The language associated with resistance training

Transcription

1 RESEARCH NOTE WORDS AND PATTERNS THAT COMPRISE RESISTANCE TRAINING EXERCISE NAMES JAMES L. NUZZO School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia ABSTRACT Nuzzo, JL. Words and patterns that comprise resistance training exercise names. J Strength Cond Res 31(3): , 2017 Limited research exists on language associated with resistance training. The purpose of this study was to identify ways in which resistance training exercises are named. Names of 57 exercises were obtained from National Strength and Conditioning Association s Exercise Technique Manual for Resistance Training. The analysis consisted of categorizing into mes all words of exercise names and n identifying naming patterns. Names of 57 exercises were comprised 188 total words. Seven percent of words described body position (e.g., seated ), 1.1% described body position direction (e.g., over ), 19.1% described a body part (e.g., shoulder ), 1.1% were body part adjectives ( stiff ), 30.3% described action (e.g., row ), 5.9% described action direction (e.g., lateral ), 23.4% described equipment (e.g., barbell ), 8% described equipment position (e.g., incline ), and 4.3% were considered miscellaneous (e.g., power ). Of 57 exercise names, 22.8% contained a body position word, 3.5% contained a body position direction word, 54.4% contained a body part word, 3.5% contained a body part adjective word, 94.7% contained an action word, 19.3% contained an action direction word, 61.4% contained an equipment word, 26.3% contained an equipment position word, and 12.3% contained a miscellaneous word. These types of words were used inconsistently. Additionally, 35 different naming patterns were discovered among 57 exercise names. Overall, findings reveal that current strategies for naming exercises are inconsistent. The strength and conditioning field can use this information to move toward standardizing way in which resistance training exercises are named. KEY WORDS fitness, language, linguistics, nomenclature, strength, weightlifting Address correspondence to James L. Nuzzo, jlnnuzzo@gmail.com. 31(3)/ Ó 2015 National Strength and Conditioning Association INTRODUCTION The language associated with resistance training seems to be still developing, and research into this area is limited (1). Exercise names are one component of language associated with resistance training. Exercise names are frequently communicated among researchers, fitness professionals, athletes, sports coaches, health practitioners, and members of media and general public. However, exercise names can often be a source of confusion because standards for naming exercises have never been universally adopted. Only 1 attempt has been made to study names of resistance training exercises (1). Among a diverse group of health practitioners and educators, Jackson et al. (1) found that different names were used to denote same exercise. To improve such inconsistencies, authors suggested that strength and conditioning field adopt a standardized naming pattern ( specification, equipment, exercise ). Although work by Jackson et al. (1) was clearly novel, it was limited by fact that only names of 10 free-weight exercises were studied. Thus, purpose of this study was to expand on this previous work and examine, in great detail, ways in which 57 exercises from National Strength and Conditioning Association s Exercise Technique Manual for Resistance Training (3) are named. METHODS Experimental Approach to Problem To identify ways in which resistance training exercises are currently named, 57 exercises from National Strength and Conditioning Association s Exercise Technique Manual for Resistance Training (3) (Table 1) were examined. Because this manual is used throughout strength and conditioning field, it is being considered a gold-standard source, whose content is reflective of current state of field. The independent variables were individual words in each exercise name and exercise name as a whole. The dependent variables were individual word mes and exercise name patterns. Procedures and Statistical Analyses Each word of 57 exercises (including words in parenses) was analyzed. Words such as deadlift, 826

2 TABLE 1. Names of 57 resistance training exercises that were analyzed. Exercise names Snatch Power Clean Hang Clean Push Press Push Jerk Front Squat Back Squat Hack Squat (Machine) Deadlift Hip Sled (Machine) Horizontal Leg Press (Machine) Step-Up Forward Step Lunge Stiff-Leg Deadlift Leg (Knee) Extension (Machine) Supine Leg (Knee) Curl (Machine) Lying Leg (Knee) Curl (Machine) Seated Calf (Heel) Raise (Machine) Standing Calf (Heel) Raise (Machine) Flat Barbell Bench Press Incline Barbell Bench Press Flat Dumbbell Bench Press Incline Dumbbell Bench Press Flat Bench Press (Smith Machine) Vertical Chest Press (Machine) Assisted Dip (Machine) Pec Deck (Machine) Flat Dumbbell Fly Incline Dumbbell Fly Lat Pull-down (Machine) Bent-Over Row One-Arm Dumbbell Row Low-Pulley Seated Row (Machine) Seated Row (Machine) Barbell Pullover Good Morning Shoulder Press (Machine) Seated Barbell Shoulder Press Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press Upright Row Front Shoulder Raise Lateral Shoulder Raise Lateral Shoulder Raise (Machine) Bent-Over Shoulder Raise Barbell Shoulder Shrug Barbell Biceps Curl Dumbbell Biceps Curl Hammer Curl Low-Pulley Biceps Curl (Machine) Biceps Curl (Machine) Lying Barbell Triceps Extension Seated Overhead Barbell Triceps Extension Triceps Push-down (Machine) Wrist Curl Wrist Extension Bent-Knee Sit-Up Abdominal Crunch pull-down, bent-over were considered 2 separate words. The analysis consisted of following steps: first, total number of words used in naming all 57 exercises was tabulated; second, total number of words comprising each individual exercises was tabulated; third, each word was categorized into a broader me; and fourth, mes were used to identify naming patterns for each exercise. Tabulations were generated with SPSS TABLE 2. Frequencies and examples of types of words used to name 57 resistance training exercises. Theme Example words No. of words (of 188) identified No. of exercises (of 57) with that type of word Body position Lying, seated, standing 13 (6.9%) 13 (22.8%) Body position direction Over (as in bent-over ) 2 (1.1%) 2 (3.5%) Body part Leg, shoulder, biceps 36 (19.1%) 31 (54.4%) Body part adjective Stiff (as in stiff-leg ) 2 (1.1%) 2 (3.5%) Action Press, raise, row 57 (30.3%) 54 (94.7%) Action direction Forward, lateral, down, up 11 (5.9%) 11 (19.3%) Equipment Machine, barbell, dumbbell 44 (23.4%) 35 (61.4%) Equipment position Flat, incline, vertical 15 (8%) 15 (26.3%) Miscellaneous Power, hammer 8 (4.3%) 7 (12.3%) VOLUME 31 NUMBER 3 MARCH

3 Exercise Names TABLE 3. Truncated list of naming patterns identified among 57 resistance training exercises. Original exercise name Snatch Power Clean Push Press Back Squat Horizontal Leg Press (Machine) Forward Step Lunge Lying Leg (Knee) Curl (Machine) Flat Barbell Bench Press Pec Deck (Machine) Lat Pull-down (Machine) Good Morning Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press Lateral Shoulder Raise Dumbbell Biceps Curl Wrist Extension Naming pattern Action Miscellaneous, action Action, action Equipment position, action Equipment position, body part, action, equipment Action direction, action, action Body position, body part, body part, action, equipment* Equipment position, equipment, equipment, action* Body part, miscellaneous, equipment Body part, action, action direction, equipment Miscellaneous, miscellaneous Body position, equipment, body part, action Action direction, body part, action Equipment, body part, action Body part, action *The most frequently used naming patterns; both were used to name 4 different exercises. Analyzed as 2 separate words. version 21 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA) and Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA). RESULTS The 57 exercises were comprised a total of 188 words. One exercise (1.8%) was named with 1 word, 15 (26.3%) were named with 2 words, 17 (29.8%) were named with 3 words, 16 (28.1%) were named with 4 words, and 8 (14%) were named with 5 words. Nine mes were identified among 188 words: body position, body position direction, body part, body part adjective, action, action direction, equipment, equipment position, and miscellaneous. Frequencies and example words for each me are provided in Table 2. Additionally, some exercise names contained 2 words from same me. Five of 57 exercise names (8.8%) contained 2 body part words (e.g., Leg [Knee] Extension [Machine]), 3 (5.3%) contained 2 action words (e.g., Push Press), 8 (14%) contained 2 equipment words (e.g., Flat Barbell Bench Press), and 1 (1.8%) contained 2 miscellaneous words (e.g., Good Morning). Thirty-five different naming patterns were identified among 57 exercise names. A truncated list of naming patterns is provided in Table 3. No naming pattern was used more than 4 times. DISCUSSION The purpose of this study was to identify ways in which resistance training exercises are currently named. All of words comprising 57 exercise names could be categorized into 9 broad mes: body position, body position direction, body part, body part adjective, action, action direction, equipment, equipment position, and miscellaneous. Body part, action, and equipment were most prevalent mes. The mes were n used to identify naming patterns for each of 57 exercises. Thirty-five different naming patterns were identified among 57 exercise names. This finding reveals that current naming patterns for resistance training exercises are inconsistent. Thus, although study by Jackson et al. (1) found exercise names to be inconsistent across a range of health practitioners and educators, this study found exercise names to be inconsistent within a single gold-standard source. Body position words (e.g., Seated and Standing ) were included in 13 of 57 (22.8%) exercise names. They comprised 6.9% of total number of words in entiredataset.theneedforbodypositionwords stems from fact that some actions can be performed from different postures. For example, elbow flexion with dumbbells can be performed while standing and seated. Body part words (e.g., Shoulder and Knee ) were included in 31 of 57 (54.4%) exercise names. They comprised 19.1% of total number of words in entire data set. The need for body part words stems from fact that a given action can be performed by various body parts. For example, press action can be performed by parts of upper body and lower body. Different types of body part words were found in original exercise names. Joints (e.g., Wrist ), general body areas (e.g., Chest ), and muscles (e.g., Biceps ) were all used as body part words. 828

4 Muscleswereusedasbodypartwordsin9of57original exercise names. However, ir use was inconsistent. For example, muscle word Biceps was used in describing flexion movements about elbow, whereas joint word Knee was used in describing flexion movements about knee. In addition, in some instances, exercise names contained awkward presentations of 2 somewhat synonymous body part words, with one of words in parenses (e.g., Leg [Knee] Extension [Machine]). Action words (e.g., Press and Row ) were included in 54 of 57 (94.7%) exercise names. They comprised 30.3% of total number of words in entire data set. They were most frequently used type of word. The need for action words stems from fact that a given body part can perform multiple actions. For example, elbow can perform both flexion and extension. In original exercise names, most action words described concentric phase action (e.g., Press and Row ), whereas ors described eccentric phase action (e.g., Squat and Dip ). Also, both lay and anatomical actions words were used. For multi-joint exercises, lay terms (e.g., Press and Row ) were always used. For single-joint exercises of elbow, wrist, and knee, use of lay versus anatomical words was inconsistent. For example, lay word Curl was used to describe flexion of elbow (e.g., Barbell Biceps Curl), whereas anatomical word Extension was used to describe extension of elbow (e.g., Lying Barbell Triceps Extension). Action direction words (e.g., Forward and Down ) were included in 11 of 57 (19.3%) exercise names. They comprised 5.9% of total number of words in entire data set. The need for action direction words stems from fact that some actions can be performed in different directions or anatomical planes. For example, lunge action can be performed Forward or Lateral. Equipment words (e.g., Machine and Barbell ) were included in 35 of 57 (61.4%) exercise names. They comprised 23.4% of total number of words in entire data set. The need for equipment words stems from fact that a given action can be performed with different pieces of equipment. For example, a pressing action of chest can be performed using a barbell, a dumbbell, or a machine. In original exercise names, use of equipment words was inconsistent. First, some exercise names did not include an equipment word, although a piece of equipment was clearly a part of exercise. In names that did include equipment words, words were sometimes in parenses at end of name, whereas for or exercises, y were neir in parenses nor at end of name. Second, for exercises that involved 2 pieces of equipment, some names included 2 equipment words, whereas ors included only 1. For example, equipment word Bench was used in naming Flat Dumbbell Bench Press but not Flat Dumbbell Fly. Equipment position words (e.g., Flat and Incline ) were included in 15 of 57 (26.3%) exercise names. They comprised 8% of total number of words in entire data set. The need for equipment position words stems from fact that some exercise equipment is adjustable and some equipment can be placed at various locations on body. For example, a bench can be placed in a flat, incline, or vertical position and a barbell can be placed on back of shoulders or front of shoulders. Miscellaneous words (e.g., Power ) were included in 7 (12.3%) of original exercise names. They comprised 4.3% of total number of words in entire data set. The use of miscellaneous words likely stems from fact that language of resistance training is still developing, and consequently, or types of words may not be available to describe a particular aspect of an exercise. For example, in naming Hammer Curl, miscellaneous word Hammer is likely used because nature of arm position during exercise is unique and difficult to convey with common body position and body part adjective words. A limitation to this study is that only 57 exercises were analyzed. Although this is greatest number of exercise names ever studied, it still represents a small portion of total number of exercises in existence. Theexercisenamesofvarious so-called core exercises (2) and or types of fitness exercises require investigation. The information generated from this descriptive report may help researchers and practitioners move toward standardizing ways in which resistance training exercises are named. However, this move toward standardization may result in an initial transition period of increased variability in exercise names because old names and new standardized names would be used concurrently. Although this transition period would be temporary, it is one drawback in process of moving toward standardization. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Strength and conditioning professionals are frequently communicating names of resistance training exercises to athletes, work colleagues, and members of media and general public. These communications can be confounded by inconsistencies in exercise names. The findings from this study indicate that strategies for naming resistance training exercises are inconsistent. Thus, adoption of a standard naming pattern, as well as a set of objective rules and guidelines for naming exercises, appears warranted. Such standardization will likely assist strength and conditioning professionals in naming new VOLUME 31 NUMBER 3 MARCH

5 Exercise Names exercises and communicating names of existing exercises. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS James L. Nuzzo is supported by a University of New South Wales International Postgraduate Research Scholarship and a Neuroscience Research Australia Supplementary Scholarship. REFERENCES 1. Jackson, M, Brown, L, Coburn, J, Judelson, D, and Cullen-Carroll, N. Towards standardization of nomenclature of resistance training exercises. J Strength Cond Res 27: , Martuscello, J, Nuzzo, J, Ashley, C, Campbell, B, Orriola, J, and Mayer, J. Systematic review of core muscle activity during physical fitness exercises. J Strength Cond Res 27: , National Strength and Conditioning Association. Exercise Technique Manual for Resistance Training. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics,