Plain-English definitions of the terms that decide how a training block is built and how its progress is judged, from body composition and energy balance through to progressive overload and training volume.
Also known as: Transformation block, Body transformation programme.
A structured block of training and nutrition run long enough to visibly change body composition rather than just scale weight. Twelve weeks is the usual unit because it is long enough for muscle to be added and fat to come off in a way you can see, and short enough to hold attention. What changes in that time depends entirely on the starting point.
Also known as: Recomp, Recomposition.
Losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, so body weight can stay flat while shape changes underneath it. It happens most readily in people new to resistance training, people returning after a long gap, and people carrying more body fat to start with. For a trained lifter near their ceiling it is slow, which is why the training is usually phased instead.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
The proportions of fat mass, lean tissue, bone and water that make up your body weight. Two people at the same weight and height can have very different compositions, which is why a transformation block is judged on composition and on how you look and lift, rather than on the number on the scale.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: Body fat %, BF%.
The share of your total body weight that is fat mass. It is a more useful marker of a transformation than weight alone, because it separates the fat you are trying to lose from the muscle you are trying to keep. Every practical measurement method carries an error margin, so the trend across weeks matters more than any single reading.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: Lean mass, Fat-free mass.
Everything in your body that is not fat: muscle, bone, organs and water. Holding on to lean mass while losing fat is what makes the difference between looking leaner and simply looking smaller, and it is the reason strength training stays central even when the goal is fat loss.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: Calorie deficit.
Taking in less energy than your body uses over a sustained period, which is the condition required to lose fat. A moderate deficit alongside adequate protein and resistance training protects muscle while the fat comes off. An aggressive deficit tends to cost muscle, sleep and training quality, which is why the pace is set deliberately.
Source: www.nhs.uk
Also known as: Calorie surplus, Lean bulk.
Taking in slightly more energy than your body uses, which supports building muscle when it sits alongside progressive resistance training and enough protein. The size of the surplus decides how much of the gain is muscle and how much is fat, so it is kept small and reviewed as the block goes on.
Also known as: TDEE, Total daily energy expenditure.
The daily energy intake at which your weight holds steady. It is the reference point every deficit or surplus is set against, and it moves as your weight, activity and muscle mass change. It is estimated at the start of a block and then corrected against what actually happens to your weight and measurements.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: BMR, Resting metabolic rate.
The energy your body uses at complete rest to keep basic functions running. It is the largest single component of daily energy expenditure for most people, and it rises modestly as you carry more lean tissue. Every formula that estimates it is an approximation, so it is a starting point rather than a target.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: Non-exercise activity thermogenesis.
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis: the energy you burn through everything that is not deliberate training, from walking to a meeting to fidgeting at a desk. It varies enormously between people and it tends to fall quietly during a long deficit, which is one of the more common reasons fat loss stalls without any change in diet.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
The amount of dietary protein you eat across a day, spread across meals. It is the nutrient that most directly supports repairing and building muscle, and it becomes more important, not less, while you are in an energy deficit, because it is what protects lean mass as the fat comes off.
Source: www.nhs.uk
Also known as: Strength training, Weight training.
Training against a load: barbells, dumbbells, machines, cables or bodyweight. It is the stimulus that tells your body to keep and build muscle, and it anchors every programme here regardless of whether the goal on the door is fat loss, muscle gain or recomposition.
Source: www.nhs.uk
Gradually increasing the demand on a muscle over time, by adding weight, repetitions, sets or better control. It is the mechanism behind almost all long-term progress in the gym. Without it a programme stops working once your body has adapted to what it is already doing.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: Muscle growth.
The increase in muscle size that follows sustained resistance training, adequate protein and enough recovery. It is a slower process than gaining strength, and it is the change most people mean when they say they want to look different rather than just lift more.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: Compound movement, Multi-joint lift.
A movement that loads several joints and muscle groups at once: squats, deadlifts, presses, rows and pull-ups. Compounds give the most training effect per minute, which is why they anchor the main working sets of a session before any isolation work is added.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
How much work you do, usually counted as hard sets per muscle group per week. It is one of the main levers a coach adjusts: too little and nothing changes, too much and recovery cannot keep up. Volume is set against your schedule and your recovery rather than against a fixed template.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: Rate of perceived exertion, Reps in reserve.
Rate of perceived exertion: a simple scale for how hard a set felt, usually expressed as how many repetitions you had left. It lets load be adjusted to the day rather than to a fixed plan, so a poor night of sleep changes the weight on the bar instead of derailing the session.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
A planned week of reduced load or volume, taken so accumulated fatigue clears and progress can continue. It is scheduled rather than earned by getting injured, and it is one of the clearest differences between a programmed block and simply training hard until something breaks.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: BIA, Impedance scale.
A method of estimating body composition by passing a small electrical current through the body and measuring the resistance it meets. It is quick and repeatable, which makes it useful for tracking a trend, but readings shift with hydration, food and time of day, so measurement conditions are kept consistent.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Also known as: DXA, Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, widely treated as the reference method for measuring body composition and bone density. It is a clinical imaging procedure and it is not offered on this site or at the clubs training runs from. It is defined here because it is the benchmark other methods are compared against, not because it is a service available to book.
Source: en.wikipedia.org