Strategy Glossary

The rate of energy expenditure per unit time by endothermic animals at rest. It represents the minimum energy required to keep vital organs functioning.

The total number of calories your body burns in a 24-hour period, calculated by multiplying BMR by physical activity multipliers.

The energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise (e.g., fidgeting, walking to the desk).

The increase in metabolic rate that occurs after consuming food, representing the energy cost of digestion, absorption, and assimilation.

The biological process where protein is produced to repair muscle tissue damage caused by intense physical activity.

The enlargement of an organ or tissue from the increase in size of its cells. In fitness, this refers to muscle fiber enlargement.

The gradual increase of stress placed upon the body during exercise training, typically achieved by increasing weight, reps, or volume over time.

The short timeframe post-workout where protein consumption is hypothesized to maximize muscle hypertrophy, now known to be wider than previously thought.

Any state where energy expenditure exceeds energy intake, forcing the body to metabolize stored fat or muscle tissue for fuel.

Any state where energy intake exceeds energy expenditure, providing excess energy to build tissue or store fat.

The process of simultaneously losing body fat and building skeletal muscle mass, typically achieved near maintenance calories.

An alternative screening metric to BMI that accounts directly for lean body mass relative to height, useful for tracking muscularity.

The mass of the body minus all stored fat tissue. LBM is the primary metabolic driver of resting metabolic rate.

A zero-cost statistical body fat percentage estimation method utilizing neck, waist, height, and hip measurements.

A simple central adiposity health screening metric calculated by dividing waist circumference by height.

The evolutionary response to calorie restriction where the body decreases metabolic rate beyond what weight loss alone predicts.

The practice of slowly stepping up calories following a cut to restore resting metabolic rate while minimizing fat regain.

Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score. A method of evaluating protein quality based on human amino acid requirements.

The specific concentration of the amino acid leucine required in a meal (typically ~3g) to activate the mTOR pathway for muscle growth.

Mammalian Target of Rapamycin. The primary cellular signaling pathway that regulates cell growth, translation, and muscle protein synthesis.

The primary storage form of glucose in animal cells, stored primarily in liver and muscle tissue to fuel muscle contractions.

A subjective scale from 1 to 10 used to measure the intensity of an exercise set, with 10 representing complete failure.

The number of repetitions a lifter could have performed before reaching failure at the end of a training set.

A measure of how responsive cellular receptors are to insulin signals, dictate nutrient partitioning efficacy.

The physiological process determining whether excess calories are channeled into lean muscle tissue or adipose fat storage.

The cumulative psychological and physiological stress caused by long-term calorie deficits, requiring scheduled breaks.

A structured, high-carbohydrate day during a deficit designed to restore glycogen stores and temporarily boost leptin hormone levels.

A training block structure where intensity increases gradually over weeks while volume decreases proportionally.

Adipose tissue stored deep within the abdominal cavity, surrounding vital organs, highly correlated with metabolic syndrome.

Adipose tissue stored directly beneath the skin layer, serving primarily as thermal insulation and passive energy storage.

The growth of muscle fibers driven by an increase in contractile protein density (actin and myosin), leading to improvements in physical strength.

An increase in the volume of non-contractile fluid (sarcoplasm) in muscle cells, contributing to muscle size and glycogen storage capability without direct strength gains.

The concentration of energy (calories) contained within a given weight or volume of food. Whole, fiber-rich foods typically have lower caloric density.

Essential dietary elements needed by the body in small quantities (vitamins and minerals) to orchestrate vital physiological and cellular functions.

Nutrients required by the body in large daily quantities (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates) to provide structure, fuel, and hormonal regulation.

The nine amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize internally, meaning they must be obtained through dietary sources to support muscle protein synthesis.

Three specific essential amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) that are metabolized directly inside skeletal muscle rather than the liver.

The energy expended during structured physical exercise (running, lifting, cycling). Usually constitutes 5-15% of daily energy expenditure.

The number of calories burned by the body at rest in a comfortable environment, slightly less restrictive in testing parameters than BMR.

The metabolic slowdown that occurs when the body reduces resting energy expenditure in response to prolonged caloric restriction or starvation.

The biochemical breakdown of stored lipids (triacylglycerols) inside fat cells into free fatty acids and glycerol, allowing them to enter the bloodstream for energy.

A specialized biological cell designed primarily for the storage of fat, making up the majority of adipose tissue.

A method of estimating body composition by passing a weak electrical current through the body and measuring electrical resistance.

A three-compartment clinical imaging method that measures bone mineral density, fat tissue mass, and lean muscle tissue mass with high accuracy.

A body composition assessment technique that measures subcutaneous fat layer thickness at specific anatomical locations using mechanical calipers.

The total amount of work performed during a training session, typically calculated as Sets × Repetitions × Weight Lifted.

The level of effort or load exerted during exercise, often expressed as a percentage of a person's One-Repetition Maximum (1RM) or RPE.

The number of training sessions performed per week, or the number of times a specific muscle group is trained within a weekly cycle.

The post-training period during which the trained function or parameter has a higher performance capacity than it did prior to the training session.

The partial or complete loss of training-induced anatomical, physiological, and performance adaptations due to an extended break or reduction in training stimulus.

A hormone produced by adipose tissue that acts on receptors in the hypothalamus to regulate energy balance and suppress appetite.