Components of Physical Fitness
Physical fitness is comprised of two components, health, and skill-related components. There are 6 health-related components and 5 skill-related components. Ultimately, you can fit all categories and activities of fitness into one of the components below. With this article, you’ll be introduced to each component of fitness. This guide will be the comeback with links to the components of fitness for you to dive deep into.
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” - Aristotle
Overview
Looking at fitness as a whole is a major key when it comes to working on creating a fitness plan to improve any health and wellness you have. Whether you are a parent, an athlete, weekend warrior, you name it, there are many variables to being in great shape for the demands of what you do. I believe it to be necessary to have a baseline of knowledge on what the components are, be able to assess where you are with these components & comprehend how to distribute your training time on what you need to do with what you want to do. That in of itself is an art. As a strength coach, applying exercises for my clients requires me to help people be in the best shape of their lives while enhancing how they feel as human beings. When it comes to working out, having/achieving a goal/s, and looking to improve your quality of life, we must look to know the basics of the topics & fields we are going into. With that being said, let’s get to learning the basics of the components of physical fitness, the categories & each component in the categories.
What is Physical Fitness?
“Physical fitness refers to the ability of your body systems to work together efficiently to allow you to be healthy and perform activities of daily living. Being efficient means doing daily activities with the least effort possible... A fit person can respond effectively to normal life situations... also respond to an emergency situation – for example, by running to get help or aiding a friend in distress.” - Charles Corbin & Guy Le Masurier, Fitness for life 6th edition
Physical fitness is a crucial aspect of our well-being that needs to be addressed and worked on. Due to the fact that we all have a normal life and emergency situations that require us to show up & be a part of something bigger than us. For me, it means to be able to show up at my best so that I can handle as much as possible of any given situation that may arise in front of me. May that mean being able to coach your kids in a sport, competing at a high level in a sport, being able to take the groceries from the car to the house or in extreme situations, be able to run a couple of blocks to get help for someone who fell and needs help. We are all in this life together so I find it important to be able to show up for my family, friends, loved ones & clients. That requires you to be in the best shape that you can be in, mentally & physically.
Now that you have a better understanding of what physical fitness is and what it encompasses, let’s take this journey together and go a level deeper.
How many components make up one's physical fitness?
There are 11 components of physical fitness broken down into 2 categories, health & skill related. There are 6 health-related components & 5 skill-related components of physical fitness.
The 6 health-related components of physical fitness are cardiovascular endurance, power, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility & body composition.
The 5 skill-related components of physical fitness are speed, agility, balance, coordination & reaction time.
Breakdown of Physical Fitness
Health-Related Components of Fitness
Health-related components of fitness are essential to dial in to live a long life where you reduce the risk of diseases such as diabetes, cancer & cardiovascular diseases, can enjoy activities of daily living & live a fulfilled life with one less thing to worry about. We want to put this into consideration because of the amount of money you will save on medical expenses, doctors, and your ability to live a healthier, active life when your time is invested wisely.
There are 6 health-related components. They are:
Body composition: The proportion of fat & non-fat mass in the body. Can be measure via skinfold calipers, BAI, or a tape measure.
Cardiorespiratory endurance: The level at which your heart, lungs, & muscles work together and efficiently when you exercise for a prolonged period of time.
Power: Performing movements at a high velocity relative to the force needed to move an object or load (Performed fast)
Muscular strength: The ability to move & lift an object/s. Strength is determined by how much force you can produce and how much weight you can lift for a short period of time. (Performed Slow)
Muscular endurance: The ability of a given muscle or muscles to exert force repetitively, over a prolonged period of time.
Flexibility: The ability of a joint or series of joints to move through a range of motion/s pain-free (once pain arises, you’ve met your limit)
Skill Related Fitness
Skill-related fitness is the ability to do well in everyday life activities and sports. This includes the ability to learn sports & other kinds of physical skills. Depending on whether or not you’re an athlete, does not mean that these components apply. What it does mean is that you will need to have different levels of the components that will be mentioned below. That does not make any component less than another (unless you have a deficit in one component that’s holding progress in another sector).
There are five skill-related components. They are:
Speed: The rate at which someone moves fast. Speed is relative to each individual and the need of the speed for any given activity that they are trying to achieve)
Agility: Ability to move quickly & easily to change the position of the body in space with accuracy & speed
Balance: the ability to control your body’s position while stationary or while moving
Coordination: The ability to execute smooth, accurate, controlled motor responses. This means selecting the right muscle at the right time with proper intensity to achieve proper action.
Reaction time: The amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus.
Conclusion
There are 2 components that make up physical fitness. They are either health or skill-related. Within that, there are 6 health-related components and 5 components of fitness that can encompass all that will be written about this moment forward. The 6 health-related components of physical fitness are cardiovascular endurance, power, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility & body composition. The 5 skill-related components of physical fitness are speed, agility, balance, coordination & reaction time.
What's next?
Now that you have a better understanding of the lay of the land of physical fitness and the components that need to be trained, be on the lookout for the next article going into the health-related component of fitness, Body composition.
