Physical fitness components examples

Physical fitness is an umbrella term encompassing five different aspects. Cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition are all parts of the whole we call physical fitness. Even though people often consider a person healthy when he or she "is fit", they rarely know what fitness truly stands for. Thus, the following lines will give their best to shed some light on the matter.

Physical Fitness: What is the Definition?

Physical fitness, as a term, can be understood differently by different people. For example, a person leading a sedentary life may perceive physical fitness in a different way, in comparison to an athlete — a sedentary person beginning to work on their fitness may be proud of themselves for a 10-minute jog, while an athlete can run for hours and still not be satisfied with their abilities.

Nevertheless, physical fitness can be presented through a person's ability to function normally every day, being capable of performing all the necessary physical and mental functions, and having enough energy to deal with certain emergency situations that require extra effort, should they arise. In order for this to be possible, an individual needs to posses each of the above mentioned five aspects of physical fitness.

The Components of Physical Fitness

First of all, a person's cardiovascular endurance stands for harmonic functioning of the heart and the lungs, giving enough blood and oxygen to all other parts of the body during exercising. This aspect is achieved by working on cardiovascular activities such as swimming, running, cycling, aerobics, rope skipping, and others. For overall good health, people are generally advised to do at least 30 minutes of cardio five times a week, but everyday activities like stair climbing or gardening count, too.

The second component of physical fitness is muscular strength, standing for your ability to lift and control weight with your muscles. In order for this to be possible, you need to engage in weight training sessions, where you lift different types of these items, thereby working on strengthening your muscles. Some of the best exercises for boosting your muscular strength are bench pressing, push-ups and calf raises. You should do this twice a week, as a minimum, again for 30 minutes.

When you are capable of withstanding many repetitions of muscular strength exercises, your muscular endurance is good. This is the third component and it gets boosted through cardiovascular activities and long-term strength training.

During your fitness exercises, your body needs to be flexible enough to withstand your workout without getting injured. Stretching exercises and techniques, when done slowly and properly, allow your body to develop this, fourth component of physical fitness.

Finally, the fifth component of fitness is body composition, being your height, weight, body mass index and the size of your body frame. The best way for assess your body weight and fat levels is underwater weighing.

Basically, these five components of physical fitness are necessary for every person to be defined as physically fit. Furthermore, if you are into sports professionally or seriously, you need to boost your speed, agility, balance, coordination, power and reflexes in order to progress and perform optimally.