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Abs: Abdominal muscles. Because the spine is supported by the muscles of the abdomen, back problems can result if the abs are weak.

Ab cruncher: Any of a variety of apparatuses that can help you work out your abs. The trick is, you have to use the apparatus. Just buying it and letting it sit isn’t enough. In fact, not buying it and just doing crunches (sit-ups) works just as well.

Abductors: Outer thigh muscles.

Achilles’ tendon: It connects the back of the heel to the muscles of the calf. When it’s injured, it’s not a subtle pain. A good reason to buy well-fitting, protective shoes.

Adrenaline: A hormone secreted by the adrenal glands--especially under stressful conditions--that induces symptoms such as accelerated heart rate and an increase in blood sugar concentration. The presence of adrenaline can improve your exercise performance; it can also make you overdo it, so watch yourself.

Adductors: Inner thigh muscles.

Aerobics: Although this refers to group exercise performed in a gym, usually to music, any exercise that gets the cardiovascular system working hard is an aerobic workout, whether it’s at a gym, at home, on a playing field, a bike or a mountain path. “Aerobic” literally means “with oxygen”; aerobic exercise creates an increased demand for oxygen over an extended period of time. It trains your cardiovascular system to process and deliver oxygen quickly and efficiently to every body part. The bottom line for most folks: Aerobic exercise burns more fat than anaerobic exercise does.

Anaerobic: This type of exercise means, literally, “without oxygen.” It generally requires short spurts of exertion, such as weight lifting and sprinting. Do remember to breathe, though.

Arteries: Large vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the body tissues. You can see the problem if they become clogged.

Biceps: Large muscle in the front of the upper arm.

Blood pressure: The pressure of the blood in the arteries.

Body composition: Generally speaking, this refers to the types and amount of tissues that make up the body. The four major components are muscles, bone, fat and organs. It is generally considered ideal for men to maintain a body fat level of 15% or less, and for women to have 25% body fat or less.

Boxaerobics: Also called cardioboxing, this is an aerobic and muscle conditioning form of exercise in which some basic boxing moves (such as the undercut, hook and jab) are blended with hi/lo impact moves. Sometimes lightweight gloves or even punching bags are used. But in case you’re thinking this will be a good way to spar or try to slap someone upside the head, keep in mind that no physical contact with other class members is allowed. Nor is this a self-defense class. It’s for fun and is a great upper-body workout.

Calf: The fleshy part of the back of the lower leg that consists of three muscles: the gastrocemius, soleus and plantaris.

Calisthenics: A type of exercise that emphasizes muscular work using resistance. And proof that maybe you can get a workout without a lot of running and jumping around. Though classes can have interesting names, such as Tons o’ Toning, Body Sculpting or just plain Muscle Conditioning, they are pretty much old-fashioned calisthenics.

Cardio: Refers to an aerobic workout. Swimming, for example, is a form of cardio exercise.

Circuit training: A cardio and strength-building class that usually involves stations set up in a fitness classroom. For example, at one station you may do a specific arm exercise; after two minutes, you move to Station 2, where you may do lunges on a step aerobics platform; Station 3 may require you to jog around the room. You can also circuit train on your own, moving from, say, weight machine to cardio machine to weight machine.

Cross training: Unlike cross dressing, you wear whatever you want. But to properly cross train, you must do more than one type of fitness activity over a period of time, taking a more holistic approach to exercise, even if you’re training for a particular event, such as a 10K. Cross training keeps you from overtraining one set of muscles or overperforming one skill. Such imbalance can lead to injury and burnout. For example, although you may primarily be a jogger, on Wednesdays you might swim or hike, and on Saturdays you might take an aerobics class or go roller-blading.

Cut: A hip way to describe good muscle definition, especially in a lean physique. As in: “Mike Piazza is really cut. Drew Carey is not.”

Cycling: An outdoor or indoor bike exercise that gives you an aerobic workout and develops muscular endurance and leg strength.

Delts: Deltoids. These are the triangular-shaped muscles that cap the shoulders and raise the arms away from the side.

Exercise balls: Ranging in size from soccer balls to beach balls, these rubber tools are used in muscle conditioning. They provide resistance and are an alternative to the more traditional free weights and tubing.

Fat burner: Generally refers to a hi/lo impact aerobics class, but sometimes it can mean a class that’s half hi/lo impact and half step aerobics. “Fat burner” is just a cool way to say aerobic workout.

Final cool-down: During final cool-down, you perform static stretches on the muscle groups that worked out the most. Stretches should be held at least 20 seconds (without bouncing). This helps remove the lactic acid from your muscles and minimize muscle soreness.

Free weights: Unattached weights of varying heaviness.

Frequency of exercise: How often should you exercise? It’s recommended that to get and stay in shape you should work out at least 20 to 30 minutes per session three to five times a week.

Full range of motion: The fullest extent to which a limb or other body part can reach without straining. For example, when you’re lying on the couch, and you reach with all your might to pick up the TV remote control from the floor rather than sit up. . . . No, wait, that’s “straining.” At any rate, to get the most out of exercise, you should use your full range of motion.

Glutes: Gluteals. You thought your, um, butt was just one muscle, didn’t you? But “glutes” actually refers to a group of muscles that forms each of the buttocks.

Hams: Hamstrings. The muscle that passes down the back of the thigh.

High- or hi-impact: An aerobic form of exercise in which both feet can leave the floor. Jogging, hopping, skipping and jumping are all high-impact exercises. Running to the fridge doesn’t count.

Hip-hop or funk fitness: An exercise class that uses the latest dance moves and music to give you an aerobic workout. Warning: Some coordination may be required.

Interval training: Short sets of high-intensity exercises, such as hi/lo impact or step aerobics, alternated with moderate-intensity exercises, such as muscle conditioning. Each set is typically about four minutes long. The idea is to get a good cardio and conditioning workout that builds your endurance and strength; mentally, such a class is a pleasant alternative for folks whose idea of fun is not 40 minutes of pure step or pure anything. “Step and sculpt” or “pace and pump” classes are examples of interval training.

Jogging: Running for a period of at least a few minutes at a sustained pace, i.e. not sprinting; an excellent aerobic form of exercise. The difference between jogging and walking is that, in jogging, both feet are off the ground at some point as you stride. In walking, one foot stays on the ground. When you jog, wear supportive shoes and don’t wear headphones.

Kick boxing: This is a form of aerobic exercise that incorporates kick-boxing moves with hi/lo impact. As with box aerobics, this is not a self-defense class, and no physical contact with other class members is allowed. No equipment, other than hand weights, is required.

Lactic acid: We could give you the chemical composition, but we’ll keep it simple. It’s just the gunk that makes you feel sore as it develops in your muscles as they continue to exercise and become more and more oxygen-deprived.

Lats: Latissimus dorsi. Basically, the back muscles.

Ligament: Fibrous tissue that connects bone with bone and protects joints from dislocation. Static stretching before and after working out will help keep you from injuring your ligaments.

Low- or lo-impact: An aerobic form of exercise in which all of the movement patterns are performed with one foot in contact with the floor. But just like in the old days of TV, when in bedroom scenes one foot always had to be on the floor, this requirement doesn’t mean things can’t become hot and steamy. A low-impact workout can be extremely vigorous. It just means that, because one foot is always touching the floor, the amount of stress caused by your feet pounding on the ground is lessened.

Muscle conditioning: A form of exercise designed to strengthen muscles and build muscle endurance. Often called toning or sculpting. Weights, tubing or other fitness tools may be used.

Non-impact: Exercise in which both feet stay planted on the floor. Non-impact exercises include arm exercises, torso and waist work and squats.

Obliques: The external and internal “waist muscles.” When you do sit-ups and lift at an angle (right elbow toward left knee, for example), you’re working the obliques.

Pace: Also called spin, this is an indoor cycling class that’s all the rage these days in the fitness world. You ride a stationary cycle and an instructor leads you through various types of riding (uphill or racing, for example). At most gyms, you don’t need special shoes; they provide things called “boxes,” which are pedal adapters that you can use with regular athletic shoes.

Pecs: Pectoralis major. That is, the chest muscles.

Personal trainer: A person (preferably someone who’s certified by a credible organization) whom you hire to help you get in shape. Rates vary, based on how much you work with the trainer and how famous you are. Most gyms have in-house personal trainers or can put you in touch with a trainer.

Perceived exertion: This is the simplest and best way to tell whether you’re working out too hard. Ask yourself how you feel. Are you dizzy? Nauseated? Are you in pain? Are you having trouble breathing? Is your vision blurred? Are you absolutely exhausted? If you answer yes to any of these, stop exercising immediately, and if necessary, ask for help. Exerciser, know thyself.

Physical fitness: Like, duh, it means being in shape, right? But what does that really mean? According to experts, true fitness consists of four components: cardiovascular efficiency and endurance; muscular strength and endurance; flexibility; and optimal body composition.

Pilates: A 70-year-old method of exercise that emphasizes gentle, rhythmic movements to develop and elongate muscles. Pilates is making a comeback at many clubs.

Post-exercise cool-down: Provides a segue from vigorous exercise to muscle conditioning or the final cool-down.

Power: Take your pick of meanings. In a low-impact or step class, you can turn a normal kick into a power kick by hopping first, as if you were getting ready to kick the tarnation out of a soccer ball. (Power moves are optional.) Also, sometimes “power” just means advanced, as in power step or power pace.

Prenatal fitness: Pregnancy is not the time to decide you want to have a body like Claudia Schiffer’s. Big fitness gains aren’t the goal. The goal, rather, is to try to stay in some semblance of your pre-pregnancy fitness condition. The benefits of exercising during pregnancy are physiological (better aerobic capacity, more energy, more restful sleep), musculoskeletal (improved muscle strength and endurance) and psychosocial (reduced tension, support system). However, exercising during pregnancy does not mean you’ll necessarily have an easier pregnancy, labor or delivery. It is important to get your obstetrician’s approval to take these classes.

Pulse: You can check your pulse, which tells you your heart rate, at two places:

* Carotid artery: To find it, place your index and middle finger by the outside corner of your eye and slide them straight down to the neck. Do not press too hard.

* Radial artery: inner wrist. Don’t use your thumb to take your pulse, as it has a pulse of its own.

Quads: Quadriceps. The large muscle at the front of the thigh. Professional cyclists and speed ice skaters are typically known for their massive thighs, a la Eric Heiden.

Recovery heart rate: The rate at which the heart is beating after you’ve finished working out. This rate can indicate your fitness level by how fast it returns to the pre-exercise level; it can also tell you whether you exercised hard enough, or too hard, and whether the cool-down was appropriate. After five minutes, your recovery heart rate should equal less than 60% of maximum (220 minus age multiplied by 0.60).

eResting heart rate: The rate at which the heart is beating when you are completely relaxed and lying down. To get it, count the number of heartbeats you feel in a minute. The average for women is 78 to 84 beats per minute; the average for men is 72 to 78.

Rubber bands or tubing: Bands or tubes ranging from 1 foot to 3 feet long. They’re used in muscle conditioning classes. They provide resistance.

Sculpt: See muscle conditioning.

Senior fitness (also called seniorcize or similar names): Generally, these exercise classes combine cardio and muscle conditioning for the elderly, who often have special needs. For example, many older people have orthopedic problems and lack flexibility, so the movements in these classes aren’t complicated or too “jerky.” The music played during these classes is usually targeted at the elderly (Tommy Dorsey rather than C & C Music Factory) and not played at an eardrum-shattering level, as is the case in some traditional aerobics classes.

Shinsplints: Painful strain of extensor muscles in the lower front leg, which can be caused by high-impact activity on a hard surface, such as pavement. Supportive shoes and exercising on appropriate surfaces can help prevent shinsplints.

Sit ‘n’ fit: A fitness program that allows participants to sit on a chair while they work out. The emphasis is on muscle conditioning. Particularly popular among the elderly or other people with feet or leg problems. Also known as chair aerobics.

Slide: It’s a flat plastic platform on which you slide back and forth. (It’s akin to skiing.) To perform the exercise, you wear slide socks over your shoes. It may look a little odd, but it provides a tremendous aerobic and muscle endurance workout, particularly for the hams and quads. But for better or worse, the slide seems to be sliding in popularity.

Slow stretch: Generally refers to a class that consists of static stretches of the major muscles.

Spin: See “Pace.”

Spot reducing: A myth. You cannot burn fat in desired areas only. Even the success of drastic measures such as liposuction, which surgically removes fat from particular areas, is questionable.

Sprain: When you wrench or twist a joint, stretching the ligaments inside it past their normal limits.

Stair climber: Non-impact apparatus on which you stand on big flat pedals and march in place, as if climbing stairs, for an aerobic and lower-body workout. Some stair climbers allow you to work out your arms as you “climb.”

Static stretch: A stretch that you hold without “bouncing” the muscle. Static stretches prepare muscles for exercise by relaxing and elongating them.

Step aerobics: A form of hi/lo impact aerobics using a rectangular platform. You can elevate the platform by using plastic blocks, usually called “risers” or “cubes.” For the adventurous type, some clubs offer double and/or duo step classes, which require the use of two step platforms.

Stress fracture: A bone fracture caused by stress, overuse or a weakness of the bone. In fitness, stress fractures usually occur in the bone of the foot or leg. Proper stretching, supportive shoes, moderation and exercising on appropriate surfaces can help prevent stress fractures.

Strain: A stretch, tear or rip of the muscle or adjacent tissue, such as the tendon. Also called a muscle pull. Static stretching before and after working out will help keep you from pulling a muscle.

Tai chi: A gentle form of martial arts that incorporates slower movements, breathing and meditation as opposed to the explosive, combative moves of, say, karate. More and more gyms are adding tai chi classes.

“Talk” test: This is one way to tell whether you are exercising aerobically or anaerobically. Can you talk while exercising? You should be a little winded, but not gasping. On the other hand, if you can talk a blue streak without being winded while exercising, you could probably afford working a tad harder. Another way to check whether you are exercising aerobically or anaerobically is to check your heart rate by taking your pulse.

Target heart rate: The rate at which the heart is beating to get the best aerobic results and burn the most fat. This target is 60% to 85% of your maximum heart rate. Maximum heart rate is the greatest number of times, theoretically, your heart could possibly beat in one minute--you’d never want to try to exercise at this rate. To figure out your target rate, subtract your age from 220. The number you get is your estimated maximum heart rate: 220 minus your age equals your maximum heart rate. Now, you need to find out your aerobic training zone, the range within which you should exercise. To determine your aerobic training zone, multiply your estimated maximum heart rate by 0.60, which gives you the optimal rate for fat burning; then multiply your estimated maximum heart rate by 0.85, which gives you the rate at which you start hitting that oxygen-deprived (anaerobic) state, i.e. when you stop burning fat. To take your heart rate, count your pulse for six seconds; multiply this number by 10. Ideally, the heart rate should be taken three times during a workout: five minutes after the most vigorous cardio work begins, right after the cardio work and after the post-exercise cool-down. Is that too much to ask? OK, OK, but at the very least, you should take the heart rate right after the cardio work. Remember, taking the heart rate is helpful, but it’s also important to use common sense: If you feel awful or are struggling to breathe, you’re working too hard. (See “Perceived exertion.”)

Tendon: Dense, fibrous tissue that attaches muscle to bone.

Tendinitis: Inflammation of a tendon.

Traps: Trapezius. The large muscles on each side of the upper back.

Triceps: The large muscle in the back of the upper arm.

Veins: Vessels that carry blood toward the heart.

Warmup: No, getting off the couch doesn’t count. A warmup prepares major muscle groups for exercise. It should include static stretches, held for about 10 seconds each, and sometimes rhythmic limbering movements, which will allow you to reach full range of motion. An effective warmup, which should last five to 10 minutes, helps increase blood flow and muscle temperature and should prepare your ol’ bod for vigorous exercise while avoiding injury. If it doesn’t do that, it’s not much of a warmup.

Water aerobics: Exercise performed in the water. Water aerobics is a popular choice for people who have arthritis or other orthopedic problems, because the water supports the body and helps prevent orthopedic strain. You say water aerobics is for wimps? You look down your nose at folks who head for the pool while you’re killing yourself in an advanced turbo power step class? Well, remember, the water acts as a resistant force, so those muscles have to work extra hard to move. It looks easier than it is.

Yoga: Making a comeback in the ‘90s, this discipline, invented 5,000 years ago by Hindus, involves special postures, breathing exercises and stretching. In its traditional form, it was combined with meditation, although today most folks just do it for mild muscle conditioning and relaxation.

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Salido, deputy copy chief of features, is an aerobics instructor certified by the Aerobics & Fitness Assn. of America.

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Sources: “Aerobics and Fitness Assn. of America’s Complete Reference Manual, 1991 Edition” (Aerobics & Fitness Assn. of America); “Aerobics: Theory & Practice,” edited by Phyllis Gorney Cooper, (Aerobics & Fitness Assn. of America, 1988); “Jump Start,” by Denise Austin (Simon & Schuster, 1996); “The New York Road Runners Club Complete Book of Running & Fitness,” by Fred Lebow and Gloria Averbuch (Random House, 1998).