There are five components of physical fitness that need to be used in a fitness regime in order to optimize the effects of working out. These five components are Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Muscular Endurance, Muscular Strength, Flexibility and Body Composition.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness - This refers to the fitness level of the heart and lungs. Most often associated with aerobic exercise, this component of fitness is the most common area worked during a workout regime.
Muscular Endurance - This refers to the length of time a muscle can work before hitting the failing point. The more endurance the muscle exhibits - the longer the muscle will work before reaching a point where failure occurs. Long distance runners have more muscle endurance than sprinters in most cases.
Muscular Strength - This term is self explanatory. The strength of the muscle refers to how much resistance the muscle can push against. The more resistance - the more weight the muscle will be able to lift.
Flexibility - The range of motion of the muscle and joint are referred to as flexibility. Fitness warm-ups and cool-downs are supposed to involved stretching. Stretching helps to warm-up the muscle and elongate the muscle in order to prevent injury during exercise. During the cool-down after a workout, stretching will move the lactic acid out of the muscle and reduce the soreness felt the next day.
Body Composition - The common person often forgets the importance of body composition. This refers to the BMI or body fat percentage. Just because someone is thin does not mean they have enough lean muscle mass on the body. Online BMI calculators are not as accurate as skin fold and water submersion testing.
