Training load
The combined amount and intensity of work over a period. It can be described by time, by perceived effort or by a calculated score.
Reference · Reviewed 5 October 2026
Glossary
The vocabulary of capacity.
Plain definitions of the terms that recur across Nymera, grouped by subject and written for readers without a sport-science background.
Group one
Cardiovascular and endurance terms
These terms describe how the heart, lungs and muscles cooperate during sustained effort. Definitions are general and simplified, and they are not diagnostic criteria.
- Cardiorespiratory fitness
- The ability of the circulatory and respiratory systems to supply and use oxygen during sustained activity. It is often described through maximal oxygen uptake or through performance in a submaximal test.
- Aerobic threshold
- The effort level below which breathing stays comfortable and conversation remains possible for long periods. Many easy sessions are intended to sit at or below this level.
- Resting heart rate
- Beats per minute measured at complete rest, often tracked over weeks to observe general trends. A single reading says little; the pattern is more informative.
- Stroke volume
- The amount of blood the heart ejects with each beat. Together with heart rate, it determines the total volume pumped each minute.
- Heart-rate variability
- The variation in time between successive heartbeats. Consumer devices report it in different ways, so comparisons between brands are unreliable.
- Interval session
- A format that alternates harder efforts with easier periods. The proportions and durations vary widely and should suit the person’s current training history.
Group two
Strength and movement terms
- Functional capacity
- The practical ability to produce, control and repeat movement in tasks that matter to daily life.
- Hip hinge
- A pattern in which the hips move backwards while the spine stays long, used when lifting an object from the floor.
- Loaded carry
- Walking while holding a weight, in one or both hands, to train grip, trunk stability and posture.
- Tendon adaptation
- The slower change of connective tissue in response to load, which usually lags behind muscle adaptation.
- Repetition range
- The number of times a movement is repeated in a set, which influences how a session feels and what it asks of the body.
Reference table
Three ways to describe effort
Effort can be described through sensation, speech or heart rate. The table sets them next to each other so that readers can see how one description relates to another. The ranges are approximate and will differ between individuals and days.
| Description | Perceived exertion (0–10) | Talk test | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very easy | 1–2 | Full sentences without effort | Warm-up, cool-down, active rest |
| Moderate | 3–5 | Short sentences, breathing noticeable | Steady aerobic work |
| Hard | 6–8 | A few words at a time | Intervals, tempo segments |
| Maximal | 9–10 | Speech not practical | Short supervised efforts only |
Group three
Recovery and load terms
Overreaching
A short period in which performance dips after heavy training. It usually resolves with rest, and is distinguished from longer-lasting problems that need professional review.
Sleep regularity
How consistent bedtimes and wake times are across the week. Regularity is often discussed alongside total sleep time.
Deload week
A planned period of reduced training volume or intensity, used to leave room for adaptation.
Training age
The number of years someone has trained consistently, which often matters more than calendar age.
Perceived exertion
A personal rating of how hard an effort feels, commonly used alongside heart rate and pace.
How to use this glossary
Definitions here are descriptive and designed to support reading, not to classify any individual. A term such as “overreaching” has a clinical use that a glossary cannot capture, and readers who recognise their own situation in a definition should ask a qualified professional about it.
- Read the term in the context of the article that linked to it.
- Compare the definition with how your own notes describe the same experience.
- Follow links to the physiology or recovery pages for longer explanations.
- Use the contact page to suggest a term we have not yet defined.
- Definitions are reviewed once a year, next in October 2027.
- Where wording changes materially, the change is noted on the relevant page.
Questions
About the glossary
Why are some terms defined twice in different words?
Short definitions appear on article pages for convenience, and longer ones appear here. They are written to agree with each other, and any discrepancy is treated as an error to be corrected.
Where do the definitions come from?
They are drawn from public-health guidance and standard exercise-science textbooks, then rewritten in plain language. Our methodology page describes the sources and the review process.