ABDUCTION: Movement away fromthe middle of the body.

ADDUCTION: Movement toward the midline of the body.

AEROBICS: The word aerobic means with oxygen. Aerobic exercise is any repetitive activity that you do long enough and hard enough to challenge your heart and lungs. In order to work your heart and lungs hard enough, you must get your largest muscle groups involved. They include your legs, glutes, back and chest.

AGONIST: The muscle most involved in producing a movement

ANAEROBICS: The word anaerobic means without oxygen. It is a highly intense, short term activity such as sprinting and weightlifting. After about 60 seconds or so, your body starts to gasp for air and you feel a fatiguing sensation is a anaerobic state. This is caused because the extra oxygen supply you have in your body has been used up.

ANABOLIC ANDROGENIC STEROIDS: Synthetic derivation of the male sex hormone testosterone.

ANATOMICAL POSITION: Standing erect, with feet and palms facing forward.

ANDROGENIC HORMONE: A hormone that promotes the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics.

ANGINA: Pain originating from the heart; characterized by a substantial pressure within the chest, radiating down the arms, or up into the jaw.

ANOREXIA NERVOSA: An eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of becoming obese, a distorted body image and extreme weight loss. Metabolic abnormalities are commonly associated with this disorder and it can sometimes be fatal.

ANTAGONIST: The muscle in opposition to the agonist.

ANTERIOR: Anatomiacal term meaning toward the front. Same as ventral. Opposite or posterior.

ASORBIC ACID: Vitamin C

ATROPHY: A decrease in the cross sectional size of a muscle.

AUGMENT: To make greater, morenumerous, larger or more intense.

AXON: Neuron process carrying nerve impulses away from the cell body of the neuron. The pathway through which the nerve impulse travels.

BALLISTIC: Fast, dynamic movement.

BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR): The energy expended by the body at rest to maintain normal function. Relative to lean body mass.

BCAA: Branched chain amino acids.

BLOOD PRESSURE: The force that blood exerts on the walls of the arteries.

BULIMIA: Eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by fasting, self-induced vomiting or the use of diuretics and laxatives.

BURSA: Tissue sacks located around joints which secrete a lubricating fluid to reduce friction and allow tissue to slide on one another.

CALORIE: Amount of heat required to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree C; used to express the fuel energy value of food or the heat output of the organism.

CARBOHYDRATE: A chemical compound made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Carbohydrates are the chief source of energy for all body functions and anaerobic muscular exertion.

CATABOLISM: The tearing down or destruction of body tissue.

CATALYST: A substance which stimulates change, yet is not directly altered.

CERVICAL: The neck region of the trunk consisting of seven vertebrae.

CHOLESTEROL: A fat-like substance found in all animal fats, bile, skin, blood and brain tissue. Cholesterol is also necessary for the synthesis of endogenous hormones.

CHRONIC: Referring to something of an extended or long-term nature, e.g., physical training program of six months' duration.

CIRCUIT TRAINING: Selected exercises or activities performed in sequence, as rapidly as possible.

COMPLETE PROTEIN: A protein containing all the essential amino acids in amounts adequate for human use.

CONTRACTION: The state of a muscle when tension is generated across a number of actin and myosin filaments.

CONTUSION: A bruise.

CREATINE PHOSPHATE: A high energy phosphate molecule that is stored in cells and can be used to re-synthesize ATP immediately.

DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE: Pressure exerted by the blood on the vessel walls when the heart is in its filling stage (bottom number)

DISTAL: Furthest from the attached end of the limb; away from the body.

DORSAL: Pertaining to the back; opposite of ventral, palmer and plantar.

DORSIFLEXION: Movement of the foot up in the sagittal plane; movement toward the leg.

ESSENTRIC: Muscle action in which tension is developed in the muscle and the muscle lengthens. Negative work is performed.

ECTOMORPH: Body Type Characterized by a light build and slight muscular development.

EDEMA: Swelling as a result of the collection of fluid within the tissues.

ENDOGENOUS: Developed or originated in the body.

ENDOMORPH: Body type characterizedby a heavy rounded build, often with a marked tendency toward obesity or being overweight.

ENZYME: A substance, usually a protein, that stimulates chemical changes and is formed in living cells.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS: Fatty acids that the body cannot manufacture and that may cause nutritional defiency if not supplied through diet and/or supplementation (e.g., linoleic acid).

EVERSION: Movement of the sole of the foot outward; opposite of inversion.

EXOGENOUS: Developed or originating outside of the body.

EXTENTION: Movement at a joint, bringing two parts into or toward a straight line, increasing the angle of the joint. Opposite of flexion.

EXTERNAL ROTATION: Movement of the anterior surface of a segment away from the midline; also termed laterla rotation.

FAST TWITCH FIBERS: Large skelatal muscle fibers that are innvervated by the alpha-l motor neuron and have ast contraction times. There are two subtypes: low oxidative and high glycolytic (Type IIb) and medium oxidative high glycolytic (Type IIa).

FAT: An essential nutrient providing energy and energy storage.

FLEXIBILITY: The range of movement of a specific joint or a group of joints, influenced by the associated bones and boney structures, muscles, tendons and ligaments. The distance you can move a joint (range of motion) and the the mobility of your muscles.

FLEXION: Movement about a joint in which bones on either side of the joint are brought closer together, decreasing the angle of the joint. Opposite of extension.

FRONTAL PLANE: Imaginary line that divides the body into anterior and posterior halves; lies at a right angle to the sagittal plane.

FRUCTOSE: Fruit sugar.

GLUCOSE: The simplest form of sugar in which a carbohydrate is assimilated in the body; blood sugar.

GLYCEMIA: The presence of glucose in the blood.

GLYCOGEN: The form in which carbohydrates are stored in the body.

HORMONE: A chemical substance produced or released by one of the endocrine glands, which is transported by the blood to a specific target organ.

HYPEREXTENSION: Continuation of the movement of extensions past the neutral position.

HYPERGLYCEMIA: Elevated levels of glucose, or sugar, in the blood.

HYPERTENSION: A chronic elevation of arterial bllod pressure which is a primary risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke; any resting value consistently greater than 140/90 is considered a hypertensive value.

HYPERTROPHY: Enlargement of overgrowth of an organ or part due to an increase in the size of its constituent cells.

HYPOGLYCEMIA: A relative rare condition in which the blood glucose level falls below 60 mg/dl. Causes too much insulin, too little glucose or too much exercise in the insulin dependent diabetic.

INSERTION: The more distal attachment site of the muscle. The movable part or attachment of a muscle as opposed to origin.

INSULIN: A hormone produced by the pancreas which helps to control blood glucose levels and carbohydrate metabolism.

INTENSITY: In weight training, the load or percentage of maximum lifting capacity lifted with each repetition.

INTERVAL TRAINING: Training program that alternates bouts of heavy or very heavy work with periods of rest or light work.

INVERSION: Moving the sole of the foot inward. Opposite of inversion.

ISOMETRIC: A contraction during which tension is produced, but no movement occurs.

KETOSIS: An abnormal accumulation of ketone bodies due to an inadequate intake or metabolism of carbohydrates and an increased fatty acid metabolism (e.g., fasting, diabetes).

KINESIOLOGY: The scientific study of human movement.

KYPHOSIS: Neutral/normal sagittal curvature of the thoracic spine, often accompanied by rounded shoulders.

LACTIC ACID: (Lactate) A temporary product of anaerobic glucose metabolism.

LATERAL: Aspect furthest from the midline of the body; pertaining to the side. Opposite of medial.

LEAN BODY MASS (LBM): Body weight minus body fat; composed of muscle, bone and other nonfat tissue.

LIGAMENT: Connective tissue that binds bone to bone, to maintain the integrity of a joint.

LIPID: Fat, or fat-like, substance.

LIPOPROTEIN: A molecule that is a combination of protein and lipid; lipoproteins are the transporters of cholesterol in the bloodstream.

LORDOSIS: Neutral/normal forward curvature of the lumbar and cervical spine. Hyperlordosis results in a protruding abdomen and buttocks.

LUMBAR: The lower region of the trunk between the thorax and the pelvis consisting of five vertabrea.

LYSIS: To break down.

MACRONUTRIENT: An essential nutrient required in a relative large amount.

MAXIMAL HEART RATE: The fastest heart rate possible under normal maximal evercise conditions.

MEDIAL: Aspect of nearest the midline of the body; pertaining to the center. Opposite of lateral.

MESOMORPH: Husky body type, with muscular build.

MONOUNSATURATED FAT: A fatty acid which contains one double bond.

NUTRIENT: A substance necessary to maintain life, health and reproduction in an organism.

 

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