Glossary

Definitions of fitness terms and app-specific concepts used throughout Badger. If you're new to structured training, start here.

Fitness terms

1RM (One-Rep Max)

The maximum weight you can lift for exactly one rep with good form. Your true 1RM is rarely tested directly — it's usually estimated from submaximal sets using a formula. Badger uses the Epley formula: weight × (1 + reps / 30). The result is an approximation; it's most accurate between 2–10 reps.

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion)

A 1–10 scale describing how hard a set felt relative to your maximum effort.

• 6 — Light. You could keep going for a long time.
• 7 — Moderate. Challenging but comfortable.
• 8 — Hard. A few reps left in the tank.
• 9 — Very hard. One rep left.
• 10 — Max effort. Could not do another rep with good form.

RPE is subjective and takes time to calibrate. It's useful for tracking fatigue trends over time and for autoregulating training intensity. Badger stores RPE per set as an optional field (1–10 range).

RIR (Reps in Reserve)

The estimated number of additional reps you could have performed before reaching failure. The inverse of RPE: a set at RIR 2 means you stopped with 2 reps left in the tank.

• RIR 0 — You hit failure (or very close to it).
• RIR 1 — One more rep possible.
• RIR 2–3 — Common target for working sets in hypertrophy programs.
• RIR 4–5 — Easy. Typical of early warm-up sets or deload.

RIR 0 is equivalent to RPE 10. Badger stores RIR per set as an optional field (0–5 range).

Deload

A planned period (typically one week) of reduced training volume and/or intensity. The goal is to allow accumulated fatigue to dissipate while maintaining the fitness you've built. A proper deload is not rest — you still train, just with lighter weights or fewer sets.

Common deload approaches:

• Reduce weights by 40–50%
• Keep the same weights but do fewer sets
• Reduce both

Badger can detect when a deload is likely needed and schedule one automatically. See Deload.

Progressive overload

The principle of gradually increasing the demands on your body over time — typically by adding weight, reps, or sets. Without progressive overload, training adaptations stall. It's the fundamental driver of long-term strength and muscle gains.

Badger tracks this automatically and can suggest weight increases when you've completed all working sets in your recent sessions.

Working set

A set performed at or near your training weight — the "real" sets you're tracking for progress. Distinct from warmup sets. Badger counts working sets in your volume calculations and uses them for PR tracking.

Warmup set

A set performed at a lighter weight before your working sets. The purpose is to prepare your joints, muscles, and nervous system for the heavier loads to come — not to fatigue you. Warmup sets are excluded from volume calculations and PR tracking in Badger.

Volume

Total work done. Usually calculated as sets × reps × weight. In Badger, volume is shown in your chosen unit (kg or lbs) and is used in the progress graphs, activity heatmap, and weekly muscle balance tracking.

Estimated 1RM

See 1RM above. Badger uses estimated 1RM as the benchmark for PR detection, since testing your true 1RM directly isn't practical in everyday training.

Superset

Two or more exercises performed back-to-back with little or no rest between them. Rest is taken after completing one full round of the group. Common uses: opposing muscle groups (e.g. biceps curls + triceps pushdowns), circuit training, or time-efficient training.

In Badger, exercises in the same group auto-advance to the next exercise without starting the rest timer. The rest timer fires after the last exercise in the group.

Tempo

The speed at which you perform each phase of a rep, written as a 4-digit sequence: eccentric–pause–concentric–pause (e.g. "3-1-2-0"). Each number is seconds.

• 3-1-2-0 — 3 seconds lowering, 1 second pause at bottom, 2 seconds lifting, no pause at top.
• X (sometimes used) — Explosive. Move as fast as possible.

Badger stores tempo as a text string per exercise/routine exercise and displays it passively below the exercise name in the training screen.

Training max

A percentage of your 1RM used to calculate working weights in percentage-based programs (e.g. 5/3/1 uses 90% of 1RM as the training max). Using a submaximal training max gives you margin for variation and reduces injury risk.

Compound lift

An exercise that involves multiple joints and large muscle groups — squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, row. Contrasted with isolation exercises (curls, extensions) that focus on a single muscle.

PR (Personal Record)

Your best-ever performance on an exercise. In Badger, PRs are tracked as estimated 1RM (rather than raw weight × reps), which makes it easier to compare performances across different rep ranges. Machine-scoped PRs keep records separate per piece of equipment.

Hypertrophy

Muscle growth. Typically trained in the 6–20 rep range at moderate intensity (RPE 7–9, RIR 1–3). Distinct from pure strength training, which tends toward lower reps at higher intensity.

Failure

The point at which you can no longer complete a rep with good form. Training to failure (RIR 0) is a high-stimulus technique but also increases fatigue and injury risk. Most training programs stay 1–3 reps short of failure.

App-specific terms

Workout

In Badger, a workout is a single training session — one day's collection of exercises and sets. Workouts are keyed to a date.

Workout exercise

An exercise within a specific workout — the combination of an exercise definition and a session. Sets are attached to workout exercises, not directly to exercises.

Routine

A saved program template: a named collection of training days, each with exercises and optionally predefined sets. Starting a workout from a routine pre-fills your exercises and weights.

Predefined set

A set defined within a routine exercise, specifying target weight and reps. When you start a routine workout, predefined sets become the starting point for that session's sets. Weights can be fixed or set to "copy from previous."

History scope

A routine setting that controls where Badger looks when copying previous weights. "Any workout" considers all past workouts; "This routine" only considers workouts started from the same routine.

Weight source

A routine setting that controls how Badger determines the starting weights for a routine workout. Options: last performance, routine defaults, or routine defaults with fallback to last performance.

Machine-scoped

Progress data or PRs filtered to a specific machine. If you do cable rows on two different machines, Badger can track them independently. Selecting "All" in the machine filter shows combined data.