# The fitness coaching glossary, in plain words. Short definitions of the terms coaches and clients use every day, from RPE and progressive overload to TDEE, macros, heart rate reserve, UPI AutoPay and GSTIN. Most link to a free calculator, a guide or the Trainaq feature where the term comes up, so you can go from the word to the working. Where it works: Free, no sign-up; 61 terms in four groups; Linked to calculators and guides. ## What does this glossary cover? 61 terms in four groups: training, nutrition, body and health, and the business side of coaching. Each definition takes one to three sentences in plain words, and most link to a free calculator, a template or the feature where the term comes up. Numbers come from the published sources our calculators cite. - Training, nutrition, body and health, and coaching business - Every term has its own link, such as trainaq.com/glossary#rpe - Numbers from published sources, listed at the end - Definitions, not medical, legal or tax advice ## How should you use this glossary? Look a term up when a client, a program or an invoice uses it, then follow its link to see the term at work. Every term has its own anchor, so you can send a client straight to one definition. Health and tax terms explain the idea; for decisions, ask a doctor, a dietitian or your CA. - Training: effort, load and how programs progress - Nutrition: energy, macros, intakes and portions - Body and health: size, fitness, heart rate and health screening - Coaching business: clients, memberships, payments and GST in India ## Training terms ### RPE (rate of perceived exertion) How hard a set felt, on a scale of 1 to 10. In strength training it is usually rated by reps in reserve: RPE 10 means no rep was left, 9 means one more was possible, 8 means two and 7 means three. Cardio often uses the Borg scale of 6 to 20 instead. [RPE chart](https://trainaq.com/tools/rpe-chart) ### RIR (reps in reserve) How many more good reps you could have done when you ended a set, so two reps in reserve is RPE 8. Coaches use it to set how close to failure each set should stop. People judge it more accurately the closer a set gets to failure. [RPE chart](https://trainaq.com/tools/rpe-chart) ### 1RM (one-rep max) The heaviest weight you can lift once with good form in a given exercise. Coaches set training loads as a percentage of it, such as 80% of 1RM. Testing it means lifting at your limit, so it is often estimated instead. [One-rep max calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/one-rep-max-calculator) ### e1RM (estimated one-rep max) A one-rep max worked out from a lighter set taken close to failure, with an equation such as Epley’s: weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30). Estimates are most reliable from sets of 10 reps or fewer. Trainaq charts each client’s e1RM from the sets they log. [One-rep max calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/one-rep-max-calculator) ### AMRAP As many reps as possible: a set taken to the most good reps you can manage, or as many rounds of a circuit as you can complete in a time limit. Coaches use AMRAP sets to test progress or to finish a session. ### EMOM Every minute on the minute: you start a set of a fixed number of reps at the top of each minute and rest for whatever is left of it. Faster sets earn more rest, so the format keeps a session at a steady pace. ### Superset Two or more exercises done back to back with little or no rest, then a rest before the next round. Pairing different muscles, such as a row with a press, saves time. Trainaq’s workout builder groups exercises into supersets. [Workout builder](https://trainaq.com/features/workout-builder) ### Drop set A set taken to or close to failure, followed straight away by more reps at a lighter weight, often two or three drops in a row. It packs a lot of work into a short time and is very tiring, so it is used sparingly. ### Deload A planned easier spell, often a week, with lighter weights, fewer sets or both, to recover from hard training before the next block. Many programs place one every few weeks. Trainaq’s AI program drafts, on the web dashboard, include one. [AI program builder](https://trainaq.com/features/ai-builder) ### Progressive overload Raising the demand of training over time, by adding weight, reps or sets, or cutting rest, so the body keeps adapting. The Trainaq app shows clients last time’s numbers during a workout, so they know what to beat. [Workout builder](https://trainaq.com/features/workout-builder) ### Hypertrophy Growth in muscle size. Training for it means enough hard sets for each muscle every week, taken close to failure; a wide range of rep counts works when they are. Enough protein and calories support it. [Protein calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/protein-calculator) ### Tempo How fast each phase of a rep is done, written as four numbers in seconds: lowering, pause at the bottom, lifting, pause at the top. A 3-1-1-0 tempo is three seconds down, a one-second pause, one second up and no pause. In Trainaq, coaches write the tempo in the exercise note. ### Training volume How much work you do, counted as sets × reps × weight (volume load) or, more simply, as hard sets per muscle each week. Coaches raise volume gradually and lower it during a deload. ### Intensity In strength training, how heavy a load is compared with your best, usually as a percentage of 1RM: 80% of a 100 kg 1RM is 80 kg. People also use the word for effort, which RPE measures, so say which one you mean. [One-rep max calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/one-rep-max-calculator) ### PR (personal record) Your best performance in an exercise, such as the heaviest weight for a number of reps or your best estimated 1RM. The Trainaq app flags a PR in the workout player as the client logs the set. [Progress tracking](https://trainaq.com/features/progress-tracking) ### Warm-up set A lighter set before your working sets that rehearses the movement and prepares your joints and muscles, usually climbing in weight towards the first working set. Warm-up sets are usually left out when you count training volume. ### Compound and isolation exercises A compound exercise moves several joints and works several muscle groups at once, like a squat, deadlift or bench press. An isolation exercise moves one joint, like a biceps curl or a leg extension. Most programs are built on compound lifts, with isolation work added. [Exercise library](https://trainaq.com/exercises) ## Nutrition terms ### TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) The calories you burn in a day: resting energy, everything you do and digesting food. Eating that many keeps your weight steady, which is why it is also called maintenance calories. Calculators estimate it; your weight trend confirms it. [TDEE calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/tdee-calculator) ### BMR (basal metabolic rate) The energy your body burns at complete rest to stay alive, measured lying down, awake, after 10 to 12 hours without food. It is 45 to 70% of an adult’s daily energy, depending on age and lifestyle. [BMR calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/bmr-calculator) ### RMR (resting metabolic rate) Resting energy measured under looser rules than BMR: after some hours without food, stimulants or hard exercise, then a short rest. Calculators use RMR and BMR almost interchangeably. [BMR calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/bmr-calculator) ### NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) The energy you burn moving outside planned exercise: walking, standing, chores and fidgeting. It varies widely between people and from day to day, and a daily step count is a simple way to keep an eye on it. [Habits and steps](https://trainaq.com/features/habits) ### Macros (macronutrients) Protein, carbohydrate and fat, the nutrients that supply calories, at 4, 4 and 9 kcal per gram (the Atwater factors); alcohol gives 7. Coaches set a target for each, in grams or as a share of calories. [Macro calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/macro-calculator) ### Calorie deficit Eating fewer calories than you burn, so the body draws on stored energy and weight falls. A 2014 review recommended losing 0.5 to 1% of body weight a week to help keep muscle. [Calorie deficit calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/calorie-deficit-calculator) ### Protein per kg The usual way to set protein: grams per kilogram of body weight a day. The adult RDA is 0.8 g/kg, ICMR-NIN sets 0.83 g/kg for Indian adults, and the ISSN gives 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg for most people who exercise. [Protein calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/protein-calculator) ### RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) The daily intake of a nutrient that meets the needs of nearly all healthy people in a group. India’s figures come from ICMR-NIN; those for the US and Canada come from the National Academies. ### Adequate intake (AI) The figure set for a nutrient when there isn’t enough evidence for an RDA: an amount assumed to be enough. Water is one: EFSA’s adequate intake is 2.0 litres of total water a day for women and 2.5 litres for men, including the water in food. [Water intake calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/water-intake-calculator) ### Fibre The parts of plant foods your gut can’t digest, from whole grains, pulses, vegetables and fruit. It keeps digestion regular and helps you feel full. The US adequate intake is based on 14 g for every 1,000 kcal you eat. [Macro calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/macro-calculator) ### Household measures Everyday units for portions, such as a katori, a roti, a cup or a tablespoon, instead of grams. They make a diet chart easier to follow at home. In Trainaq each household measure carries its weight in grams, so the totals stay exact. [Nutrition coaching](https://trainaq.com/features/nutrition) ### Diet chart (meal plan) A plan of meals for a day or a week, with foods, portions and the calories and macros they add up to. In Trainaq, assigning a meal plan sets the client’s calorie and macro targets; the plan itself in the client app is coming soon. [Diet chart template](https://trainaq.com/guides/diet-chart-template) ## Body and health terms ### BMI (body mass index) Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. On the WHO adult scale 18.5 to 24.9 is normal; for Asian Indians, overweight starts at 23 and obesity at 25. BMI screens for excess weight but doesn’t measure body fat. [BMI calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/bmi-calculator) ### Waist-to-height ratio Your waist divided by your height, in the same units. In English survey data, a ratio of 0.5 or more picked out cardiometabolic risk better than BMI and waist together. [BMI calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/bmi-calculator) ### Body fat percentage The share of your weight that is fat. Tape-measure methods such as the US Navy equations estimate it with a typical error of about 3.5 points, and scans and smart scales have errors of their own, so follow the trend rather than one reading. [Body fat calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/body-fat-calculator) ### Lean body mass Your weight minus your fat mass: muscle, bone, organs and water. Some resting energy equations, such as Katch-McArdle, work from it, so they are only as good as the body fat figure behind them. [BMR calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/bmr-calculator) ### Ideal body weight A figure worked out from height and sex, by formulas such as Devine’s, that doctors and pharmacists use to dose some medicines. It is not a personal target: a healthy weight is a range. [Ideal weight calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/ideal-weight-calculator) ### VO2 max The most oxygen your body can take in and use during hard exercise, in millilitres per kilogram of body weight per minute. A laboratory measures it with a mask; field tests such as a 12-minute run estimate it, with an error of several units. [VO2 max calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/vo2-max-calculator) ### Maximum heart rate The highest heart rate you reach in an all-out effort. It is usually estimated from age, with Tanaka’s 208 − 0.7 × age or the older 220 − age, and people vary around both, so a maximum measured in a supervised test is better. [Heart rate zone calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/heart-rate-zone-calculator) ### Heart rate reserve Maximum heart rate minus resting heart rate. The Karvonen method sets a training zone as a share of the reserve added to your resting rate: with a resting rate of 60 and a maximum of 187, 60% of reserve is 60 + 0.6 × 127, about 136 beats a minute. [Heart rate zone calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/heart-rate-zone-calculator) ### Heart rate zones Ranges of beats a minute that match an exercise intensity, from very light to near-maximal, set as a share of maximum heart rate or of heart rate reserve. Because maximum heart rate is usually estimated, every zone carries that estimate’s error. [Heart rate zone calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/heart-rate-zone-calculator) ### PAR-Q+ The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone, a health-screening form from the PAR-Q+ Collaboration. Its answers show whether someone should check with a doctor or a qualified exercise professional before becoming more active. Use the current official form from eparmedx.com; Trainaq doesn’t supply it. [Client intake form template](https://trainaq.com/guides/client-intake-form-template) ## Coaching business terms ### Check-in A regular report from a client to their coach, usually weekly: weight, measurements, photos and answers about training, food, sleep and stress. The coach reviews it and replies. In Trainaq, clients send it from the app on the weekday you set. [Weekly check-in template](https://trainaq.com/guides/weekly-check-in-template) ### Adherence How much of the plan a client actually did: workouts completed, days with food logged and habits kept, as a share of what was due. Trainaq shows each client’s adherence over the last 7 and 28 days. [Progress tracking](https://trainaq.com/features/progress-tracking) ### Intake form The questionnaire a new client fills in before coaching starts: goals, training history, injuries, health, lifestyle and starting measurements. In Trainaq it opens in the client’s app as soon as they join. [Client intake form template](https://trainaq.com/guides/client-intake-form-template) ### Lead coach The coach responsible for a client, set by the owner. The owner or the lead coach can add other coaches and assistants to the client’s Team on the web dashboard, and everyone on it sees that client. [Team roles](https://trainaq.com/features/team) ### Active client A client who currently has access to your coaching. Trainaq plans are priced by active clients; archived clients don’t count towards the limit, and their history stays. [Pricing questions](https://trainaq.com/pricing#faq-active-client) ### Coach account A sign-in to Trainaq Coach for you or someone on your team, and yours counts as one. Each plan includes a set number of coach accounts. [Pricing questions](https://trainaq.com/pricing#faq-coach-accounts) ### Membership What a client buys for a period: a one-time or monthly plan with its price, dates and any allowance of classes or 1:1 sessions. In Trainaq a membership can be frozen, upgraded or shared by a couple. [Memberships](https://trainaq.com/features/memberships) ### Session pack A set number of sessions sold together, such as 12 personal training sessions, used one per booking. In Trainaq it is a membership with a PT or class allowance, and you can add sessions when a client buys more. [Packages and pricing guide](https://trainaq.com/guides/personal-training-packages-pricing) ### Freeze Pausing a membership for a set time, for travel or an injury. The end date moves out by the length of the freeze, and bookings inside it are cancelled with their sessions returned. [Memberships](https://trainaq.com/features/memberships) ### Dues (balance due) Money a client still owes, for example after paying part of a membership now and the rest later. Trainaq lists dues with their due dates, and the client sees what they owe in the app, with a Pay button. [Dues tracking](https://trainaq.com/features/dues) ### Payment link A link to a checkout page for one amount, shared by WhatsApp or text. Trainaq’s payment links take UPI, card or netbanking through Razorpay for businesses in India, and you choose whether one lasts 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours or 7 days, and can cancel it (on the web dashboard; in Trainaq Coach with its next update). [Online payments](https://trainaq.com/features/payments) ### UPI AutoPay Recurring payments on UPI: the payer approves a mandate once in their UPI app, and later charges are taken automatically. In Trainaq, a client on a monthly plan approves it with the first payment, gets a push before each charge and can turn auto-pay off in the app. [Online payments](https://trainaq.com/features/payments) ### Platform fee The fee Trainaq keeps from each online client payment made through Trainaq’s Razorpay account, the same on every plan. Payments on your own Razorpay account and payments you record yourself carry no Trainaq fee. [Pricing questions](https://trainaq.com/pricing#faq-payment-fee) ### GST (Goods and Services Tax) India’s tax on most supplies of goods and services. Gym, yoga and fitness-centre services are taxed at 5% without input tax credit since 22 Sep 2025, down from 18%, so GST paid on your own purchases can’t be set off against it. Check the rate for other services with your CA. [GST calculator for fitness](https://trainaq.com/tools/gst-calculator-fitness) ### GSTIN The GST Identification Number: the 15-character number a business gets when it registers for GST. The first two digits are the state code and the next ten are the business’s PAN. In Trainaq, your state comes from your GSTIN. [GST invoices in Trainaq](https://trainaq.com/features/gst-invoices) ### SAC (Services Accounting Code) The code that classifies a service for GST, printed on each tax invoice; your CA confirms the right one. In Trainaq the owner enters it in GST settings on the web dashboard, and every tax invoice prints it. Trainaq never picks a code for you. [GST invoice format](https://trainaq.com/guides/gst-invoice-format) ### Place of supply The state where a supply counts as made, which decides how GST is split. If it is in your own state, the invoice charges CGST and SGST; if it is in another state, IGST. Trainaq works it out from your GSTIN and the client’s state. [GST invoices in Trainaq](https://trainaq.com/features/gst-invoices) ### CGST and SGST Central and State GST, charged in two equal halves on a supply within one state: at 5%, that is 2.5% CGST plus 2.5% SGST. In a union territory without its own legislature, UTGST takes the place of SGST. [GST calculator for fitness](https://trainaq.com/tools/gst-calculator-fitness) ### IGST Integrated GST, charged on a supply from one state to another, and on imports, at the full rate, such as 5%, instead of the CGST and SGST halves. [GST calculator for fitness](https://trainaq.com/tools/gst-calculator-fitness) ### Tax invoice The invoice a GST-registered business issues for a taxable supply. The GST rules list what it must show, including your GSTIN, a unique number and the date, the client’s details, the SAC code, the taxable value, the rate and the tax amounts. [GST invoice format](https://trainaq.com/guides/gst-invoice-format) ### Credit note A document that reduces an earlier invoice, for example after a refund, numbered in a series of its own. Trainaq issues one against the invoice for the amount refunded and emails it to the client. [GST invoices in Trainaq](https://trainaq.com/features/gst-invoices) ### Client capacity How many clients you can coach well: your weekly coaching hours divided by the minutes each client takes in a week. In-person sessions take far more minutes per client than online check-ins and chat. [Client capacity calculator](https://trainaq.com/tools/client-capacity-calculator) ## Where the numbers come from 1. [Zourdos MC, Klemp A, Dolan C, et al. Novel resistance training-specific rating of perceived exertion scale measuring repetitions in reserve. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(1):267–275.](https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001049) 2. [Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20.](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8) 3. [Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR. Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001;37(1):153–156.](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0735-1097(00)01054-8) 4. [Misra A, Chowbey P, Makkar BM, et al. Consensus statement for diagnosis of obesity, abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome for Asian Indians. J Assoc Physicians India. 2009;57:163–170.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19582986/) 5. [Ministry of Finance (PIB). Frequently Asked Questions on the decisions of the 56th GST Council: beauty and physical well-being services at 5% without ITC, from 22 September 2025.](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2163560) 6. [PAR-Q+ Collaboration. The PAR-Q+ and ePARmed-X+, official forms.](https://eparmedx.com/) ## FAQ ### What is the difference between RPE and RIR? They describe the same thing from two sides. RIR counts the reps you had left when you stopped a set; RPE turns that into an effort score out of 10, where RPE 10 means no reps left and RPE 8 means two. Coaches write either one to set how hard each set should be. ### Is TDEE the same as maintenance calories? In practice, yes. TDEE, total daily energy expenditure, is the energy you burn in a day, and eating that much keeps your weight steady, so coaches call it maintenance. Any calculator gives an estimate; your weight trend over a few weeks on a known intake shows the real figure for you. ### Which GST terms does a fitness business in India need to know? GSTIN, your registration number; SAC, the code for your service; place of supply, which decides between CGST and SGST or IGST; and the rate, 5% without input tax credit for gym, yoga and fitness services since 22 Sep 2025. Your CA confirms what applies to your own services. ### Can I send a client a link to one definition? Yes. Every term has its own anchor, so trainaq.com/glossary#rpe opens the page at RPE and #progressive-overload at progressive overload. Send the link in chat or put it in a program note, and the client reads a short definition with a link to the calculator or guide behind it. ## Related - [Free calculators](https://trainaq.com/tools): TDEE, macros, protein, 1RM and more - [Guides and templates](https://trainaq.com/guides): Open templates for coaches - [RPE chart](https://trainaq.com/tools/rpe-chart): Reps in reserve and % of 1RM - [Help and FAQ](https://trainaq.com/help): Answers about Trainaq by topic Source: https://trainaq.com/glossary