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Aerobic: means requiring oxygen. Usually associated with long distance running or any cardiovascular activity that requires steady power for long periods of time
Aerobic Capacity: another term for maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 Max)
Abbreviations:
Agility: means the ability to start, stop, and move the body quickly in different directions
Agonist: a muscle responsible for producing a specific movement through concentric muscle action
Amino Acids: a class of organic compounds that are building blocks from which protein is constructed
Anabolic Steroids: synthetic chemical that mimics the muscle building characteristics of the male hormone testosterone
Anaerobic: means without oxygen. Exercise occurring in the absence of molecular oxygen in the muscle. Usually associated with sprinting, intense weight lifting or anything requiring short bursts of energy & strength
Anaerobic Threshold: the point at which you begin working your muscles without oxygen, from an aerobic level, believed to be at about 87% of your Maximum Heart Rate
Anatomical Position: standing erect, with feet and palms facing forward
Angina Pectoris: chest or arm pain resulting from reduced oxygen supply to the heart muscle
Anorexia Athletica: the use of excessive exercise to lose weight, normally associated with anorexia nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa: an eating disorder characterized by a distorted body image in which a person does not take in a sufficient amount of calories, eventually causing harm to the body, and sometimes death
Antagonist: a muscle responsible for opposing the concentric muscle action of the agonist
Anterior: anatomical term referring to the front of the body; toward the front
Antioxidants: these substances are thought to be effective in helping to prevent cancer, heart disease, and stroke. "Antioxidant" is a classification of several organic substances, including vitamins C and E, vitamin A (which is converted from beta-carotene), selenium (a mineral), and a group known as the carotenoids
Arteriosclerosis: often referred to as "hardening of the arteries." This occurs because of the deposition of calcium in their walls over a period of many years causing the arteries of the cardiovascular system to develop areas which become hard and brittle. Vessels become thickened and there is a loss of elasticity
Arthritis: inflammation of a joint
Asymmetrical: imbalance of the arrangement of parts. Not moving together
Atrophy: wasting away of any organ, tissue or cell (ex: decrease in muscle size)
Avascular: without blood supply
Back Fat: refers to the fat on your upper back in your lat area. For women, the fat that bulges from around your bra straps
Balance: a state of equilibrium; a state in which the body has the ability to move in space in a controlled movement
Ballistic: fast, dynamic movement
Barbell: weight used for exercise, consisting of a rigid bar, 5-7' long, twith detachable metal plates at each end
Bilateral: with reference to two sides
Biomechanics: the study of motion and the effects of forces relative to the body
Bis: short for "biceps", the muscles on the front of your arm between your elbow and shoulder
BMI: means Body Mass Index. A mathematical calculation based on your weight and height to determine if you are within a normal weight range for your height. Click here for more detailed information and BMI calculator
BMR: means Basal Metabolic Rate. The rate at which the body expends energy while at rest.
Bodybuilding: using weight training to change physical appearance & symmetry
| Body Composition: your body's ratio of fat & fat free mass (ie: muscle, bones, organs, tissue, water, etc) |
| Body Fat %: the actual percentage of fat you have compared to your overall weight. Click here to see the different methods of testing body composition & percentages |
Body Part: breaking the body down to individual muscle groups. Example; biceps, triceps, hamstrings, deltoids, calves, etc. Example: "What body part are you working?"
Buffed: extremely muscular and lean
Bulking up: the phase of training & eating when you try to pack on a lot of muscle, and most likely some body fat with it, without much attention to fat burning and definition
Burn: the uncomfortable sensation, produced by the buildup of lactic acid and other metabolites, felt in the muscle you are working
Calorie: the amount of heat required to raise 1 kg of water 1º C; unit of energy
Cap: refers to your deltoid muscles (shoulders), which consist of the rear, side (middle) and front heads
Calcium Deposit: abnormal hardening of soft tissue, usually from repeated injury
Carbohydrate Loading: increasing the consumption of carbohydrates for the days prior to an endurance type event
Cardio: short for "cardiovascular". Relating to the heart and blood vessels. Usually refers to the exercises that sustain your heart rate for a period of time. Example; running, Stairmaster, elliptical, fast walking, bike
Cardiovascular Training: physical conditioning that strengthens heart and blood vessels, the result of which is an increase in the ability for your body muscles to utilize fuel more effectively resulting in a greater level of exercising
Catabolism: the breakdown of lean muscles mass. Normally as a result of injury, immobilization and poor dieting practice
Chalk: powder used on hands for secure grip, usually by powerlifters
Cheat(ing,ers): using momentum or being able to manipulate the weight to keep it moving after you would have been unable to continue using proper form. Yes, done properly, this does have its' place in a training routine
Cholesterol: a soft, waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all your body's cells. Cholesterol and other fats can't dissolve in the blood, but it is an important part of a healthy body because it's used to form cell membranes, some hormones and is needed for other functions
Clean: lifting weight from floor to shoulder in one motion
Clean and Jerk: Olympic lift where weight is raised from floor to overhead in two movements
Clean and Snatch: one of two Olympic lifts where weight is raised from floor to overhead at arms' length in one motion
Circuit Training: selected exercises or activities performed in sequence moving quickly from one apparatus to another. This is intended to keep your heart rate elevated while getting an all-body workout
Compound Movement/Exercise: usually refers to an exercise that requires flexing or extending two joints (or more) which, in turn, requires more than one muscle to perform the movement. Example; squats (knees & hips), bench press (elbows & shoulders), but flyes (shoulders only) and concentration curls (biceps only) are not
Compound Training: also referred to as “giant sets”; doing 3-4 exercises for same muscle, one after the other, with minimal rest in between
Concentric: when your muscles shorten, or contract, to perform a movement. Example; raising the weight when doing a bicep curl is the concentric portion of the exercise
Congestive Heart Failure: the inability of the heart muscle to pump the blood at a life sustaining rate
Contralateral: "the opposite side". For example, "the right latissimus dorsi (muscle on your back below your arm pit) works in conjunction with the 'contralateral' - or left - gluteus maximus."
Coordination: harmonious interaction; synchronizing movement
Conversation Pace: the pace that should be used for most daily running. If the runner can hold a conversation easily, they are most likely within a comfortable heart rate
Cool-down: When you bring your heart rate down at the end of your workout session
Core: the support system of abdominal and back muscles in and around your torso
Cramp: a spasmodic contraction of one or many muscles
Cross-training: switching up your activities so you are not always doing the same thing. Example; run on Monday, lift on Tuesday, Stairmaster on Wed, tennis on Thursday, etc.
Cut: when your body fat is extremely low and your muscles have superior separation and vascularity
CV: short for "cardiovascular". Usually refers to the exercises that sustain your heart rate for a period of time. Example; running, Stairmaster, elliptical, fast walking, bike
Cycle: combining planned phases of different types of training to accomplish a specific goal. Example; bulking up, gaining strength, leaning out
Definition: when your body fat is extremely low and your muscles have superior separation and vascularity
Dehydration: excessive fluid loss from the body. Normally from perspiration, urination, evaporation or being sick
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: a condition that is often felt approximately 1-4 days after intense exercise like weight training, vigorous running, etc. Caused by the micro tears within your muscles as part of the body rebuilding phase
Deltoids: shoulder muscles that include 3 heads; front, medial (side), rear. Click here for picture
Delts: short for "deltoids"
Diet: the sum of food consumed. Proper nutrition requires vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other nutrients. Your "diet" refers to your overall eating habits, which may be a deliberate selection of food to control bodyweight or nutrient intake, if you are conscientious about your health
Dieting: refers to the short-term, deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake
Dip Belt: a large heavy belt with a chain attached to it that you wear around hips and then attach a barbell plate or dumbbell for additional resistance during certain exercises like dips
Diuretics: a class of drugs used to force the kidney to excrete more sodium than usual. Increased sodium excretion causes increased water excretion, so urine volume increases. The increased sodium excretion is desirable and therapeutic in disorders causing abnormal fluid retention due to heart failure, liver failure or kidney failure
Dorsal: pertaining to the back
Drop Set: performing reps at a certain weight then immediately dropping the poundage and continuing with no rest. Example; 7 at 100, 5 at 70, 3 at 50
Dumbbell: about 14" in length, consisting of a rigid handle with equal-weight plates or discs on each end. You are able to hold one in each hand
Duration: the number of sets or number of exercises, specifically for each muscle group. Duration may also include number of repetitions
Easy Set: usually as in warm-up set. Using minimal effort, not close to maximum exertion
Eccentric: when your muscles lengthen to perform a movement. Example; lowering the weight when doing a bicep curl is the eccentric portion of the exercise
Endurance: ability of a muscle to produce force continually over a period of time, for example running a marathon
EPOC – post-exercise oxygen consumption above resting values used to restore the body to the pre-exercise condition.
External Rotation: rotation occurring away from midline; outward rotation
E-Z Bar: a 47" long curvy bar that fits 2" olympic plates. Compared to a straight-bar, the E-Z Curl bar has a more natural hand placement which is easier on the wrists for some individuals
Failure: lifting a weight to the point where your muscles are so fatigued you can not perform another repetition
Fartlek Run: basically an interval run. When you intersperse easy bouts of running with quicker running
Flat: the look of a muscle or physique when it lacks definition. Usually from overtraining, under training or a lack of vital nutrients and/or water
Flexibility: range of movement in a joint or group of joints
Forced Rep: performing an exercise with the aid of a spotter with a weight that is intentionally too heavy to do on your own. Usually done to help you overcome a sticking point or as a technique to get stronger
Free Weights: dumbbells & barbells, not machines with a weight stack and pin. Free weights promote movements similar to natural movements. Free weights are often used without the constraint that machines offer. For example, in the standing position, the entire body supports the free weight, taxing a larger portion of the body's musculature than would a traditional machine. The movement of a free weight is constrained by the lifter rather than a machine, requiring muscles to work in stabilization as well as in motion. The lifting of free weights involves a more natural coordination of several muscle groups
Frequency: the number of workouts per week (or another unit of time) or number of times a muscle group is trained per week (or another unit of time)
Functional Movements: an exercise which allows one to gain motor development or strength in a manner in which it is used in the execution of a particular task (eg: specific sport skill, occupational task, or daily activity)
Giant Set: doing 3 or more exercises for the same body part in succession without rest. Example; chin-ups, seated rows, lat pulldowns, t-bar row, rest and repeat
Glutes: short for "gluteus", the largest muscle in your body...your "butt" muscles
Guns: slang term for biceps
Hams: short for "hamstrings". The muscle on the back of your legs between your glutes and your knees.
Hardbody: refers to someone with an extremely fit, lean, muscular physique
HIIT: stands for High Intensity Interval Training
Hyperplasia: an increase in muscle cell number
Hypertrophy: excessive growth of an organ and/or tissues. Ex: gaining muscle mass
Intensity: in the exercise world, intensity is defined as a straight percentage of an individual's maximal capacity to do work. In simple terms: picture a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being easy and 10 being failure, your level of intensity is somewhere between 1 & 10 for any given activity
Internal Rotation: rotation occurring toward midline; movement inward
Interval Training: short, high-intensity exercise periods (interval) alternated with periods of recovery. Example; run 2 minutes, walk 2 minutes or sprint 1 lap, jog ½ lap. Using the definition above of "intensity", your interval is an 8-10 and your recovery is a 3-5.
Isolation: normally defined as a single joint motion. It is important to remember that one cannot isolate a muscle while resistance training. For example, immediately following a load application, the stabilizer muscles become partially involved, due to the machine's assistance. The outside assistance (machine) helps the body or specific joint(s) to remain stable while the prime movers cope with the load. Although we cannot isolate muscles, we can use certain machines to isolate a joint(s), which will emphasize a target area
Isometric Exercise: muscular contraction where muscle maintains a constant length and joints do not move. These exercises are usually performed against a wall or other immovable object.
Isotonic Exercise: muscular action in which there is a change in length of muscle and weight, keeping tension constant. Lifting free weights is a classic isotonic exercise
Jacked: slang for extremely muscular & cut....beyond "big & lean"
Juice: slang for steroids
Knee Wraps: elastic strips about 3 1/2” wide used to wrap knees for better support when performing squats, dead lifts, etc
Lactic Acid: is produced in the muscles during intense activity. Excess lactic acid in the bloodstream causes muscles to fatigue quickly, but it is not the source of muscle soreness
Lats: short for Latissimus Dorsi. The largest, fan-shaped back muscle that extends from your middle back, along the spine to the hip and up to the armpit. Click here for picture
Love Handles: refers to the pockets of fat on your sides just above your belt
Machine: stacks of weights and a pin are used to select the weight poundage. You sit on a bench or seat and use handles that move in a fixed channel to lift the weight.
Muscle: tissue consisting of fibers organized into bands or bundles that contract to cause bodily movement. Muscle fibers run in the same direction as the action they perform
Musclehead: slang for someone whose life is dominated by training
Muscle Spasm: sudden, involuntary contraction of muscle or muscle group
Natural: athletes, especially body builders, who avoid using steroids or other banned substances
Negative: the eccentric portion of a rep. The act of lowering a weight against gravity: specifically, resisting gravity by lowering the weight slowly and under control
One-rep Max (1RM): the greatest amount of weight that you can lift for one repetition, with good form
Obliques: a diagonally arranged abdominal muscle on either side of the torso
Olympic Bar: 7' metal bar, 45 lbs, fits 2" weight plates. Normally referred to as "barbell" used for bench, squat, overhead press, among other exercises
Osteoporosis: a decrease in bone density
Overload: stressing the body or parts of the body to levels above what is normally experienced
Overtraining: training beyond the body's ability to repair itself. Click here
Partial Reps: performing an exercise without going through a complete range of motion either at the beginning or end of a rep
Pecs: short for "pectoral" or article on overtraining
Pectoral Muscles: thick, fan-shaped muscle, situated at the upper and forepart of the chest. Click here for picture
Personal Trainer: a health and fitness professional who is hired for private instruction to help one obtain their fitness goals
Pipes: slang term for biceps
Plate: weights that fit on each end of an Olympic bar...come in 100, 45, 25, 10, 5, 2.5lbs
Plateau: the period of time in a training program in which no further strength gains or physique changes occur, indicating that some part of the program should be changed
Power: ability to exert muscular strength quickly
Power Lifts: three movements used in power lifting competition; the squat, bench press and dead lift
Power Training: weight training using low repetitions, heavy weights
Progressive Resistance: training so that weight is increased as muscles gain strength and endurance
Pronate: when referring to your hands, to turn or rotate the hand or forearm so that the palm faces down or back. When referring to your feet, it's when your feet tend inward, pushing your ankles closer together, and you wear out the inside of your shoe-bottom first
Prone: lying face downward
Pull: movement toward center of body during the concentric contraction of the target muscle. Isolated movements are classified by their compound counterparts
Pumped: the look and feeling one experiences when their muscles engorge with blood, lactic acid and other metabolites in response to intense exercise
Push: movement away from center of body during the concentric contraction of the target muscle. Isolated movements are classified by their compound counterparts
Pyramiding: done in two ways: 1. Beginning with sets that use a lighter load and higher rep count, progressing to heavier load and lower rep count. Example; 15 at 220, 10 at 250, 6 at 280, 3 at 320 2. Beginning with sets that use a heavier load and lower rep count, progressing to lighter load and higher rep count, opposite as above example
Quadriceps: the 4 muscles on the front of your thigh between your knee and your hip joint
Quads: short for "quadriceps"
Rep (Repetition): moving a weight through a range of motion and then back again one time. Example; 10 reps means that you lift the weight 10 times in a row
Rest: refers to the recovery time between sets or between workouts. Example; 30 second rest between sets, 4 day rest between chest workouts
Range of motion: how far you can move around a joint. Example; biceps have a range of motion from 0 to 180° anything further and the elbow would hyper extend
Resting Heart Rate: a measure of heat beats per minute when the body is completely at rest, such as in the morning right out of bed
Ripped: when your body fat is extremely low and your muscles have superior separation and vascularity
Routine: putting together a variety of exercises, reps, sets, rest, etc. with a schedule in mind for a day, week, month or longer
Set: a series of complete performances of a movement in a row, better known as a series of repetitions. Example; 10 bicep curls in a row before rest is considered one set of 10 reps
Shredded: when your body fat is extremely low and your muscles have superior separation and vascularity
Six-pack: referring to your abdominal muscles when you are extremely lean and have a very low body fat, making the individual fibrous sections in your stomach area visible under the skin
Skinny-fat: when a thin person has a high body fat percentage. Although skinny, they still have a high amount of fat and low amount of lean muscle, so their physique appears soft, not lean. Think Paris Hilton.
Smith Rack: also called a Smith Machine, a self-spotting machine that consists of a barbell that moves only vertically up & down on metal runners. Can be used to squat, bench, shoulder overhead, among other exercises
Speed: ability to move the whole body quickly
Spot: to stand guard while someone performs a set. A spotters primary function is to prevent injury, but he or she may help you rerack the weight after a heavy set or assist with forced reps
Spotter: the person that that performs the above (the person that spots you)
Snatch: Olympic lift where weight is lifted from floor to overhead, (with arms extended) in one continuous movement
Stability: remaining consistent and steady
Stabilizer Muscle: a muscle responsible for stabilizing an adjacent segment
Stack: referring to the weight stack on machines that use the plate/pin setup
Static Stretch: a stretch that is held within the stretched position for several seconds, without movement
Steroids: illegal substances that enhance muscle growth
Strength Training: using resistance weight training to build maximum muscle force
Striated: when your body fat is extremely low and your muscles have superior separation and vascularity
Strip (weights): to remove the weights when you finish using that machine. Example; "Please strip the weights when you're done" (take them off and put them away)
Superset: done in two ways: 1. Two exercises involving ANTAGONISTIC muscles performed back-to-back. (ex: overhead press/pull-ups) 2. Two exercises involving the SAME muscle group performed back-to-back. (ex: overhead press/lateral raise)
Supinate: when referring to your hands, to turn or rotate so that the palm faces up or forward. When referring to your feet, it's when your feet tend outward and you wear out the outside heel of your shoe before the rest of it
Supine: lying with the face upward
Taper: active rest period of days or weeks before an important event
Tempo: the rate of speed of a repetition
Tempo Run: when you run with steady effort for a sustained period of time. A successful tempo run will last between 20 and 30 minutes at 75-80% effort. Example: after your warm-up, run for 10 minutes at a comfortable pace, then a fast pace for 20-30 minutes, then a comfortable pace again for 10 minutes, then your cool-down
Traps: short for "trapezius" muscles, they run from your neck to your shoulders and down your back along your spine. Click here for picture
Triceps: the 3 muscles on the back of your arms between your elbow and shoulder. Click here for picture
Tris: short for "triceps"
Unilateral: pertaining to one side
V-Grip: the V shaped cable attachment used mainly for tricep pushdowns
Volume: the total amount of work performed in a training cycle (workout, week, month, etc)
Warm-up: anything done prior to starting your lifting routine that raises your heart rate and warms up your core, usually 5-10 minute CV session, stretching, light weights
Weight-bearing exercise: any activity that requires your skeleton to bear the weight of your body. Along with any weighted exercise, it also includes activities such as running
Wheels: slang term for legs
Working Sets: the sets following your warm-up sets that are part of your routine
