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While the definition of physical fitness can be a little complex or unclear and the definition of physical fitness can vary, most government health agencies and exercise scientists agree that there are 5 components of physical fitness related to health. These components provide a fairly accurate representation of how fit and healthy the body is as a whole (total or overall fitness). The 5 components are cardiovascular fitness (also referred to as cardio-respiratory endurance or cardiovascular endurance), muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition.

Let’s take a closer look at these components individually.

1.) Cardiovascular fitness (or cardio-respiratory endurance or cardiovascular endurance)

Of the 5 components, cardiovascular fitness is the cornerstone that creates the pathway to improving your other fitness levels.

Cardiovascular fitness is the efficiency with which the body (the heart and lungs) delivers oxygen and nutrients to the required working muscles and transports waste products from the cells over a sustained period of time. Or to put it another way, it’s the ability of your heart and lungs to work together to provide the necessary oxygen and fuel to your body without quickly reaching a high level of fatigue and tiredness.

In our daily lives, we need cardiovascular fitness to handle the physical tasks and all of the “running around” we do.

A common test of cardiovascular fitness usually involves some type of sustained running. But typical examples of physical activities that relate to cardiovascular fitness are jogging, swimming, cycling, brisk or speed walking and any type of aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercise is the best way to improve cardiovascular fitness.

2.) Muscular strength

Muscular strength is the maximum amount of force (weight or heavy resistance) a muscle or muscle group can generate in a single effort to the point that no more repetitions can be done without rest. Muscular strength is quite the opposite of cardiovascular fitness in regards to the fact that cardiovascular fitness is measured over a certain period of time. While on the other hand, muscular strength is measured in one repetition.

In our daily lives, we need modest levels of strength to be able to perform everyday physical tasks like lifting, moving, carrying, etc.

A common test to measure upper body strength is some type of weightlifting exercise, such as the bench press. Anaerobic weightlifting exercises like the bench press, leg press, shoulder press, or bicep curls are examples of the best ways to improve muscular strength.

3.) Muscular endurance

Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to perform repeated movements (or to hold a particular position) with less than maximum force for an extended period of time or until muscular fatigue. Or, to put it simplistically, it’s how long your muscles can do something before getting too exhausted to finish.

Be careful not to confuse muscular endurance with muscular strength. While they can work together, they are definitely not the same. For many athletes, there may be a need to distinguish between muscular strength and muscular endurance. But for everyday people who want to easily perform their daily routines, are trying to stay healthy and fit, and just want to enjoy physical activities like hiking, biking, or just playing in the park with their children, muscular endurance plays a major role in fitness.

Common testing for muscular endurance can be dynamic (the ability to repeat contractions) or static (the ability to sustain a contraction). Dynamic tests would be to see how many push-ups or sit-ups, for example, a person can complete in a designated amount of time (e.g. 30 seconds, a minute, or maybe longer). Or, without being timed, the person could do as many repetitions of the exercise as they could until they couldn’t do anymore. An example of a static test would be the flexed-arm hang whereby the performer hangs on a bar until the designated stopping time or until they become too weak to continue hanging.

Muscular endurance can be improved by both aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Some examples would be biking, step machines and elliptical machines.

4.) Flexibility

Flexibility is the ability to move the joints or any group of joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons through their full, normal range of motion without hindrance, discomfort, or pain.

Flexibility is actually more important to physical fitness than people realize. Not only does flexibility play a big role in performing many daily tasks, but maintaining or even increasing your flexibility is critical to protecting your joints and keeping them healthy. In addition, being flexible contributes to improving your lower back health, reducing the appearance and effects of arthritis, and reducing muscle-tendon injuries.

Not everyone has the same flexibility or flexibility requirements. Your flexibility tells you how limber you are. And, when it comes to testing your flexibility fitness level, the sit-and-reach test is most often used.

Stretching is the best way to improve flexibility. And, most fitness experts recommend a daily routine of static stretches for each joint.

5.) Body composition

Body composition is the percentage of fat in your body compared to your lean body mass (muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, organs, etc.).

Body composition is a better indicator of your overall fitness condition than body weight. So understand that your total body weight or what you see on your bathroom scale does not tell you how much fat or lean body mass (muscle) you have.

Body composition is useful in helping to determine health risks. Therefore, knowing your body composition and how it relates to your overall fitness level is essential. An optimal ratio of fat mass to lean mass is a clear indicator of good fitness.

Your body composition is a consequence of the extent that you perform the other components of physical fitness. In other words, when you improve the other four components, it will have a positive impact on body composition resulting in less body fat. Alternatively, when you have a high body fat content ratio, you are considered overweight or possibly obese. And, it negatively affects the other fitness components as well as your daily performance, your appearance, and your overall health.

There are several methods that can be used to calculate body composition. The best method is underwater weighing. But due to the expense, this isn’t practical for the everyday person. Incidentally, if you can go to a university or some other place that is set up to do it, it would be well worth your time to check it out. Therefore, the most common method of determining your body composition is skinfold readings – using skinfold calipers and taking measurements from certain areas of your body.

A regular program involving aerobic exercise and strength training can help you decrease your body fat and increase your muscle mass; and thereby, significantly improving your body composition and general overall health and fitness.

In conclusion, you now know that being fit is not just about being able to bench press a lot of weight, but you also need to know how well you can handle running a mile, for example, and a few other things. The key is that by understanding the 5 components of physical fitness, you’ll be better able to assess your fitness level and determine what specific health and fitness goals you’d like to achieve.

Many injuries can cause problems for a long time afterward if you do not get the appropriate physical therapy that your body requires to regain health. Injuries to the back and the extremities have the potential for an extensive rehabilitation period if you do not have an adequate plan of attack.

Physical therapists provide services to people to develop and restore maximum functional ability for the remainder of the person’s life. Causes can be through injury, aging, or disease. Occupational therapists are most interested in injuries or problems created in the workplace, and often ergonomics is a part of correcting any potential problems.

Physical therapists assess the person’s current situation and develop a course of action for improvement, taking into account any limitations the person currently has, as well as prior medical history and overall condition.

Treatment most often involves exercise to increase strength,endurance, and flexibility. Physical therapists encourage patients to increase their flexibility and range of motion, and more advanced exercise later will help to improve strength and coordination.

They can also electrical stimulation, ultrasound, hot packs or cold compresses, to ease pain and swelling. Traction and deep-tissue massage can relieve pain and help with flexibility. They also can help if a patient needs to use crutches, prostheses, or wheelchairs by teaching them to use them. In all cases, they will help the patient to regain the maximum amount of mobility possible for their individual situation.

Do not discount the use of a physical therapist in helping you to regain your prior range of motion and mobility after a serious accident or injury. They often can speed healing tremendously, and get you “back on your feet” much more quickly.

Every form of atv racing has seen a steady increase of participants in the last five years.
Manufactures are producing race ready quads that can be purchased, modified minimally, and taken to the race-track. This has allowed for greater competition and has opened the door for opportunities such as sponsorships and national and international recognition. These high stake offerings have allowed the atv athlete to become more aware of the importance of staying in shape in order to be highly competitive.

ATV racing and riding is a physical sport and hobby requiring strength, balance, flexibility, and coordination. Like other sports, training can be an important tool to improve ones abilities out on the track or trail. With increased strength, endurance, and flexibility, maneuvering an atv becomes more enjoyable and safer. Whether you are a professional racer, recreational racer, or weekend warrior, a proper physical fitness program can enhance your riding potential and provide countless hours of fun.

Exercise is a science with many philosophies and disciplines, so choosing the correct way to train for a specific sport can be difficult. My goal is to educate and help racers and riders through articles like this one, so that the right programs can be chosen and practiced with good direction from fitness professionals.

Traditional exercises over the last 25 years have focused on training specific body parts and typically perform exercises in a single plane of motion, which is an unnatural form of movement for the human body. Single plane exercises can lead to imbalances in the body reinforcing poor motor skills and injuries. Single plane exercises are good for increasing strength and causing muscular hypertrophy but do not enhance human movement or performance. An example of a single plane movement would be a standing bicep curl.

Functional training is a method of training where the workouts compliment the movements and tasks being performed while participating in the sport. Functional training provides improved muscular balance and joint stability, helping to improve performance and eliminate the number of injuries sustained while participating in that sport. All functional movements involve acceleration, deceleration, and stabilization. This method of training allows the exercises being performed to utilize all three anatomical planes of motion: frontal, sagittal, and transverse. An example of a functional movement would be a lateral step press.

Atving is a full body activity requiring all aspects of human movement to be functioning at the same time. Training for a sport like this requires multiple movement exercises involving all of the bodies systems including: cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular, and nervous systems. Program design should include movements that simulate movements while riding an atv. Examples of these would be wait shifting from side to side, pushing and pulling while moving up and down, and pushing and pulling while moving side to side. Effective programs will incorporate multiple exercises, performed in circuit style fashion, varying the speed and tempo, which in return will help to develop all of the bodies systems.

Programs should be integrated, having a variety of exercises challenging balance, reaction time, flexibility, strength, and power. Integration methods serve as a beneficial tool by keeping the workouts from becoming repetitive and boring, allowing the athlete new challenges each workout.

Progression is the next important component of a successful program. Progressive training ensures there is a steady increase in strength and energetic output from one workout to the next. This method will guarantee positive results as long as the athlete is consistent with his or her training.

Structured programs should be periodized. Periodization is a technique used to cycle workouts throughout the year based on the athlete’s schedule. This method not only helps the athlete to peak for optimal results, but also factors in time for rest and recovery.

The final and most important part of any fitness program is that it has to be individualized. Each and every one of us is different, and participating in a sport and hobby such as atving can lead to injuries. This is why it is very important to work with a qualified, experienced, and well-educated fitness professional. The fitness professional should also have knowledge of the sport and hobby, hopefully participating in it as well. There are all levels of education in the physical fitness profession. There are certifications that only take a few weeks to obtain and there are college degrees and certifications that take several years to achieve. Your best bet is to choose a professional with the latter. Degrees in exercise and physiology, kinesiology, physical therapy, and certified strength and conditioning coaches are good examples of education to consider when choosing a fitness professional to work with. Continued education is also an important factor as well, exercise is a science that keeps evolving as more is learned about the human body. In my 24 years of working out I have witnessed the evolution of training and can tell you from first hand experience that what is excepted as current philosophies today could very well change tomorrow due to new findings.

The added benefits of a individualized, well structured, physical fitness program can be extremely rewarding no matter what level rider you may be. These benefits will not only play an important part of your chosen sport but will also improve other aspects of your life.

I have the habit of asking everyone I meet if they want to live for 100 or more years. How do you think the majority of people respond? I hope your answer is yes, however I have been very surprised to find that most people answer no. It seems we have a negative image of what it’s like to be 100. Even though very few of us know anyone of age 100, the image commonly held is one of being weak, sick and unable to take care of oneself.

This negative image of ageing comes from the fact that too many people find themselves in poor physical condition at an early age. In my opinion this undesirable condition of ageing is due primarily to a lack of proper nutrition and physical exercise. If we could maintain a high level of mental and physical fitness all of our life, we would no longer dread ageing. The great news is we can, we really can! The real point is not only that we can, but that we should. Be looking forward to ageing with great anticipation.

I believe we all are spiritual beings experiencing our physical bodies for the lessons that we need to learn. Life is a continual learning process in our quest to become a higher conscious spiritual being. We now know that our life span should be approximately 125 years as opposed to our current average life expectancy of 78 years. Failing to adopt a healthy lifestyle is actually cheating us out of about fifty years of valuable and enjoyable learning experiences…

I think most of us are aware of the many health benefits that a personalized fitness program has to offer, such as lowering of blood pressure, pulse rate, and body fat, improving circulation, muscle strength, flexibility, mental alertness and on and on. As we age these factors become necessities, if we are to stay vital and enjoy our life journey to the fullest.

In his book “It’s Better to Believe, ” Dr. Ken Cooper states that his latest studies on ageing have shown no significant decline in the major parameters of ageing in physically fit individuals. Factors such as blood pressure, aerobic capacity and flexibility in fit individuals over age 65 are quite often better then those of unfit 25 year olds. There are also many good examples of what is humanly possible at any age. One such example was a friend of mine, author Noel Johnson of Pacific Beach. Noel ran marathons in his nineties. You certainly do not have to become fit enough to run a marathon, however, there is no reason you can not obtain and maintain a level of fitness that will give you the ability to lead an active, vital life, all of your life. For most of us an adequate level of physical fitness can be described as a condition that enables us to undertake any necessary daily physical activity without reservation or undue stress. This state of physical fitness is a primary component of good health and well being and helps us to look, feel and be our best.

A basic but comprehensive physical fitness program should include proper breathing, flexibility, aerobic and muscle strengthening activities. First and foremost practice proper breathing techniques on a daily basis. Nothing is lost quicker with ageing than flexibility Learn proper stretching methods and again practice them daily.

Aerobic activities such as fitness walking, bicycling, jogging, swimming, dancing, skating etc. can be enjoyed every day or at least every other day. The key word here is enjoyed. Make sure you have fun doing it and you will stick with it. Keeping our muscles toned and strong is also very important as we age. Lack of strength and balance is a major reason many people fall and injure themselves. A muscle-strengthening program of calisthenics or lightweight training exercises performed two or three times per week is very beneficial and can help prevent injuries. Taking time out daily for rest and relaxation and some form of meditation is also very beneficial.

I highly recommend consulting with a fitness professional to assist you in developing a safe and effective fitness program that suit your specific needs and desires. Other advantages of having a personal fitness trainer are avoiding procrastination and staying motivated. One of my favorite sayings that help keep me motivated is; “Do we stop playing because we grow old? Or do we grow old because we stop playing?”

I think we all would like to discover our life purpose and have the energy and longevity to fulfill all our desires. Creating and implementing a personalized fitness program is the foundation for achieving these desires. Taking good care of your body will enable you to fully enjoy the wondrous experience of ageing.

Developing a solid foundation of physical abilities is critical to designing effective speed and strength training programs for youth through elite athletes. In designing a program it is useful to consider the training pyramid. The training pyramid gives you a framework for designing training programs of athletes of all levels. Every athlete wants to be strong, fast, and compete at their best. Each athlete has different strengths and weaknesses and has different training experience. What we need to do is take a look at what lays the foundation of athletic performance. Following our performance evaluation we are able to identify areas of strengths and weakness for each athlete. The training pyramid presents a framework from which to develop higher level athletic abilities. If you are weak in abilities at the base of the pyramid, your performance in the abilities above decreases. Developing a solid foundation as the key to developing the total athlete.

General Physical Preparedness
General Physical Preparedness (GPP) is the base of the pyramid and encompasses a wide variety of training concepts. The idea is that there are some general physical qualities that are important no mater what sport or activity you want to participate in. Improving GPP helps develop physical abilities needed to perform physical skills at a higher level. Athletes new to strength training at any age should begin with the bulk of their training at this level of the pyramid. More elite athletes should re-visit GPP training during planned periods in the off-season. GPP includes;

Aerobic and anaerobic fitness Static and dynamic flexibility Core strength and stability Coordination and balance Muscular endurance

If an athlete is lacking in any of these areas, it will negatively impact their ability to perform activities further up the pyramid. This type of training may be in the form of circuits, med ball training, movement and technique drills, stabilization training.

Strength
Strength in its most basic form is identified as how much you can lift. The exact type of strength needed depends on the activity you participate in. Most athletes will benefit from improving strength with ground based, multi-joint, free weight exercises. Squats, lunges, presses, pulls, these exercises have carryover to many athletic activities and movements. To get faster, the most important type of strength to develop is relative strength. Relative strength is your strength to body weight ratio. The fastest athletes are ones who are able to squat nearly 2x their body weight. This level of strength takes time to develop, but the principle is that if you are stronger at the same body weight, you will be able to jump higher and run faster. Types of strength that can be trained at this level include;

General strength Max strength Strength endurance Relative strength Starting strength

These types of strength have different importance depending on the sporting activity you participate in. To optimally develop these qualities, you need to have some prerequisite abilities from the GPP level of the pyramid. If you lack flexibility you will not be able to safely get into good lifting form and your results will suffer. If you have poor conditioning, you will not be able to train hard through a full strength workout and again you don’t get the same level of results. Strength training also builds the pyramid for the next step of power training.

Speed-Strength
Speed-strength training means training along the force velocity curve. According to the force-velocity curve, the faster the movement, the less force you can generate. This is because of the amount of time the muscle has to develop contractile force. Strength training alone trains the force end of the force velocity curve. The goal of this phase is to be able to take our improvements in strength and apply them at a greater rate of speed, or learn to apply our newfound strength with more athletic movements. Speed squats, band squats, Olympic lifts, sled pushes and pulls, resisted sprints, weighted plyo’s, vertimax all fall along the speed-strength continuum. We utilize these activities in our training programs to develop your ability to apply force at higher velocity. This phase of training helps to transfer gains in strength over to gains in athletic performance. Training in this phase also highlights the importance of training at the levels below. If you do not have a prerequisite amount of strength, you will not be able to perform these tasks with adequate power to get the desired training effect.

Speed
Speed training is the pinnacle of the pyramid. Speed training requires taking sport-specific movements and performing them at a high velocity with optimal technique. Training speed involves training at the velocity end of the force-velocity curve. The external resistance is lower, and the rate of speed and force application is high. Starts, sprints, plyo’s, agility drills are incorporated into speed training. Training must focus on not just top speed running, but acceleration, change of direction, and deceleration. This helps develop an athlete with not just top speed, but game speed for any sport. At this level of the pyramid, the only resistance the athlete must overcome is body weight. This again highlights the importance of relative strength and developing qualities at the base of the pyramid.

In developing an athletic performance program, it is critical to recognize that the abilities at the base of the pyramid influence abilities above them, but it doesn’t work the other way around. Training only speed for example will have little impact on strength, or flexibility. This doesn’t mean you cannot train at each level simultaneously. Programs can involve training in multiple different levels of the pyramid in the same session. However, the emphasis of training shifts to different levels as athletes’ progress through the program. As athletes develop through a training program, they can spend less time on training at the lower levels, and more time at the top of the pyramid. The key to long term, sustainable results is to assess where each athlete is at on the training pyramid in order to design an appropriate training program. All athletes must keep in mind the need to develop a strong foundation and regularly re-visit the foundation of GPP and strength training during the yearly cycle. Weaknesses at the base of the pyramid can develop in athletes competing at the highest level if they fail to build a strong foundation for their performance. Think about the training pyramid when designing your next training program and build the foundation for athletic success.

There are many reasons why women should lift weights. From physical strength, to a better looking body, to overall health. Weight lifting is a wonderful thing to do for your body, regardless of gender. Men strive for the herculean physique while weight lifting, while women strive to look toned and lean. I hope to dispel a few misconceptions in this article regarding women and weight lifting.

Most people don’t think women should lift weights because they fear that they will become too “bulky.” This fear is completely unfounded. It is genetically impossible for a woman to become as muscular as a man (no offense ladies). The only for a woman to gain muscle like a man is through steroid use. If you choose to lift weights, assuming you eat and train right, your muscles will become toned and tight.

Another reason why women should lift weights is for physical strength. Everyone can use more strength. From an evolutionary standpoint, strength is one of the most important aspects to survival. The person who was strong and durable lived to reproduce. In modern society there is not as much of a need for strength as there was thousands of years ago, but it still has it’s uses.

Women should also lift weights for the muscle-building and fat-burning potential it has. The typical way most people try to lose weight is through extensive cardiovascular exercise. While cardiovascular exercise has it’s merits, it is not nearly as effective at building muscle or burning fat as weight lifting. Cardiovascular exercise burns calories while you are exercising, but stops promptly after you finish. Weight lifting, on the other hand, raises your metabolism and continues to burn calories for the next 24 to 48 hours. And if you chose to build muscle first, you have the added advantage that more muscle burns more calories, which translates to more fat lost.

Another reason why women should lift weights is that it can decrease the risk of osteoporosis. Research has found that weight lifting can increase spinal bone mineral density, and enhance bone modeling, by 13 percent in six months. Add weight training to supplementation with calcium, and you have an ironclad defense against osteoporosis.

Another virtue of weight lifting is that it decreases the rate of depression. There have been numerous studies linking a strength training regimen with a decrease in clinical depression symptoms. One Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced depression levels better than counseling.

Women should lift weights utilizing a heavy-weight, low-repetition workout scheme. This promotes muscle gain, and is a very intense workout to perform. Also, don’t be afraid of the compound lifts, like the squat, dead lift, and power clean. These lifts elicit the most physical and mental strain, ensuring for a demanding workout.

Not only should women lift weights, they should also supplement their weightlifting regimen with proper nutrition. This can make or break your fitness goal. Train as hard as you want, if you don’t eat right, you won’t get stronger or lose fat. If you expend more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. Conversely, if you consume more calories than you expend, you will gain weight. So to ensure you are going in the direction you want, I recommend tracking your calories using a free website like fitday.com.

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