Concepts of Physical Fitness and Wellness

Vocabulary flashcards covering health dimensions, safety considerations, training principles, cardiovascular and muscular fitness, exercise programming, and flexibility based on lecture material.

Health (WHO Definition)

A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (World Health Organization, 1948).

PAR-Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire)

A self-screening questionnaire evaluating medical readiness for exercise by identifying heart conditions, chest pain, dizziness, loss of balance, joint issues, or cardiovascular medications.

Orthopnea

Shortness of breath that occurs when lying flat, serving as a potential symptom of cardiopulmonary concern.

Intermittent Claudication

Cramping pain in the legs induced by exercise and relieved by rest, typically caused by inadequate arterial blood supply to the muscles.

Syncope

A temporary loss of consciousness or fainting spell that indicates potential underlying cardiovascular concerns.

Heat Exhaustion

A heat-related condition marked by dizziness, thirst, heavy sweating, nausea, and weakness; managed by moving to a cooler area, loosening clothing, and sipping cool water.

Heat Stroke

A severe, life-threatening medical emergency characterized by confusion, dizziness, and loss of consciousness; requires calling 911, removing outer layers, and rapidly cooling the body with water or ice.

DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)

Muscle soreness that peaks $24\text{ to }48$ hours post-exercise caused by microscopic muscle fiber tears from excessive loads (not lactic acid), occurring most often when the progression principle is violated.

Panacea

A remedy or cure that claims—frequently falsely or unrealistically—to solve all difficulties, illnesses, or societal challenges.

Hypokinetic Conditions

Health conditions and chronic diseases primarily triggered or worsened by a sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.

Atherosclerosis

A cardiovascular condition where fatty plaque accumulates on the inside arterial walls, progressively reducing the flow of oxygen-rich blood.

Collateral Circulation

The development and opening of auxiliary or accessory blood vessel pathways around blocked arteries, promoted by regular physical activity.

Metabolic Syndrome

A disorder diagnosed by possessing 3 or more risk factors: blood pressure above $135/85$, fasting blood glucose $\ge 110$, HDL cholesterol below $40$, and abdominal circumference greater than $40\,\text{inches}$ in men or $35\,\text{inches}$ in women.

Overload Principle

The training principle asserting that bodily systems or muscles must work against greater loads or demands than normal to elicit adaptations and improvements in fitness.

Progression Principle

The training guideline indicating that overload should be introduced gradually and systematically over time rather than in major, sudden increases.

Specificity Principle

The rule dictating that physiological overload and adaptations are specific to the particular muscles, movement patterns, or energy systems being trained.

Reversibility Principle

The principle stating that acquired fitness and performance adaptations diminish or reverse when regular physical training ceases ('use it or lose it').

Dose-Response Relationship

The non-exceptional physiological principle stating that as the volume of physical activity increases, the resulting health and fitness benefits increase correspondingly.

FITT Formula

An exercise prescription framework encompassing Frequency (how often), Intensity (how hard), Time (duration), and Type (mode of activity).

Metabolic Equivalent (MET)

A standardized unit of exercise intensity where $1\,\text{MET}$ equals resting metabolic energy expenditure; moderate physical activity corresponds to $3.0\text{ to }6.0\,\text{METs}$ and vigorous activity corresponds to $>6.0\,\text{METs}$.

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)

The calories your body burns doing everyday movements like walking, typing, or cleaning

The Physical Activity Pyramid

A five-tier hierarchical model categorizing activities: Step 1 (Moderate Physical Activity), Step 2 (Vigorous Aerobics), Step 3 (Vigorous Sports and Recreation), Step 4 (Muscle Fitness Exercises), and Step 5 (Flexibility Exercises), supported by balanced energy intake and expenditure.

Cardiovascular Circulation (Pulmonary and Systemic Circuits)

The dual-circuit blood transport pathway where the pulmonary circuit delivers oxygen-poor blood to the lungs for re-oxygenation and the systemic circuit pumps oxygen-rich blood throughout body tissues.

$$\text{VO}_2\text{ Max}$$

The maximum volume of oxygen an individual can uptake and utilize during maximal exertion, widely regarded as the premier physiological metric of cardiovascular fitness.

Bradycardia

A resting heart rate slower than $60\,\text{BPM}$.

Tachycardia

A resting heart rate faster than $100\,\text{BPM}$.

Tanaka Formula

An accurate mathematical equation used to predict maximal heart rate: $\text{Maximal Heart Rate} = 208 - (0.7 \times \text{age})$.

Heart Rate Reserve (HRR)

The functional reserve capacity of the heart calculated as the difference between maximal heart rate and resting heart rate: $\text{HRR} = \text{Max HR} - \text{Resting HR}$.

Agonist

The primary mover muscle directly contracting and shortening to produce a specific joint movement.

Antagonist

The muscle that opposes the prime mover by relaxing and lengthening while the agonist contracts.

Muscular Hypertrophy

The growth and expansion of muscle size occurring through an increase in the cross-sectional size of individual muscle fibers rather than an increase in fiber number.

Concentric Contraction

A dynamic isotonic muscle action where the muscle generates force while actively shortening (lifting phase).

Eccentric Contraction

A dynamic isotonic muscle action where the muscle generates tension while actively lengthening under a load (lowering phase).

Isometric Contraction

A static muscle contraction wherein muscular force is produced without any visible change in muscle length or joint angle.

Compound Set

A resistance training technique performing 2 to 3 consecutive exercises targeting the same muscle group without intermittent rest to cause muscular fatigue.

Super Set

A training structure where an exercise for an agonist muscle is performed back-to-back with an exercise for its opposing antagonist muscle with no rest in between.

Periodization

The planned, systematic variation of training volume, intensity, and specificity across organized timeframes to optimize performance gains and peak at specific intervals.

Microcycle

A short-term structural period within a periodized training program, typically lasting 1 week of daily training sessions.

Mesocycle

An intermediate training cycle lasting typically $2\text{ to }4\,\text{months}$ designed around achieving a specific conditioning objective.

Macrocycle

The overarching, long-term training plan spanning from $1\text{ to }4\,\text{years}$, such as an Olympic training block.

Range of Motion (ROM)

The measurable linear or angular displacement available at a specific joint or series of joints.

PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) Stretching

An advanced flexibility technique involving an active $3\text{ to }6\,\text{second}$ contraction prior to an assisted static stretch to substantially enhance joint range of motion.

Microtrauma

A subtle, microscopic 'silent injury' that accumulates from repetitive stress or overuse over time, eventually contributing to back pain or tissue degeneration.