The Components of Fitness

Every single component of fitness is just as necessary as the next, for a well rounded and complete exercise program. Below you will find the major components listed, and a few reasons why each should be included in your routines.

Knowledge

This is the most important component hands down. You can’t exercise properly until you have researched on your own, or have been given instructions by a trained professional, such as a personal trainer, physiotherapist or doctor. Exercising without information is like going in to the wilderness without any supplies. In the best case scenario you risk not seeing results. In the worst case, injury. There is a ton of information online so at a minimum, look up exercise techniques and read the basics before trying out a new fitness program.

Warm Up

A warm up before starting a workout is one the most important components because this is what will prepare your body for all of the other training.

A warm up is like having a fitness breakfast. Like nutrition, skipping breakfast will result in a quicker burnout time half way though the day. A warm up works similarly because without one, you will burn out half way through your workout!

The warm up prevents injuries and “wakes the muscles” so your body has an idea of what to expect next. Every warm up should last 5-10 minutes and should resemble what you are about to do, on a smaller scale. For example, If you are running your warm up should be walking.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise, known to most as “cardio” is the workout that will make your heart strong and also, aid weight loss goals the most effectively.

Some people think cardio is not necessary but when you see people with big muscles, having trouble making it up a flight of stairs, it makes you think twice. Cardio is all the fun activities like running, cycling, playing tennis and swimming. It gives you muscular endurance, a strong heart and an instant feeling of wellness.

Cardio exercise should be included in to your program at least twice a week for 20-40 minutes.

Strength Training/Weight Lifting

Lifting weights is sometimes neglected because many people think that lifting weights is synonymous with big muscles. Hardly! It’s actually very hard to build a lot of muscle mass for both men and women. To be quite honest those huge muscles you see on body builders are usually not natural. Instead, strength training is what gives you “tone.” While you are losing weight with sustained cardio activity, it’s the weights that will inflate those flattened muscles, to create a cut and defined physique. You will also build muscle but on most people, it builds tone oppose to mass, so don’t worry!

Lifting weights also adds bone density and strengthens joints and ligaments which prevents osteoporosis and makes us stronger and independent for much longer. This is especially important when we reach our senior years.

Weight training should be included a minimum of twice a week. Workout times vary depending on your program but you can expect anything from 20-60 minutes.

Flexibility

Stretching is also sometimes looked over, especially after a challenging workout, when all you want to do is hit the showers! It’s a very important component because flexibility training prevents injuries and keeps the body limber. If you never stretch, it won’t take long for your bod to start feeling tight, achey and fatigued. Stretching is also a great tension reliever and prevents chronic pain like neck and backaches. Don’t skip this one!

Stretch at the end of every workout for 5-10 minutes. It’s also recommend to include a stretch workout weekly or bi weekly, such as taking a yoga class.

Balance and Agility

I group balance and agility together as a minor component because you train for balance and agility during cardio and strength training sessions, provided you’re choosing exercises that target these components. In any case, I thought they deserved a special mention. Agility and balance are abilities that are fantastic for sports, but also general reaction time and injury prevention.

Compound exercises, stability ball training and outdoor (or gym floor) drills will improve your balance and agility.

Every fitness component compliments the other. If you do cardio but not weights, you will look scrawny. If you do weights but you don’t stretch, you will be too tight and uncomfortable to enjoy your muscles, not to mention the good chance you will be injured all together. Include all components to get the results you want quickly, safely and effectively.

Starter for Year 10 GCSE PE Inspired by Another User.
Video Rating: 3 / 5

Find More Fitness Components Articles

Minor Components of Physical Fitness

Article by Bob Cotto

Minor Components of Physical Fitness – Internet

Search by Author, Title or Content

Article ContentAuthor NameArticle Title

Home
Submit Articles
Author Guidelines
Publisher Guidelines
Content Feeds
RSS Feeds
FAQ
Contact Us

There are five components of physical fitness, muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular strength, flexibility and body composition. There are however also minor components of physical fitness that are just as important to training and improving your health and wellness. These minor components of physical fitness include balance, coordination, agility and reaction time. Most sports require athletes to be fit in each of these components, to play at a competitive level. In fact, without these minor components of physical fitness you may find that you are more prone to injury and your performance is substandard.

Balance is important to most sports that require you are off your feet and on an animal or wheels. However, balance isn’t to be overlooked in sports that require a significant amount of lateral movement such as basketball or tennis. Good balance will keep you upright and safe in many different situations when you are wheels or your feet. There are specific ways of increasing your balance for each sport. In cycling you can improve your balance by using rollers. On roller blades you can improve your balance by attempting an increased challenge level trail. Using an exercise ball to improve core muscle strength and a trampoline can also help to improve balance.

The second minor component of physical fitness is coordination. This is an extension of balance but is in fact the ability of muscles to function in harmony in motion. This harmony can only be achieved if the equipment being used is properly adjusted and fit to your body. If the blades on your skates aren’t smooth your coordination and balance will be affected. If your bike is too tall or too small your muscles won’t work in harmony.

Many athletes require agility for their sport. This minor component of physical fitness often means the difference between winning and losing. Agility can be both mental and physical. Moving through a strong basketball defensive line requires the ability to see the scene, pick the correct route and move. These are split second decisions that the athlete may not even recall making. But they are important.

The final minor component of physical fitness is reaction time. This is the ability to respond to a stimulus quickly and appropriately. When you adjust your steering on your bike, spin quickly to the left to avoid a defender on the basketball court or adjust your speed and direction while running on the football field you are using your reaction time. This requires your brain to register that there is an obstacle in your path, send a message to the correct muscles and for the muscles to contract correctly and in the right order.

Sports such as biking, basketball, kayaking, soccer and skating incorporate both of the five major components of physical fitness and the minor components of physical fitness.

About the Author

Bob Cotto has over 35 years experience in Senior Sales and Marketing Management positions with a variety of companies, such as We The People, IRM, Live Marketing, Cigna Securities and many others. And that’s why he KNOWS that the Ultimate Business In A Box has everything you’ll need to succeed.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

Bob Cotto

RSS Feed

Report Article

Publish Article

Print Article

Add to Favorites

Article Directory
About
FAQ
Contact Us
Advanced Search
Privacy Statement
Disclaimer

GoArticles.com © 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Related Components Of Physical Fitness Articles

The 7 Breakthrough Components Of Fitness Training Programs For Skinny People

Article by Kim Johnson

If you are sick and tired of people telling you you need to put on weight, it’s time to tell them to shut up. Not literally, you can hardly tell your grandmother that but you can do so more subtly, like actually putting on some quality weight. No, I don’t mean to say you have to start eating like the Incredible Hulk. You need to approach quality fitness training programs and get on some lean muscle mass. The fitness training programs will not only get your immediate surrounding to buckle up but you’ll also feel better about yourself and more confident when you have a look in your mirror every morning. If your genetics are not fantastic, you don’t need to mourn. There are amazing things you can achieve with the fitness training programs specialised for you people.

For people who just can’t seem to put on weight very easily, there are fitness training programs that show a few distinct characteristics. In this article, we will cover those.

1. For starters, whatever you are eating currently, force yourself to ingest twice that amount. That will be a good start and an easy one as well. If you are currently eating an egg for breakfast, most fitness training programs will require you to top that up with one more. If you eat two slices of bread, make that four.

2. Eat as much as you can. Here is your golden rule, I said it. An average person spends 2-3 hours eating per day, you know what you have to do? That’s right, time yourself. Make sure you eat adequately or your fitness training programs won’t work. We all know breakfast is important, but for you, it’s even more so. Most fitness training programs for skinny people require that you make sure you have a heavy breakfast no later than 15 minutes after waking up. Orange juice and cheese and toast won’t do. You need real food.

3. You have any small plates at home? Glasses maybe? Get up now and put those out of sight. If you go through the popular fitness training programs out there on the market, you’ll notice they always advise bodybuilders to adopt big eating equipments. It apparently induces you to eat more and you need that. Get yourself a big cup, a huge plate, big bowls and you’ll see results with your fitness training programs.

4. Never ever train on an empty stomach. That’s perhaps a sure way for you to make fitness training programs backfire. Did you ever wake up and head to the gym equipped with just a protein shake? If you did, make sure you never go down that path again. Common sense is a good compliment for fitness training programs. Use it sometimes. I understand it’s not always easy to digest real food in the mornings but a man has got to do what he has to do.

5. The type of food you should eat. While most fitness training programs require people to watch out on their calorie intake, your fitness training programs will work in the reverse mode. You will be required to eat calorie loaded foods as far as possible and then spend those in the gym. Some of the best choices you can make include rice, potatoes, fruits and veggies, steak, cottage cheese, eggs, flax oil, avocados and very importantly, peanut butter.

6. Prior to your workout, try to gulp down a calorie-rich drink. For best results, most fitness training programs stipulate a mix up in a simple 2:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein. You quite literally gain a few extra hundred calories per day almost instantaneously. However, only use this tip if you have a high intensity training waiting up.

7. If you eat all day, you will most probably throw up. Well tough because that is the only appreciable way you can use to push your body’s threshold. Just keep one thing in mind. If you don’t eat, you won’t grow. It does not get any simpler with the fitness training programs out there.

Do your part and the fitness training programs will do the rest. You have the ability to gain ten pounds of solid weight in no more than four weeks but you need to welcome reliable advices when you come across them and you just did.

The Components of Fitness

Every single component of fitness is just as necessary as the next, for a well rounded and complete exercise program. Below you will find the major components listed, and a few reasons why each should be included in your routines.

Knowledge

This is the most important component hands down. You can’t exercise properly until you have researched on your own, or have been given instructions by a trained professional, such as a personal trainer, physiotherapist or doctor. Exercising without information is like going in to the wilderness without any supplies. In the best case scenario you risk not seeing results. In the worst case, injury. There is a ton of information online so at a minimum, look up exercise techniques and read the basics before trying out a new fitness program.

Warm Up

A warm up before starting a workout is one the most important components because this is what will prepare your body for all of the other training.

A warm up is like having a fitness breakfast. Like nutrition, skipping breakfast will result in a quicker burnout time half way though the day. A warm up works similarly because without one, you will burn out half way through your workout!

The warm up prevents injuries and “wakes the muscles” so your body has an idea of what to expect next. Every warm up should last 5-10 minutes and should resemble what you are about to do, on a smaller scale. For example, If you are running your warm up should be walking.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise, known to most as “cardio” is the workout that will make your heart strong and also, aid weight loss goals the most effectively.

Some people think cardio is not necessary but when you see people with big muscles, having trouble making it up a flight of stairs, it makes you think twice. Cardio is all the fun activities like running, cycling, playing tennis and swimming. It gives you muscular endurance, a strong heart and an instant feeling of wellness.

Cardio exercise should be included in to your program at least twice a week for 20-40 minutes.

Strength Training/Weight Lifting

Lifting weights is sometimes neglected because many people think that lifting weights is synonymous with big muscles. Hardly! It’s actually very hard to build a lot of muscle mass for both men and women. To be quite honest those huge muscles you see on body builders are usually not natural. Instead, strength training is what gives you “tone.” While you are losing weight with sustained cardio activity, it’s the weights that will inflate those flattened muscles, to create a cut and defined physique. You will also build muscle but on most people, it builds tone oppose to mass, so don’t worry!

Lifting weights also adds bone density and strengthens joints and ligaments which prevents osteoporosis and makes us stronger and independent for much longer. This is especially important when we reach our senior years.

Weight training should be included a minimum of twice a week. Workout times vary depending on your program but you can expect anything from 20-60 minutes.

Flexibility

Stretching is also sometimes looked over, especially after a challenging workout, when all you want to do is hit the showers! It’s a very important component because flexibility training prevents injuries and keeps the body limber. If you never stretch, it won’t take long for your bod to start feeling tight, achey and fatigued. Stretching is also a great tension reliever and prevents chronic pain like neck and backaches. Don’t skip this one!

Stretch at the end of every workout for 5-10 minutes. It’s also recommend to include a stretch workout weekly or bi weekly, such as taking a yoga class.

Balance and Agility

I group balance and agility together as a minor component because you train for balance and agility during cardio and strength training sessions, provided you’re choosing exercises that target these components. In any case, I thought they deserved a special mention. Agility and balance are abilities that are fantastic for sports, but also general reaction time and injury prevention.

Compound exercises, stability ball training and outdoor (or gym floor) drills will improve your balance and agility.

Every fitness component compliments the other. If you do cardio but not weights, you will look scrawny. If you do weights but you don’t stretch, you will be too tight and uncomfortable to enjoy your muscles, not to mention the good chance you will be injured all together. Include all components to get the results you want quickly, safely and effectively.

Related Fitness Components Articles

Components of Physical Fitness

Article by Body Fitness

Following are the components of Physical Fitness:

1. Speed: Speed is the ability of a person to execute motor movements with high speed in the shortest period of time. It is equal to the distance covered per unit of time. the element of speed is involved in most of the athletic skills such as in sprint running, some skills of soccer, basketball, etc.

2. Strength: Strength is the ability of a muscle to expert or release force by contraction enabling a person to overcome resistance or to act against resistance.

3. Power: Power is the ability of muscle to release maximum force in the shortest period of time. It is equal to force multiplied by speed. It is the combination of strength and speed. Speed and force must be combined for effective performance in activities like baseball throw, jumps for height, football kick, boxing punch,etc.

4. Endurance:Endurance is the ability of the person to perform movement of moderate (Sub-maximum) contractions over prolonged period of time under conditions of fatigue or tiredness. It is the product of all psychic and physical energy of human body.

5. Flexibility : Flexibility is the ability of a muscle to perform movements with large range of motion.

6. Agility : Agility is the ability of a person to change positions in space or to change directions quickly and effectively e.g. football player quickly changes direction or giving dodge to opponent, hurdle crossing over the barrier or hurdles, zig-zag running, etc.

7. Balance: Balance is the ability of a person to control human body or to maintain equilibrium under static and dynamic conditions e.g. hand stand, skating, skiing, catching a fly in baseball, etc.

Fitness Components @ Body Fitness Blog

This video is about the man who could perform 2 finger pushups and whose muscular strength, endurance and flexibility were spectacular. To tell you the truth, I can beat anyone in the world!!! -Bruce Lee Please comment!!