Glossary
Aerobic capacity (aka, VO2 max): The maximum amount of oxygen that a subject can use per unit of time and body weight (source).
Anaerobic Capacity: The total amount of energy obtainable from the anaerobic energy systems (the combined capacity of the ATP-PCr system and lactic acid system) (source).
Ballistic: Characterized by the intention to perform a movement at maximal velocity (source).
Bodybuilding: The practice of progressively loading resistance exercises to develop one’s muscular size, striation, and density; aims to meet specific aesthetic symmetry goals through isolation exercises and a strict diet.
Calisthenics: A category of basic bodyweight exercises that create the foundation for gymnastics; includes movements like pull-ups, push-ups, dips, and L-sits.
Catabolic: The state in which the body breaks down overall mass, including fat and muscle (source).
Compound Movement: An exercise movement that works multiple muscle groups and uses multiple joints simultaneously (e.g, squat, deadlift, bench press).
Compression therapy: Helps increase blood circulation in the lower legs, ankles, and feet; considered an effective treatment for pain and swelling caused by conditions associated with poor circulation.
Concentric: The phase of an exercise in which muscles are contracted or shortened.
Concurrent Training: Simultaneously undertaking both strength and endurance training.
Eccentric: The phase of an exercise in which muscles are lengthened.
Economy: The energy required for a specific power output or velocity obtained (source).
Extension: Increases the angle between the bones and straightens the joint (source).
Fascia: A sheet of connective tissue covering or binding together body structures (source).
Fast-twitch muscle fiber: A type of skeletal muscle fiber that provides bigger and more powerful forces (compared to slow-twitch fibers) (source.)
Flexion: Decreases the angle between the bones and bends the joint (source).
Force: The amount of energy you can transfer into an object, as calculated by mass multiplied by acceleration.
Frontal Plane: A vertical plane running from side to side. Divides the body or any of its parts into anterior and posterior portions; aka, coronal plane (source).
Functional Fitness/Training: The practice of improving your overall health based on competence in the 10 components of fitness: (1) cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, (2) stamina, (3) strength, (4) flexibility, (5) power, (6) speed, (7) coordination, (8) agility, (9) balance, and (10) accuracy.
Functional Threshold Power: The greatest mean maximal power you can currently produce for one hour (source).
Glycogen: The stored form of glucose, which is a main source of energy that your body stores primarily in your liver and muscles (source).
Gymnastics: A type of training that combines strength, flexibility, agility, and dynamic power, often incorporating advanced bodyweight movements and static holds.
HIIT: High-intensity interval training is a type of interval training exercise. It incorporates several rounds that alternate between several minutes of high-intensity movements to significantly increase the heart rate to at least 80% of one’s maximum heart rate, followed by short periods of lower-intensity movements (source).
Hybrid Athlete: An athlete who practices both endurance and strength training concurrently.
Hypertrophy: Increase in muscle.
Hypotrophy: Decrease in muscle.
Isolation Movements: An exercise movement that targets specific muscles or muscle groups and uses only one joint.
Isometric: Exercise that is defined as muscle contraction without movement of the joint(s) crossed by the active muscle(s) (source).
Lactate Threshold: The exercise intensity or blood lactate concentration at which we can sustain a high-intensity effort for a specific period of time (source).
Macronutrient (aka, macros): The nutrients that your body needs in large amounts, which include fat, carbohydrates, and protein. They’re the nutrients that give you energy and are often called “macros” (source).
Motor Control: The learning and performance of motor skills, which are tasks that require voluntary control over movements of the joints and body segments to achieve a goal (e.g., riding a bicycle, walking, surfing, jumping, running, and weightlifting) (source).
Myofascial Release: An alternative medicine therapy that focuses on relieving pain in your myofascial tissues, which are the thick connective tissues that support your muscles (source).
Neuromuscular: Relating to nerves and muscles.
Olympic Weightlifting: A type of strength training that centers on two lifts: the clean and jerk, and the snatch.
Plyometrics: A type of strength training that focuses on explosive movements (like box jumps), using the stretch-shortening cycle to improve power and speed.
Powerlifting: A subculture of weight training that focuses on absolute strength in three main lifts: squat, deadlift, and bench press.
Prone Position: The position of lying flat on one’s stomach.
Rating of Perceived Exertion: A TrainingPeaks feature that translates an athlete’s perception of effort (from ‘very easy’ to ‘all out’) into a numerical score (source).
Rep: A single repetition of an exercise.
Resistance Training: Exercises that involve moving external weight against gravity to increase the size and strength of your muscles.
Resting Metabolic Rate: The amount of energy that your body needs to function while at rest (source).
Sagittal Plane: A vertical plane running from front to back; divides the body or any of its parts into right and left sides; aka, lateral plane (source).
Set: multiple repetitions of an exercise.
Strongman: Strength training that is related to powerlifting, but using odd objects like giant stones, logs, and tractor tires.
Superset: A form of exercise that focuses on working opposing muscle groups back to back with little rest in between (source).
Supine Position: The position of lying flat on one’s back.
Tempo Training: The practice of modifying the speed of movement for an exercise (source).
Time Under Tension (TUT): The length of time that the muscle fibers are straining during a given movement.
Transverse Plane: A horizontal plane. Divides the body or any of its parts into upper and lower parts; aka, axial plane (source).
Unilateral Movement: A movement that focuses on one half of the body at a time (e.g., single leg squat).
VO2 Max: The maximum volume of oxygen per minute that an athlete can capture from the air, fix at the pulmonary level, transport and utilize (source).