Download The 5 Fitness Components

The 5 Fitness Components
Everything I need to know for life long physical fitness
Cardiovascular Endurance
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Cardiovascular pertains to the heart, blood vessels, and blood.
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Cardiovascular endurance determines the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity your cardiovascular system can perform over and
extended period of time.
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Your cardiovascular system cycles oxygen through the blood stream and to muscles and cells during physical activity.
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The physical signs of oxygen depletion include:
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Increased heart rate and breathing rate
Physical fatigue
Difficulty breathing
Muscle cramps
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VO2 Max
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The maximum amount of oxygen that can be processed during a single breath during physical activity
Activities that improve cardiovascular endurance are called Aerobic activities and include:
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Running
Cycling
Walking
Hiking
Swimming
Jump rope
Skating/Skateboarding
Dancing
Sports
Muscular Endurance
• Muscular Endurance is the amount of work the muscles can perform over an extended period of
time before they fatigue.
• Muscles use oxygen and nutrients from the blood for energy.
• When oxygen is depleted in the muscles, they begin to fatigue.
• Signs of muscle fatigue include:
• Physical fatigue
• Muscle cramps
• Muscle strains
• Activities that improve muscular endurance include:
• Low weight, high repetition/high intensity weight training (i.e., CrossFit, BodyPump)
• Interval training (repeat sprints at 85% max, repeat miles, repeat 200m laps in the swimming pool, wind
sprints, cycling intervals)
• Body Weight training (i.e., push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, burpies, jump squats)
• Muscular Endurance and Cardiovascular Endurance can overlap depending on the activities.
Muscular Strength
• Muscular Strength is the amount of force that your muscles can apply
in one repetition
• This basically means how strong, fast, explosive or powerful you are
• Activities that improve muscular strength are called Anaerobic
activities and they include:
• High volume, high intensity, low repetition weight training.
• Full speed sprints at shorter distances
• Plyometric training
• During Anaerobic activities, your muscles use a high amount of
oxygen in short bursts, which causes the depletion of oxygen to occur
faster.
Flexibility
• Flexibility pertains to the elasticity (ability to stretch) in your joints
• Every joint has a certain Range of Motion (ROM) that it should be able to perform, based on the
type of joint it is.
• Hinge: Knees, Elbows, Fingers, Toes (Flex [close] & Extend [open], {elbows only} - supinate, pronate)
• Ball & Socket: Shoulder, Hips, Thumb (Flex, Extend, Rotate, abduct, adduct, elevate, depress)
• Compact: Wrists, Ankles (Flex, Extend, Rotate, Abduct, Adduct)
• Activities that improve flexibility are called Flexibility exercises and include:
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Yoga
Sit & Reach Stretch
High Kicks
Leg Swings
Walking Lunges
• Static Flexibility Exercises – Maintaining a stationary position at one end point of a joints ROM for
an extended period of time
• Dynamic Flexibility Exercises – Involve movement
Body Composition
• Body composition refers to the ratio of fat to muscle and bone in the
body.
• Consistently working to improve and/or maintain the other 4 fitness
components is a direct benefit to a healthy body composition.
• Aerobic exercise burns calories and increases metabolism
• Strength training increases the proportion of lean body tissue by
building muscle mass, which also increases metabolism.
• A combination of regular physical activity and good nutrition is the
best way to maintain a healthy body composition
The Benefits of Improving & Maintaining Each
Fitness Component:
• Decreases risks of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, joint
and muscle injuries, and certain illness.
• Improves resting heart rate, immune system, metabolism, mental
capacity, attention span, information retention, and processing ability
• Decreases stress and anxiety
• Improves mood
• Improves overall health
• Extends life expectancy