Dynamic Fitness: Glossary of Terms

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Glossary of Terms

Go to fullsize image

Acute Injury-

An injury which occurs due to one specific event

i.e. broken arm in Judo match

ADL-

Activities of Daily Living

Aerobic exercise-

Oxygen is present
Activities lasting longer 1.5 minutes
Low intensity

Alcohol-

Contain 7 calories per gram

Amino Acids-

The individual building blocks protein in your body and diet

Anabolic-

Building up

Anaerobic exercise-

Without the presence of Oxygen (i.e. weight training & sprinting)
Activities lasting up to 1.5 minutes

Antioxidants-

Vitamins C, E, A and selenium
Protect body against damage from internal processes

ATP-

Adenosine Tri Phosphate
Energy fuel for all cellular reactions in the body
All dietary calories are eventually broken down into ATP

BMR-

Basal Metabolic Rate

Resting metabolism

The number of calories your body would burn if you laid in bed all day with no physical activity under normal conditions

Calorie-

A unit of energy
The amount of energy it takes to raise 1 cubic centimeter of water 1 degrees Celsius

Caloric Balance-

Eating the same amount of calories as you burn

Carbohydrate-

Starches
Sugars
Contain 4 calories per gram

Cartilage-

Soft Gel Like padding in between bones
Protects joints from bone on bone stress
Aids in movement

Catabolic-

Breaking down

Chronic Injury-

An injury which occurs due to repeated stress over time

Complimentary Proteins-

When incomplete proteins (plant sources) are combined to make a complete protein
Grains, corn, nuts and seeds plus legumes.

Concentric-

The positive (raising weight against gravity) phase of a lift
Muscles are shortening under tension

CPT-

Certified Personal Trainer
Provided by many different certification organizations

Creatine-

A naturally occurring organic acid
Used for increasing strength in short duration anaerobic activities

CSCS-

Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association) certification specifically for strength & conditioning coaches
Requires college degree

Diet-

The food and fluids you consume

Drop Sets-

Performing reps until failure starting with a heavy weight and subsequently lowering (dropping) the weight and repeating until ultimate failure

Dynamic-

Exercises in which there is movement of the body's muscles and joints

Dynamic Posture-

The ability of your body to maintain proper posture during movement

Eccentric-

The negative (lowering weight with gravity) phase of a lift
Muscles are lengthening under tension

Electrolytes-

Minerals which contain free ions
Sodium & Potassium

Ergogenic Aid-

A product used to increase performance

Fat

Triglycerides (stored body fat)
Contain 9 calories per gram

Fatty Acids

Building blocks of triglycerides (fats)

Functional Training-

Resistance exercise which imitates ADLs or Activities of Daily Living

Glucose-

Blood sugar

The only fuel for your brain
Obtained from broken down carbohydrate in digestion
Formed from broken down glycogen in muscles and liver

Glycemic Index-

The ranking system for a specific carbohydrates blood sugar response
Developed for diabetics but is useful for dieters

Glycogen-

Stored complex carbohydrate in muscles and liver
Broken down to blood sugar when needed for energy

Glutamine-

L- Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid
Used as a dietary supplement with many benefits

Guarana-

The herbal version of caffeine
The amount of guarana in a product does not equal the same amount of caffeine

Products are standardized for a certain percentage of caffeine

For example a product may have 300mg of guarana standardized at 22% caffeine

This product would have around 66mg of caffeine

H.I.T. (High Intensity Training)

Method of weight training using infrequent heavy weight training sessions
Usually training only 1 set per body part 3 times per week
Focuses on using strict form and slow repetition speed

Hyperglycemia

High blood sugar due to diabetes or possibly eating disorder

Hyperthyroidism-

When the thyroid gland is overactive and produces too much thyroid hormones
Speeds up digestion and body processes

Hyopnatremia-

Deadly water intoxication due to severe electrolyte disturbance

Hypoglycemia-

Low blood glucose levels (sugar)
Causes

Hypothyroidism-

When the thyroid gland is under active and does not produce enough thyroid hormone
Slows down the metabolism

Interval Training-

Training which involves alternating intense bouts of exercise with either rest or lower intensity exercise

Isometric-

When there is no lengthening or shortening of a muscle but the muscle is still under tension

Kettlebells-

A weight from Russia which looks like a canon ball with a handle
Used for stabilization and power training

Kinesiology-

The science of human movement
Another name for exercise science as it relates to college degrees and classes

Kinetic energy-

The energy of motion
As you lift a weight you can measure the kinetic energy

Lactic Acid

A byproduct of burning glucose (blood sugar) as fuel during exercise that lasts longer than minute
Can also be used as fuel

Law of Conservation of Energy-

Energy cannot be created nor destroyed
I.e. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will ALWAYS gain weight

Ligament-

Elastic band of tissue that connects bone to bone
Provides stability to the joint

Macronutrients

Stuff needed by your body in large quantities
Foods in your diet and water

Carbohydrates, proteins and Fats

MCTs

Medium Chained Triglycerides
Good sources include coconut and palm kernel oils
Used for energy easier than regular fats (triglycerides)

Metabolism-

The sum total of all the chemical reactions in your body
How many calories you burn per day with activity

Micronutrients-

Stuff needed by your body in small quantities
Vitamins and minerals

NASM-

National Academy of Sports Medicine
Providing fitness certifications since 1987

Nitrogen Balance-

The amount of protein (muscle) broken down versus the amount of protein built

NSCA

National Strength & Conditioning Association
Providing fitness certifications since 1978

Olympic Lifting-

Competition lifts: Clean & Jerk, Snatch
Focus on quintessential power movements

Overreaching-

Short term performance drop due to not enough recovery, too much exercise or a combination of the two

Overtraining syndrome-

Long term performance drop due to long term overwork to the body with lack of proper recovery
Symptoms include, significant drop in performance, bad mood, raised resting heart rate, muscle & joint aches, swollen glands, headache, loss of appetite, very low energy and low motivation

PES-

Performance Enhance Specialist (NASM)
Requires college degree

Plateau-

The point in a training program when your results come to a halt

Plyometrics-

Fast, powerful movement training
Bridges the gap between strength and speed

Posture-

Alignment of the body

Potential energy-

Energy which is stored in your body
Potential for producing (kinetic) energy of movement

Power Lifting-

Competition lifts: Squat, Dead Lift, and Bench Press
Lifting for brute strength

Pronate-

To rotate hands, thumbs toward the body

Respiration-

Breathing

Rotator Cuff-

4 tiny muscles in your shoulder
Main job is to decelerate arm motions

Sagittal Plane-

The plane that bisects the body into right and left halves

South Beach Diet-

A low calorie healthy weight loss diet
Originally developed from cardiac patients

Spot Reduction-

The idea that you can target and remove fat in a specific area by doing specific isolated exercises for that area
i.e. doing abdominal crunches to reduce stomach fat

Steroids-

Substances used to increase the building of protein (muscle)
Usually some form of the male hormone testosterone

Sugar Alcohols-

Sugar substitutes, commonly replace sugar in diet foods
Only partially digested so blood sugar response is limited

Super Set-

Performing 2 or more exercises back to back with no rest in between sets

Supinate-

To turn the hands outward from the body

Supine-

Lying on your back
Your palms facing out

Tendon-

Band of tissue which connects muscle to bone

Testosterone-

An androgenic steroid hormone

Secreted from testes in males
Secreted from ovaries in females

Thyroid-

Endocrine gland in the neck that produces hormones

Thyroid Hormones-

Thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3)
Regulate the rate at which our body breaks things down and builds things up

Tribulus Terrestris-

A non-steroidal dietary supplement
Purported to raise testosterone

Inconclusive whether it raises testosterone or not

Virilization-

Development of male characteristics in women from steroid use

Whey Protein-

High quality protein that is actually a byproduct of cheese manufacturing
Commercial version contains a blend of different types of whey

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)