What kind of lifter are you? Jacked, Swole, or Yoked?

Finding out what kind of lifter you are doesn’t really mean much, they’re just words but assessing where you are is a great way to plan out where you want to be.

In this article we will look at three common bodybuilder terms, and see who fits into these categories.

We will then look into what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are, and what they need to do to improve. Be prepared to cringe at some of the terms used!

Are you Jacked?

Being jacked is definitely one of the best terms to be called, it basically means that you look really strong and with good definition.

If you think of the quintessential mesomorph, the guy who had bigger muscles at 19 then most guys have after ten years of bodybuilding then you are thinking about a jacked guy.

To build a body like this can take years of heavy training, and not everybody is suited to it.

An endomorph would find it very difficult to be jacked as they would never be able to get their body fat down low enough for the definition.

Jacked guys look like they’re an extra in 300. Strong as well as muscular, to be jacked means that you look good naked but that you can also deadlift heavier than 90% of gym goers.

To get jacked you NEED to get your diet spot on, you can’t get jacked if you are eating too much (or too little).

You will also need to live in the gym, being jacked requires constantly training at a high intensity, you also need to wear a muscle vest at all times and a backwards trucker hat (otherwise they take away your membership card).

Are you Swole?

Being swole can be a temporary or lifelong state depending on 1) who you are, and 2) your interpretation of the word.

Swole can be used to describe somebody experiencing the pump during a workout, or it can describe someone who looks like they are always mid-pump. So basically bodybuilders.

At this point you’re probably wondering what the difference is between someone who is Swole and someone who is Jacked, and the truth is that there is a lot of crossover. Particularly to the untrained eye. But if a jacked guy is someone who looks like a 300 extra then a swole person is the bigger version of that.

Jacked is film star body, while swole is reserved for the bad guys in films, the henchmen. Bane in batman is swole, batman is jacked. Hopefully that makes sense.

So how do you get swole? Well you’re not going to achieve this naturally, you are going to need some additional testosterone and probably a lot more besides.

Being swole long term is all about being larger than life, having a body that is essentially unattainable for the general public. But if you are a bodybuilder then lifting heavy and often is a good start. Using full range of motion, and training to muscular fatigue is very important.

Are you Yoked?

Being yoked is about being as massive as possible whilst still having some form of definition.

Powerlifters and World’s strongest men don’t qualify as yoked as they aren’t concerned with definition, just with lifting as much weight as possible. A yoked guy will also want to lift as much as possible, but is prepared to sacrifice a bit of strength in return for a little definition.

They won’t be walking around with a six pack, but they’ll be aiming for a triangle shaped torso (broad shoulders to a narrow waist). If you’ve ever seen a guy in the gym with tribal tattoos and a huge beard trying to deadlift all of the weights then you’ve seen someone who is yoked.

To get yoked you need to eat a LOT of food, and a lot of that food should be protein. You need to concentrate on the main compound lifts, squats, deadlifts, bench press, and shoulder press.

You are looking to lift as heavy as possible and keep reps to a minimum.

You’ll pay attention to your body composition, but it’s not your main goal. Your main goal is beating your previous best. No matter what.

Bottom Line

There are many terms that are thrown around in gyms, most of them differ in meaning from gym to gym, and the majority of people in this world would have absolutely no idea what they mean.

These terms should not define you nor cause you stress if you feel that you don’t live up to them yet.

Use them as motivation (if you want) or never mention them again in your life. So long as you have a goal in mind and you’re working hard to achieve it that’s all that really matters.

Enjoy the journey!

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