What Are the Five Components of Physical Fitness?
It’s a dream for everyone to have a fit physical body. But while it’s doable, it takes plenty of effort.
But if you take into consideration the most important aspects, it can be easier to achieve your target. There are five such aspects called components necessary for obtaining and maintaining physical fitness. So, most fitness enthusiasts
But what are the five components of physical fitness and why are they important? If you are new to exercise and bodybuilding, you must be as curious as many other readers. However, you don’t have to stress too much about it because we have compiled all the details in this short write-up.
If you’re also looking for some answers then you don’t have to search further. Continue reading and together we’ll explore the topic in a detailed manner.
The Five Components of Physical Fitness
If you want to change your physique from flab to fab, there are several things to consider. Out of these, the five components of physical fitness are among the most important. Without considering these five aspects, it can be difficult to achieve your goal. But what are they and how do they affect your health? Let’s find out below.
Physical fitness comprises five parts and all of these play important roles in your journey from flab to fab. These components include
Cardiovascular Endurance
It’s one of the five aspects of physical fitness. Cardiovascular endurance refers to your circulatory system’s (including the heart) ability to tolerate long and heavy exercise sessions. If your cardio’s endurance power is strong, it enables you to perform various workout routines for longer duration.
For those of you who exercise regularly, cardio endurance is obviously high and you can work out for long sessions without going out of breath.
However, for those who are getting into the world of exercise for the first time, you may be out of breath even after a few minutes of physical activity.
It’s therefore important to strengthen your cardiovascular system in order to increase your endurance level.
Workout routines such as swimming, cycling, running, jogging, and skipping can boost cardio fitness. You must however take things slow before you extend your exercise routines. Else, it can be more harmful than good.
Muscular Endurance
This component is also about endurance but it’s related to muscles. It’s about how long can your muscles endure a certain weight.
You may be able to lift heavy equipment but you may not be able to keep it in the same position for a period. It means that your muscular endurance is low and you need to work on it.
There are plenty of exercises to boost muscular endurance. Including them in your workout routine can enhance your ability to endure heavy weights or positions even if the sessions are extended. You can try out the three common muscle endurance exercises to boost the same.
Weight training is one of the exercises to enhance muscular endurance. However, it’s not recommended to start with a heavy weight for this particular component.
You may be able to lift it but won’t have the endurance power to keep it in the same position. So, it’s best to lift lighter weights and do more than 20 reps till you feel you can’t do it anymore.
Extended workout training and isometric training (exercises where you try to remain in the same stance for long periods) are other forms of exercise that help increase muscle endurance.
Muscular Strength
The capability of the muscles to exert pressure and lift heavy stuff is muscular strength. You may however feel pain in some areas when you apply force or lift something heavy. It’s because your body has different groups of muscles.
If any group is weak and untrained, that part will feel pain and cramps when you lift something heavy. To have the same strength and complete fitness, you need to strengthen muscles in all important parts of the body like arms, legs, core, back, hips, and shoulders.
When strengthening your muscular system, you can also build your muscle mass. You can do eight to twelve reps for lighter weights per set. When you feel at ease to lift those, increase the weight. Lower the number of reps as you add more weight.
Flexibility
In layman’s words, the flexibility of the body is simply the ability of body tissue to perform extensive movements without pain and discomfort.
Lifting heavy weights or getting into intense exercise routines with a stiff body can be dangerous. Flexibility is therefore one of the most important aspects of the five components of physical fitness.
So, before starting any exercise routine, you must do suitable warm up and stretching exercises to get your body ready. Active stretching routines are best to attain flexibility quicker and better.
Walking lunges, shoulder and neck rolls, knee-to-chest stretches, leg swings, hip rotations, and side stretches are some routines that can increase flexibility.
Body Composition
Last but not least, the composition of the body makes up the list of components of physical fitness. Basically, it’s the ratio of mass of fat to mass that’s free of fat.
Your body requires fat but when it becomes excessive, it can get dangerous and lead to many complications. It’s therefore important to maintain the right amount of fat.
There are several ways to measure the ratio of fat mass to fatless mass such as the one below.
Waist-to-hip ratio: If your waist size is bigger than your hip size, it’s considered a risk. For example, women with >0.80 and men with >0.95 waist to hip ratio are at more risk for contracting chronic ailments than people who have >0.70 (women) and >0.85(men).
Waist size: The circumference of your waist also indicates whether your body is made up of more fat or healthy mass. As per studies, women with more than 35 inches or 85 cm and men with more than 40 inches or 101.6cm have a higher amount of unhealthy fat and are vulnerable to health complications.
Bod Pods or Air Displacement Plethysmography (ADP): This method is available exclusively in some clinics and it measures your entire weight, fat and muscle mass.
Hydrostatic underwater weighing: It’s another method of measuring your weight on land and in the water using suitable aqua measuring equipment. However, it’s mainly used for research purposes.
Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA): It’s one of the most accurate methods of measuring your body mass, including fats, muscles, and mineral density of the bone. But it’s available only in professional medical locations such as clinics and hospitals.
All the components of physical fitness are equally important. You won’t have an all-round fitness if you don’t consider all the aspects. So, when starting a physical fitness program, see that you give equal importance to all the aspects. You can also
Incorporate a healthy and suitable diet
Maintain a healthy sleeping pattern
Avoid stress
Involve in fun physical activities
Now that you know the five components of physical fitness, you must add all of them to your exercise routine.
If you’re a novice in this subject then it’s necessary to obtain useful information and advice from experts.
Follow the right tips to see that you work on all the aspects equally so that you don’t miss out on anything. That will enable you to reach your goal more effectively and with fewer risks to your physique.
