Before we dwell into the five main components of physical fitness, you should understand the meaning of physical fitness. The United States Department of Health and Human Services has defined physical fitness as “a set of attributes that people have or achieve that relate to the ability to perform physical activity”. In layman’s language, an individual is physically fit if he is able to lift a heavy weight or run a long distance. However, if you really want to measure the overall fitness of a person you have to take into consideration the five components of physical fitness.
5 Main Components of Physical Fitness
The five main components of physical fitness include “Cardio respiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition”.
Cardio-Respiratory Endurance
Cardio-respiratory endurance is one of the five components of physical fitness. You can define cardio-respiratory endurance as the ability of the heart to pump blood rich oxygen for the functioning of your muscles. The ability to remain fit without feeling tired or fatigue during physical exercise measures the physical fitness of a person. Swimming, cycling, walking, jogging and aerobics are the classical examples of exercises and sports related to cardio-respiratory endurance. Try the above-mentioned exercises and sports to improve the fitness level of your cardio-respiratory endurance.
Muscular Endurance
Muscular endurance is sometimes confused with muscular strength. The ability of the muscle to perform an action without feeling fatigue is known as muscular endurance. It is related to muscular strength and cardio-respiratory endurance. To increase the fitness level of muscular endurance, try exercises such as jogging, bicycling and dancing.
Muscular Strength
Muscular strength is one of the five components of physical fitness. The muscular strength is measured by maximum amount of strength a muscle has while lifting or during an exertion. In short, muscular strength is the ability of the muscle to exert strength during a workout or an activity. The physical fitness of muscle strength could be improved through exercise such as lifting weights.
Physical Flexibility
One of the major components of physical fitness is physical flexibility. The fitness level is measured by the flexibility of your joints. If you have good flexibility in the joints, injuries related to joints could be prevented. The exercises such as stretching and swimming would help to improve the physical flexibility.
Body Composition
To know your fitness level you need to understand your body composition. The reason is body composition directly relates to the overall fitness level. The fat, muscle, bones and other vital organs of the body are known as the body composition. The overall physical level of an individual depends on his body composition.
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