what are the components of health related fitness? a pretty good question everyone is asking. “You need to stay fit,” “your fitness is not up to the mark,” “Hey, you are losing your fitness”. Yeah, these are some pervasive and routine comments for many of us. People measure fitness in different ways. For instance, some believe that fitness is all about staying in shape, while others believe that hitting a gym guarantees you fitness.
However, this is a half-truth; fitness is a lot more than that, and there are 5 components of physical fitness. Components of health fitness? Yeah, medical science measures our physical fitness in five different ways. But what are the components of health related fitness? Let’s find out!
What Are The Components Of Health Related Fitness?
- Muscular strength.
- Muscular endurance.
- Flexibility.
- Cardiovascular endurance.
- Body composition.
Now every abovementioned health component is a benchmark to measure the fitness of that particular area in our bodies. Let’s discuss them in detail.
5 Components Of Physical Fitness
1- Muscular Strength
Your muscular strength is simply your muscle’s (or a group of muscles) ability to do one repetition of any particular activity with maximum force your muscle can produce. In other words, muscular strength is how much force a muscle can produce in one attempt or effort.
For example, if you jump vertically in the air, it will be a test of your lower body muscles. The height of your jump will tell how much strength or force can your lower body muscles exert at a time.
It is not necessary that each muscle group, such as abdominals, arm, back, chest, etc., have the same muscular strength. It depends on how much effort you put into improving your muscle strength in each area.
2- Muscular Endurance
People often confuse muscular endurance with muscular strength, but they are different. Muscular endurance is actually your muscles’ ability to perform an activity multiple times. Or you can that muscular endurance means how much or how long a group of muscles or a single muscle can repeat any physical activity again and again.
Here is how we differentiate muscular strength and endurance;
- Muscular Endurance: How Many?
- Muscular Strength: How Much?
If you can do 70lbs bench press, it is your muscular strength, and how many times you can repeat it will define your muscular endurance. Muscular endurance and strength are related to each other. Having good muscular endurance means you have good muscular strength as well.
3- Cardiovascular Endurance
Cardiovascular endurance is the ability of your lungs and heart to;
- Extract oxygen from the atmosphere, and.
- Put it into your bloodstream to keep your system/body running.
Your cardiovascular system is responsible for helping you in activities like jogging, running, swimming, rope jumping, and other similar physical activities. For example, how long you can run at a certain pace will define your cardiovascular endurance. Of course, there are different exercises to improve your cardiovascular endurance.
4- Flexibility
Flexibility means how much your body can bend, move, and stretch. It also includes the range of motions that your joints can perform. A simple test of your flexibility would be standing straight, then bending down and trying to touch your toes. How far you go is an indication of your body’s flexibility.
Flexibility is vital as it helps you perform routine physical activities by minimizing the risk for injuries. Daily stretching, yoga, dance, and other similar activities can improve your body’s flexibility.
5- Body Composition
Body composition means what your body is composed of. It specifically measures the amount of lean tissue, muscle, and fat in your body. High levels of fat are not a sign of healthy body composition, and excessive fats can lead to diabetes and heart diseases. Most importantly, your height or bodyweight is not an accurate benchmark or method to measure body composition.
Moreover, your body composition is mainly based on;
- The food you eat.
- Your sleep routine.
- And your physical activities.
The Takeaway
Now that your know what are the components of health related fitness and the 5 components of physical fitness, are you ready to work on them? Fitness is not just about brute strength or huge biceps. A flexible body, cardiovascular endurance, healthy body composition, and good muscular endurance are equally important for fitness.
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