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Essential Amino Acids | Fitness, Health & Exercise Glossary

What Are the 8 Essential Amino Acids and What Are Their Benefits?

Definition of Essential Amino Acids

Essential Amino Acids (also known as Indispensible Amino Acids) are amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the body, and thus must be supplied by diet. 

Essential Amino Acids, while required by the human body to support life, are not called “essential”  because they are more important than other amino acids, but instead because they cannot be produced by the body. In other words, they must be obtained through food sources since the body cannot produce them itself.

Non-essential amino acids are those that are synthesized by the body and do not require dietary supplementation.

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VO2 Max: What Is VO2 Max? | Fitness, Health & Exercise Glossary

What is VO2 Max and How Does It Work?

Definition of VO2 Max

VO₂ Max is the maximum capacity of an individual’s body to transport and utilize oxygen during exercise.  

Vo2 max is considered the standard indicator of cardiovascular or cardiorespiratory endurance and fitness.  Vo2 Max determines a person or athlete’s ability to perform prolonged aerobic activity.  VO2 Max is also known as known as maximal oxygen uptake, aerobic capacity, or maximal oxygen consumption.

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EPOC: Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption | Fitness, Health & Exercise Glossary

What Is EPOC or Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption?

Definition of EPOC

EPOC, or Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumptionis a measure of increased oxygen consumption after exercise or strenuous activity.  EPOC is also accompanied by a post-exercise increase in energy or fuel consumption  (also characterized as an increase in metabolism.)  EPOC is also known as “oxygen debt” or “oxygen deficit.”  In bodybuilding and fitness training circles it may also be called “exercise afterburn.”

Understanding Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC)

EPOC occurs after both aerobic (cardiovascular) exercise and anaerobic exercise like weight training. 

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Catabolism: What Is Catabolism? | Fitness, Health & Exercise Glossary

What Is Catabolism? Learn What Catabolism Is And The Role It Plays In The Body.

Definition of Catabolism

Catabolism is a series of chemical reactions (via metabolic pathways in the body) that break down complex molecules into smaller units and release energy. This released energy is then stored within the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Cells use ATP to:

•  Synthesize cell components
•  Power muscle contraction and motion
•  Transport substances across cell membranes.

Catabolism is the opposite of anabolism, which is the process of creating larger, more complex molecules via metabolic pathways.
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Definition of Casein | Fitness, Health & Exercise Glossary

What is Casein? Learn the Definition of Casein Protein, Its Characteristics and Uses.

Definition of Casein

Casein (also known as “casein protein”) is a phosphoprotein found in cows milk and cheese. Casein is one of two primary proteins in dairy, the other being whey. Casein protein comprises approximately 80% of the protein in dairy and is the main protein in cheeses.

Casein coagulates in the presence of certain proteases, such as rennet and acids. In cheese making, protease enzymes in the form of rennet are added to milk, causing the casein proteins to separate from the liquid whey. The casein is then processed into cheeses.

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1 Rep Max (1RM) | Fitness, Health and Exercise Glossary

What is the definition of 1 Rep Max (1RM) and what does it mean?

1 Rep Max Definition

1 Rep Max (also know as One Repetition Maximum or 1RM) is the standard measure of muscular strength. 1 Rep Max measures the maximum amount of weight that a given muscle can move through a complete contraction (eccentric and concentric) one time, with good form.

1 Rep Max is used in weight training to determine maximum strength and as a way to calculate the upper strength limits when developing a weight and resistance training program. In these cases, a percentage of 1RM may be used to develop target load levels for measuring and/or improving things like muscular endurance (typically 75-90% of 1RM.)

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What Does Body Composition Mean? | Fitness, Health and Exercise Glossary

What Is Body Composition and How Is It Measured?

Definition of Body Composition

In physical fitness, body composition is defined as the percentage of fat, muscle, and bone in the body. Usually it’s expressed as a ratio of lean mass to fatty mass. Lean mass includes muscle, bone, skin, internal organs and body water. Fatty mass is mostly composed of body fat (subcutaneous fat) as well as internal essential fat surrounding organs. Body composition will typically be displayed as either a percentage of fat (body fat percentage or %fat) or as a percentage of lean body mass (LBM).

Why Is Body Composition Important?

Body composition is a much more accurate representation of a person’s leanness than scale weight or Body Mass Index (BMI), because it does not rely on height and weight alone to measure leanness.  It measures the ratio of body fat to lean tissue and bone in the body, not scale weight. 

This is important, because a person may have a high-scale weight (even for their height), yet have also have a high muscle-to-fat ratio which makes them extremely lean. That same person might be labeled overweight using the standard BMI calculation, which does not take into account body composition, only mass (weight) relative to your height, weight, age and gender. 

Excess body fat, or a body composition with a high fat-to-muscle ratio is unfavorable because it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and certain cancers. Excess body fat, especially at levels considered obese, can also put stress on the joints and interfere with mobility and the ability to perform everyday activities.

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