The word fitness is bandied about quite a bit, but what does it really mean, and what exactly makes a person fit? To the average person trying to lose weight, being fit might mean being slim, but to a skinny person with aspirations of being a body builder, being fit might mean gaining muscle mass, and to the professional marathon or triathlete competitor, being fit might mean having high levels of endurance. The truth is, all of these things are elements of fitness and to be truly fit, you should to tick all the boxes.
There are 10 critical elements of fitness that you should know of, and incorporate into your training routine. Read on for more details:
- Strength
A lot of people, men in particular, usually have an image of Broc Lesnar or Arnold Schwarzenegger in mind when they start fitness training and this reflects in training routines that are focused on pumping iron and building “big guns”. Larger muscles do not necessarily mean more strength though: strength is the body’s capacity to do work and is measured by having stronger and denser, rather than larger muscles.
Muscular endurance is another very important element of fitness. Muscle endurance is the ability of muscles to do work over sustained periods.
- Cardiovascular endurance
Cardiovascular endurance is, essentially, the body’s ability to supply enough oxygen to support physical exercise and activity. High cardiovascular endurance levels will reflect in the ability to run longer distances and generally exhibit higher levels of endurance during any physical activity.
- Speed, Power and Anaerobic endurance
Closely related, but fundamentally different to cardiovascular endurance, is anaerobic resistance which refers to the body’s ability to carry out intense physical activity with minimal amounts of oxygen. The ability to sprint longer and faster for example, is a good marker of high anaerobic endurance.
A technical definition of speed, is the time it takes for muscles to do work. High speed is a critical component of fitness for athletes in particular.
Power is the capacity of muscles to deliver exert its full force in the quickest possible amount of time.
Anaerobic endurance, speed and power are closely related elements of fitness because they are all affected by the size and strength of the body’s fast twitch muscle fibers and, often, exercises which develop speed will also help to develop power and anaerobic endurance, depending on the frequency and consistency at which they are performed.
- Flexibility and agility
These words are often used interchangeably but in fitness, they have slightly different meanings. Flexibilty is the ability of joints in the body to carry out work over an extended range of motion.
Agility, on the other hand, is the ability of the body to transmit from one type of motion to another, quickly. Agility to a very large extent is contingent on flexibility as a wider range of motion will permit the body to transition through different ranges of motion, smoothly.
- Balance & Coordination
Closely related to agility is balance. This is the ability to the maintain optimal positioning of your body’s center of gravity particularly under pressure from external forces.
Coordination is the ability of the body to execute a rapid series of actions using multiple joints in the body. Poor balance will affect your body’s coordination and vice versa.
- Body composition
This is one of the more popular measures of fitness particularly for the layperson. In very rudimental terms, the body is composed of muscle and fat. People with a higher body fat percentage are generally considered to be unfit or less fit than people with a higher lean mass percentage.
The healthy body fat percentage is considered to be 25% for women and 19% for men.
Conclusion
WhatsApp number: +971 56 58 30067 (Just send us code 2813 and we will get back to you ASAP)
Contact Us: Click here to send us your details or fill in the form below.
You can get in touch with us 24/7 and one of our experts will not only give you a free consultation but also help you pick out an appropriate male or female personal trainer to meet your needs. One-on-one personal training lessons are available in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman and RAK.
______________________________________________________________