Five Components of Physical Fitness

Total fitness can be defined by how well the body performs in each one of the following components of physical fitness as a whole. It is not enough to be able to bench press your body weight. You also need to determine how well you can handle running a mile, etc.

Cardiovascular Endurance

The ability to do moderately strenuous activity over a sustained period of time.
It reflects how well your heart and lungs work together to supply oxygen to the body during exercise.
Low cardiovascular endurance puts you at a higher chance of being at risk for heart-related illnesses.
20-30 mins./day, 3-4 days/week, elevating your heart rate into your fat burning target zone for your age.
Example activities to improve this: walking (115-155 bpm for fat burn), jogging, swimming, basketball, soccer, cycling (140-180 bpm for fat burn).
You will be assessed on at least one of the following: mile run, mile walk, pacer test.

Muscular Strength

The amount of maximum force a muscle can produce, such as lifting the heaviest weight you can lift, one time.
Low muscular strength is detrimental towards performing well in sports and activities of daily living.
Workouts should be 3-4 days per week. Strength gains occur 4-6 weeks after starting.
Example activities to improve this: lifting weights (3-5 sets of heavy weight with low repetitions), walking uphill, taking the stairs.
You will be assessed on the push-up test and the bicep strength test on the TriFit machine.

Muscular Endurance

The ability of the muscles to perform continuously without fatiguing, either by holding a particular position for a sustained period of time or repeating a movement many times.
Low muscular endurance will make you fatigue early into the exercise or activities of daily living.
Workouts should be 3-4 days per week. Endurance gains occur 4-6 weeks after starting.
Example activities to improve this: lifting weights (3-5 sets of light weight with high repetitions); wall sits; number of push-ups you can do in a row; number of sit-ups you can do in 60 seconds; cycling; using step machines and elliptical machines; holding/carrying a weight for as long as you can.
You will be assessed on the sit-up test.

Flexibility

The ability to move a joint through its full range of motion.
It is important for preventing injuries throughout all stages of life. It can also decrease the chance of experiencing low back pain. Low flexibility will increase the chance of decreased performance in daily living activities/sports.
Your heart rate must be elevated in order to benefit. You can perform flexibility exercises everyday.
Example activities to improve this: stretching individual muscles; yoga; performing certain functional movements, such as the lunge.
You will be assessed on the sit and reach test on the TriFit machine.

Body Composition

The amount of fat mass compared to lean muscle mass, bone, and organs. This is measured in body fat %.
Example: 22% body fat would mean a person weighing 100 lbs. has 22 lbs. of fat weight and 78 lbs. of lean weight.
If body fat % is high, you have a higher chance of contracting many health-related diseases and illnesses (including heart disease and type II diabetes).
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is how many calories you burn a day just to survive. It does not include any activity calories burned whatsoever.
Example activities to improve this: aerobic exercise –burns calories (decreases fat lbs.); weight training –increases amount of muscle (lean body mass); any regular exercise –increases your BMR and metabolism, so you burn more calories during the day; healthy eating habits.
You will be assessed on the Tanita scale.

What We Do in P.E.

All TriFit tests
Running in warm-ups/speed development drills/participating in aerobic activities/sports
Walking
Participating in lifetime sports/activities
Using heart rate monitors
Weight room time
Calisthenics such as crunches, push-ups, jumping jacks, etc.
Stretching