Simplified Health & Fitness Glossary

Looking for Fitness Terms in Plain English ?

Attention Kinesiology Students, Personal Trainers and Researchers:

This resource is not for you. All terms are defined with the most simple definition. If you are looking for a clinical definition, a great site is ExRx.net

Everybody Else: Here are some terms, and their simplified definitions which relate to health and fitness. If you cannot find the term you are looking for, don't hesitate to Ask The Trainer ..... We take requests!

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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

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