Coach guide — 20 essential terms
One-pager to print or save as PDF. Short definitions to brief a client or train a junior coach.
- 1
RPE
RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) is a 1-10 scale to measure subjective effort. Essential tool for managing intensity.
- 2
RIR
RIR (Reps in Reserve) measures how many reps you have left before failure. Modern, intuitive tool to manage intensity.
- 3
Progressive overload
Progressive overload is the foundational principle of training: gradually increasing the demand on your muscles to keep gaining strength and size.
- 4
Hypertrophy
Muscle hypertrophy is the increase in muscle fiber size. It's the primary mechanism behind muscle growth from resistance training.
- 5
Strength Training
Strength training aims to develop maximal strength using heavy loads (80-95% of 1RM) with few repetitions (1-6 reps).
- 6
Training volume
Training volume represents the total amount of work performed. Discover the optimal volumes per muscle per week to progress.
- 7
Periodization
Periodization is the cyclical organization of training into distinct phases to optimize progression, prevent plateaus, and avoid injuries.
- 8
Deload
Deload is an active recovery week where you intentionally reduce volume and intensity to allow your body to fully recover and come back stronger.
- 9
Protein
Protein is the essential macronutrient for building and repairing muscle. Discover your needs, the best sources and the optimal timing.
- 10
TDEE
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) represents your total daily energy expenditure. Find out how to calculate it precisely to optimize your results.
- 11
Calorie deficit
A caloric deficit means consuming fewer calories than you burn. It's the only proven mechanism for fat loss. Learn how to set yours up properly.
- 12
Sleep
Sleep is the strongest recovery lever in lifting: it drives hormones, the nervous system, hunger and adherence. Program it as an instruction, not a bonus.
- 13
HIIT
HIIT is a training format that alternates very hard work bouts (often 15–60 seconds) with recovery periods. The goal is dense cardio and metabolic stimulus in a short session — not a replacement for progressive strength programming.
- 14
LISS
LISS is continuous low-intensity cardio, often in zone 2, where you can still speak full sentences. It builds aerobic base and adds energy expenditure at a lower fatigue cost than HIIT.
- 15
Compound exercise
A compound (multi-joint) exercise trains more than one joint and usually several large muscle groups in one pattern. It is the backbone of efficient strength and hypertrophy programming.
- 16
Isolation exercise
An isolation exercise focuses work on one primary joint action and one target muscle. It complements compounds for local volume, prehab and weak points — it does not replace them.
- 17
1RM (One-Rep Max)
1RM (one-rep max) is the heaviest load completed for a single clean technical rep. Coaches use it to set percentages, track progress and dose intensity — not as a weekly ego test.
- 18
Creatine
Creatine is the most studied supplement in sports nutrition, proven to boost strength, power and muscle mass. Learn dosage, timing and real benefits.
- 19
Full Body
A full-body program trains the main muscle groups each session. It is often the simplest format for high frequency and progress on few training days.
- 20
Warm-up
A warm-up prepares body and nervous system for the session: temperature, specific mobility, activation and ramp-up sets. A good warm-up is session-specific, not a generic 20-minute ritual.
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