Nishaana
Exercise science terms.
The physiology and research behind how muscles adapt, grow and get stronger.
57 terms defined
Aerobic Capacity
The body's ability to take in and use oxygen during exercise.
Anabolic State
A condition favoring muscle building over breakdown.
Anabolism
The body's building processes, including muscle growth.
Anaerobic Threshold
The effort level where the body shifts to anaerobic energy.
ATP
Adenosine triphosphate, the molecule that powers muscle contraction.
Capillary Density
The number of small blood vessels supplying a muscle, improved by training.
Catabolism
The body's breakdown processes, including muscle loss.
Concentric Contraction
The lifting phase where the muscle shortens to produce force.
Cortisol
A stress hormone that rises with intense training and poor recovery.
Eccentric Contraction
The lowering phase of a lift where the muscle lengthens under load.
Energy Systems
The three pathways the body uses to produce energy for exercise.
EPOC
Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption: the afterburn of extra calories burned after hard exercise.
Fast-Twitch Fiber
Power-oriented muscle fibers that contract quickly and strongly.
Force-Velocity Curve
The inverse relationship between how heavy a load is and how fast it moves.
General Adaptation Syndrome
A model of how the body responds to and adapts to stress.
Glycolytic System
The energy system fueling moderately intense efforts up to a couple minutes.
Growth Hormone
A hormone involved in tissue repair and growth.
Hyperplasia
A theorized increase in the number of muscle fibers.
IGF-1
A growth factor that promotes muscle and tissue growth.
Isometric Contraction
A muscle contraction that produces force without changing length.
Lactate
A byproduct of intense exercise that can be reused for energy.
Lactate Threshold
The intensity at which lactate builds faster than it clears.
Length-Tension Relationship
How a muscle's force output changes with its length.
Maximum Recoverable Volume
The most training a person can do and still recover from.
Mechanical Tension
The force on muscle fibers during loading, a key driver of growth.
Metabolic Stress
The buildup of metabolites during training that may aid muscle growth.
Minimum Effective Dose
The smallest training stimulus needed to produce progress.
Mitochondrial Biogenesis
The creation of new mitochondria to boost endurance capacity.
Motor Unit
A motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it controls.
Motor Unit Recruitment
The process of activating muscle fibers as force demands rise.
mTOR
A signaling pathway that drives muscle protein synthesis.
Muscle Damage
Microscopic tearing of muscle fibers from training that triggers repair.
Muscle Fiber
An individual muscle cell that contracts to produce movement.
Muscle Memory
The ability to regain lost muscle faster than building it the first time.
Muscle Protein Breakdown
The breakdown of muscle proteins that training and feeding help offset.
Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS)
The process of building new muscle proteins, stimulated by training and protein intake.
Myofibrillar Hypertrophy
Muscle growth from adding contractile protein filaments.
Myonuclei
Nuclei within muscle fibers that support growth and may aid muscle memory.
Net Protein Balance
The difference between protein synthesis and breakdown.
Neural Drive
The strength of nervous system signals sent to muscles.
Neuromuscular Adaptation
Nervous system improvements that boost strength early in training.
Oxidative System
The aerobic energy system fueling longer-duration activity.
Phosphocreatine System
The energy system fueling short, explosive efforts.
Protein Turnover
The ongoing cycle of building and breaking down muscle proteins.
Rate Coding
Increasing the firing frequency of motor neurons to produce more force.
SAID Principle
Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands: the body adapts to the exact stress placed on it.
Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy
Muscle growth from increased fluid and energy stores within the cell.
Satellite Cells
Stem-like cells that help repair and grow muscle fibers.
Size Principle
The rule that smaller motor units activate before larger ones as load increases.
Slow-Twitch Fiber
Endurance-oriented muscle fibers that resist fatigue.
Stimulus-Fatigue-Recovery-Adaptation
The cycle by which training stress leads to improvement after recovery.
Stretch-Shortening Cycle
The rapid stretch then contraction that boosts power, as in a jump.
Testosterone
A hormone important for muscle growth, strength, and recovery.
Time to Fatigue
How long a muscle can sustain effort before failing.
Type I Muscle Fiber
Slow-twitch fibers built for endurance and fatigue resistance.
Type II Muscle Fiber
Fast-twitch fibers built for power and strength but quicker to fatigue.
VO2 Max
The maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise.
Common questions.
What does the exercise science glossary cover?
The Nishaana exercise science glossary defines 57 terms, including Aerobic Capacity, Anabolic State, Anabolism. Each entry leads with a plain, one-sentence definition, then a worked example with real numbers so you can apply it in the gym.
Are these exercise science definitions free?
Yes. Every glossary definition is free and open — no signup, no paywall. When you are ready to apply a concept, Nishaana turns it into your actual training: it tracks it and auto-progresses your weights for you.
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