The Guy With Too Much Muscle

max out (one’s muscles)

to reach the maximum potential for muscle size/strength
He’s already maxed out his muscles, so extra weight would likely be fat.
Training ceiling; also used with “maxing out a lift.”

out of the loop

not up to date on recent news or changes
I was out of the loop about the Olympic weight-class changes.
Conversational.

weight category / weight class

an official bodyweight range that athletes must meet to compete
She moved to a heavier weight class last year.
Both are common; “class” is very common in sport.

lose Olympic status

to no longer be included as an Olympic event/division
The 81-kg category lost Olympic status.
Policy/organizational phrase.

move up / move down (a weight class)

to change to a heavier or lighter weight division
He moved up to 89 kg after the rules changed.
Standard competition phrasing.

competitive (category/field)

having many strong contenders; difficult to win
The 89-kg category is extremely competitive.
Neutral/descriptor.

world record holder

the person who holds the best mark ever recorded
She’s the world record holder in the snatch.
Formal sporting title.

World Champion

athlete who won the world championship
He became World Champion in 2023.
Proper-noun capitalization in titles.

leanness

the quality of having little body fat
Leanness isn’t always a predictor of performance.
Noun from “lean.”

visible abs

abdominal muscles that can be seen clearly
Many Olympic champs don’t have visible abs year-round.
Fitness colloquial.

by comparison

when contrasted with something else
He makes other lifters look small by comparison.
Academic/common phrase.

have the biggest pull

to elevate the bar the highest in the pull phase
He has the biggest pull in the field.
Weightlifting jargon (pull phase of lifts).

the snatch

the lift where the bar is taken from floor to overhead in one motion
Her snatch looked effortless at 100 kg.
One of the two Olympic lifts.

the clean and jerk

the lift where the bar is first cleaned to the shoulders, then jerked overhead
He set a clean-and-jerk world record.
Two-stage Olympic lift.

training hall

the official training area at a competition venue
She turned up to the training hall seven days out.
Competition context.

(X) days out

X days before competition
He was seven days out and started tapering.
Common in prep talk.

taper / tapering

planned reduction of training load to peak on meet day
They tapered volume to reduce fatigue.
End of training cycle.

reduce fatigue

to intentionally lower accumulated tiredness
The goal this week is to reduce fatigue without losing sharpness.
Programming aim in peaking.

time under tension (TUT)

the duration a muscle is working during a set
Lowering time under tension helps manage fatigue in taper week.
Correct form; transcript typo said “time and detention.”

lower frequency

fewer training sessions per time period
We used lower frequency during the final week.
Programming variable.

reveal your 1RM

to display peak one-rep max ability after taper
The taper should reveal your 1RM, not bury it.
Meet-peaking idea.

range of motion (ROM)

the distance a joint can move through; in lifting, the movement arc
Full range of motion isn’t always needed in peaking.
Abbrev. ROM is standard.

full range of motion

using the complete joint movement path
He front-squatted with a full range of motion.
Technique emphasis.

isometrics / isometric hold

muscle activation without movement; holding a static position
He finished with isometrics for knee flexion.
Rehab/strength accessory.

knee flexion

bending the knee to reduce the angle at the joint
He held a band in knee flexion to hit quads.
Anatomy/biomechanics.

opener (opening attempt)

the first attempt declared in competition
He declared a 205-kg opener in the clean and jerk.
Meet strategy term.

attempt

a single try at a declared weight on the platform
She went 3/3 on snatch attempts.
Standard meet language.

personal record (PR)

one’s best result ever
That lift was just shy of his PR.
Also “PB” (personal best).

world record (WR)

the best result ever recorded worldwide
That 180-kg snatch was a new WR.
Official record.

handle the weight

to successfully control and complete a heavy lift
He proved he could handle the weight at 89 kg.
Colloquial gym phrase.

rack up gold (medals)

to collect many first-place finishes
He could rack up gold at 81 kg—but not at the Olympics.
Idiomatic; winning repeatedly.

the safe choice

the option with the lowest risk
Staying at 81 kg was the safe choice.
Decision-making phrase.

fall back into the shadows

to become less prominent or visible again
He didn’t want to fall back into the shadows behind his teammate.
Metaphor; visibility/status.

not messing about

very serious; not wasting time
With 176 kg, he’s not messing about.
UK/IE informal;

go for (a weight)

to attempt a specific number
He’s going for 180 kg on the third attempt.
Platform talk.

a big jump

a large increase from one attempt to the next
A 10-kg increase is a big jump in this class.
Meet-calling strategy.

can he hold it?

question about stabilizing the bar overhead
He stood it up—can he hold it overhead?
Commentary style.

turn up (to a place)

to arrive/appear (often unexpectedly or simply)
He turned up early to the training hall.
Conversational phrasal verb.

as of right now

at this exact time
As of right now, he’s listed at 89 kg.
Time-marking phrase.

claim (to be) natural

to state one is drug-free
He claims natural, but people debate it online.
Sensitive topic; neutral wording.

(weight) looks easy

the lift appears comfortable for the athlete
130 looked easy for him in training.
Commentary cliché.

power clean

a clean caught without a full squat
He pulls so high he power cleans heavy singles.
Variant of the clean.

catch (the bar)

to receive/stabilize the barbell after the pull
He barely had to bend his knees to catch it.
Core lift action.

stand up (the clean)

to rise from the squat portion of the clean
He stands up the clean easily before the jerk.
Commentary phrasing.

throw it up

to drive the bar high/explosively
He threw it up so high the catch was shallow.
Informal gym talk.

fatigue management

controlling tiredness to balance performance and recovery
Heavy singles with long rest help fatigue management.
Programming concept.

training volume

total work done (sets × reps × load)
Volume stays moderate even during taper.
Key programming variable.

rest interval

time between sets
He took longer rest intervals this week.
Programming variable.

(he’s) gaining weight

currently increasing body mass
He’s gaining weight to fit the new class.
Ongoing process.

body fat

adipose tissue percentage/amount
He could use a little body fat for performance and recovery.
Neutral scientific term.

muscle mass

amount of muscle tissue
Ideally, the gain would be mostly muscle mass.
Physique/performance variable.

heaviest (competition) bodyweight

the highest registered bodyweight in one’s career
88.4 kg was his heaviest international bodyweight.
Meet weigh-in context.

put on a big show

to perform impressively
He wanted to put on a big show after moving up.
Idiomatic; crowd-pleasing.

he’s not going any higher

no larger attempt will be called
After the miss, he’s not going any higher.
Platform strategy call.

(bar) flew up

moved very fast/explosively
That bar just flew up on the second attempt.
Informal commentary.

hold (the jerk) overhead

to stabilize the bar after the drive
He racked it—now hold it overhead!
Specific to jerk portion.

(X) for (Y)

announcing a declared attempt
180 for a new world record!
Meet-announcer pattern.

that seals it

confirms the outcome decisively
That clean and jerk seals it—he’s the winner.
Commentary phrase.

(be) in the shadows of (someone)

to be less noticed because of another’s success
He didn’t want to be in the shadows of his teammate.
Status/visibility idiom.

(sport is) focused on two lifts

defining feature of Olympic weightlifting
The sport is focused on two lifts: snatch and clean & jerk.
Explanatory phrasing.

monotone vs. mastery

seeming repetitive yet skill-deep practice
It can feel monotone, but the mastery is addictive.
Paraphrases the video’s idea.

peak (for a meet)

to time training so performance is highest on competition day
They planned to peak for the Continental Championships.
Programming outcome.

(X) looks risky (for team selection)

selection choice may be unsafe or unlikely
Picking a 206-kg C&J lifter looks risky for the team.
Team-selection talk.

commit (publicly)

to signal a firm decision (e.g., via profile name)
Changing his handle to “89 kg” means he’s committing.
Social-media nuance.

(be) relevant / irrelevant (category)

matters or doesn’t matter for target goals (e.g., Olympics)
The 81-kg class is irrelevant for Olympic qualification.
Goal-fit language.