What is Physical Fitness?
Physical fitness can be broken down into two categories, health related and skill related. What’s important to you when you start out on an exercise program?
Health related fitness:
1. Body Composition
- Refers to the ratio of lean body mass to fat in your body.
2. Flexibility
- The ability to move a joint through its full range of motion.
3. Cardio respiratory Endurance
- The ability of the circulatory and respiratory systems to deliver energy to working muscles during continuous exercise.
4. Muscle strength
- The ability of muscles to exert force against a resistance.
5. Muscle endurance
- The ability of muscles to exert sub-maximal force repeatedly or to maintain a contraction over a period of time.
Skill related fitness:
1. Agility - precise rapid change of body position and direction
2. Balance – Static- holding a stationary position over a period of time. Dynamic – maintaining balance while
moving
3. Speed – rate at which the body or body part can be propelled between two points.
4. Coordination – organized use of muscles to attain a movement pattern in an effective and efficient manner
5. Power – the ability to produce maximum force in the fastest possible time
6. Reaction time – the interval between the presentation of a stimulus and the initiation of the response
7. Kinesthetic awareness – awareness of the body or parts of the body as movement occurs
