Retrieving Words...

Adaptation Definition: The adjustment of the body (or mind) to achieve a greater degree of fitness to its environment. Adaptations are more persistent than an immediate response to the new stimuli of the environment. Cf. response. Association: Fitness

Adipose tissue Definition: Fat tissue Association: Fitness

Aerobic Definition: To use Oxygen as Fuel to provide your body energy to move. Aerobic exercise is any movement maintain at a moderate pace for more than approximately 3 minutes or more. Running, soccer, biking, swimming, roller blading are examples of aerobic activity. Association: Fitness

Aerobic activities Definition: Activities using large muscle groups at moderate intensities that permit the body to use oxygen to supply energy and to maintain a steady state for more than a few minutes. Cf. steady state. Association: Fitness

Aerobic endurance Definition: The ability to continue aerobic activity over a period of time. Association: Fitness

Aerobic exercise Definition: Activities in which oxygen from the blood is required to fuel the energy-producing mechanisms of muscle fibers. Examples are running, cycling and skiing over distance. Aerobic means "with oxygen." Association: Fitness

Aerobic Metabolism Definition: Aerobic glycolysis occurs when O2 is available to breakdown pyruvate, which yields ATP through chemical reactions that occur in the Krebs Cycle and the Electron Transport System. As in anaerobic metabolism, glucose may be obtained from stored glycogen. Glycogen stores are plentiful, and therefore glycogen depletion is only a concern for athletes who are continuously exercising for more than 90 minutes or intermittent exercise over substantially longer periods of time. For example, it is not uncommon for endurance athletes to become glycogen depleted. In marathon races this is referred to as "hitting the wall". In order to reduce the chances of depleting glycogen reserves during a contest, athletes often "carbo load" prior to the event. This involves manipulating the carbohydrate content of one's diet in order to maximize glycogen stores. Association: Fitness

Anaerobic Definition: Without Air or use of Oxygen as Fuel. An activity or physical movement that utilizes the Lactic Acid or ATP-PC Power Systems of the body to produce the energy to move. Usually short duration, or lifting type activities. Example: Lifting weights, push-ups, curl-ups, stretching, a football play... Association: Fitness

Anaerobic exercise Definition: Short-term activities (usually highly intense) in which muscle fibers derive contractile energy from stored internal compounds without the use of oxygen from the blood. These compounds include ATP, CP and Glycogen. Short bursts of "all-out" effort, such as sprinting or weightlifting are examples of anaerobic activities. Anaerobic activities, then, are activities using muscle groups at high intensities that exceed the body's capacity to use oxygen to supply energy and which create an oxygen debt by using energy produced without oxygen. Association: Fitness

Anaerobic Metabolism Definition: The two main anaerobic sources of ATP are from Phosphocreatine (PCr) and Anaerobic Glycolysis. Intramuscular PCr stores are used for rapid high intensity contractions but are depleted in less than 30 seconds and take several minutes to replenish. For example, PCr provides the majority of the energy for a 100 m sprint. Additionally, the ability to perform repeated bouts of near maximal effort is largely dependent on PCr stores. Augmenting PCr stores by Creatine Supplementation can increase the amount of work that can be performed in repeated bouts of high intensity exercise. Association: Fitness

Anaerobic Strength Endurance Definition: comes principally from the glycolytic pathway. The emphasis is on repetitive muscular capacity such as required in boxing, wrestling, tug-o-war and high repetition training (more than 20 reps) without entering the aerobic phase of muscular energetics, and which involves the development of severe oxygen debt. There are two general types of anaerobic strength endurance: Association: Fitness

Anaerobic threshold Definition: The point where increasing energy demands of exercise cannot be met by the use of oxygen, and an oxygen debt begins to be incurred. Association: Fitness

Anaerobic Training Definition: Anaerobic training is shorter than aerobic training in duration (less than two minutes), in which oxygen is not a limiting factor in performance, and requires energy from anaerobic sources. These energy sources involve the utilization of phosphagen and lactic acid by the athlete’s body; and enables them to perform brief, near maximal muscular activity (<2 min). Events, or activity that lasts up to 30 seconds in length, rely almost exclusively on the phosphagen system. Activity that lasts from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, begin to rely on lactic acid (again, any activity beyond two minutes becomes aerobic training). These energy systems are effectively developed using an interval training system. It is important note that although one energy system may be predominate for a given activity, all systems are in use to some degree during anaerobic, or interval training. Interval training uses, as named, intervals that can consist of running, swimming, calisthenic exercises, or resistance training. Work intervals, which also include rest intervals, vary depending on the athletes mode of training, or need (need analysis). For example; work intervals of less than 30 seconds (phosphagen system), are typically performed with rest intervals of approximately three times this duration. This type of training does not allow for full recovery between bouts of work and is often done during the middle, to later part of the athlete’s preseason training period. As the competition phase approaches, preseason interval training consists of longer rest intervals to accommodate the near-maximal intensity. Exercising involving the lactic acid energy source generally has an exercise-to-rest ratio of 1:2 (one second of activity, to two seconds of rest). Full recovery is not achieved, but as athletes perform more of this type of training, they will be better able to tolerate and utilize increased concentrations of lactic acid. Most athletes involved in strength and power activities, such as football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, running events under 800 m, and swimming events under 100 m, utilize both of the anaerobic energy sources to supply the majority of required energy. Interval training should comprise the bulk of their metabolic training. Each stage in an athlete’s training requires modification of the various modes and methods of training according to the goals set by the athlete, skill coach, and conditioning specialist. The basic programs design is to meet the critical needs of the athlete. Modification of the program, or some variation in these guidelines may be appropriate for different age groups and fitness levels. The most important principle of conditioning (sequencing) may be listening to your body. The successful athlete has an optimal blend of training modes and methods. The successful athlete has an optimal blend of training modes and methods. And just as with any other type of fitness, the intensity and duration of training must be increased gradually over time in a logical progression that allows the athlete to peak for the most important competitions. To understand what an athlete’s program will consist of, a needs analysis should be a priority. A needs analysis is when the professional (strength coach, skills coach, parent, head coach, assistant coach, advisor, et al) analyzes the fitness needs of both the activity and the individual athlete involved in the sport. To develop a needs analysis first analyze the physiological and biomechanical requirements of each sport. A physiological analysis will allow you to devise a program that addresses the aspects of strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, cardiorespriatory endurance, power, and speed required for success in the sport. A biomechanical analysis will allow you to choose training activities that develop the athlete in the manner most specific to the sport and also to determine the areas of critical stress in the sport. Strength and weaknesses in each athlete need to be assessed by the chosen professional. As stated, different sports require various levels of fitness and all athletes should be tested, or analyzed for strength, flexibility, endurance, power and speed. Also needed by a medical professional, is an injury profile on each participating athlete to determine specific needs with regard to injury prevention, or adaptation. Resource: http://www.asmi.org/sportsmed/Performance/anaerobic.html Association: Fitness

ATP Definition: Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the source of energy for all muscle contractions. Energy is released when ATP is broken into ADP+Pi (adenosine diphosphate and phosphate group). Maintaining the availability of ATP for muscle contraction is the limiting factor, since ATP is not stored in large amounts in skeletal muscle. Viable sources of ATP come from both anaerobic (does not require O2) and aerobic (requires O2) means. The primary energy source for a given activity will primarily depend on the intensity of muscle contractions. Association: Fitness

ATP/CP Sports Definition: Explosive strength sports with movement lasting a second or two at most (examples: shot put, powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, vertical jump). Association: Fitness

Average Exercise Heart Rate Definition: (AvgExHR) is the rate at which your heart beats on average during exercise. Usually an approximation, or best guess. Example: You take your exercise heart rate three times: 141, 132, 138. Taking the value of the median number of 138 would be a good estimation, so AvgExHR = 138. Association: Fitness

Ballistic Movement Definition: An exercise or sports-related movement in which part of the body is "thrown" against the resistance of antagonist muscles or against the limits of a joint. The latter, especially, is considered dangerous to the integrity of ligaments and tendons. Association: Fitness

Biomechanics Definition: The study of the mechanical aspects of physical movement, such as torque, drag, and posture, that is used to enhance athletic technique. Association: Fitness

BMR (Basal metabolic rate) Definition: The rate at which the body burns calories while at complete rest -- lying down but not sleeping -- over a 24 hour period. Association: Fitness

Body composition Definition: The proportions of fat, muscle, and bone making up the body. Usually Association: Fitness

Body Fat Definition: The percentage of fat in the body. In bodybuilding, the lower the percentage, the more muscular the physique appears. Association: Fitness

Bodybuilding Definition: The application of training sciences -- particularly nutrition and weight training -- to enhance musculature and physical appearance. Association: Fitness

Calisthenics Definition: A system of exercise movements, without equipment, for the building of the strength, flexibility and physical grace. The Greeks formed the word from "kalos" (beautiful) and "sthenos" (strength). Association: Fitness

Cardiorespiratory endurance Definition: involves the efficiency of the "loop" where the blood goes from the heart to the lungs, gets rid of water and carbon dioxide, picks up oxygen, and returns to the heart for delivery to the body. Association: Fitness

Cardiovascular/Cardiorespiratory Endurance Definition: The efficiency with which you get oxygen to your working muscles while, at the same time, removing metabolic wastes. Repetitive submaximal applications of muscular exertion (force), linear or non-linear in nature, forces your muscles to operate while in severe oxygen debt. While CRE and CVE are the conventional phrases to describe this attribute, a more accurate phrase would be "aerobic strength endurance" (see aerobic strength endurance). Your training (which must include resistance training, dietary practices, supplementation, therapeutic modalities and psychological techniques) must emphasize this oxygen debt factor, ever-pushing the limits at which the debt becomes too great and you are forced to stop. Simple jogging or other such "aerobic" forms of exercise can reverse disuse effects, but a far more strenuous approach is necessary to up your max VO2 uptake past 60 ml/kg/min. Association: Fitness

Conditioning Definition: Long-term physical training, typically used in reference to sports preparation. Association: Fitness

Contraindication Definition: Any condition which indicates that a particular course of action (or exercise) would be inadvisable. Association: Fitness

Cool down Definition: A gradual reduction of the intensity of exercise to allow physiological processes to return to normal. Helps avoid blood pooling in the legs and may reduce muscular soreness. Association: Fitness

Crunches Definition: An abdominal exercise which isolates the abdominals while, at the same time, eliminating unwanted action from the iliopsoas muscles (hip flexors). Association: Fitness

Detraining Definition: The process of losing the benefits of training by returning to a sedentary life. Association: Fitness

Duration Definition: The amount of time spent. Association: Fitness

Dynamic Stretching Definition: Dynamic stretching, according to Kurz, "involves moving parts of your body and gradually increasing reach, speed of movement, or both." Do not confuse dynamic stretching with ballistic stretching! Dynamic stretching consists of controlled leg and arm swings that take you (gently!) to the limits of your range of motion. Association: Fitness

Endurance Definition: The capacity to continue a physical performance over a period of time. Association: Fitness

Energy Systems Versus Running Speed Definition: Based on world record times, humans can maintain maximum sprinting speed for approximately 200 m. The average speeds for the 100 m and 200 m world records are similar (21.6 mph and 22.4 mph, respectively). However, with increasing distances, average speeds decline. The average speed for the marathon world record is 12.1 mph, which is 55% of the world record sprinting speed. This is remarkable since the marathon is more than 200 times the length of a 200 m race. Although natural selection plays a crucial role in elite sprinting and marathon performance, the energy systems also must be highly trained and exercise-specific to be successful. For example, the energy needed to maintain an average sprinting speed of 22 mph for 200 m or less and an average running speed of 12.1 mph for the marathon are acquired by two very different systems (the predominant energy systems required for running at different speeds are shown in the first figure). The primary energy source for sprinting distances up to 400 m is PCr. From 400 m to 1,500 m, anaerobic glycolysis is the primary energy source. For distances longer than 1,500 m, athletes rely primarily on aerobic metabolism. Association: Fitness

Exercise Definition: Physical exertion of sufficient intensity, duration, and frequency to achieve or maintain fitness, or other health or athletic objectives. Association: Fitness

Exercise prescription Definition: A recommendation for a course of exercise to meet desirable individual Association: Fitness

Explosive strength Definition: describes the firing of muscles fibers over a longer period of time after initial activation, for the purpose of pushing, pulling or moving a weighted object. Examples: weightlifting, shotputting and football. Association: Fitness

Fatigue Definition: A loss of ability to continue a given level of physical workload or performance. Association: Fitness

Fitness Definition: A layman's definition of fitness may be as follows: "Your ability to meet the exigencies of your lifestyle with ease -- and room to spare for life's little emergencies." Thus, what constitutes "fitness" for one person isn't necessarily fitness for another. Laborers need a different level of fitness than do office secretaries because the demands of their lifestyles are different. Coaches need not be as fit as the athletes they train, generals needn't be as fit as the soldiers they command, and older adults (past middle-age) require a different set of standards for lifestyle fitness than do younger adults.Another definition is, the state of well-being consisting of optimum levels of strength, flexibility, weight control, cardiovascular capacity and positive physical and mental health behaviors, that prepare a person to participate fully in life, to be free from controllable health risk factors and to achieve physical objectives consistent with his/her potential. Cf. wellness. Association: Fitness

Fitness Definition: The state or condition of being fit; suitability or appropriateness.Good health or physical condition, especially as the result of exercise and proper nutrition. Association: Fitness

Fitness testing Definition: Measuring the indicators of the various aspects of fitness. Cf. graded Association: Fitness

Flexibility Definition: The range of motion around a joint. Association: Fitness

Frequency Definition: How often you perform a particular activity, like: once per week, 2-3 times per week. How often a person repeats a complete exercise session (e.g. 3 times per week). Frequency, along with duration and intensity, affect the effectiveness of exercise. Association: Fitness

Glycolysis Definition: The metabolic process that creates energy via splitting a molecule of glucose to form either pyruvic acid or lactic acid and produce ATP molecules. Glycolysis in an important part of anaerobic metabolism. Association: Fitness

Heart Rate Definition: The number of times your heart beats during each minute. Association: Fitness

Heart rate reserve Definition: The difference between the resting heart rate and the maximal heart rate. Association: Fitness

Intensity Definition: Exceptionally great concentration, power, or force. How hard you are working. Related to perceived exhersion and Target Heart Rate. The rate of performing work; power. A function of energy output per unit of time. Examples: Aerobic exercise may be measured in o(V,.)O2, METs, or heart rate; short-duration anaerobic exercise may be measured in foot-pounds per minute or other units of work measurement. Intensity, along with duration and frequency, affect the effectiveness of exercise. In gym parlance, intensity refers to the difficulty of a workout or workout schedule. Intensity is often erroneously defined as how close you are to your maximum limit strength level in the amount of weight you are using in a given exercise movement. But to athletes other than bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts, intensity is defined as "psych." There is a need for a clear definition. (See related concepts, "Periodization" and "Recovery.") Association: Fitness

Interval training Definition: An exercise session in which the intensity and duration of exercise are Association: Fitness

Krebs Cycle Definition: Krebs cycle (citric acid cycle) refers to a complicated series of reactions by which fragments from any of the energy nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) are completely broken down to carbon dioxide and water, releasing energy for the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). It is the final common pathway for all nutrient metabolites involved in energy production, and provides more than 90% of the body's energy. This is the oxidative portion of energy production where short carbon chains from the breakdown of glucose, fatty acids, and protein are broken down and the energy is used to form more ATP. Oxygen is involved in this phase of metabolism where they combine with hydrogen atoms to form water. This takes place in the mitochondria. Association: Fitness

Lactic acid Definition: A byproduct of glucose and glycogen metabolism in anaerobic muscle energetics. A minute accumulation causes muscular fatigue and pain, and retards contraction. Association: Fitness

Lean body mass Definition: All of you, except your fat. Includes bone, brain, organs, skin, nails, muscle, all bodily tissues. Approximately 50-60% of lean body mass is water. Association: Fitness

Lean body weight Definition: The weight of the body, less the weight of its fat. Association: Fitness

Max VO2 Uptake Definition: Maximum Volume of Oxygen Taken up by the working muscles, expressed in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute (ml/kg/min). Association: Fitness

Maximal Exercise Heart Rate Definition: (MaxExHR) is the fastest rate your heart beats during exercise per minute. Example: 152 beats per minute. Association: Fitness

Muscle Mass Definition: For bodybuilders, muscle mass is critical. It's the point of the sport. But for fitness enthusiasts, strength-to-weight ratio is more important than sheer mass for its own sake. Certainly, it's "normal" to have each muscle in your body optimally developed. And, it's "abnormal" not to be. What does that make the average sedentary person? Abnormal! The best method ever conceived to improve muscle mass is through a "holistic" approach. That is, optimally developing each and every cellular organelle and component maximally through employing a variety of training stresses. This is best accomplished through a carefully planned, integrative multiple variable split training system. Association: Fitness

Muscle tone Definition: "Muscle tone" or "tonus" refers to the degree of resting "tension" in a muscle. Weight training results in a greater number of muscle fiber "firing" while at rest. It's Mother nature's way of keeping your muscles in a "ready" state to contract more forcefully and instantaneously if needed. The partial contraction results in your muscles feeling "tight" or "hard" to the touch. Association: Fitness

o(V,.)O2 max Definition: Maximum Volume of Oxygen consumed per unit of time. In scientific notation, a dot appears over the V to indicate "per unit of time." Cf. maximal oxygen uptake Association: Fitness

Overtraining Definition: Excessive training, principally of the eccentric contraction phase of lifting weights or running. Can cause injuries, loss of body weight, insomnia, anorexia, depression, chronic muscle soreness and retard workout recovery. Association: Fitness

Oxidative Sports Definition: Sports such as long distance running or cycling wherein oxygen must be present to allow movement to continue (see ATP/CP Sports and Glycolytic Sports). Association: Fitness

Oxygen debt Definition: The oxygen consumed in recovery from exercise above the amount that would normally be consumed at rest. In intense endurance activities, oxygen debt refers to the amount of oxygen that is "owed" to the system to oxidize lactic acid build-up. One's tolerance for an accumulated debt is generally proportional to the level of fitness. Association: Fitness

Parcourse training Definition: A concept borrowed from outdoor parks and applied to the gym during sports-specific phase of foundation training for aerobic athletes. Involves the performance of aerobic activities -- jogging, skipping rope, straddle jumping, bicycle ergometer -- between exercises of a weight training routine. Association: Fitness

Perceived Exersion Definition: A means to quantify the subjective feeling of the intensity of an exercise. Borg scales, charts which describe a range of intensity from resting to maximal energy outputs, are used as a visual aid to exercisers in keeping their efforts in the effective training zone. Association: Fitness

Perceived Exertion Definition: How hard one is working during activity on a scale of 0 to 20. Example: 0 = Dead, 20 = Sprinting a mile or more, 10 = walking, 12 = power walking, 13 = jogging, 14-16 = playing sports. Association: Fitness

Percent Bodyfat Definition: The percentage of your total bodyweight that is comprised of fat. Most fitness experts agree that 10-14% is "good" for men, and 14-18% is "good" for women. Clinical obesity is defined as 20 and 28 percent for men and women, respectively, while chronic obesity (the point at which your overweight condition is considered a "disease") is 28 and 32 percent for men and women, respectively. Dietary practices and nutritional supplementation are obviously the most important technologies involved in reducing bodyfat levels. However, without some form of exercise -- especially some form of resistance exerrcise -- your task is greatly magnified. This is because bigger muscles burn fat more efficiently than little muscles. Simply reversing the effects of disuse in your muscles will ensure that your dietary efforts pay far greater dividends for you. Medical support, therapeutic modalities and psychological techniques are often called for in extreme cases of obesity or when there are other health considerations involved. By far the most important consideration is prevention -- don't let yourself get fat in the first place. (See BMI Standards for specific percentages for your age group and gender) Association: Fitness

Periodization Definition: "Periodized training" is a phrase which refers to how one’s training is broken down into discreet time periods called "macrocycles, mesocycles and microcycles. Association: Fitness

Physical conditioning Definition: A program of regular, sustained exercise to increase or maintain levels of strength, flexibility, aerobic capacity, and body composition consistent with health, fitness or (especially) athletic objectives. Association: Fitness

Physical fitness Definition: The physiological contribution to wellness through exercise and nutrition behaviors that maintain high aerobic capacity, balanced body composition, and adequate strength and flexibility to minimize risk of chronic health problems and to enhance the enjoyment of life. Association: Fitness

Physical work capacity (PWC) Definition: An exercise test that meas