ATHLETES
TRAINING
1.1.
HOW EFFECTIVE IS YOUR EXERCISE PROGRAM?
"To be truly
physically fit,
your exercise
program
should
include all
four
components..."
The 4
components of
Physical Fitness:
1.Cardiorespiratory endurance,
2. Muscular strength and endurance,
3. Flexibility, and
4. Body composition.
WHAT IS “PHYSICAL FITNESS”?
So you say you are physically fit. You go to the gym at least 5 days per week. You try to eat healthy. You stay active. And sure, you look great. Isn’t that what physical fitness means? There are many ways to define physical fitness. Some may say that physical fitness means “feeling great about my body” or “being healthy”. Others may respond by saying “being strong”, “feeling young and active”, or even “looking great”. These statements actually describe specific reasons for beginning an exercise program but do not define it.
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, physical fitness refers to the promotion of health and the prevention of disease. Every person becomes motivated to begin an exercise program with at least one of these two outcomes in mind. Your doctors may have told you to start dieting and exercising to lower your risk of a heart attack, or perhaps you want to improve athletic performance in your particular sport. Maybe you want to achieve your optimum physique by losing weight or putting on muscle.
Physical fitness goals helped you design your particular exercise program. You spend endless hours on the treadmill or stationary bike in your struggle to lose weight. You punish yourself with grueling workouts of heavy weight lifting in your quest to increase size and strength. But are you truly physically fit? The American College of Sports Medicine has described four components of physical fitness. They are: 1. cardiorespiratory endurance, 2. muscular strength and endurance, 3. flexibility, and 4. body composition. To be truly physically fit, it is important to include all four of these components in your exercise program.
Cardiorespiratory endurance involves training the most important muscle in the body, the heart. The heart pumps blood, which carries oxygen, nutrients, and waste products to their appropriate destinations. A healthy heart will circulate blood more efficiently and reduce the risk for cardiovascular diseases. Endurance athletes are better able to transport oxygen to the muscles, delaying the onset of fatigue and improving performance. Bodybuilders and weight trainers often refrain from “cardio” for fear of becoming catabolic. However, cardio can actually be anabolic. It will improve blood flow carrying amino acids and other “muscle building tools” to the muscle. Cardio will also result in stronger workouts and improved performance. So you say “yeah right”. Just think back on your last leg workout. If you trained them right, you would agree that it was very taxing on your heart. Regular cardio training will allow you to more easily get through those last few reps (the most important ones!).
Although cardio can have a positive effect on cardiorespiratory fitness, it does little to muscular strength and endurance (especially the upper body), the next component of physical fitness. Every activity we do in life requires some amount of muscular strength and endurance. Consider for example carrying in the groceries, picking up your children, or just simply doing work around the house. Developing and maintaining muscular strength and endurance will make everyday tasks seem easier. The development of muscular strength and endurance involves progressive resistance training. Weight training will result in increased bone mass, increased strength of connective tissue (joints), modest improvements in cardiorespiratory endurance (circuit training), improved blood profiles, and decreased body fat. Resistance training should be a part of everyone’s fitness program.
Flexibility, the next component of physical fitness, is the ability move your joints freely and without pain through a wide range of motion. Good flexibility allows you to move more easily and comfortably with decreased risk of injury or pain. For example, flexibility of the hamstring muscle and other muscles surrounding the hip joint are important for preventing low back pain. Improved flexibility will also allow you to perform exercises throughout a complete range of motion. Stretching exercises help increase flexibility and should be incorporated into everyone’s routine.
The final component of physical fitness is body composition. Body composition refers to the percentage of your body weight made up of fat versus lean tissue. Good health and optimum performance require an ideal percent body fat. Using body weight as a means to determine health risk and fitness level can be misleading. A heavy person may actually have a low body fat percentage, while a light person may have a high body fat percentage. This is because the number on the scale does not differentiate between muscle and fat. Muscle actually weighs more than fat. You may find that you are gaining weight even as your body is getting leaner! To optimally impact body composition, a healthy diet must also be incorporated into your overall fitness program.
Now ask yourself again: “Are you physically fit? Is your current exercise program complete or, are you missing one or more of these four components? Be sure to address each of the four areas for a complete and effective exercise program. You will find yourself even closer to achieving you personal fitness goals.
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