Enhancing Fitness: Components Of Fitness

Strength Speed Aerobic endurance Muscular endurance Flexibility Body composition Power

Agility Balance Co-Ordination Reaction Time Power/Elastic Strength Speed

Strength is ability to overcome a resistance Maximal strength is maximum force exerted by specific muscle or muscle group during single maximal muscle contraction or one repetition maximum.

Flexibility is range of movement around joint. Usually controlled by length of the muscle High level of flexibility increases speed & power of muscular contraction

The maximum rate at which person able to move his/her body to cover specific distance

Ability to provide & sustain energy aerobically Dependent on ability of cardiovascular system to transport & use oxygen during sustained exercise In order to be most effective need for large proportion of slow twitch fibres & high VO2 max

Ability of (group of) muscles to sustain repeated contractions against resistance for extended period of time Needs body to be efficient under aerobic & anaerobic conditions, along with ability to buffer lactic acid

Component parts of body in terms of body fat compared to lean body mass Elite athletes: higher fat results in reduction of muscle efficiency & greater energy expenditure as more weight requires more energy to move around Muscle mass desirable for sports that require strength, power & endurance

Power is application of both strength & speed Power/elastic strength is ability of neuromuscular system to overcome resistance with high speed of contraction

Ability to move quickly & change direction & position of body & effectively while under control

Maintenance of body’s centre of mass over base support Can be either static or dynamic Commonly seen in gymnastics

Interaction of motor & nervous systems & ability to perform tasks accurately Hand-eye coordination is ability to coordinate hands & eyes to perform tasks such as throwing & catching accurately

The time taken to initiate a response to a given stimulus

Power is product of strength & speed & can also be related to: ability to overcome resistance rapidly & prepare muscle quickly for sequential contraction of equal force - elastic strength