Aerobic – Aerobic workouts involve exercises that make your heart beat faster and your breathing increase. They help improve fitness and include walking, running, cycling, and swimming.
HIIT (High-intensity interval training) – This refers to workouts that focus on short bursts of intense exercise followed by quick rest periods. In a HIIT workout, you may perform jumping jacks, burpees, and sprints.
Weight/strength training – This type of workout builds muscle strength and size. It can include using weights, weight machines, or bodyweight exercises like squats and push-ups.
Circuit training – A circuit is simply a series of different exercises, one after the other, with minimal rest. Circuit training combines strength and cardio exercises.
Warm up – This is a short period of light exercise or stretching before a workout. It helps prepare your body for more intense activity by increasing blood flow and raising your body temperature.
Reps – Short for repetitions, reps refer to the number of times you perform a specific exercise or movement. For example, if you do 10 push-ups, each push-up represents one repetition.
Sets – A set is a group of consecutive repetitions. When you perform a certain number of reps and then take a short rest, that’s considered 1 set. For instance, if you do 3 sets of 10 push-ups, you would do 10 push-ups, rest briefly, repeat 10 push-ups, rest again, and complete the final set of 10 push-ups.
Cool down – This is a period at the end of your workout designed to lower your heart rate, cool down your body temperature, and promote recovery. Cooling down activities include gentle stretching, walking, and deep breathing.
Pilates – Pilates is a low-impact exercise method that strengthens the core, improves flexibility, and enhances body alignment.
Yoga – Yoga combines physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation to promote mind-body connection, flexibility, strength, and relaxation. To take a yoga class, you should brush up on specific yoga terms too.
Spin class – Spin class is a group indoor cycling workout that improves cardiovascular fitness, builds leg strength, and burns calories. An instructor leads you to follow a choreographed routine, adjusting the bike’s resistance at certain points.
Zumba – Zumba is a dance fitness class with Latin and international music. It provides you with an energetic cardio workout and improves coordination.
CrossFit – CrossFit is a high-intensity fitness program incorporating weight training and cardio. It’s not for the faint-hearted but improves your overall strength, endurance, and agility.
Lats – located on the sides of your upper back, the lats (or latissimus dorsi) are large muscles that contribute to pulling movements and help with shoulder extension.
Traps – located between your upper back and neck, the traps (or trapezius) help with shoulder movement, neck motion, posture, and arm support.
Pecs – the main muscle in your chest, also known as the pectoralis major.
Biceps – located on the front of your upper arm, they are used in pulling movements
Triceps – located on the back of your upper arm and used in pushing movements.
Quads – located in the front of the thigh the quadriceps (quads for short) are a group of muscles responsible for extending the knee. Exercises like squats, lunges, and leg presses target the quadriceps.
Glutes – this group of muscles includes the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus, all of which are found in the buttocks. Squats, lunges, and hip thrusts are examples of exercises that target the glutes.
Calves – the calf muscles, specifically the gastrocnemius and soleus, are located in the lower leg. Exercises like calf raises target the calf muscles.