Download Resistance Training Glossary

Laguna Middle School
Physical Education Department
Fitness Terms #2
RESISTANCE TRAINING GLOSSARY
Atrophy
Withering away - Decrease in size and functional ability of muscle, tissues or organs.
Barbell
Weights attached to a long bar which requires both hands to pick up.
Burnout
State of being bored or tired with exercise, frequently the result of overtraining or unvaried workouts.
Cross-training and rest are good remedies for burnout.
Circuit Training
Going quickly from one exercise apparatus to another and doing a prescribed number of exercises or time
on each apparatus, keeps pulse rate high and promote overall fitness, by generally working all muscle
groups as well as heart and lungs.
Concentric Contraction
An isotonic muscle contraction, where a muscle contracts or shortens.
Cool-down
Slowing down at the end of a workout to allow your body temperature and heart rate to decrease
gradually; normally followed by stretching.
Cross-training
Mixing different activities into your regular workout routine to avoid overuse injuries and to prevent
boredom.
DOMS Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
A condition that is often felt after exercise, especially weight orientated, or excessive running. Caused by
the micro tears within your muscles as part of the body-rebuilding phase. Will generally last 24 / 72
hours, with feelings felt normally the day after exercise.
Dumbbell
Weights attached to a short bar that can be held in one hand. Often used in pairs.
Eccentric Contraction
Muscle lengthens while maintaining tension.
Fatigue
A loss of ability to continue a given level of physical workload or performance.
Free weights
Weights, not attached to a machine nor driven by cables or chains. Barbells and dumbbells are examples
of free weights.
Isometric Exercise
Muscular contraction where muscle maintains a constant length and joints do not move. These exercises
are usually performed against a wall or other immovable object or exercise in which opposing muscles are
so contracted that there is little shortening (no movement) but an increase in tone of the muscle fibers are
involved.
Isotonic Exercise
Muscular action in which there is a change in length of muscle and weight, keeping tension constant.
Lifting free weights is a classic isotonic exercise.
Lactic acid (lactate)
A byproduct of anaerobic (or high-intensity) exercise that collects in the muscles and causes soreness,
stiffness and fatigue.
Max
Maximum effort for one repetition of an exercise.
Muscle hypertrophy
A term for the growth and increase of the size of muscle cells. The most common type of muscular
hypertrophy occurs as a result of physical exercise, such as weight lifting.
Rep (Repetition)
One complete movement of an exercise as in doing one squat. This is going down and then going back
up.
Rest Interval
Pause between sets of an exercise, which allows muscles to recover partially before beginning next set.
Set
A number of repetitions of a movement, such as an arm curl or a squat. A set may have 10 reps, for
example.
Spot
Assist if called upon by someone performing an exercise.
Spotter
Person who watches a person closely to see if any help is needed during a specific exercise.
Testosterone
Principle male hormone that accelerates tissue growth and stimulates blood flow.
Warm-up
Gentle, slow exercise at the beginning of a workout to prepare muscles, heart rate, blood pressure and
body temperature for the activity.
Weight-bearing exercise
Exercise in which you support your weight or lift weight. Lifting weights or doing weight-bearing
exercise (such as running, skiing or walking) improves muscle strength and endurance and can help slow
down the rate of bone loss and osteoporosis in adults, and therefore reduce fractures.