Exercise Daily – We should all strive to maintain a healthy standard of physical fitness. However, defining what fitness means can be challenging. Here we will discuss what it means and what are the components of physical fitness?
But before moving to the physical fitness components, let’s have a look at what does it mean to be physically fit. So, without further delay. Let’s have a quick overview of physical fitness.
What Does it Mean to Be Physically Fit?
Physical fitness is concerned with the heart and lungs, as well as the body’s muscles. Additionally, since what we do with our bodies influences what we can do with our minds, fitness has some impact on mental alertness and emotional health as well.
Physical fitness, as described by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, is “a set of attributes that individuals possess or attain that are related to their ability to perform physical activity.”
This definition includes more than the ability to move quickly or lift heavyweights. Despite their importance, these attributes discuss only a branch of fitness. Physical fitness is dependent upon an individual’s ability to meet each of the components of health.
Moving forward, physical fitness is divided into two types of components:
- Health-related Physical Fitness Components
- Skills-related Physical Fitness Components
So, if you are the one thinking about what are the components of physical fitness? Then, take a look at these components in the next section.
Health-related Components
It’s not enough to be able to sprint a few kilometers or bench press; you must check all the boxes to determine your true fitness level. Total fitness is described as the body’s ability to function well in all components of physical fitness.
So, let’s have a look at each of the health-related components of physical fitness:
#1. Cardiovascular Endurance
Cardiorespiratory fitness refers to how effectively the circulatory and respiratory systems of the body can provide oxygen to the muscles during physical activity. Activities that induce an elevated heart rate for an extended period of time help increase cardiorespiratory endurance.
People who engage in these activities on a regular basis are more likely to be physically fit, significantly in relation to cardiorespiratory endurance. It’s critical to start slowly and eventually increase the pace of these activities.
Exercising helps to improve cardiorespiratory endurance in a variety of ways. The heart muscle is enhanced to increase the amount of blood it will pump per heartbeat.
Around the same time, more narrow arteries are formed inside muscle tissue, allowing blood to be transported to functioning muscles more efficiently when it is required.
Activities to Improve Cardiovascular Endurance
Here are some of the activities that help with Cardiovascular Endurance:
- Swimming
- Jogging
- Cycling
- Swift Walking
#2. Muscular Endurance
Talking about what are the components of physical fitness, Muscular Endurance is the second most important health-related component of physical fitness.
The components of muscular endurance fitness definition are based on the same principles as cardio endurance. However, there are several variations, owing to the dissimilarity of the cardio and skeletal muscles.
Muscular endurance is the strength of skeletal muscles to avoid weakness when they are contracted for a prolonged period of time with less than their maximal force.
In other words, it determines how long a muscle can withstand a high number of repetitions with a lightweight over an extended period of time.
When it comes to practicing and learning how to measure your muscle endurance (especially if you’re into athletics or want to participate in fitness events), you should take a holistic approach.
Activities to Improve Muscular Endurance
Here are some of the physical activities that improve Muscular Endurance:
- Push-ups
- Planks
- Squats
- Sit-ups
- Lunges
#3. Strength
Muscular strength is described by the US Department of Health and Human Services as “the ability of the muscle to exert force during an activity.”
Muscle strength can be determined in a variety of ways. In general, the safest method is to lift or shift anything of a certain weight in a predetermined location and compare the results of any given population.
A muscle’s strength can improve in general if it is exercised efficiently and frequently. There are a variety of ways to put the muscles into strenuous exercise, so anything that works a muscle before it is exhausted over time can improve muscle strength.
Activities to Improve Strength
Here are some activities that help in improving the muscular strength of your body:
- Bicep curls with dumbbells
- Tricep dips
- Dumbbell rows
- Pull-ups
- Barbell squats
- Barbell lunges
- Deadlifts
#4. Flexibility
For those who wish to do something new in their current schedule, this is where things start to get interesting!
To improve your flexibility, you don’t need to start doing backflips in the gym. In this case, flexibility refers to how the joints work throughout their entire range of motion (ROM).
The range of movement across a joint is referred to as flexibility. Flexibility is beneficial because it enhances the ability to bind movements together efficiently and can help to avoid accidents.
Flexibility is unique to each joint and is determined by a variety of factors, including ligament and tendon tightness. Various movements that stretch joints, ligaments, and tendons help to improve flexibility.
Activities to Improve Flexibility
Here are some activities that help in improving the flexibility of your body:
- Dynamic Warm-ups
- Yoga
- Dancing
- Static-active Stretching
- Ballistic Stretching
#5. Body Composition
When we discuss what are the components of physical fitness, Body Composition refers to the mass of your body.
Unlike any of the other health-related elements of fitness, maintaining an ideal body shape is indeed one of the key objectives of any fitness routine. Preferences may vary, however keeping a close eye on unnecessary fat stores isn’t always overlooked.
But, what does the word body composition really mean?
To be more precise, body composition represents the amount of body fat mass that you’re retaining in addition to fat-free mass, which is made up of bones, muscles, and organs, etc.
It’s completely obvious that having a smaller body fat mass to muscle mass ratio is beneficial to your health and makes your body look leaner and healthier.
Activities to Improve Body Composition
- HIIT Training (High-Intensity Interval Training)
- Circuit Training
- Strength Training
Skill-related Components
Components related to skill are nothing more than fitness modules for certain activities, such as sports. These elements of physical fitness help the individual excel in various ways, such as pace in football and balance in gymnastics!
So, let’s have a look at skill-related components of physical fitness:
#1. Agility
The short concept of agility refers to the ability to move quickly and easily through physical activity.
For example, a Badminton player moves from front to side at high speed and consistency across the court.
However, it also means being able to quickly and without injury to shift direction. It is one of the components of skill-related fitness as it means maintaining the body under control at high speed, which requires some learning!
It has no major health effects directly, but it definitely prevents injuries and helps the body complete more health-oriented exercises.
Activities to Improve Agility
Here are some of the activities to improve your agility:
- Cone Drills
- Ladder Drills
- Polymetric Box Drills
#2. Balance
Since we are discussing what are the components of physical fitness, Balance is one of the most important components of skill-related physical fitness.
Balance is one of the skill-related fitness components that you can focus on, despite the fact that it is fairly self-explanatory. When you put it into effect, it’s really very complicated… Let us explain what we mean!
Working on your balance would help you if you’re playing sports, completing a marathon, or doing a low-impact workout in your free time.
It will also assist you in your daily activities, especially in the prevention of injuries. It can also prevent you from breaking a bone or two during your lifespan!
Activities to Improve Balance
Here are some activities that help to improve your body balance:
- Balance Boards
- Squats
- Tai Chi
- Yoga
#3. Coordination
It’s difficult to avoid coordination when discussing skill-related fitness components.
It specifically refers to your ability to regulate your body’s motions, including those involving your limbs. This is why athletes who compete in sports like football, soccer, basketball, and golf need exceptional hand-eye coordination.
You can do well in a variety of sports and physical exercises as well as improve your cognitive function if you improve your coordination!
For example, to execute the ultimate tuck somersault, a trampolinist must time their arm and leg movements.
Activities to Improve Coordination
Here are some activities that will help you to improve your coordination:
- Juggling
- Tennis Ball Dribbling
- Skipping
#4. Power
You may have heard people refer to their box jumps as having “explosive power,” especially when they post them on Instagram.
This aspect of exercise, which is particularly beneficial for power athlete sports, is what they’re really talking about.
If you’ve ever seen high jumpers, gymnasts, discus throwers, or Olympic weightlifters compete in the Olympics, then you might have been witness how power is the most important component of fitness.
In a nutshell, it’s the opportunity to use the most force possible in the shortest amount of time. Speed and strength are also fitness components that fall under the heading of ‘power,’ but they can also be considered separately.
Activities to Improve Power
Here are some activities that will help you to improve your power:
- Kettlebell Swings
- Squat Jumps
- Box Jumps
- Medicine Balls
#5. Reaction Time
While this aspect of fitness is often mixed in with coordination, we believe it deserves its own attention (especially due to its significance in preventing injury during any physical activity).
Reaction time is the amount of time it takes you to respond to an impulse or the urge to go in a different direction, as the name suggests.
When a swimmer hears a whistle, for example, they kick off and begin their lengths in response. The swimmer with the fastest response rate will be the first to kick off, giving him or her an advantage over the other competitors!
Activities to Improve Reaction Time
Here are some activities that will help you to improve your reaction time:
- Tennis Ball Drills
- Sprinting with Signals
- Take a Run Outside
#6. Speed
While we are talking about what are the components of physical fitness, Speed is the last and one of the most important skill-related components of physical fitness.
When we understand the components of the fitness concept for speed, we can see how it relates to the ability to complete a physical task as quickly as possible.
This could be a marathon or a 100-meter dash, which are two very different events. That could even be getting from one end of a football pitch to the other without being tackled and making a try.
Since speed can be used in a variety of ways, it’s essential that you complete the speed training that’s right for you and your preferred sport or exercise.
If you only want to increase your speed in general to improve your fitness, you can pick whichever method works better for you.
Activities to Improve Speed
Here are some activities that will help you to improve your speed:
- Deadlifts
- Box Jumps
- Tyre Flips
- Sled Pushes
The Bottom Line
Physical fitness is broken down into various component groups that differ from one individual to the next. These aspects of physical fitness can be taught to anybody in order to enhance certain abilities or success in sports. Building on specific components will help you achieve the fitness, mental health, and lifestyle changes you crave.
In this article, we have discussed “what are the components of physical fitness” in detail. Moreover, we have also mentioned some activities that will help you to improve your health-related and skill-related physical components.
Hopefully, you are now well aware of all of these components and how you can improve them during your physical fitness training. If you have any questions relating to any of these components, feel free to comment down below!
