BMR, Basal Metabolic Rate

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the energy your body burns at rest to keep essential functions going, like breathing, blood circulation, and organ function. It's the energy your body needs just to stay alive.

TDEE, Total Daily Energy Expenditure

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is your total daily energy burn. It includes your BMR (the calories your body burns just staying alive) plus the calories you burn from moving, walking, and exercising. 👉 For now, just think of it as: TDEE = BMR + Exercise (Calorie Burn).

Calories, cal, kcal

Calories are just a way to measure energy, like how kilometers measure distance or kilograms measure weight. You’ll often see labels or guides say things like “200 cal” or “200 kcal.” Don’t worry, they mean the same thing.

Technically, 1 kcal (kilocalorie) = 1,000 calories, but in nutrition, “calories” and “kcal” are used interchangeably.

So when a label says “200 cal” or “200 kcal,” it’s still 200 food calories.

📌 Just remember: Calories = kcal = energy from food. Nothing to stress about.

TDEE and BMR are also measured in Calories.

Macronutrients, Macros

Macronutrients are the main nutrients your body needs in large amounts to function and stay healthy. There are 3 types: proteins, fats and carbs.

Protein – Helps build and repair muscles (like bricks for your body) Carbohydrates (Carbs) – Your body’s main source of energy (like fuel for a car) Fats – Supports hormones, brain health, and energy storage (like long-term fuel and insulation)

You’ll often hear people say “track your macros”, they’re just talking about how much protein, carbs, and fat you eat in your diet.

Zone 2 Cardio

Zone 2 Cardio is like doing exercise at a comfortable pace, where you can still talk easily, but you're definitely putting in some effort. It's not too hard, not too easy. Like fast walking or light running.

Vist this later, Zone 2 Hear Rate Explained (indepth guide, it will be too much if you read right now, visit it once you've already fixed your nutrition

Resistance Training, Lifting

It just means working your muscles against resistance like lifting weights, doing push-ups, or using resistance bands. Whether someone says, "strength training", “lifting” or “bodyweight training,” they’re all just forms of resistance training.

Body Fat Percentage, Bodyfat, body fat percentages, body fat

Body Fat Percentage tells you how much of your body weight is fat. Example: If you weigh 70 kg and 14 kg is fat, then your body fat % is 20% (because 14 ÷ 70 = 0.20).

Lean Mass, Muscle Mass

Lean Mass is everything in your body except fat that means muscle, bones, water, organs, etc. When people say "muscle mass", they usually mean the amount of muscle in your lean mass. So if your weight is 70 kg, and your body fat is 20%, that means 14 kg is fat, and the other 56 kg is lean mass. Out of that 56 kg, some part is muscle.

Calorie Surplus

Eating more than your energy demand or Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).

Lean Body Mass, LBM, Lean Muscle Mass

Lean Body Mass (LBM) refers to the total weight of a person's body minus all the fat. It includes muscles, bones, organs, skin, body water, and other non-fat tissues. Unlike body weight, which accounts for both fat and lean components, LBM focuses solely on the fat-free parts of the body. This measure is often used in fitness and health contexts to assess progress in fat loss or muscle gain. It is also important for calculating nutritional needs, such as protein intake, based on fat-free mass rather than total body weight.

NEAT, Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis

The energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise. This includes activities such as walking to work, typing, performing yard work, fidgeting, and even maintaining posture. NEAT can vary significantly between individuals and plays a key role in daily energy expenditure and weight management.

Body Weight, BW

The total mass of an individual’s body, typically measured in kilograms (kg) or pounds (lb). It includes fat, muscle, bone, organs, and fluids. Body weight is a fundamental measure in health and fitness and can influence energy expenditure during activities like walking.

Surplus

A state where energy intake (calories consumed) exceeds energy expenditure (calories burned). In fitness and nutrition, a surplus is often intentionally created to support muscle gain (bulking), though it can also lead to fat gain if not managed properly.

Body Mass Index, BMI

A numerical value calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters (kg/m²). BMI is used as a general indicator of body fatness and health risk, though it does not distinguish between muscle and fat mass.

Underweight

Person with BMI below 18.5 is consider underweight. Solution: Underweight bulk

Normal Weight

A BMI classification typically ranging from 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m², considered the range associated with the lowest health risk for most adults. It indicates a healthy balance between height and weight.

Overweight

A BMI classification typically ranging from 25 to 29.9 kg/m². It suggests excess body weight relative to height and may indicate higher fat mass, increasing the risk of certain health conditions.

Obesity, obese

A BMI of 30 kg/m² or higher. Obesity indicates excessive body fat that poses significant risks to health, including increased likelihood of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders.

Rest Days

Scheduled days without intense physical activity, allowing the body to recover and repair from previous workouts. Rest days help prevent overtraining, reduce injury risk, and support muscle growth and overall performance.

Recovery

The process by which the body repairs and adapts after physical activity. Recovery includes physiological restoration (like muscle repair and glycogen replenishment) and can involve rest, sleep, nutrition, hydration, and active recovery techniques.

Deficit, Deficits, caloric deficit, Calorie Deficit

A state where energy expenditure exceeds energy intake, resulting in a calorie shortfall. In fitness and nutrition, a deficit is commonly used to promote weight or fat loss by encouraging the body to use stored energy reserves.

Calorie Intake

The total number of calories consumed through food and beverages in a given period, usually measured daily. Calorie intake influences body weight, energy levels, and overall health depending on an individual's energy needs and activity level.

Maintenance Calories, maintenance

The number of daily calories required to maintain current body weight, where energy intake equals energy expenditure. This level supports bodily functions, daily activities, and exercise without causing weight gain or loss. Use TDEE Calculator to find this.

training to absolute failure

A training method where an exercise is performed until no further repetitions can be completed with proper form, regardless of effort. It maximizes muscle fiber recruitment but can increase fatigue and recovery demands if overused. Research shows training 2-3 rep shy of failure produce similar hypertrophy with much less fatigue.

Reps in Reserve, RIR

A method of measuring training intensity by estimating how many additional repetitions could be performed before reaching failure. For example, an RIR of 2 means stopping two reps short of absolute failure. It helps regulate effort while managing fatigue.

Protein Requirement, protein intake, total daily protein

The amount of protein an individual needs daily to support bodily functions, muscle repair, and growth. It varies based on factors like age, sex, activity level, and fitness goals. Athletes or those engaging in resistance training often require higher intake, typically measured in grams per kilogram of body weight. For optimal protein intake use: Energy Macro Planner

Muscle Protein Synthesis

The biological process through which the body builds new muscle proteins, repairing and strengthening muscle fibers after exercise. It is stimulated by resistance training and dietary protein intake, and is essential for muscle growth and recovery.

Sedentary

A lifestyle characterized by minimal physical activity and prolonged periods of sitting or inactivity. Sedentary behavior is associated with lower energy expenditure and increased risk of health issues such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders.

Physical Activity

Any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure. It includes a wide range of activities such as walking, running, lifting, sports, and household chores, and contributes to overall health, fitness, and energy balance.

Sustainable Fat Loss

A gradual and maintainable reduction in body fat achieved through consistent, healthy habits like balanced nutrition, regular physical activity, adequate sleep, and manageable calorie deficits. Emphasizes long-term adherence over rapid or extreme methods.

Calorie Expenditure

The total number of calories the body uses for all activities, including basic physiological functions (Basal Metabolic Rate), physical activity, digestion (Thermic Effect of Food), and Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). It determines energy balance in relation to calorie intake.

Fatigue

A state of physical or mental weariness resulting from prolonged effort, stress, or lack of recovery. In fitness, fatigue can impact performance, recovery, and motivation, and may be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) depending on training and lifestyle factors.

Osteoporosis

A medical condition characterized by decreased bone density and strength, making bones more fragile and prone to fractures. It is more common with aging and can be influenced by factors like poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, and hormonal changes.

Step Count

The number of steps a person takes in a day, often tracked using pedometers, fitness trackers, or smartphones. Step count is a simple measure of daily physical activity and is commonly used as a goal for maintaining or improving overall health and fitness.

Calorie Burn

The total number of calories the body uses during physical activity, including both structured exercise and daily movements. Calorie burn varies based on factors like activity type, intensity, duration, body weight, and fitness level.

Leaner

A term used to describe a body composition with a lower proportion of body fat and a higher proportion of lean mass (muscle, bone, organs, etc.). Becoming leaner typically involves reducing fat mass while preserving or increasing muscle mass.

Preserve Muscle

The practice of maintaining existing muscle mass during periods of calorie deficit, illness, or inactivity. It involves strategies such as adequate protein intake, resistance training, and proper recovery to prevent muscle loss.

Body Composition

The proportions of fat, muscle, bone, and other tissues that make up a person's total body mass. Unlike body weight alone, body composition provides insight into the relative amounts of lean mass and fat mass, which are important for health and fitness.

Metabolism

The sum of all chemical processes in the body that convert food into energy and support vital functions such as breathing, circulation, and cell repair. It includes both catabolism (breaking down molecules for energy) and anabolism (building new tissues), and influences calorie needs and body weight regulation.

Deload

A planned reduction in training intensity, volume, or both, typically lasting about a week. Deloads allow for physical and mental recovery, help prevent overtraining, and support long-term progress by reducing accumulated fatigue without complete rest.

DEXA

Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). A medical imaging technique used to assess body composition, especially body fat percentage, lean mass, and bone mineral density. Considered the gold standard for body composition analysis due to its high accuracy. Commonly used in clinical and research settings. DEXA might not be available or expensive, see other Body Composition Analysis Methods.

1RM

One-Rep Max (1RM) refers to the maximum amount of weight a person can lift for one complete repetition of a given exercise with proper form. It is commonly used to assess maximal strength and to program training loads based on percentages of the 1RM.

Hypertrophy

An increase in muscle size resulting from resistance training. Muscle hypertrophy occurs when muscle fibers grow in response to progressive overload, typically through moderate to high volume and intensity training. It is a primary goal in bodybuilding and aesthetic-focused fitness programs.

Intensity

In resistance training, intensity typically refers to the amount of weight lifted relative to one’s 1RM (One-Rep Max), often expressed as a percentage. In other contexts, such as cardio, it can refer to effort level, heart rate, or perceived exertion. Higher intensity generally means working closer to maximum capacity.

Volume

The total amount of work performed in a training session, typically calculated as sets × reps × weight. It reflects the overall workload and is a key driver of hypertrophy and endurance adaptations.

Set

A group of consecutive repetitions of an exercise performed without resting. Multiple sets are usually performed for each exercise during a workout.

Rep

Short for repetition. One complete movement of an exercise, consisting of a concentric (lifting) and eccentric (lowering) phase.

PPL

Push-Pull-Legs (PPL) is a popular training split that divides workouts into three categories: push (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull (back, biceps), and legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves). It allows for balanced training volume, frequency, and recovery, making it suitable for beginners to advanced lifters.

PR

Personal Record. The best performance an individual has achieved in a specific exercise, such as the heaviest weight lifted or most reps completed. Used to track progress and set performance goals in strength training.

Skinny Fat

A body composition condition where a person appears slim or has a normal body weight but has a high body fat percentage and low muscle mass. Commonly results from poor diet and lack of resistance training. Often addressed through strength training and nutritional improvements.