Sport Science Level 3 key terms

The highest rate at which the body can take in and use oxygen during intense exercise, usually expressed in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute.

The exercise intensity at which lactate begins to accumulate in the blood faster than it can be cleared, marking the point where fatigue starts to develop more quickly.

The body's ability to produce energy using oxygen over sustained periods, determined largely by heart, lung, and muscle function working together efficiently.

The total amount of energy a person can produce without using oxygen, supporting short bursts of very high-intensity effort lasting roughly ten seconds to around two minutes.

The maximum rate at which energy can be released without oxygen, reflecting explosive effort such as sprinting or jumping rather than how long that effort can be sustained.

A very fast energy pathway in muscle that uses stored creatine phosphate to rebuild ATP for a few seconds of maximal effort, without needing oxygen or producing lactate.

The rebuilding of adenosine triphosphate, the molecule muscles break down to release energy, from the three energy systems so that contraction can continue.

The breakdown of glucose or glycogen into pyruvate to produce a small amount of ATP, occurring in the cell fluid and able to proceed with or without oxygen.

The energy pathway that breaks down carbohydrate and fat with oxygen inside the mitochondria, producing ATP slowly but in large amounts for prolonged activity.

The ability of the heart, blood vessels, and lungs to supply working muscles with oxygen and fuel during sustained whole-body activity such as running or cycling.

The greatest amount of force a muscle or muscle group can produce in a single maximal effort against a resistance.

The ability of a muscle or muscle group to keep producing force or to hold a contraction repeatedly over a period of time.

The rate at which a muscle or muscle group can produce force, calculated as work done divided by the time taken, and central to jumping and throwing actions.

The range of motion available at a joint or group of joints, influenced by muscle length, joint structure, and connective tissue properties.

The proportions of fat mass and fat-free mass, such as muscle, bone, and water, that together make up a person's total body weight.

A screening ratio calculated from weight and height, used to categorise body size, though it does not distinguish fat from muscle and can mislead in athletic populations.

Everything in the body that is not fat, including muscle, bone, organs, and water, which is typically the tissue most affected by training and nutrition.

The heaviest load a person can lift once with correct technique, commonly used to set training intensities as a percentage of that maximum.

How quickly a muscle can increase the force it produces after a signal to contract, which strongly influences performance in explosive sporting actions.

A sequence in which a muscle is lengthened quickly and then immediately shortens, storing and releasing elastic energy to make the resulting movement more powerful.

Training that uses rapid jump or bounding movements to exploit the stretch-shortening cycle, aiming to improve explosive power and reactive strength.

Gradually increasing the demands placed on the body during training so that adaptation continues and performance improves without stalling.

The total amount of work completed in a training session or cycle, often quantified as sets multiplied by repetitions multiplied by load.

How hard a training session is relative to a person's maximum capacity, commonly expressed as a percentage of maximum heart rate, VO2 max, or one-repetition maximum.

The planned organisation of training into phases or cycles with varying volume and intensity, designed to peak performance at key competitions and reduce overtraining risk.

A planned reduction in training load in the days or weeks before competition, intended to remove fatigue while retaining fitness gains.

A state of prolonged performance decline, fatigue, and mood disturbance caused by training loads that exceed the body's capacity to recover and adapt.

The processes and time needed after training or competition for the body to repair tissue, restore energy stores, and return to a ready state.

A self-reported scale of how hard exercise feels, used to monitor and prescribe training intensity when heart rate or other measures are unavailable.

A device that records beats per minute during activity, allowing athletes and coaches to keep exercise within a chosen intensity zone.

Holding a muscle in a lengthened position for a set time to increase range of motion, typically performed when the muscle is warm or after activity.

The extent of movement possible at a joint, measured in degrees and influenced by joint anatomy, muscle length, and connective tissue flexibility.

A temporary decline in the ability to produce force or sustain effort, arising from factors such as fuel depletion, metabolite accumulation, and nervous system changes.

The exercise intensity at which blood lactate rises sharply above resting levels, often used as a practical marker of the lactate threshold in testing.

The study of forces and motion applied to the human body, used to analyse and improve technique, equipment use, and injury risk in sport.

A rigid bar that rotates about a pivot when a force is applied, forming the basis for describing how muscles and bones produce movement in the body.

The turning effect of a force about an axis, calculated as force multiplied by the perpendicular distance from the axis, which determines joint rotation.

The point at which the whole mass of a body or object can be considered to be concentrated, important for balance, stability, and projectile motion.

A push or pull that can change the motion or shape of an object, measured in newtons and central to analysing movement and loading.