast (“to be bulky”), Swedish dialectal bulk (“a bunch”), Danish bulk (“bump, knob”).
Conflated with Middle English bouk (“belly, trunk”).

der

(bodybuilding) Excess body mass, especially muscle.

(bodybuilding) A period where one tries to gain muscle.


sauce

en-noun

sauce (countable and uncountable, plural sauces)

sauces (plural)
sawce (alternative obsolete)

→ Japanese: ソース

→ Scottish Gaelic: sabhs

PIE word
 *séh₂ls
From Middle English sauce, from Old French sause, from Vulgar Latin *salsa, noun use of the feminine of Latin salsus (“salted”), past participle of saliō (“I salt”), from sal. Doublet of salsa.
For the meaning development compare Ancient Greek ἥδυσμα (hḗdusma) ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus (whence also English sweet).

source (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger)

what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander


destroy

en-verb

destroy (third-person singular simple present destroys, present participle destroying, simple past and past participle destroyed)

destroys (present singular third-person)
destroying (participle present)
destroyed (participle past)
destroyed (past)

From Middle English destroyen, from Old French destruire, Vulgar Latin *destrugō, from Classical Latin dēstruō, from dē- (“un-, de-”) + struō (“I build”).

This exercise is going to destroy all parts of your shoulders.

(transitive, bodybuilding, slang, antiphrasis) To exhaust completely and thus recreate or build up.


trap

(slang, bodybuilding, anatomy) The trapezius muscle.


prop

(bodybuilding slang) Testosterone propionate.


tren

While on "tren" (trenbolone acetate), one of the most potent steroids, [Tom] Powell couldn't keep a hard-on as long as he wanted. He had night sweats and nightmares.

2022 June 28, Jamie Millar, “'SARM Goblins': The Young Men Hooked on Steroids”, in VICE, archived from the original on 2023-11-07:

(bodybuilding slang) Clipping of trenbolone (a steroid used to increase muscle growth).


physique

physiques (plural)
fizeek (alternative pronunciation-spelling)

Over the next week, men and women from diverse backgrounds participated in eighteen sports ranging from boxing and billiards to physique, the marathon and volleyball.

1983 February 12, Robert Ellgas, “Fond Memories, Difficult Questions”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 29, page 11:

(bodybuilding) The trained muscular structure of a person's body.


sup

→ German: Sup

of supremum and of words beginning with super-


blast

en-noun

blast (countable and uncountable, plural blasts)

→ Irish: bleaist

From Middle English blast, blest, from Old English blǣst (“blowing, blast”), from Proto-West Germanic *blāstu, from Proto-Germanic *blēstuz (“blowing, blast”).
Cognate with West Frisian blast (“blast”), dialectal Dutch blast (“stubborn intent, drumming”), obsolete German Blast (“wind, blowing”), German blasen (“to blow”), Dutch blazen (“to blow”), Danish blæst (“wind”), French blaser (“to blunt, dull”). More at blow.

cog

blast and cruise

(bodybuilding, slang) A period of full dosage of PEDs as opposed to a period of reduced intake.


blast

en-verb

blast (third-person singular simple present blasts, present participle blasting, simple past and past participle blasted)

blasts (present singular third-person)
blasting (participle present)
blasted (participle past)
blasted (past)

⇒ Italian: blastare

From Middle English blasten, blesten, from Old English blǣstan (“to blow, blast”), from Proto-West Germanic *blēstijan, from Proto-Germanic *blēstijaną. Possibly related to Middle High German blesten (“to stand out, plop, splash”).

noncog

blast and cruise

(bodybuilding, slang) To have a period of full dosage of PEDs as opposed to reducing them during a cruise period.


pump

From Middle English pumpe, possibly from Middle Dutch pompe (“pipe, water conduit”) or Middle Low German pumpe (“pump”), probably ultimately imitative.
Compare Dutch pompen, German pumpen, and Danish pompe; also Spanish bomba (“pump”).

onomatopoeic

imitative

Want a skin-stretching pump? Up the volume by using high-rep sets.
A great pump is better than coming.

2010, Eric Velazquez, “Power Pairings” (17::83 from the start), in Reps!, spoken by Arnold Schwarzenegger:

(bodybuilding, climbing) A swelling of the muscles caused by increased blood flow following high intensity weightlifting.


pump

en-verb

pump (third-person singular simple present pumps, present participle pumping, simple past and past participle pumped)

pumps (present singular third-person)
pumping (participle present)
pumped (participle past)
pumped (past)

→ Czech: pumpovat

Tok Pisin: pamim

→ Thai: ปั๊ม (bpám)

→ ǃXóõ: pàmpa

→ ǃXóõ: pòmpa

onomatopoeic

imitative

(bodybuilding) To enlarge the body by means of weightlifting or steroid use.


yoke

From Middle English yok, yoke, ȝok from Old English ġeoc (“yoke”), from Proto-Germanic *juką (“yoke”), from Proto-Indo-European *yugóm (“yoke”), from *yewg- (“to join; to tie together, yoke”). Doublet of yuga, jugum, yoga and possibly yogh.
Senses 3.1 (“area of arable land”) and 3.2 (“amount of work done with draught animals”) probably referred to the area of land that could generally be ploughed by yoked draught animals within a given time.

poikkipuu

linking or supporting object that resembles a yoke

駕駛桿 /驾驶杆

device with crosspieces used to control an aircraft

iugum

unit of land area notionally equivalent to the area a team of yoked draft animals can work in a day

Nothing says you're a dedicated lifter and true athlete more than a massive yoke—that is, the muscles of the neck, traps, and rear delts.

2010 April, Sean Hyson, Jim Wendler, “Build an NFL Neck”, in Men’s Fitness, New York, N.Y.: American Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 73; reproduced as “The Big Yoke Workout”, in Men’s Journal, accessed 19 November 2021, archived from the original on 2021-11-19:

Senses relating to a frame around the neck.

Any of various linking or supporting objects that resembles a yoke (sense 1.1); a crosspiece, a curved bar, etc.

(bodybuilding) Well-developed muscles of the neck and shoulders.

niska- ja hartialihakset

well-developed muscles of the neck and shoulders


freak

freaks (plural)
freake (alternative)
freik (alternative)
freke (alternative)
frick (alternative)

First appears c. 1567. The sense "sudden change of mind, a whim" is of uncertain origin. Probably from a dialectal word related to Middle English frekynge (“capricious behavior; whims”) and Middle English friken, frikien (“to move briskly or nimbly”), from Old English frician (“to leap, dance”), or Middle English frek (“insolent, daring”), from Old English frec (“desirous, greedy, eager, bold, daring”), from Proto-West Germanic *frek, from Proto-Germanic *frekaz, *frakaz (“hard, efficient, greedy, bold, audacious”) (in which case, it would be related to the noun under Etymology 2). Compare Old High German freh (“eager”), Old English frēcne (“dangerous”).
For the meaning development compare Russian заско́к (zaskók) akin to скок (skok), скака́ть (skakátʹ).

der

(bodybuilding) A person whose physique has grown far beyond the normal limits of muscular development; often a bodybuilder weighing more than 260 pounds (120 kg).


shred

en-verb

shred (third-person singular simple present shreds, present participle shredding, simple past shredded, past participle shredded or shred)

shreds (present singular third-person)
shredding (participle present)
shredded (past)
shredded (participle past)
shred (participle past)
shred (infinitive)
shred (first-person present singular)
shredded (first-person past singular)
shred (present second-person singular)
shreddest (archaic present second-person singular)
shredded (past second-person singular)
shreddedst (archaic past second-person singular)
shreds (present singular third-person)
shreddeth (archaic present singular third-person)
shredded (past singular third-person)
shred (plural present)
shredded (past plural)
shred (present subjunctive)
shredded (past subjunctive)
shred (imperative present)
shredding (participle present)
shredded (participle past)
shred (participle past)

The verb is derived from Middle English shreden, shred (“to chop, cut up; to cut, hack; to wound with a knife; to cut off a part of (something); to prune, trim”) [and other forms], from Old English sċrēadian (“to cut up, shred; to cut off; to prune, trim”), from Proto-West Germanic *skraudōn, related to Proto-West Germanic *skraudan (“to cut up; to shred”), from Proto-Germanic *skraudaną (“to cut up; to shred”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”).
The adjective is derived from the past participle form of the verb.

nb...

schred, schredde, schrede, screde, shreade, shrede, shredde, shrid, (Early Middle English) screda, scradien, (Ormulum) shrædenn

inh

(bodybuilding) To reduce body weight due to fat and water before a competition.

tiputtaa

to reduce body weight due to fat and water before a competition


stack

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-stack.wav

From Middle English stack, stacke, stakke, stak, from Old Norse stakkr (“a barn; haystack; heap; pile”), from Proto-Germanic *stakkaz (“a barn; rick; haystack”).
The data structure sense is a calque of Dutch stapel, introduced by Edsger W. Dijkstra. Cognate with Icelandic stakkur (“stack”), Swedish stack (“stack”), Danish stak (“stack”), Norwegian stakk (“stack”). Related to stake and sauna.

der

(bodybuilding) A blend of various dietary supplements or anabolic steroids with supposed synergistic benefits.


dip

en-noun

dip (countable and uncountable, plural dips)

From Middle English dippen, from Old English dyppan, from Proto-West Germanic *duppjan, from Proto-Germanic *dupjaną; see *daupijaną (“to dip”). Related to deep.

(bodybuilding) A gymnastic or bodybuilding exercise on parallel bars in which the performer, resting on his hands, lets his arms bend and his body sink until his chin is level with the bars, and then raises himself by straightening his arms.


hyper

hyper (countable and uncountable, plural hypers)

Shortenings, all ultimately from the prefix hyper-.

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-hyper.wav

hyper

fetish for characters with large exaggerated body parts

(countable, bodybuilding, informal) Clipping of hyperextension.


partial

From Middle English partiall, parcial, from Old French parcial (“biased or particular”), from Late Latin partiālis (“of or pertaining to a part”), from Latin pars (“part”).

der

Research tells us that eccentrics, heavy partials, and static exercise may require several days or weeks of recovery time.

2021, Edward L. Wallace, Omniflex: A Unified System of Strength Training:

(bodybuilding) The condition of not exhausting the amplitude during the repetition of an exercise.


windscreen wiper

en-noun

windscreen wiper (plural windscreen wipers)

(bodybuilding) An exercise where the back is parallel to the ground (lying on it or hanging via the arms from a pull-up bar) and the legs are perpendicular to the floor so that the lower torso with the legs is rotated to target the Musculus obliquus externus abdominis, the Musculus quadratus lumborum and the Musculus rectus abdominis.


windshield wiper

windshield wiper (plural windshield wipers)

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cruising

cruising (countable and uncountable, plural cruisings)

en:reducing dosage of drugs, in bodybuilding

(bodybuilding, slang) Reducing the dosage of PEDs instead of cycling them off.


hulk

hulks (plural)
hulke (alternative obsolete)

From Middle English hulk, hulke, holke (“hut; shed for hogs; type of ship; husk, pod, shell; large, clumsy person; a giant”) (probably reinforced by
From Middle Dutch hulk, huelc, and Middle Low German hulk, holk, hollek (“freighter, cargo ship, barge”)), from Old English hulc (“light ship; heavy, clumsy ship; cabin, hovel, hut”), from Proto-West Germanic *huluk, *hulik, from Proto-Germanic *hulukaz, *hulikaz (“something hollowed or dug out, cavity”), equivalent to hole/hollow + -ock. Cognate with Old High German holcho (“cargo or transport ship, barge”) (whence Middle High German holche, modern German Holk), Old Norse hólkr (“metal tube, ring”), dialectal Norwegian holk, hylke (“wooden barrel”), Middle English holken (“to dig out, gouge”).
Relation to Medieval Latin hulcus (“ship”) is uncertain, as Old English may have borrowed from Latin or vice versa, but the form holcas rather points to borrowing from Ancient Greek ὁλκάς (holkás, “ship being towed; cargo ship, ship used for trading, holcad”) (compare
Ancient Greek ἕλκω (hélkō, “to drag”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *selk- (“to draw, pull”)). See more at the Old English entry hulc.
The verb is derived from the noun.

cog

(figuratively) A big (and possibly clumsy) person.

(bodybuilding) An excessively muscled person.

A big (and possibly clumsy) person.
An excessively muscled person.


var

en-noun

var (countable and uncountable, plural vars)

(bodybuilding, slang, uncountable) Clipping of Anavar.


hypertrophy

hypertrophy (countable and uncountable, plural hypertrophies)

From French hypertrophie, from Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér, “over, excessive”) + τροφή (trophḗ, “nourishment”), equivalent to hyper- + -trophy.

der

(uncountable, bodybuilding) Increase in muscle size through increased size of individual muscle cells; a result of weightlifting, and other exercise. It differs from muscle hyperplasia, which is the formation of new muscle cells.


steroid

Men may also have fertility challenges, especially if their hypogonadism was caused by anabolic steroid use. Anabolic steroids can affect testicular health, including reducing the production of sperm.

2018 June 25, James Roland, “What is Hypergonadism?”, in Healthline:

(bodybuilding, sports) Any anabolic hormone used to promote muscle growth or athletic performance.


make sense

en-verb

make sense (third-person singular simple present makes sense, present participle making sense, simple past and past participle made sense)

makes sense (present singular third-person)
making sense (participle present)
made sense (participle past)
made sense (past)

→ Dutch: sense maken

→ Icelandic: meika sens

→ Swedish: mejka sense

If you want to grow spinal erectors that don’t make sense, you have to do a lot of bent-over compound lifts.

(generally negated, bodybuilding slang) To be in the realm of the ordinary, to be not particularly developed.


supplement

From Latin supplementum (“that which is added to supply a shortage”), from supplere (“to provide something”).

der

Vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids must come from either the diet or supplements.

Menstruators are likelier to need an iron supplement than non-menstruators, whose diet alone is usually sufficient.

She wasn't getting enough iron, so they prescribed a supplement.

(nutrition, bodybuilding) A vitamin, herbal extract, or chemical compound ingested to meet dietary deficiencies or enhance muscular development; the dosage form that conveys or embodies it (e.g., tablet, capsule, pill, powder, beverage).

مُكَمِّل

vitamin, herbal extract, or chemical compound — see also dietary supplement


pillar

From Middle English piler, from Old French pilier, from Medieval Latin or Vulgar Latin *pilāre (“a pillar”), from Latin pila (“a pillar, pier, mole”).

(bodybuilding) The body from the hips over the core to the shoulders.


wheels

Martin: Just for legs, Tom Platz in his heyday has never been approached.
OB205: I totally agree with this, even to this day no one can beat those WHEELS!

1999 March 22, “OB205”, “Re: Freakiest Bodybuilder?”, in misc.fitness.weights (Usenet):

But Mary J. goes all-out during big leg day, and look at her wheels—toned but very feminine.

2004 December 28, Mark Jenkins, Jeff O’Connell, The Jump Off: 60 Days to a Hip-Hop Hard Body, HarperCollins, page 76:

...try this big wheels program to pack on muscle to your quads and hams.

2006 April 30, Jim Stoppani, Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength, Human Kinetics Publishers, page 131:

(bodybuilding, slang) Well-developed thigh muscles.


endomorph

/ˈɛndəʊmɔːf/

/ˈɛndəmɔːɹf/

(physical type): Derived from endoderm + -morph from William Herbert Sheldon. Equivalent to endo- + -morph.

(bodybuilding) A person having a theoretical body type with slow metabolism in which weight is gained easily, but fat levels are hard to reduce. Endomorphic bodybuilders tend to be the most massive.


ectomorph

/ˈɛktəʊmɔːf/

/ˈɛktəmɔːɹf/

Derived from ectoderm + -morph from William Herbert Sheldon. Equivalent to ecto- + -morph.

The ectomorph body type is characterized by narrow shoulders and hips and a lean build. Its naturally fast metabolism makes it easy for ectomorphs to lose or maintain body fat levels but more difficult to build muscle.

2025 February 6, Laura Schober, “Everything To Know About Having an Ectomorph Body Type”, in Health:

(bodybuilding): Theoretical body type in which a person has a high metabolism. Such a person can easily maintain a low fat physique, but does not add muscle or body weight easily.


ripped

en-adj

ripped (comparative more ripped, superlative most ripped)

more ripped (comparative)
most ripped (superlative)

Near-synonyms: jacked, shredded

With the average male competitor weighing around 220, the total poundage of raw, ripped mass in the preliminary lineup is over 3,700 pounds.

1988, Steve Holman, “Christian Conquers Columbus”, in Ironman, 47 (6): 28-34:

That's the premise of the overload principle, and it must be applied, even to ab training, if you're going to develop a cut, ripped midsection.

2010, Bill Geiger, “6-pack Abs in 9 Weeks”, in Reps!, 17:106:

(bodybuilding) Having extremely low bodyfat content so that the shape of the underlying muscles become pronounced. Said especially of well-defined abdominal muscles or of men who have them.


shredded

shredded (comparative more shredded, superlative most shredded)

more shredded (comparative)
most shredded (superlative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-shredded.wav

Near-synonyms: jacked, ripped

(bodybuilding) Having very pronounced muscular definition.

факту́рный

having very pronounced muscular definition


defined

defined (comparative more defined, superlative most defined)

more defined (comparative)
most defined (superlative)

undefined

antonym(s) of “having a definition or value”

(bodybuilding) Having extreme muscle separation as a result of low body fat.


bodybuilder

[ˈbɑː.ɾiˌbɪɫ.ɾɚ]

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ-
Proto-West Germanic *bodag
Old English bodiġ
Middle English bodi
English body
Proto-West Germanic *buþlijan
Old English bytlan
Middle English bylden
Latin -ariusbor.
Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz
Proto-West Germanic *-ārī
Old English -ere
Middle English -ere
Middle English byldere
English builder
English bodybuilder
From body + builder.

etymon

Physique of powerful bodybuilder (below) is like piece of sculpture. Buffs strive for the well-rounded body, disdain the professional weightlifter, who merely develops a number of very specialized muscles.

December 1964, “Muscles are his business”, in Ebony, volume 20, number 2, page 148:

Because it is necessary for a muscle to rest while it grows and because of the importance of balanced development, most competitive bodybuilders train on a split routine; they work certain parts of the body one day and rest those muscles the next while they work the others, alternating like that six days a week.

1974, Charles Gaines, George Butler, “chapter 2”, in Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding:

In the competitions, bodybuilders go through "mandatories"—a set of mandatory poses—in the morning, where the judges compare the body parts of the builders.

1991, Samuel Wilson Fussell, “chapter 4”, in Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder:

en:person who builds a muscular physique

(bodybuilding) A person who uses diet and exercise to build an aesthetically muscular physique, in order to compete in bodybuilding.

բոդիբիլդեր

a person who uses diet and exercise to build an aesthetically muscular physique


volumizer

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(bodybuilding) A dietary supplement that increases water uptake in muscle cells, causing the muscles to temporarily swell.


bulky

en-adj

bulky (comparative bulkier, superlative bulkiest)

bulkier (comparative)
bulkiest (superlative)

From Middle English bulki, boulky, equivalent to bulk + -y.

(bodybuilding) Having excess body mass, especially muscle.


bulk up

en-verb

bulk up (third-person singular simple present bulks up, present participle bulking up, simple past and past participle bulked up)

bulks up (present singular third-person)
bulking up (participle present)
bulked up (participle past)
bulked up (past)

A review of studies done on runners and strength training showed generally positive impacts and no negative consequences. You won’t hulk out or bulk up just fine-tune some lean muscle in ways that running alone can’t do.

2017 January 9, Molly Hurford, “Cross-Training Workouts Every Runner Should Try”, in MapMyRun, archived from the original on 2017-06-18:

(bodybuilding) To train the body with a high-calorie diet and intense weightlifting in order to increase the overall mass of the body, especially the muscles.


hard gainer

hard gainers (plural)
hardgainer (alternative)

(bodybuilding) A person who has difficulty gaining weight through either diet or exercise.


mesomorph

/ˈmɛsəʊmɔːf/

/ˈmɛzəʊmɔːf/

/ˈmɛzəmɔːɹf/

Derived from mesoderm + -morph by William Herbert Sheldon. Equivalent to meso- + -morph.

(bodybuilding): Theoretical body type in which a person naturally has lower body fat and greater ability to achieve muscular development than average.


fullness

en-noun

fullness (usually uncountable, plural fullnesses)

fullnesses (plural)
fulness (alternative)
fulnesse (alternative)

From Middle English fulnesse, from Old English fulnes, fylnes, fyllnis (“completeness; abundance”), equivalent to full + -ness. Cognate with Old High German folnissi (“fullness”).

(bodybuilding): A measure of the degree to which a muscle has increased in size parallel to the axis of its contraction. A full muscle fills more of the space along the part of the body where it is connected.


weight gainer

(bodybuilding) A high-calorie beverage or powdered drink used to bulk up the physique, especially the muscles.


pump up

en-verb

pump up (third-person singular simple present pumps up, present participle pumping up, simple past and past participle pumped up)

pumps up (present singular third-person)
pumping up (participle present)
pumped up (participle past)
pumped up (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-pump up.wav

I want to pump you up.

He's gonna help me pump up.

(intransitive, transitive, bodybuilding) To cause one's muscles to swell by means of focused weightlifting.


pumped up

en-adj

pumped up (comparative more pumped up, superlative most pumped up)

more pumped up (comparative)
most pumped up (superlative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-pumped up.wav

(informal, bodybuilding) Having muscles in an engorged state following exercise due to increased blood flow.


pumped

pumped (comparative more pumped, superlative most pumped)

more pumped (comparative)
most pumped (superlative)

(slang, bodybuilding) Pumped up; having muscles in an engorged state following exercise.


contest shape

(bodybuilding) A physique made ready for a bodybuilding contest, with minimal body fat and maximum muscle volume.


rock hard

rock-hard (alternative)
rockhard (alternative)

He was pale but rock-hard from exercise, and still had a grunt's haircut.

2007-2008, quoted in Best Newspaper Writing, 2007-2008, page 367

Workout complete – Miles body was rock hard.

2010, Andre Maxwell Jacob, And Then There Was Life!, page 229:

(bodybuilding) With muscles developed and toned to a high degree, especially the muscles of the abdomen.


eight pack

eight packs (plural)
eight-pack (alternative)

You could be one of those genetically gifted individuals who has the potential to show off an eight-pack instead of a six.

2006, David Zinczenko, The Abs Diet, page 263:

(bodybuilding) An exceptionally well-developed set of abdominal muscles in which eight distinct portions of muscle are visible.


guns

And there's still no better way to throw down the fitness gauntlet than to roll up your sleeves and unveil some powerful guns.

2005, Joe Kita, editor, Men's Health Best: Arms, page 6:

I read in another magazine about a workout that can put a whole inch on your arms in just one day! Obviously that sounds awesome, because my guns are only 15 inches.

2010, Mark Alvisi (quote from a reader), "Mark of a Champion", Muscular Development 47(1): 350

(bodybuilding, slang) Well-developed muscles of the upper arm, especially the biceps and triceps.


pythons

Apparently originating from an analogy between the distention of the arm muscles and the distended belly of a python that has swallowed a large animal.

I read in another magazine about a workout that can put a whole inch on your arms in just one day! Obviously that sounds awesome, because my guns are only 15 inches. I figure I could do this workout every couple months and within a year, I will have the big 20-inch pythons!

(bodybuilding, slang) Large and well-developed muscles in the upper arm.


muscle dysmorphia

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(bodybuilding, psychology) A disorder in which a person becomes obsessed with the idea that they are not muscular enough.


muscleman

musclemen (plural)
muscle man (alternative)

(bodybuilding) A man with developed muscles.


muscularity

en-noun

muscularity (countable and uncountable, plural muscularities)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-muscularity.wav

Focussed exercise brought out the muscularity in her calves.

(bodybuilding) The degree to which the muscles in a body part are developed.


vascularity

vascularity (countable and uncountable, plural vascularities)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-vascularity.wav

Reduced bodyfat brought out the vascularity in his arms.

(bodybuilding): The degree to which the veins in a body part are visible.


muscle shirt

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So called because they display the muscles; these shirts were stereotypically associated with surfers and bodybuilders.

(bodybuilding) A sleeveless shirt tailored to display the muscles of the body.

背心 (bèixīn) (no exact equivalent exists; lit. "sleeveless shirt")


gains

Like everyone else who lifts weights, I wanted to maximize my gains and give myself the best chance to succeed.

2011, Robert Cheeke, Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness, →ISBN:

But it is impossible to prepare for competition and make the same kinds of gains as you would if you were training with full intensity and not dieting. When you're training to compete, you have to focus on details, bringing out small muscles, separation. And it's obvious that you can't make maximum gains while you are restricting your food intake.

2012, Arnold Schwarzenegger, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, →ISBN:

If you’re starting off skinny, you can probably get newbie gains for several months.

2024 September 13 [2023 March 31], Shane Duquette and Marco Walker-Ng, “The Newbie Gains Guide for Skinny Guys”, in Bony to Beastly:


enhanced

en-adj

enhanced (comparative more enhanced, superlative most enhanced)

more enhanced (comparative)
most enhanced (superlative)

Big, enhanced mass monsters that tremble the ground they walk on, lift tons (literally), and get winded going up a flight of stairs.
 Of course, there are other areas of the sport such as natural bodybuilders, physique competitors, and pro and amateur levels of contests.

2020 September 3, Brad Borland, “Bodybuilding 101: Sculpting a Powerful Physique”, in Breaking Muscles:

(bodybuilding, euphemistic) Having suffered the use of anabolic steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.


blasting

From Middle English blastyng, blastynge, equivalent to blast + -ing (gerundive ending).

(bodybuilding, slang) Administering full dosage of PEDs as opposed to lowering them during times of so-called cruising.


gym candy

(bodybuilding, slang) Steroids or other drugs taken to improve physical performance.


pumper

(bodybuilding, slang) A steroid or other drug taken to improve blood flow and increase muscular size.


roid rage

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-roid rage.wav

(bodybuilding) Uncontrollable anger or violent behavior resulting from the use of anabolic steroids.


peeled

From peel (verb) + -ed (suffix forming past tenses).

suffix

(bodybuilding) Dieted down such as having attained a peak contrast of trained muscle volume.


juiced

en-adj

juiced (comparative more juiced, superlative most juiced)

more juiced (comparative)
most juiced (superlative)


washboard

(bodybuilding, colloquial) Ellipsis of washboard abs.


ripping

en-noun

ripping (countable and uncountable, plural rippings)

The action of one who rips (in any sense).

(bodybuilding) The use of diet and exercise to reduce body fat and emphasize muscle mass.


fitness model

(bodybuilding) A good-looking person (usually a man) with a well-developed physique who is paid as a model to demonstrate exercises or related equipment.


bulking

bulking (countable and uncountable, plural bulkings)

(bodybuilding) A period of intentional weight gain.


six-pack

six-packs (plural)
sixpack (alternative)
six pack (alternative)

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Are you going to tone your arms, build a six pack or tighten up the old rump?

2005, Les Hewitt, The Power of Focus for College Students, page 133:

Depending on your genetics, you might develop abs that have deep grooves, or you might get a great six pack yet your abs appear "flat" like Brad Pitt's in the movie Fight Club.

2009, Jorge Cruise, Body at Home: A Simple Plan to Drop 10 Pounds, page 182:

Developing a cut-up six-pack doesn't happen by accident unless you've got exceptional genetics […]

2010, Bill Geiger, "6-pack Abs in 9 Weeks", Reps! 17:106

(bodybuilding) A highly developed set of abdominal muscles.


pump iron

en-verb

pump iron (third-person singular simple present pumps iron, present participle pumping iron, simple past and past participle pumped iron)

pumps iron (present singular third-person)
pumping iron (participle present)
pumped iron (participle past)
pumped iron (past)

Her upper body strength has been improving since she started pumping iron at the gym.

For years now, Arnold Schwarzenegger has made the talk-show rounds telling audiences that pumping iron is better than sex. No wonder it took him so long to find a bride.

1987 September, Robert McKay, “The National Standard”, in Cincinnati Magazine, page 104:

(bodybuilding) To lift weights; to engage in weight or strength training.


'roid rage

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-'roid rage.wav

(bodybuilding) Alternative spelling of roid rage.


diced

en-adj

diced (comparative more diced, superlative most diced)

more diced (comparative)
most diced (superlative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-diced.wav

(bodybuilding, slang) Of marked definition.


yoked

By the end of his fourth year of weight-lifting, Lee was yoked.

“Your validation feels so good. Tell me more.” “I can end this with praise. Uh, J-Jack, you're a-a fine commander. You're in phenomenal shape.” “Yes, fine commander. Yes, so yoked.”

2021 August 12, Mike McMahan, “Strange Energies” (19:50 from the start), in Star Trek: Lower Decks, season 2, episode 1, spoken by Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell):

(bodybuilding) Having large and well-defined muscles particularly at the neck and the trapezii (forming thus the “yoke“).


chicken leg

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(bodybuilding slang) The genetically disadvantaged or otherwise underdeveloped shank of a man.

Hey chicken legs, stop skipping leg day!

(in the plural, bodybuilding slang) Someone with underdeveloped leg muscles.


French press

→ Persian: فرنچ پرس (ferenč peres)

(bodybuilding) A triceps exercise involving lying face up and lifting a barbell; lying triceps extensions.


(bodybuilding, Internet slang) Gear, PEDs.


gym bunny

Unlike sex with a Leatherman or a Sugar Daddy, when you have sex with a Gym Bunny, you will probably have to keep reminding yourself that there are actually two people present. …The GB spends just about all of his spare time sculpting his ever-more-fabulous body, and just about all of his spare income on ever-more-skimpy gym outfits.

2002, Dan Anderson, Sex Tips for Gay Guys, →ISBN, pages 129, 130:

"...this scrap heap of a gym bunny you don't want to sit too close to before she showers is a TV goddess?"

2006, Catherine Coulter, Born to Be Wild, →ISBN, page 243:

Thus the lithe and slightly feminised John Travolta of Saturday Night Fever is transformed into the pumping, grinding-body-obsessed gym bunny of Staying Alive.

2006, Tim Edwards, Cultures of Masculinity, →ISBN, page 137:

Being a gym bunny is simply unbecoming. Not as unbecoming, perhaps, as the bicycle bunnies, with their helmet hair, their strangely padded Lycras that suggest a degree of sexual depravity and those ridiculous clacky shoes. But we’re not very pleasing to behold.

2017 November 16, Jo Ellison, “Help: the gym has turned us into slobs”, in Financial Times:

(colloquial, bodybuilding) A person who spends a large amount of time working out at a gym and who wants to improve their physique.


double biceps

And when he hits a double biceps shot, his proportion is more than a little startling.

1988, Steve Holman, “Christian Conquers Columbus”, in Ironman, 47 (6): 28-34:

(bodybuilding) A standard pose in which both sets of biceps are flexed and the chest is thrust forward.


delts

His enthusiasm is contagious, and his delts are outrageous.

(bodybuilding, slang) The deltoid muscles.


posedown

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The real reason for these subdued responses was the fact that the audience knew it would be a fight to the finish; they were saving their screams for the posedown festivities to come.

(bodybuilding) The final part of a competition in which two or more bodybuilders pose freestyle on stage side by side, rather than individually.


most muscular

Then Christian heads Quinn off at the pass with a most muscular.

(bodybuilding) A standard pose in which the chest, shoulder, and arm muscles are flexed with the arms in front of the body.


side chest

(bodybuilding) A standard pose in which one arm is bent at the elbow, and the chest muscles are flexed, with one's side turned to the judges.


side triceps

(bodybuilding) A standard pose in which one arm is held straight with the triceps flexed, with one's side turned to the judges.


back double biceps

en-noun

back double biceps (plural back double biceps)

(bodybuilding) A standard pose in which both sets of biceps and back muscles are flexed, with one's back turned toward the judges.


front double biceps

front double biceps (plural front double biceps)

(bodybuilding) A standard pose in which both sets of biceps and the abdominals are flexed, while one is facing the judges.


rear double biceps

rear double biceps (plural rear double biceps)

Using this information, set the poses up in a manner that allows easy transition from one pose to another. Hitting a front lat spread and then trying to follow with a rear double biceps is just not practical.

1997, Gerard Thorne, Phil Embleton, Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding, page 287:


precontest

Alternating off-season and precontest cycles in bodybuilding over a period of years will result in the relatively quick development of a championship physique.

1983, Joe Weider, The Weider System of Bodybuilding, page 4:

(bodybuilding) Of or pertaining to the phase of preparation in the weeks prior to a competition.


deca

deca (countable and uncountable, plural decas)

From deca-, from Latin decas (“ten”), from Ancient Greek δεκάς (dekás, “10”)
* (nandrolone decanoate): Clipping of decanoate.
* (decathlon): Clipping of decathlon.

anabolic steroid
anabolic steroid#English

(bodybuilding slang, uncountable) The anabolic steroid nandrolone decanoate.


delt

[…]she had this tat of a devil face sticking out a Gene Simmons-class tongue on her left delt.

2005, F. Paul Wilson, Midnight Mass, page 67:

(bodybuilding, slang) The deltoid muscle.


gyno

gyno (countable and uncountable, plural gynos)

Gynecomastia is estimated to affect anywhere from 30 to 70 per cent of males at some stage of their lives. And "gyne" or "gyno", as it's commonly known, is not only an unwelcome (and ironic) side-effect of anabolic-androgenic - that is, muscle-building and masculinising - steroids: it can also be caused by other hormonal disruptors such as alcohol, cigarettes, cannabis, obesity, puberty (usually temporarily) and old age. But [Tom] Powell says his gyno was "99 percent" likely due to steroids.

2022 June 28, Jamie Millar, “'SARM Goblins': The Young Men Hooked on Steroids”, in VICE, archived from the original on 2023-11-07:

These days online, there's Reddit groups like r/gynecomastia where people commiserate over their experiences, offer advice, and sometimes speculate about which celebs have had gyno surgery themselves.

2022 October 31, “Men Get Real About Their Insecurities Over Their 'Man Boobs'”, in HuffPost, archived from the original on 2023-05-01:

(especially bodybuilding slang) Clipping of gynecomastia.


pushdown

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Machine exercises with weight stacks, like pushdowns or pulldowns, are ideal for cranking out more than three drops because all you need to do is insert the pin in a higher (lighter) slot each time.

(Can we date this quote?), Greg Merritt, “Go Beyond Failure with Dropsets”, in Muscle & Fitness:

(bodybuilding) An exercise that requires one to push weight downward.


power rack

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-power rack.wav

2008, Lou Schuler, "Foreward", in Nate Green, Built for Show, page xii
I had no bench or power rack, so by necessity every exercise I did started with the weights on the floor.

(bodybuilding, weightlifting) A metal cage consisting of support pillars with adjustable bars and hooks, using for supporting a barbell during heavy weightlifting exercises.

深蹲架

metal cage to support a barbell during weightlifting


scap

(bodybuilding, exercise, colloquial) The scapula.


duck walk

duck walks (plural)
duckwalk (alternative)

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(bodybuilding) A type of loaded walk in which the sportsman squats somewhat and steps forward or backward with his knees alternatingly while optionally carrying a dumbbell or kettlebell on each side or a kettlebell or cupped dumbbell between the legs.


range of motion

range of motion (plural ranges of motion)

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(bodybuilding) The distance in which the relevant body parts travel during an exercise.


chesticle

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(bodybuilding slang) A roundly defined pectoral muscle.


dirty bulking

Near-synonym: dirty bulk (“an instance of dirty bulking”)

(bodybuilding) The practice of eating a caloric surplus without paying attention to the balance of macronutrients.


dirty bulk

dirty bulk (countable and uncountable, plural dirty bulks)

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Near-synonym: dirty bulking (“the system or practice of doing dirty bulks”)

(bodybuilding) A bulk where one is eating excessive amounts of food and putting on excessive amounts of fat as a result.


clean bulk

clean bulk (countable and uncountable, plural clean bulks)

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(bodybuilding) A bulk where one tries to gain strength and muscle while putting on as little body fat as possible.


muscle god

(slang, bodybuilding) A superheavyweight bodybuilder alpha male.


reverse hyper

reverse hyperextension
reverse hyperextension#English

(bodybuilding, colloquial) Clipping of reverse hyperextension.


VMO

vastus medialis oblique
w:Vastus medialis

(bodybuilding, rehabilitation) Initialism of vastus medialis oblique.


ottermode

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-ottermode.wav

From otter + mode, from a likening of the otter, a mammal adapted to aquatic environments, to competitive swimmers who maintain fit but lean physiques to reduce drag.

Standing, the victim was about an inch shorter than me, and a pretty skinny guy. Wellbuilt, though. What we called “otter mode” at the gym.

2014, SM Reine, Hotter Than Helltown, unnumbered page:

Nyiam and I stay behind, but my eyes recognized the back of his ottermode body, instantly.

2017, Nkauj Ntsuab Lis, Core Integrate: The Core Welcomes You, unnumbered page:

He wasn't as muscly as Short Hair, but still pretty fit. Ottermode.

2018, Ko Hiratori, JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World, unnumbered page:

(slang, bodybuilding, often attributive) A lean and physically-fit physique with well-defined muscles.


recomp

en-verb

recomp (third-person singular simple present recomps, present participle recomping, simple past and past participle recomped)

recomps (present singular third-person)
recomping (participle present)
recomped (participle past)
recomped (past)

(bodybuilding, colloquial) to recompose (that is, to gain muscle while simultaneously losing adipose tissue)


recomp

en-noun

recomp (countable and uncountable, plural recomps)

(bodybuilding, colloquial) A phase of gaining muscle while simultaneously losing adipose tissue.


drop set

drop sets (plural)
drop-set (alternative)
dropset (alternative)

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(bodybuilding) A set of repetitions of an exercise wherein muscular failure is reached and before resting the exercise is continued with decreased resistance to failure.

pudotussarja

Lowering the resistance before resting for another set


clen

(bodybuilding slang) clipping of clenbuterol


progressive overload

progressive overload (countable and uncountable, plural progressive overloads)

(bodybuilding) A gradual increase of stress on a muscle as it grows in strength.


Tbol

(bodybuilding slang) The anabolic steroid Chlorodehydromethyltestosterone, also known as Turinabol


bearmode

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-bearmode.wav

From bear + mode, from a likening of the bear, a large and heavy mammal.

(slang, bodybuilding, often attributive) A heavy and massive physique with very large muscles.


permabulk

en-verb

permabulk (third-person singular simple present permabulks, present participle permabulking, simple past and past participle permabulked)

permabulks (present singular third-person)
permabulking (participle present)
permabulked (participle past)
permabulked (past)

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I love permabulking stories. I was a permabulker myself at one point and I am fully convinced the reason I have problem fat areas–the lower back, love handles, and lower glute areas–is because I permabulked. Something about permabulking, I don’t KNOW, but believe it creates problems down the road, sometimes long term, difficult problems. I think it screws up skin tautness and makes dieting in the future problematic.

(bodybuilding, slang, intransitive) To bulk for an indefinite period of time, often with no regard for calories or nutrients.


permabulk

Here in the meanwhile of the permabulk, eating around 4000kcal a day.

(bodybuilding, slang) An extended period of bulking.


permabulking

(bodybuilding, slang) The act of bulking indefinitely.


permabulker

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-permabulker.wav

From perma- + bulker or from permabulk + -er.

(bodybuilding, slang) A person that bulks for an indefinite period of time, often disregarding calories and nutrients.


Sdrol

sdrol (alternative)
s-drol (alternative)
S-Drol (alternative)

(bodybuilding slang) The anabolic steroid Methyldrostanolone, also known as Superdrol


Adrol

adrol (alternative)
a-drol (alternative)
A-Drol (alternative)
Drol (alternative)
drol (alternative)

(bodybuilding slang) The anabolic steroid Oxymetholone, also known as Anadrol


Dbol

dbol (alternative)
D-Bol (alternative)
D-bol (alternative)

(bodybuilding slang) The anabolic steroid methandrostenolone, also known as Dianabol


newbie gains

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If you’re starting off skinny, you can probably get newbie gains for several months.

2024 September 13 [2023 March 31], Shane Duquette and Marco Walker-Ng, “The Newbie Gains Guide for Skinny Guys”, in Bony to Beastly:

(bodybuilding, slang) Rapid increases in muscle mass when a person begins training.


cluster set

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(bodybuilding) A set of repetitions of an exercise with measured interrepetition / intraset rest periods.


giant set

(bodybuilding) A superset of at least three different exercises.


pec bounce

pec bounce (third-person singular simple present pec bounces, present participle pec bouncing, simple past and past participle pec bounced)

pec bounces (present singular third-person)
pec bouncing (participle present)
pec bounced (participle past)
pec bounced (past)

(slang, bodybuilding, intransitive) To flex or pose well-developed pectoral muscles.


pec bounce

(slang, bodybuilding) An instance or act of flexing or posing one's well-developed pectoral muscles.


maingaining

(bodybuilding) Maintaining a similar body fat while gradually increasing muscle mass over time.


maingain

maingain (third-person singular simple present maingains, present participle maingaining, simple past and past participle maingained)

maingains (present singular third-person)
maingaining (participle present)
maingained (participle past)
maingained (past)

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(bodybuilding) To increase muscle mass while maintaining one's current body fat percentage.


dropset

dropset (third-person singular simple present dropsets, present participle dropsetting, simple past and past participle dropsetted)

dropsets (present singular third-person)
dropsetting (participle present)
dropsetted (participle past)
dropsetted (past)

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By starting out the dips with maximal load and decreasing it over time, Johnson is dropsetting the movement, enabling himself to continue churning out reps with decent form, and thus get the absolute most bang for his buck in the workout.

2022 November 7, Philip Ellis, “BWatch The Rock Torch His Triceps on Arm Day With These Weighted Dips”, in Men's Health:

The weighted bench dip can easily be dropsetted by quickly removing the 45lb plate(s) and continuing with bodyweight repetitions to overload the triceps.

2022 November 22, Scott J., “How To: Bench Dips”, in Ignore Limits:

The point of dropsetting is to provide extra stimulus to the muscle by extending the time the muscle is under tension.

2023 May 4, MGH, “Build Mass with Bodyweight Drop Set Workout Routine”, in Training Bodyweight:

(bodybuilding, transitive) To exercise with a drop set.


tren goblin

(slang, bodybuilding) An avid user of trenbolone.


SARM goblin

selective androgen receptor modulator
selective androgen receptor modulator

(slang, derogatory, bodybuilding) A user, usually young, of selective androgen receptor modulators.


muscle ass

en-noun

muscle ass (countable and uncountable, plural muscle asses)

(slang, vulgar, bodybuilding) Well developed gluteal muscles.


mini-cut

mini-cuts (plural)
minicut (alternative)

(bodybuilding) A shorter but relatively more aggressive dieting period (approaching 2–6 microcycles in length and 25–30 % calorie deficit).


the laws of thermodynamics

the laws of thermodynamics pl (plural only)

/ðə ˈlɔːz əv ˌθɜː(ɹ)mədaɪ̯ˈnæmɪks/

Variant of the first law of thermodynamics, conservation of energy within an isolated system.

Although no clear experimental error has been demonstrated, critics continue to maintain that something must be wrong because the laws of thermodynamics would be violated [5], that “a calorie is a calorie” [6].

2004 December 8, Eugene J Fine, Richard D Feinman, “Thermodynamics of weight loss diets”, in Nutrition & Metabolism, volume 1, number 15, →DOI:

Most people go wrong by misinterpreting the laws of thermodynamics.
The Law of Thermodynamics proves that:
 To build muscle, you must store energy or increase muscle protein.
 To lose fat, you must burn energy or reduce stored body fat.
The mistake? To assume that:
 You must be in an energy surplus to build muscle.
 You must be in an energy deficit to lose fat.

2021 September 6, Tom MacCormick, “The Body Recomposition Handbook”, in T-Nation:

These results indicate that people with relatively low and relatively high body-fat can gain fat-free mass to a pretty similar degree in response to resistance training. However, very lean people should accept that fat mass will probably need to increase a little bit to facilitate muscle gain, and they may need to get up to a slightly more comfortable body-fat level before lean mass gains really start to accumulate (for example, every single person under 8% body-fat at baseline had some degree of fat gain, and only one of them gained more than 1kg of fat-free mass). In contrast, people with higher baseline body-fat have a greater capability to “recomp” and are more likely to simultaneously lose a little bit of fat while gaining muscle. It’s important to recognize that these results do not conflict with the laws of thermodynamics or the concept of energy balance dictating weight changes; they simply reflect the fact that the body has both short-term and long-term sensors of energy availability which can influence the regulation of anabolic processes, and that muscle hypertrophy and fat storage are influenced by some distinct regulatory mechanisms.

2022 May 30, Eric Trexler, “Should You Cut Before You Bulk?: How Body-Fat Levels Affect Your P-Ratio”, in Stronger By Science:

(bodybuilding, slang) The dieting maxim that one needs a calorie deficit to lose body-fat and surplus calories to gain muscle.

first law of thermodynamics
laws of thermodynamics


broscientist

Blend of broscience + scientist, equivalent to bro + scientist.

A broscientist generally derives results from trial and error, evolving a program and diet based on body feedback. They are pragmatic in nature, caring not so much about the science backing the process, but more about bottom line results.

2013 July 1, Steve Shaw, “Why Broscience Works: Muscle Building Art Versus Science”, in Muscle & Strength:

If you have a routine and like it, keep doing it. Nothing wrong with lifting and then doing cardio. Some people (broscientists) claim that cardio after lifting increases the amount of fat that someone burns.

2014 June 12, u/greentea1985, “Workout questions? Cardio vs lifting”, in r/Fitness:

This kid is more natty than whole foods, people who don’t believe this is attainable naturally is just an ignorant butthurt broscientist who doesn’t stick to macros.

2018 August 30, u/HDShep, “16 year old vegan at my gym been training for 1 week, natty or juice guys?”, in r/nattyorjuice:

(bodybuilding, slang, rare) Somebody who derives his training convictions from broscience.


pyramid up

en-verb

pyramid up (third-person singular simple present pyramids up, present participle pyramiding up, simple past and past participle pyramided up)

pyramids up (present singular third-person)
pyramiding up (participle present)
pyramided up (participle past)
pyramided up (past)

(bodybuilding) To lift weights in increasing increments.


sleeper build

en-noun

sleeper build (countable and uncountable, plural sleeper builds)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-sleeper build.wav

(bodybuilding, slang) A physique that may not appear attractive or appealing at first glance, only until it is flexed or uncovered.


more plates, more dates

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-more plates, more dates.wav

(bodybuilding, slang) A physique of a male that is well-developed is more attractive to the opposite sex.


curls for the girls

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-curls for the girls.wav

(slang, bodybuilding) Well-developed biceps as a result of bicep curl exercises are attractive to the opposite sex.


bicep curl

(bodybuilding, weightlifting) A weight training exercise in which a person bends their arm towards their body at the elbow in order to increase strength in the upper arm.


trensomnia

I had trensomnia but didn't give a damn. I would walk into the gym alive and ready to go all out... Loved that compound, just hated then pip it would leave me with.

2012 August 30, PillarofBalance, The Iron Den:

Just wondering if any labs carry Valium or Xanax to help with trensomnia. I've seen some but they don't look legit. Anyone? Unisom doesn't always get the job done.

2014 December 12, Bigbird138, Evolutionary.org:

noother sides - just a bit warm and sweaty. - never dealt with trensomnia before do I just ride it out?

Even if you run Trenbolone at a lower dosage, we have seen people still suffer from this issue. Since trenbolone is one of the harshest steroids out there, you will be leaving a ton of both strength and muscle gains on the table if you cannot get a good night’s sleep due to Trensomnia.

(Can we date this quote?), George Spellwin, “N2sleep for Trensomnia”, in EliteFitness.com:

(bodybuilding) Insomnia as a side effect of trenbolone.


Dorito body

Dorito body (countable and uncountable, plural Dorito bodies)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Dorito body.wav

From the resemblance of the upper body shape to a Dorito snack food.

(slang, bodybuilding) A physique in which the shoulders are wide but the waist is small.


pyramid down

en-verb

pyramid down (third-person singular simple present pyramids down, present participle pyramiding down, simple past and past participle pyramided down)

pyramids down (present singular third-person)
pyramiding down (participle present)
pyramided down (participle past)
pyramided down (past)

(bodybuilding) To lift weights in decreasing increments.


Ipam

ipam (alternative)
IPAM (alternative)
iPam (alternative)

You need to stack it with CJC 1295 or something similar. Using Ipam on Its own is not effective and you’re wasting your money.

2024 March 17, Kumar Rathi, “Ipamorelin Peptide: Dosage, Benefits, Side Effects”, in Muscle + Brawn:

(bodybuilding slang) Clipping of ipamorelin.


roidtranny

/ˈɹɔɪdˌtɹæn.i/

From roid + tranny, based on the perceived similarities between ergogenic use of anabolic steroids and muscle dysmorphia on the one hand, and transgender hormone therapy and gender dysphoria on the other.

(4chan slang, derogatory, offensive, bodybuilding) A bodybuilder who uses anabolic steroids.

ergogenic use of anabolic steroids
muscle dysmorphia
transgender hormone therapy


weight rack

(bodybuilding, weightlifting) A metal storage unit consisting of shelves or pegs for storing weights.


time under tension

en-noun

time under tension (plural times under tension)

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Therefore, if an athlete sets a rep range between 10 and 12 reps, the time under tension range is between 50 seconds (10 reps x 5 seconds) and 84 seconds (12 reps × 7 seconds) .

2004, John Philbin, High-Intensity Training, page 33:

A newer, and increasingly popular, way of determining the length of time a set is performed, is the time under tension method.

2015, David Groscup, The Revised Intensity Principle, page 13:

The second primary data point you might consider tracking is time under tension, a.k.a. TUT.

2020, Nate Clark, Jessica Hatch, How I Did It: A Fitness Nerd's Guide to Losing Fat and Gaining Lean Muscle:

(bodybuilding) The amount of time a muscle or set of muscles are being continuously stressed.


vacuum pose

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(bodybuilding) A pose in which the competitor stands upright and places the hands on the hips, expanding the chest, and completely exhales all the air out of the lungs.


half-rep

In my professional opinion (which I have proven with real world results in the gym) I believe that a session comprising of both full reps and half-reps can generate tremendous growth in next to no time.

2020 January 3, Josh Dickinson, “Full And Partial Repetitions For Massive Gains!”, in Bodybuilding.com:

You can convert almost all exercises into half-rep movement, except those that put too much pressure on the shoulder joints. But some exercises will yield more benefits as partial reps.

2022 January 20, TSquared Lab, “What Are Partial Reps And What Is Their Importance?”, in TSquared Lab:


washboard abs

washboard abs pl (normally plural, singular washboard ab)

(bodybuilding) six-pack (highly developed set of abdominal muscles)