There are many terms that are commonly used by gym freaks and professional lifters to tell about their lifting strength. And ‘PR’ is certainly one of them.
You would have often heard lifters asking each other about their respective bench press or deadlift PRs. So what does PR mean?
Well, PR is the acronym for ‘Personal Record’. Primarily it is used to determine an individual’s strength levels on a specific lift.
However, there is a lot more about this jargon that is widely used by lifting freaks around the globe. Let’s get to know about it in detail.
What does PR mean in gym?
As we mentioned before, PR refers to ‘Personal Record’. When it comes to resistance training, PR is generally used as a measure to gauge the improvement in one’s strength levels.
No matter whether you are a competitive athlete or a regular gym freak, finding out your PRs on certain lifts and exceeding them gradually, will surely improve your lifting performance to newer heights.
The term PR is used to determine the strength levels of an individual on major compound lifts such as the squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press. On those exercises, lifters resort to finding out the heaviest weight with which they can perform no more than one complete rep.
The term PR aka ‘Personal Record’ is not just used for evaluating one’s performance on heavy compound lifts. You can even use it to gauge your improvements on other exercises.
PR also refers to the maximum number of strict reps that you can perform on an exercise with a fixed weight.
For instance, if you can perform a 65 lbs barbell curl for 8 reps and in your next training session you manage to perform 10 reps with the same weight, then your new PR for barbell curls with 65 lbs would be 10 reps.
In nutshell, once you surpass your previous PR in a particular exercise it will become your new PR for that exercise.
Likewise, when it comes to cardiovascular exercises like running, sprinting, or cycling, PR refers to the fastest time for a specific distance. In other words, it is the maximum distance covered in a specific period.
Hence, cardio training revolves around improving speed and endurance, as it enables to surpass previously set PRs.
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Gym Lingo
What does a personal record mean in weightlifting?
The sport of weightlifting is all about how much weight a person can lift with strict technique, control, and precision on certain movements. Some of the prime lifting movements in weightlifting are the snatch and clean and jerk.
PR or personal record in weightlifting refers to the heaviest weight lifted or the maximum strict number of reps performed on a certain lift.
In weightlifting, athletic performance is evaluated based on the personal records that they set on certain lifts.
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Final Words
Taking note of your PR or personal record can drastically improve the effectiveness of your training routine. It enables you to keep a track of your strength levels. It also gives you an idea regarding whether your training and nutrition are on point or not.
However, you must not choose to test your PR in every training session. It is something that you can do once a month. That way you would be able to safely enhance your strength levels and muscle hypertrophy.