Common Fitness Specialist Interview Preparation Guide

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A training session that involves repeated bouts of exercise, separated by rest intervals. Depending of the length of exercise and rest periods, it may be anaerobic or aerobic training.

Body composition refers to the components of the body. It is usually divided into two components: the amount of fat mass (weight) and the amount of fat-free mass (muscle, bone, skin and organs) in the body.

A reduction in training intensity before a major competition to give the body time to recover and adapt so as to reach a peak in performance.

The physiological point during exercise at which lactic acid starts to accumulate in the muscles. It occurs around the point of the exercise intensity increasing such that anaerobic processes are becoming more dominant.

The number of heart beats in one minute (bpm) when a person is at complete rest. A person's resting heart rate decreases as they become more fit.

If you ask most people what their general fitness goals, the answer often is to “tone up and get in shape.” We have come to accept the term “tone” to mean muscular definition, or the appearance of a well-defined muscle. The term is actually short for tonus, which is the technical term used to describe a state of contraction in a normally functioning muscle. Using a muscle repeatedly during a strength training exercise will leave that muscle in a state of semi-contraction, creating the defined appearance we have come to expect as the result of exercise.

Relates to the strength of your pillar—your shoulders, torso, and hips. Critical as a foundation for all movement.

The form in which carbohydrates are stored in the body. Primary sites for storage are the muscles and the liver.

Anaerobic processes occur in the cells of the body without the presence of oxygen. Anaerobic training is of high intensity and short duration, with the aim of the efficiency of the body's anaerobic energy-producing systems.

Pronounced “fight-o-chemicals,” these substances can help protect you from disease and boost performance.

An area of deep muscle tissue that we isolate and release using movements. Trigger point movements should feel like a deep massage.

the number of times a lift or effort is made continuously, one after another and without any rest.

A physical and metal state which occurs due to excessive training without adequate recovery

Ability to move your body in an efficient manner.

A salt formed from lactic acid. See also lactic acid.

The units of heart rate, beats per minute

Training in which the pace is varied from a fast sprint to slow jogging.

Passive recovery involves things like massage that require little to no effort.

Oxygen consumption/uptake by the body. Usually expressed in ml.kg-1.min-1, sometimes in l.min-1.

Concerning the heart and blood vessels.

The metabolic process that occurs in the cells, by which the body uses oxygen to produce energy.

A term for someone's aerobic fitness capacity - their ability to do prolonged exercise without fatigue.

A set is a group of repetitions. A workout usually includes several sets of each exercise.

Process by which your body converts food to energy, sometimes referred to as your “fat furnace.”

Similar to HIIT, metabolic conditioning is often used to refer to high-intensity exercise performed to the point of being out of breath or experiencing muscle soreness. Here is why this overused term ought to be retired from the lexicon: Metabolism is the chemical process by which a biological organism produces energy for muscular contraction. That means that any exercise requiring a muscle contraction (which in itself requires energy) is a form of metabolic conditioning. Standing from your chair after reading this post requires your metabolism to fuel your muscles. Therefore, it is more appropriate to describe the level of effort required to perform the planned activity, such as low-intensity, moderate-intensity, high-intensity or maximal intensity.