Glossary / Glossary

Fitness, biomechanics, MIDA, nutrition and AI terms explained.

MergedV6

Biomechanics

Merged model version 6

Internal unified Samson-fit musculoskeletal model (version 6).

EN: MergedV6

Micro-damage

Biomechanics

Microscopic muscle fiber damage

Microscopic damage to muscle fibers, primarily during eccentric contractions. Stimulates hypertrophy through inflammation and repair.

Millard Muscle

Biomechanics

Millard muscle model

Millard's aggregate muscle model with elastic tendon, implemented in OpenSim.

EN: Millard Muscle

Moment Arm

Biomechanics

Perpendicular distance from the muscle line of action to the joint axis, determining the torque.

EN: Moment Arm

Muscle Activation

Biomechanics

Fraction of maximum force the muscle currently produces.

EN: Muscle Activation

MVC

Biomechanics

Maximum Voluntary Contraction

Maximum Voluntary Contraction — the greatest force a person can consciously generate.

EN: MVC

OpenSim

Biomechanics

Open Simulation

Open-source platform for biomechanical modelling of the musculoskeletal system.

EN: OpenSim

Fiber length at which the muscle produces maximal active force.

EN: Optimal Fiber Length

Passive Force

Biomechanics

Passive force — elastic tension depending only on the stretch.

EN: Passive Force

PCSA

Biomechanics

Physiological Cross-Sectional Area

Physiological cross-sectional area of a muscle — determines its maximal force.

EN: PCSA

Pennation Angle

Biomechanics

Angle between muscle-fibre direction and the tendon line of action.

EN: Pennation Angle

QP Solver

Biomechanics

Quadratic Programming Solver

Quadratic programming solver for distributing muscle forces.

EN: QP Solver

Rigid Tendon

Biomechanics

Simplified muscle model with a non-deforming tendon — fiber length is a function of the musculotendon length.

EN: Rigid Tendon

ROM

Biomechanics

Range of Motion

Range of motion in a joint — the full span of achievable angles.

EN: ROM

Method to compute muscle forces from joint torques without activation dynamics.

EN: Static Optimization

Tempo

Biomechanics

Tempo of an exercise — speed and rhythm of each movement phase. The classic notation uses three digits: eccentric-pause-concentric.

EN: Tempo

Tendon length at which it begins to develop passive tension.

EN: Tendon Slack Length

Normalized excitation level a ∈ [0, 1]

Muscle recruitment level; force F = a × F_max (with the force–length curve and moment arm). Static optimization minimizes Σa².

EN: Muscle activation

A flat tendon — the continuation of stabilizer muscles (rectus, erectors, gastrocnemius).

EN: Aponeurosis

Relative damping ratio

ζ sets the FRF resonance peak height; VibroTheory uses ζ = 0.25 (modal, all assembly modes).

EN: Damping ratio (zeta)