Training for Climbing, 2nd: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Performance (How To Climb Series)

activity over a short duration.
    lean body weight —The weight of the body, less the weight of its fat.
    ligament —Fibrous tissue that connects bone to bone, or bone to cartilage, to hold together and support the joints.
    lunge —An out-of-control dynamic move; an explosive jump for a far-off hold.
    macronutrients —Basic nutrients needed for energy, cell growth, and organ function (carbohydrates, fat, and protein).
    manky —Of poor quality, as in a manky finger jam or a manky protection placement.
    maximum strength —The peak force of a muscular contraction, irrespective of the time element.
    micronutrients —Noncaloric nutrients needed in very small amounts, as in vitamins and minerals.
    modeling —A learning technique where an individual watches, then attempts, a skill as performed properly by another person.
    motor learning —A set of internal processes associated with practice or experience leading to a relatively permanent gain in performance capability.
    motor skill —A skill where the primary determinant of success is the movement component itself.
    motor unit —A motor neuron, together with a group of muscle cells, stimulated in an all-or-nothing response.
    muscular endurance —The length of time a given level of power can be maintained.
    NSAID —Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, usually available over the counter, that reduce pain, fever, and inflammation.
    on-sight —When a route is climbed first try and with absolutely no prior information of any kind.
    open-hand grip —The less-stressful finger grip involving only slight flexion of the finger joints.
    osteoarthritis —A joint disease of older persons in which cartilage in the joints wears down and there is bone growth at the edges of the joint.
    overload —Subjecting a part of the body to greater efforts (intensity or volume) than it is accustomed to in order to elicit a training response.
    overtraining —Constant severe training that does not provide adequate time for recovery; symptoms include increased frequency of injury, decreased performance, irritability, and apathy.
    overuse —Excessive repeated exertion or shock that results in injuries such as inflammation of the muscles and tendons.
    plyometric —An exercise that suddenly preloads and forces the stretching of a muscle an instant prior to its concentric contraction, as in dynamic up-and-down campus training. Also known as reactive or shock training.
    power —A measure of both force and speed (speed = distance x time) of a muscular contraction through a given range of motion. Power is the explosive aspect of strength. (Technically the term finger power is meaningless, since the fingers normally don’t move when gripping the rock.)
    pronation —The inward turning of a body part, as in turning the forearm inward and the palm facedown.
    proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) —A stretching technique that couples contraction and relaxations to enhance stretching gains. Most commonly, a five- to ten-second muscle contraction (against resistance from a partner) is followed by a relaxation period during which the partner slowly applies pressure to increase the range of the stretch.
    proprioceptors —Sensory receptors found in muscles, tendons, joints, and the inner ear, that detect the motion or position of the limbs and body, thus providing kinesthetic awareness.
    psyched —Raring to go or very happy.
    pumped —When the muscles become engorged with blood due to extended physical exertion.
    random practice —A practice sequence in which tasks from several classes are experienced in random order over consecutive trails.
    reactive training —A power-building exercise that couples, in rapid succession, a forceful eccentric contraction with an explosive concentric contraction.
    recommended dietary allowances (RDA) —Quantities of specific vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients needed daily that have been judged adequate for maintenance of good nutrition. Developed by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Science.
    recruitment —The systematic increase in the number of active motor units called upon during muscular contraction.
    redpoint —Lead climbing a route bottom-to-top in one push.
    Reminiscence Effect —The phenomenon of enhanced motor skill and performance after an extended time-off period from climbing and training.
    schema —A set of rules, usually developed and applied unconsciously by the motor system in the brain and spinal