GLOSSARY OF FITNESS TERMS


AEROBIC EXERCISE (with oxygen)

  • Sustained exercise done at an intensity which allows the muscles to utilze oxygen for energy. 
  • Examples of aerobic exercise are: walking, jogging, swimming, cross training, cycling, aerobic dance, stair climbing

ANAEROBIC EXERCISE (without oxygen)

  • Exercise characterized by short bursts of activity, cannot be sustained for long periods of time and oxygen is not used by the muscles for energy. 
  • Examples of Anaerobic exercise are: Sprinting, exercising above your target training zone.

BALANCED WORKOUT

  • A workout that includes strength training, muscle endurance, flexibility and cardiorespiratory conditioning.

BODY COMPOSITION

  • The relative amounts of muscle, bone and fat in the body.

CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS (oxygen flow)

  • The ability of the heart and respiratory system to sustain work effectivley under stress.

CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS (blood flow)

  • The ability of the heart and blood vessels to transport blood.

CROSS TRAINING

  • A circuit that combines weight training and aerobic exercise stations set in a sequential order, to give the participant a complete balanced workout.

DURATION

  • The length of time spent in a workout.

FLEXIBILITY

  • The capactiy of the joints to move through a full range of motion (dependent upon the elasticity of the surrounding muscles

FREQUENCY

  • How often a particpant works out per week.

INTENSITY

  • How much energy is exerted during a workout.

MUSCULAR ENDURANCE

  • The ability of the muscles to apply force repeatedly.

MUSCULAR STRENGTH

  • The maximal one-effort force that can be exerted against a resistance.

REPETITIONS

  • The number of consecutive contractions performed.

TARGET TRAINING ZONE

  • The heart rate range within which the heart should beat to safely achieve desired fitness benefits.

TRAINING EFFECT

  • Vigourous exercise stresses the body so that it adapts and improves. The phenomenon of stress adaptation is called the "training effect".