This final installment of the bodybuilding glossary wraps up the series with U, V, and W — three letters with fewer terms between them, but several that were long overdue, including the vastus lateralis, weight plate, and whey protein. You’ll also find recovery and equipment basics like the warm-up, wrist wraps, and weighted vest, along with a few less common but useful concepts like unilateral training, vascularity, and the waist-to-hip ratio. Browse the full list below, or use the navigation links to jump straight to a specific term — and if you’ve made it this far, check out the rest of the glossary using the letter navigation above.
- Underhand grip
- The opposite of an overhand grip — a grip in which the lifter holds the bar with the palms facing up, the hands positioned underneath the bar. → Handgrip types & width in strength training
- Underhand row
- A barbell or dumbbell rowing variation performed with an underhand, supinated grip, which tends to place relatively more emphasis on the lats and biceps compared with a standard overhand-grip row.
- Unilateral training
- Training one side of the body at a time — for example, a single-arm dumbbell row or a single-leg squat — as opposed to bilateral training, which works both sides simultaneously. Unilateral training is often used to address muscle imbalances between sides. → Unilateral training: pros & cons
- Upper body
- A general term referring to the muscles above the waist — primarily the chest, back, shoulders, and arms — as distinct from the lower body. Many training splits dedicate specific days to upper body work.
- Valine
- One of the three branched-chain amino acids, alongside leucine and isoleucine. Valine plays a supporting role in energy production and muscle metabolism, particularly during prolonged exercise. → BCAA supplements guide for bodybuilding
- Vascular system
- The network of blood vessels — arteries, veins, and capillaries — responsible for circulating blood throughout the body. A well-conditioned vascular system supports better nutrient delivery to working muscles and contributes to the visible vascularity many bodybuilders aim for. → Heart and circulatory system: anatomy guide
- Vascularity
- The visibility of veins through the skin, most pronounced in lifters with low body fat and good muscle pump, particularly in areas like the arms, forearms, and abdomen. Vascularity is often considered a desirable aesthetic trait in competitive bodybuilding.
- Vastus lateralis
- The outermost of the four quadriceps muscles, running along the outside of the thigh. Along with the vastus medialis on the inner thigh, it contributes significantly to the visible “sweep” and width of well-developed quads. → Meet the quadriceps femoris: the four-headed muscle of the femur
- Vegan bodybuilding
- An approach to bodybuilding that excludes all animal products, relying on plant-based protein sources such as legumes, soy, seitan, and plant protein powders to meet the elevated protein needs of muscle-building training. → Vegan bodybuilding diet: exploring the power of plant-based proteins
- Vertical jump
- A measure of how high a person can jump straight upward from a standing position, commonly used as a simple test of lower-body explosive power. → Vertical jump test (power test): what does it show us?
- Visualization
- A relaxation and mental-preparation technique that involves clearing the mind and focusing intently on a specific goal. Bodybuilders commonly use visualization ahead of an upcoming contest, a difficult workout, or when adopting a new training strategy. → Visualization techniques in bodybuilding
- Vitamin
- Any of a group of chemical compounds the body requires in small amounts for healthy growth and function. Most vitamins cannot be produced by the body itself and must be obtained through diet or supplementation. → Micronutrients in bodybuilding: vitamins and minerals
- VO2
- Short for volume of oxygen — a measure of the amount of oxygen the body consumes, used as the basis for related measures such as VO2 max.
- VO2max
- The maximum rate at which the body can take in and use oxygen during intense exercise, widely used as a key indicator of cardiovascular fitness — see also “Aerobic capacity” in the A-B glossary. → VO2 max calculator: easy way to test your aerobic capacity
- Volume training
- A training approach that uses a high number of total sets for each muscle group, prioritizing overall workload as a driver of muscle growth. German Volume Training is one well-known example of an extreme, structured volume-training method. → German volume training: 10 sets of 10 reps
- Waist-to-hip ratio
- A measurement comparing the circumference of the waist to that of the hips, used as an indicator of body fat distribution and, in some research, as a marker of certain health risks. It is calculated by dividing waist measurement by hip measurement. → Waist-to-hip ratio calculator (WHR)
- Wall sit
- A static, isometric exercise performed by sliding down a wall into a seated squat position and holding it, primarily targeting the quadriceps. Wall sits are often used as a low-impact way to build muscular endurance in the legs.
- Warm-up
- Low-intensity exercise performed before a workout to gradually prepare the body, raising heart rate, blood flow to the muscles, and body temperature, which in turn improves joint mobility and muscle contractility. Common warm-up activities include light cardio, dynamic stretching, and lightweight, rhythmic repetitions of the day’s main exercises. → The importance of warming up and cooling down in strength training
- Warm-up sets
- Lighter sets performed before working sets, gradually increasing in weight, used to prepare the muscles and joints for the heavier loads to come without inducing significant fatigue.
- Washboard abs
- A slang term describing extremely well-defined, ripped abdominal muscles — see also “Six-pack” in the S-T glossary. → See “Six-pack” in the S-T glossary
- Water retention
- Excess fluid held within or beneath the skin, which can soften muscle definition and visibly blur separation between muscle groups — see the full entry under “Fluid retention” in the E-F glossary. → Water retention and anabolic steroids
- Weight
- A term referring either to the plates or weight stacks themselves, or to the actual poundage currently loaded on a bar.
- Weight belt
- A wide belt, typically made of leather or nylon, worn tightly around the waist to support the lower back and increase intra-abdominal pressure during heavy lifts. Current recommendations generally suggest reserving belt use for sets involving near-maximal weights rather than wearing one throughout an entire workout. → Weight-lifting belt: should you use one?
- Weight class
- A bodyweight category used in competitive strength sports such as powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting, ensuring athletes compete against others of similar size. Weight classes vary by federation and sex.
- Weight cut
- A short-term, often aggressive reduction in body weight undertaken shortly before a weigh-in, typically used by competitive lifters or combat athletes to qualify for a lower weight class. Weight cuts commonly rely heavily on manipulating water and food intake rather than true fat loss.
- Weight plate
- A flat, circular weight, typically made of cast iron, steel, or rubber-coated material, used to load a barbell or certain machines. Weight plates are sized by their weight and bore diameter, which must match the bar or machine sleeve they are loaded onto. → Weight plate toe raise: a shin exercise
- Weighted vest
- A vest fitted with removable weighted inserts, worn during bodyweight exercises, cardio, or daily activity to add extra resistance and increase the training stimulus without needing additional equipment.
- Weightlifting
- A general term for exercise involving the use of weights, or more specifically, the Olympic sport consisting of two competitive lifts: the snatch and the clean and jerk. → Bodybuilding, powerlifting, weightlifting, strongman: what’s the difference?
- Weightlifting gloves
- Gloves made of leather or synthetic material, worn during training to improve grip and protect the palms from developing calluses. → Weight training gloves: are they worth it?
- Whey protein
- A fast-digesting protein derived from milk during the cheese-making process, widely used as a convenient supplement to help meet daily protein targets. Whey is available in several forms, including concentrate, isolate, and hydrolysate, which differ mainly in protein purity and digestion speed. → Types of whey protein: complete guide to concentrate, isolate, hydrolysate, native & more
- Wide grip
- A grip wider than shoulder width, used on exercises such as the wide-grip pull-up or wide-grip bench press to shift emphasis toward different portions of the target muscles compared with a standard or close grip.
- Wingspan
- The total distance between the tips of the fingers when the arms are fully extended to the sides. Wingspan relative to height can meaningfully affect leverage and technique on exercises like the bench press and deadlift.
- Working set
- A set performed after warm-up sets are completed, using the actual training weight intended to produce a meaningful training stimulus, as opposed to the lighter sets used purely for preparation.
- Workout
- A single training session, typically consisting of a planned sequence of exercises, sets, and reps performed on a given day.
- Workout split
- Another common term for a split routine — see the full entry under “Split routine” in the S-T glossary. → See “Split routine” in the S-T glossary
- Wrist curl
- An isolation exercise performed by curling a barbell or dumbbell upward using only wrist movement, primarily targeting the forearm flexors. A reverse wrist curl, performed with an overhand grip, instead targets the forearm extensors. → Standing barbell wrist curl: forearm exercise for wrist flexors
- Wrist straps
- Strips of material, usually canvas, nylon, or leather, about 2 inches wide and 12 inches long with a looped end, wrapped around the wrist and the bar to increase grip strength on heavy pulling exercises. → Wrist straps for weightlifting
- Wrist wraps
- Bands of elastic material wrapped tightly around the wrists to provide support during heavy lifting or exercises that place significant stress on the wrist joint, such as heavy pressing movements. → Wrist wraps: the benefits and drawbacks
