Download KEY TERMS

KEY TERMS
Adaptation An alteration or adjustment in structure or habits by which an individual improves its condition in relationship to its
environment. The responsive adjustment of a sense organ.
Aerobic Using Oxygen.
Agility The ability to accelerate (speed up), decelerate (slow down), change direction, and re-accelerate under control.
Anabolism Energy-requiring building phase of metabolism in which simpler substances are combined to form more complex
substances.
Anaerobic Not using Oxygen.
Anatomy The study of the structure of living organisms and how those parts relate to one another.
Atrophy Reduction in size or wasting away of an organ or cell resulting from disease or lack of use.
Balance A state of equilibrium whether stationary (static) or moving (dynamic).
Body composition The proportion of fat, muscle and bone making up the body. Usually expressed as a percent of body fat and a
percent of lean body mass.
Calorie The Calorie used as a unit of metabolism (as in diet and energy expenditure) equals 1,000 small calories, and is often spelled
with a capital C to make that distinction. It is the energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree
Celsius. Also called a kilocalorie (kcal).
Caloric cost The number of Calories burned to produce the energy for a task. Usually measured in Calories (kilocalories) per minute.
Carbohydrate Chemical compound of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, usually with the hydrogen and the oxygen in the right
proportions to form water. Common forms are starches, sugars, and dietary fibers.
Cardiorespiratory endurance The ability to continue or persist in strenuous tasks involving large muscle groups for extended periods
of time. It is the ability of the circulatory and the respiratory systems to adjust to and recover from the effects of a whole-body
exercise or work.
Cardiovascular Pertaining to the heart and blood vessels.
Catabolism Process in which living cells break down substances into simpler substances.
Cholesterol An alcohol steroid found in animal fats. This pearly, fatlike substance is implicated in the narrowing of the arteries in
atherosclerosis. All Americans are being urged to decrease their serum cholesterol levels to less than 200 mg/dl.
Chronic Continuing over time
Chronic diseases Lifestyle related diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke, and also accidents, which together account for
75 percent of all deaths in America.
Circuit training A series of exercises performed one after the other, with little rest in between.
Concentric action Muscle action in which the muscle is shortening under its own power. This action is commonly referred to as
“positive” work.
Coordination Relates to the ability to use the senses, such as sight and hearing, together with body parts in performing motor tasks
smoothly and accurately.
Creatine A muscle enzyme that can rise dramatically in the blood after unaccustomed exercise, indicating considerable muscle cell
damage.
Dehydration The condition resulting from excessive loss of body water.
Diuretic Any agent which increases the flow of urine, ridding the body of water.
Duration The time spent in a single exercise session. Duration, along with frequency and intensity, are factors called the F.I.T.
principle which are related to improvement of cardiorespiratory endurance.
Eccentric action Muscle action in which the muscle is lengthening under its own power. This action is commonly referred to as
“negative” work.
Electrolyte Scientists call minerals like sodium, chloride, and potassium “electrolytes” because in water they can conduct electrical
currents. Sodium and potassium ions carry positive charges while chloride ions are negatively charged.
Endurance The capacity to continue a physical performance over a period of time.
Energy The capacity to do work; may be stored (potential energy) or in action (kinetic energy).
Enzyme Complex proteins that induce and accelerate reactions without being changed themselves. Enzymes are present in
digestive juices, where they act on food substances, causing them to breakdown into smaller molecules.
Epiphyseal plate “Growth plate” of cartilage that provides for growth in length of a long bone.
Extension Any movement which moves the two ends of a jointed body part away from each other, as in straightening the arm or leg.
Fast-twitch fibers Muscle fiber type that contracts quickly and is used in intensive, short duration exercises, such as weightlifting or
sprints. Also called Type II fibers.
Fats Fats serve as a source of energy. In food, the fat molecule is formed from one molecule of glycerol and three fatty acids. Fats
have a high caloric value yielding about 9 Calories per gram as opposed to 4 Calories for carbohydrates and proteins. Saturated fats
have no double bonds, are generally hard at room temperature, and have been associated with increased risk of heart disease.
Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats have one and two or more double bonds and are generally liquid at room
temperature, and have been associated with decreased risk of heart disease.
Fat-free weight Lean body mass or bone, muscle and water.
Fatigue A loss of power to continue a given level of physical performance.
Flexibility The range of motion (ROM) around a joint.
Flexion A movement which moves the two ends of a jointed body part closer to each other, as in bending the arm or leg.
Food supplements Substances or pills that are added to the diet. Most reputable nutritionists state that vitamin or mineral
supplementation is unwarranted for people who eat a balanced diet.
Frequency How often a person repeats a complete exercise session (e.g., 3 times per week). Frequency, along with duration and
intensity, affects the cardiorespiratory response to exercise.
Glucose Blood sugar. The transportable form of carbohydrate, which reaches the cells.
Golgi tendon organ Organs at the junction of muscle and tendon that send inhibitory impulses to the muscle when the muscle’s
contraction reaches certain levels. The purpose may be to protect against separating the tendon from the bone when a contraction
is too great.
Growth Increase in size (typically due to an increase in cell number). Anabolic activities exceed catabolic ones.
Growth hormone (GH) Hormone that stimulates growth in general; produced in the anterior pituitary; also called somatrotopin
(STH).
Health The World Health Organization has defined health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not
merely the absence of disease.
Health-related fitness Elements of fitness such as cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and
body composition that are related to improvement of health.
Heart rate Number of heart beats per minute.
Homeostasis State of body equilibrium. Maintenance of a stable internal environment of the body.
Hormones Steroidal or amino acid-based molecules released to the blood that act as chemical messengers to regulate specific body
functions.
Hypertrophy Increase in size of a tissue or organ independent of the body’s general growth.
Insulin A hormone produced in the pancreas that regulates glucose.
Intensity The level of exertion during exercise. Intensity, along with duration and frequency, are important for improving
cardiorespiratory endurance.
Isometric action Muscle action in which there is no change in length as resistance equals power. Usually held between 3 – 10
seconds.
Lactic acid The end product of the metabolism of glucose for the anaerobic production of energy.
Lateral Away from the midline of the body.
Ligament Band of regular fibrous tissue that connects bones.
Malnutrition “Poor” nutrition caused by an inadequate or excessive intake of calories or of one or more nutrients which influences
disease.
Medial Toward the midline of the body.
Metabolism Sum total of all the chemical reactions occurring in body cells, reactions that transform substances into energy or
materials the body can use or store by means of anabolism or catabolism.
Muscular endurance The ability of the muscles to apply a submaximal force repeatedly or to sustain a muscular contraction for an
extended period of time.
Nutrients Chemical substances found in food that are used by the body for health and growth. “Big 6” = (carbohydrates, fats,
proteins, vitamins, minerals and water).
Overload Principle The basis of all gains in any type of fitness endeavor. The body will adapt to the stresses placed on it. The more
you do, the more you are capable of doing. The body will physiologically react or adapt to new or unfamiliar, unaccustomed stress.
Periodization Gradual volume of progressive adaptation. Designing program with increased overload over time by way of the F.I.T.
principle (F = frequency, I = intensity, T = time/duration). If a training program is not of great enough overload to cause adaptation,
it is generally referred to as maintenance training.
Physical activity Any form of muscular movement.
Physical fitness The ability to last, to withstand stress. A state of physical readiness to take action against the unexpected,
demanding physical exertion needed for survival.
Physiology The study of the function of living organisms.
Plyometric training Training which utilizes the stretch reflex and the accompanying stretch-shortening cycle to elicit more powerful
concentric contractions.
Power Work performed per unit of time. Measured by the formula: work equals force times distance divided by time (W = F x D/T).
A combination of strength and speed.
Pre-event meal A meal 3 to 5 hours before an exercise event that emphasizes low-fiber, high carbohydrate foods.
Protein A complex nitrogen-carrying compound which occurs naturally in plants and animals and yields amino acids when broken
down. The amino acids are essential for the growth and repair of living tissue. Proteins are also a source of heat and energy for the
body. Protein is found widely in both animal and plant products.
Saturated fat Dietary fat whose molecules are saturated with oxygen. They are usually hard at room temperature and are readily
converted into cholesterol by the body. Sources include animal products s well as hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Skill-related fitness Elements of fitness such as power, agility, balance, speed, coordination. While the elements of skill-related
fitness are important for participation in various dual and team sports, they have little significance for the day-to-day tasks of
Americans or their general health.
Slow twitch fibers Muscle fiber type that contracts slowly and is used in moderate-intensity, endurance exercises, such as distance
running. Also called Type I fibers.
Specificity Be as sport-specific as possible
Speed Relates to the ability to perform a movement within a short period of time.
Strength The amount of muscular force that can be exerted.
Tendon Cord of dense fibrous tissue attaching muscle to bone.
Vitamin Vitamins are nutrients which are essential for life itself. The body uses these organic substances to accomplish much of its
work. Vitamins do not supply energy, but they do help release energy from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The also play a vital
role in chemical reactions throughout the body. There are two types of vitamins—fat-soluble (A,D,E,K) and water-soluble (eight Bcomplex and vitamin C). Thirteen vitamins have been discovered, the most recent in 1948.
Warm-up A gradual increase in the intensity of exercise to allow physiological processes to prepare for greater energy expenditure.
Changes include: rise in body temperature, cardiorespiratory changes, increase in muscle elasticity and contractility, etc.