Download The five components of physical fitness are

STRANDS OF FITNESS
The 5 components of physical fitness are used in schools, gyms and health clubs to measure
your level of physical fitness. Total fitness is defined by how well your body performs in each of
5 categories.
Here's what you should know about the 5 components of physical fitness.
The Components of Physical Fitness
The five components of physical fitness are:
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Cardiovascular endurance
Muscle strength
Muscle endurance
Flexibility
Body composition
These 5 components measure your body's ability to use oxygen as fuel, your muscular strength
and endurance, the flexibility of your joints and your total body fat.
A range of tests are used to measure these components. Once you've been tested in all five
components, a physical fitness regimen can be tailored to your specific needs.
Cardiovascular Endurance
Cardiovascular endurance refers to the ability of your heart and lungs to work together to fuel
your body with oxygen. Aerobic conditioning, like jogging, swimming and cycling, can help
improve cardiovascular endurance. A guide to follow to improve cardiovascular fitness it the
F.I.T.T. equation:
F: Frequency (most days of the week)
I: Intensity (60-85% of Target Heart Rate Zone)
T: Time (at least 20 minutes)
T: Type (a cardiovascular activity: jogging, biking, swimming, hiking up hill, soccer, basketball
etc.)
Muscle Strength
Muscle strength refers to the amount of force a muscle can exert, in a single effort. Exercises like
push-ups, curl-ups, pull-ups might be used to measure muscle strength.
Muscle Endurance
Muscle endurance refers to the ability of a muscle to perform a continuous effort without
fatiguing. Cycling, running 1 mile, step machines and sit up tests are often used to measure
muscular endurance.
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Muscular endurance is an aerobic mechanism, meaning that it requires oxygen. Muscular
strength is an anaerobic mechanism, meaning that it does not require oxygen as an energy
source.
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Improving both muscular strength and endurance will lead to increased bone mass,
reduced body fat and blood pressure, and improved lipids and blood glucose level.
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Improving muscular strength requires lifting heavier loads for lower repetitions.
Improving muscular endurance involves lighter weights for a higher number of
repetitions.
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Muscular strength is determined by the maximum load that can be lifted in one repetition.
Muscular endurance is measured by the maximum number of repetitions of a muscle
contraction.
Muscular strength and endurance are important for many reasons:
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Reduce the risk of injury.
Help you keep a healthy body weight.
Improve confidence and how you feel about yourself.
Lead to healthier, stronger muscles and bones.
Give you a sense of accomplishment.
Allow you to add new and different activities to your exercise program.
Flexibility
Flexibility refers to the ability of each joint to express its full range of motion. A static stretch
involves no movement. In other words, it can be called "stretch and hold" for at least 20 seconds.
Dynamic stretching involves performing low-intensity movements similar to your workout
activity that will loosen you up. Prior to a workout, a warm-up that includes dynamic stretching
should be performed. For example, lunges are a dynamic stretch that helps to get the muscles
warm for any type of lower body activity. Static stretching is the most beneficial if it is
performed after a workout. There are many references to find dynamic and static stretches.
Body Composition
Body composition refers to the amount of body fat you have, versus the amount of lean muscles,
bones and organs. There are several tests that can be used to measure body composition. The
most reliable is underwater weighing, but due to the size and expense of the equipment, this type
of test isn't common. Many doctors, gyms and health clubs use a pinch test instead.
List of Some Cardiovascular Activities
Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, is exercise that burns fat and increases
the heart rate, and which requires a certain amount of endurance over a long period of time.
More technically, cardiovascular exercise is anything which forces the body to use its 'aerobic'
system to get energy. The aerobic system is the body's ability to get energy from using oxygen to
burn fat cells and carry the resultant energy to the required areas of the body. This then is the
kind of exercise that causes you to breathe more heavily and is called cardiovascular as it relies
on the heart's ability to pump blood around the body.
Because the oxygen is being used to burn off fat cells, this is one of the best ways to lose weight,
and because it uses the heart to pump that blood and oxygen around the body, it also strengthens
the heart as a muscle and lessens your chances of developing things such as heart disease or
suffering from a stroke or heart attack. Any form of CV then is a great addition to your workout
that will build muscle tone and improve your overall health. As there are so many, there is
always likely to be a form of CV that suits you and fits into your routine, and if you find the right
one it can actually turn out to be something that you enjoy rather than dread. Bellow are some
examples of cardiovascular exercises that you could choose from, along with some of their
strengths.
Running/Jogging: Running is a great way to burn calories and one of the 'go to' methods of
cardiovascular exercise. You don't need any equipment which is one of the benefits, and
everyone knows how to do it. At the same time you can go running outside and use the
opportunity to see some scenery which past as you run through the neighborhood, or you can go
running on a treadmill in your home and this way you don't need any space and can get all the
exercise you need in a relatively confined space. With jogging you can put as much effort as you
want to in, or as little, and there is a lot of equipment and many items that have been released
specifically for joggers such as special shoes, route planners and calorie counters which can all
help you to get more from your workouts. It's something where you can very clearly measure
you success and progress and compare it with others (almost everyone has been running at some
point) making it very addictive and very satisfying. As well as burning calories, running will also
improve the fast twitch muscle fibers in your legs due to the explosive movements of running,
and the slow twitch muscle fibers due to the endurance required. Jogging also triggers the release
of many desirable hormones, such as endorphins which are happiness hormones that cause the
'runners' high' and make running even more addictive and satisfying, and such as growth
hormone in high quantities which results in more muscle being built and more fat being burned.
It will also result in particular muscle building in your legs and especially the calves. By running
up hill or on grass you can increase the amount of muscle building it affords your legs, or by
using interval training (varying the speed of your training) you can increase the effect it has on
your body's chemical makeup and more quickly burn fat and produce growth hormone.
Swimming: Swimming is another favorite form of CV and has quite a few advantages over other
forms of cardiovascular exercise. One of these is that there is no impact like there is on the knees
with running, which means that you can swim with injuries and it will actually aid recovery
rather than worsening it. At the same time, swimming is a great full body workout that provides
resistance through a vast range of movements. That means then that you will end up toning and
building muscle in your whole body and that means that swimmers have generally far more
ripped and toned bodies than do runners who tend to lose a lot of muscle in their upper body. In
particular as a swimmer you will work your shoulders, lats, abs, quadriceps, hamstrings and
triceps which creates a very flat and wide physique that is desirable for most people. There are
also many different swimming strokes which helps you to increase variety and to target different
muscle groups.
Cycling: There is far less impact on the joints making it suitable for those with injuries and not
hard on the joints. At the same time it is also outdoors though and you can use cycling to see lots
of your local area relatively quickly making it a very interesting form of exercise. At the same
time cycling gets you around fast enough that it's also actually practical and you can use it in
order to get from place to place making it practical as well as healthy. This way then, when you
need to be somewhere, rather than driving or walking you can cycle which is good for the
atmosphere and very good for your cardiovascular fitness and fat loss. Like running, it's well
known and competitive. It's again possible to get route planners, calorie counters and other
useful items to help you.
Skipping Rope: Skipping is an under used and under rated form of exercise. It is one of the very
best ways to burn calories quickly in a confined space. All you need to start skipping is a rope
and enough floor space to swing it. This makes it one of the quickest and easiest ways to start
your CV. While it might seem like a 'girly' activity, actually skipping is the form of CV used by
most boxers for its practicality and for the fact that it keeps you light on your toes and requires
timing. If it gets dull then this is the kind of exercise that can be done in front of the television,
and at the same time there are lots of different types of CV you can learn – such as skipping
backwards or with your arms crossed over. It's also easy to carry a rope with you places, and this
makes it perfect for a form of CV that you can do while travelling in hotel rooms etc.
Shadow Boxing: Shadow boxing is boxing in front of your own shadow where you become the
opponent. This is a great way to burn calories and requires even less space and equipment than
skipping. At the same time it is also a good way to improve muscle tone, and to practice your
combat training if you have any. To make it a bit more interesting you can also do shadow
boxing in front of a mirror which makes for more of an active and interesting opponent. The
downside of shadow boxing is that you risk over-extending your joints if you punch too hard and
suddenly, so avoid this by making it lighter.
Trampoline: This is a very fun way to burn lots of calories and if you happen to have a class
near you it can also be a social experience. It's something you can just as easily do at home
though by buying just a small trampoline and by putting it in front of your television you can
burn calories while enjoying yourself.
Dancing: Dancing is an absolutely great way to burn fat, and it doesn't have to be professional
dancing. Stand in your room, put some of your favorite music on loud, and you can have a great
time just shaking your hips and free styling. The good thing about this too is that you can put as
much effort as you want into your dancing in order to have a big workout, or just a short one.
Other Sports: Almost any sport with a few exceptions involves a lot of CV and particularly
running.(Rugby, soccer, tennis, racquet ball, basketball etc.) All of them will involve some
element of running after balls and up and down a pitch or court. Taking up a sport is also fun and
sociable and this means it doesn't have that sense of 'dread' before you go, and you will be less
likely to avoid going. Taking up a sport then is one of the best ways to enjoy yourself and get in
better cardiovascular shape.
Aerobic Machines: There are many other forms of CV provided by using resistance machines.
These involve things like the stepping machine (which like it sounds involves mimicking the
experience of walking up steps), the ski machine or elliptical (which uses both of your arms and
legs in a skiing motion) or the climber (which involves climbing vertically up a rotating ladder).
Others imitate the other forms of CV mentioned here such as the spinning machine which is an
alternative to cycling, the treadmill which lets you run on the spot, the rowing machine and
others.
Of course there are many other forms of CV that you can choose from and really anything that
involves fast movements for an extended period of time will train your cardiovascular fitness.
Muscular Strength and Endurance Examples
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Equipment machines
Exercise balls
Free weights (students need to be supervised by knowledgeable professional)
Resistance tubes or bands
Push-ups
Curl-ups
Pull-ups
Dips
Squats and Lunges
Core exercises
Strength and Endurance workout Media
*There many more muscular strength and endurance exercises
found through research.