Components of Fitness

Cardiovascular endurance (also known as cardiorespiratory endurance or aerobic fitness) refers to your body's ability to efficiently and effectively intake oxygen and deliver it to your body's tissues by way of the heart, lungs, arteries, vessels, and veins. (VO2 max)

By engaging in regular exercise that challenges your heart and lungs, you can:

• Maintain or even improve the efficient delivery and uptake of oxygen to your body's systems
• Enhance cellular metabolism
• Ease the physical challenges of everyday life

Muscular endurance is one of two factors that contribute to overall muscular health. Think of muscular endurance as a particular muscle group's ability to continuously contract against a given resistance.

Long-distance cyclists offer a clear example. To continuously pedal a bike over a long distance, often up steep inclines, cyclists have to develop fatigue-resistant muscles in their legs and glutes. These are evidence of a high level of muscular endurance.

Holding a plank to develop core strength is another example of muscular endurance. The longer you're able to contract your abdominals and hold your body in a steady position, the greater endurance you have through your hips, abdominals, and shoulders.

Muscular strength refers to the amount of force a particular muscle group can produce in one, all-out effort. In strength training terms, it's your one-rep max (1RM).

Like muscular endurance, muscular strength is muscle group-specific. 

You may have strong glutes, but comparatively weak deltoids; or incredibly strong pectoral muscles, but comparatively weak hamstrings. 

This is why a well-balanced strength training program that targets all of your major muscle groups is so important.

Flexibility refers to the range of motion you have around a given joint. Like muscular strength and endurance, flexibility is joint-specific. For instance, you may have very flexible shoulders, but tight and inflexible hamstrings or hips.

Flexibility is important at any age. It plays a role in unhindered movement and can affect your balance, coordination, and agility. 

Maintaining a full range of motion through your major joints can reduce the likelihood of injury and enhance athletic performance. At the age of 30, we start to lose flexibility and therefore, it is very important that you maintain a stretching routine to help maintain your Range of Motion (ROM).

Body Composition or body fat composition refers to the amount of fat on your body. For example, a 100-pound person with a 25% body fat composition will have a lean body mass of 75 pounds.

To qualify as fit:

• Men must have a body fat composition lower than 17%
• Women must have a body fat composition lower than 24%

The average man tends to have about 18 to 24 % body fat, while the average woman has 25 to 31% body fat. 

Because high levels of fat mass are associated with negative health outcomes, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, attaining and maintaining a healthy body composition is a goal of just about all regular exercise routines.