The 10 components of fitness

Fitness is a very misunderstood concept and each individual has their own way of defining it.

What most people don’t know is that there are 10 components/elements/facets that make up the state of “Physical aptitude”. All these 10 components need to be improved in an individual for him/her to be considered as physically.

Now, it doesn’t matter if you are young or old, male or female; or if you belong to a certain category of people (bodybuilder, athlete, corporate executive, sedentary, housewife, etc.). Your fitness program should aim to improve all 10 aspects of fitness.

All human beings are physiologically built in the same way. Therefore, we all need each of the components of fitness to improve the quality of our fitness and therefore improve life.

So… What exactly are the 10 components of fitness?

The 10 components of fitness:

one) Cardio Endurance: The ability of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems to transport oxygenated blood to working skeletal muscles for a prolonged period of time without fatigue.

2) Muscle hardening: The ability of skeletal muscles to contract continuously for a prolonged period of time without experiencing fatigue.

3) Musculoskeletal Strength: The combined strength of muscles, bones, ligaments, and tendons.

4) Flexibility: The body’s ability to maintain full and complete range of motion around the joints.

5) Ideal Body Composition: Maintain an ideal ratio of adipose tissue (body fat) to lean body mass. A man is said to have an ideal body composition when no more than 15% of his body weight is made up of body fat. A woman is said to have an ideal body composition if no more than 20% of her body weight is made up of body fat.

6) Can: It is the ability of skeletal muscles to maximize the force exerted by them in a minimum of time.

7) Speed: The ability to minimize the time required to complete a particular movement or task

8) Coordination: Coordination is the combination of body movements created with kinematic and kinetic parameters that result in intended actions.

9) Agility: The ability to change the direction of the body in an efficient and effective manner.

10) Balance: Ability to maintain a body’s center of gravity within the base of support with minimal postural sway.

For one to be considered physically fit, one needs to develop all of these aspects of physical fitness.

The importance and interdependence of the 10 components of fitness in overall performance:

Each of the aforementioned components play a crucial role in our lives. Whether for someone who is a competitive athlete or just a normal human being, each of these components has a drastic impact on overall performance. It should also be noted that each of these components is interdependent on the other, and therefore a compromise in one will definitely lead to a minor change in another.

• Cardio Endurance: A decrease in this element makes almost all tasks very difficult. Performing activities like climbing stairs, walking, jogging, running, swimming, any type of sport, and even strength training becomes very difficult with poor cardiovascular endurance. Therefore, the lack of this component makes it difficult to utilize muscular endurance or musculoskeletal strength. For example, even if a runner has great muscular endurance, he won’t be able to run very long without cardiovascular endurance. Similarly, a weightlifter cannot use his strength to its fullest once cardiovascular fatigue sets in. In addition to these, speed, balance, coordination, agility, and power drop dramatically as cardiovascular fatigue is reached. Also keep in mind that very poor cardiovascular endurance can even lead to cardiac arrest in the aforementioned activities.
• Muscle hardening: This is very similar to cardiovascular endurance except that it occurs in the musculoskeletal system and not the cardiorespiratory system. A person with low muscular endurance will experience difficulty in the activities mentioned for cardiovascular endurance. However, this is due to the large buildup of lactic acid in the muscles that are used for the particular activity. Without muscular resistance, you cannot use cardiovascular resistance. For example, even if a kickboxer is not cardiovascularly tired, he will not be able to punch or kick if his arm and leg muscles are fatigued. Also, just like cardiovascular endurance, speed, balance, coordination, agility, and power are also compromised if one has low muscular endurance.
• Musculoskeletal Strength: The lack of this component leads to early degeneration of the body. Lack of musculoskeletal strength also exposes the body to a high risk of injury when performing any task against resistance. Therefore, it should be noted that athletes belonging to any sport or discipline need to work on their musculoskeletal strength, otherwise they cannot be successful and risk injury. When this component is compromised, activities that require cardiovascular and muscular endurance are not possible as the body will not be able to handle the stress associated with that activity. For example, a marathon runner’s body cannot handle the stress on their joints due to low musculoskeletal strength even though they have a fair amount of stamina.
• Flexibility: This is an area that many athletes seriously ignore, especially bodybuilders and strength athletes. Flexibility is necessary to avoid the appearance of injuries. A stiff muscle is likely to tear when a full range of motion is required. Since the lack of this component leads to injury, it invariably affects each and every other component of fitness.
• Ideal body composition: An increase in lean muscle mass increases the strength of the musculoskeletal system, while an increase in body fat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. When ideal body composition is lost, all aspects of performance suffer. Excess fat serves as additional baggage for the body and serves as a limiting factor for all other components. Even flexibility is affected by excess body fat, as it limits the range of motion of the muscles.
• Power, Speed, Coordination and Agility: These components are especially important for athletes as they need them for their respective disciplines. A reduction in either can drastically limit your performance in your sports. Even the generic population needs to maintain a certain degree of each of these components, as they aid in better performance of daily activities and also contribute to a more vivacious and healthy feeling. For example: Power when lifting heavy objects around the house, Speed ​​when running to catch a bus/train to work, Coordination when trying to play or do basic repairs, and Agility when doing fun activities like skiing.

Now that you know what the various facets of fitness are, let’s take a look at how to develop them.

Development of fitness components:

• Cardio Endurance: Perform aerobic activities such as walking, jogging, running, bicycling, jumping, swimming, etc. with low intensity for a prolonged period without stopping. The intensity should be low enough for a person to do the activity continuously for at least 20 minutes. Once the person can do the same activity for 60 minutes comfortably, the intensity should be increased by either increasing speed or resistance.
• Muscle hardening: Contrary to popular belief, it is not achieved by doing resistance training with light weights for high repetitions. Muscular endurance is developed along with cardiovascular endurance through aerobic exercise, however, unlike cardiovascular endurance which is general to the whole body, muscular endurance is only achieved in those muscles that are used in aerobic activity. . For example: Running improves cardiovascular endurance overall, but muscular endurance only in the lower body. So, to achieve muscular endurance throughout the body, “cross training” can be performed. The description of cross training is beyond the scope of this article and can be found with a simple internet search.
• Musculoskeletal Strength: High intensity weight training (mainly compound and power movements) with heavy weights that induce positive muscle failure between 6-8 reps. This 6-8 rep range should only be used by advanced trainers who have at least 2-3 years of weight training experience. If one is new to weight training, one should first learn proper form using extremely light weights for about 2-3 weeks. After that, they should lift in the 10-12 rep range before they’re ready to lift in the 6-8 rep range.
• Flexibility: The best way to increase flexibility is static stretching with at least 10 seconds of mild discomfort while trying to push the muscle through a greater range. Stretching should be done at the end of each workout. Avoid stretching cold muscles as there is a risk of tearing.
• Power, Speed, Coordination and Agility: These are relative to particular activities to be performed and can be improved through practice and repetition.

there you have it

“The 10 components of fitness”

Be sure to strive to develop each and every one of them to maximize the utility of the others and thus become the true sense of the word…“Physically fit”