Strength Sports Glossary — Every Term You Need Before Attending the NTX Strength Expo

Walking into the North Texas Strength Expo for the first time, you'll hear terminology flying around the competition floor that means nothing to an outsider — and everything to anyone who's spent time in these sports.

This glossary covers every term you're likely to encounter at the expo, organized by sport, so you can walk in informed and follow the competition at full depth from the moment the first attempt begins.

General Strength Sports Terms

Attempt: A single effort to complete a lift or competitive task. Most powerlifting events give athletes three attempts. An attempt that passes judging standards counts; one that fails is a "no lift" or "red light."

Flight: In powerlifting, a group of athletes who are lifting in the same session in close proximity to each other. Flights are typically grouped by similar opening weights.

Heat: In HYROX, a group of athletes who begin the race simultaneously. Multiple heats run throughout the competition day.

PR / Personal Record: The best performance an athlete has ever achieved in a specific lift, event, or race. Also called a personal best (PB).

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion): A training intensity scale from 1–10. RPE 10 = maximum effort. RPE 8 = 2 reps remaining in the tank. Used in powerlifting programming to guide loading.

Total: In powerlifting, the sum of the best successful squat, bench press, and deadlift in a single competition. The total determines placing.

Pro Card: In strongman, the credential earned at designated events (primarily Strongman Corporation Nationals) that grants eligibility to compete at the professional level.

Weight class: In powerlifting and strongman, a division defined by the athlete's body weight, ensuring competition between athletes of similar size.

Powerlifting Terms

Bench press: One of the three powerlifting lifts. The bar is lowered to the chest, paused motionless, then pressed to full arm lockout after the "press" command.

Commands: In Powerlifting America competition, verbal and hand signals from the head referee that athletes must follow — "squat" (begin descending), "press/start" (begin pressing), "rack" (re-rack the bar), "down" (lower the deadlift).

Deadlift: One of the three powerlifting lifts. The bar is pulled from the floor to a fully standing, locked-out position. Must be held until the "down" command.

Elbow lock: In the 2026 IPF rule update, full elbow lock must be established before the "start" command on the bench press.

Equipped powerlifting: Powerlifting performed with supportive equipment — squat suits, bench shirts, and sometimes knee wraps — which allow significantly heavier loads than raw lifting.

IPF: International Powerlifting Federation. The global governing body of the sport. Powerlifting America is the U.S. IPF affiliate.

Opener: An athlete's first attempt at each lift. Should be something they can lift on their worst day.

PA / Powerlifting America: The IPF-affiliated national powerlifting organization. Featured at the North Texas Strength Expo.

Raw powerlifting: Powerlifting performed with belt, knee sleeves, and wrist wraps only — no supportive suits or shirts.

Red light: A failed attempt, indicated by red lights from the judges.

Squat: One of the three powerlifting lifts. The bar is held on the back, the athlete descends until the hip crease is below the top of the knee, then stands back to full lockout.

White light: A passed attempt, indicated by white lights from the judges. Two or three white lights means the lift counted.

Strongman Terms

Atlas Stone: Round concrete balls used in strongman competition, loaded onto platforms at speed. The signature implement of the sport.

Axle bar: A thick-diameter bar used in strongman deadlift and pressing events. Approximately 50mm diameter vs 28mm for standard barbells.

Car deadlift: A strongman event where athletes lift the front end of a vehicle using a custom frame.

Farmer's carry: A carry event where athletes pick up heavy handles (one in each hand) and walk as fast as possible down a course.

Frame deadlift: A strongman deadlift using a large steel frame rather than a barbell. Athletes stand inside the frame and lift it from the floor.

Log press: An overhead pressing event using a thick, cylindrical log with neutral-grip handles. The signature pressing event of strongman.

Loading medley: An event where multiple objects (kegs, stones, sandbags) must be loaded onto platforms in sequence against the clock.

SC / Strongman Corporation: The primary sanctioning organization for amateur and professional strongman competition in the United States.

Tacky: A sticky resin substance applied to the forearms for improved grip on Atlas Stones.

Yoke carry: A carry event where athletes walk with a heavily loaded frame on their back across a set distance. Competition weights can exceed 800+ pounds.

HYROX Terms

BBJ / Burpee Broad Jump: Station 4. 80 meters of burpee broad jumps — a full burpee followed by a forward horizontal jump, repeated.

Damper: The resistance setting on the Concept2 SkiErg and rowing machine. Most HYROX athletes use settings between 3 and 5.

Doubles: A two-person team HYROX format. Both partners run all 8km; workout stations are split between them.

Elite 15: The invitation-only professional racing tier above Open and Pro. Top 15 athletes in each gender compete at World Championship events.

HYROX: The global standardized fitness race format: 8 rounds of 1km running alternating with 8 functional workout stations.

Open division: The mass-participation HYROX division with standard weights (sled push 102kg Women/152kg Men, 75 wall balls).

Pro division: The advanced HYROX division with heavier weights (sled push 152kg Women/202kg Men, 100 wall balls).

Relay: A four-person team HYROX format. Each member completes two run segments and two workout stations.

Roxzone: The transition zone in HYROX between the running course and the workout stations.

SkiErg: Station 1 of HYROX. 1,000 meters on a Concept2 ski ergometer machine.

Split: In HYROX rowing and SkiErg, your pace expressed in seconds per 500 meters.

YGIG / You Go I Go: The competition principle in HYROX Doubles where partners alternate working at workout stations.

United Grid League Terms

American Grid Trials: The annual recruiting combine where athletes submit performance data for evaluation by UGL team coaches.

Grid: The specialized competition floor used for United Grid League matches.

Match: A United Grid League competition between two teams consisting of 11 head-to-head races.

Race: An individual head-to-head competitive event within a UGL match. Each race tests different movement combinations.

Strength specialist: A UGL athlete position for athletes with elite barbell strength who are deployed in heavy loading races.

Bodyweight specialist: A UGL athlete position for athletes with elite gymnastics/calisthenics ability.

Utility player: A UGL athlete position for athletes capable of contributing across multiple race types.

Arm Lifting Terms

Blob: Colloquial term for a half of a York 10-pound dumbbell head, used as a pinch grip implement.

CoC / Captains of Crush: The graduated gripper series from IronMind. A recognized grip strength benchmark worldwide.

Hub lift: An arm lifting event where athletes grip only the center hub of a weight plate.

One-hand deadlift: The signature event of arm lifting. A loaded barbell pulled from the floor using a single hand, no straps.

Pinch grip: Grip generated between the thumb and fingers without wrapping the hand around an object.

Rolling Thunder: An IronMind revolving handle that rotates freely under load, testing pure crushing grip strength.

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