Health-related Components
The human body is a unique and complex machine designed to execute incredible tasks. Think about your nervous system, endocrine system and musculoskeletal system. To keep the body functioning at its best, we need to make sure that overall health is maintained and the body regularly receives some type of stimulus. When we engage in regular physical exercising, we're creating specific stimuli and as a result, the body will adapt accordingly. For example, long-distance runners develop incredible cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance due to their training style, that emphasises lower body strength, aerobic fitness and muscular endurance. Understanding the components of physical training allows us to apply the appropriate training methods (for our clients or ourselves) and choose the right exercise selection. This way we're able to increase the effectiveness of the workouts and optimise the outcome of any training programme.
The components of physical fitness can be categorised as health-related or skill-related. Both groups contain sub-divisions, and in Part 1 of this article, we're going to have a look at the health-related components of physical training.
Strength
Strength is the ability of a human or animal to exert force against resistance. By lifting heavy objects repeatedly or performing bodyweight exercises, we can achieve the following adaptations:
Increased number of muscle fibres
Increased size of the muscle fibres (Hypertrophy)
Improved neuromuscular pathways (Communication line between the brain and muscles)
Strength training is a lot of fun and quite addictive. It's a slow and gradual process that can be dangerous and cause injuries if done incorrectly. Being strong isn't only a gym thing thought. Everyday life requires us to be able to produce force, like when we have to move a large object, carry hefty shopping bags or stand up after a fall. If the body was conditioned and prepared, those tasks would feel relatively easy to complete; however, due to the lack of strength, they can become quite a struggle.
Muscular Endurance
The scientific definition of muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to sustain repeated contractions against a resistance for an extended period of time. In simple terms, it means, the number of repetitions and/or the duration of an exercise that you can perform before your muscles become entirely fatigued. An extreme example of muscular endurance was demonstrated by Ross Edgley, who circumnavigated around Great Britain by swimming 12 hours a day for 155 days, at one point with a jellyfish stuck on his face for two hours. Endurance training can be pretty challenging, both mentally and physically but at the same time very rewarding too.
Cardiovascular fitness
CV fitness is the ability of the heart and lungs to deliver a sufficient amount of fresh oxygen to the working muscles. The harder you exercise, the more oxygen your muscles will demand. As a result of regular CV training, your heart will be able to transport an increased volume of oxygen-rich blood with each contraction. It will need fewer strokes to pump the blood around the body, and your VO2 capacity will significantly improve too. Due to these adaptations, the strain on your cardiovascular system will decrease when engaging in intense exercising like running the London Marathon or chasing your stubborn squirrel hunting dog across the park.
Flexibility
Flexibility refers to the range of motion at a single or series of joints. The lack of flexibility will limit the freedom of movement, and with that comes frustration and pain. Imagine your body being restrained by itself. Not a great feeling I tell you that. Our generation is a lot more sedentary compared to previous generations, and as a result, we have a lot more trouble with flexibility and mobility. Countless hours spent in front of the computer causes the muscles to shorten and stiffen, thus making us feel like we are a slice of steak wrapped in a tight little vacuum pack. Flexibility will decline as we age, that is inevitable, so if your body feels crooked or broken now, imagine what it's going to be like in 5 years. Start practising yoga or perform stretches (active and passive) regularly if you'd like to move freely even when you grow old.
Body composition
Body composition means the ratio of bones, muscle mass, and fat in the human body. We use the percentage of total body weight to express how much muscle or fat someone is storing in their body. There are different ways of determining body composition such as high tech scanning machines and smart scales, which calculate bone mass, water, muscle and body fat percentage by sending an electrical signal through the body and measuring how long it takes to the signal to return. A less advanced method is the use of a skinfold calliper, that measures the thickness of the fat and skin in several locations of the body. Body composition charts can help you to understand what values are considered healthy when it comes to bone, muscle and fat mass. Education is critical when we talk about body composition, especially that more then 25% of the UK's adult population is obese according to NHS Digital, Health Survey for England 2018. Recognising the importance of nutrition and physical activity is indispensable to achieve ideal body composition and therefore improve our health and longevity.
If you’re interested in a bespoke training programme or should you require any advice regarding home workouts, feel free to get in touch directly with Szilard!
Written by Szilard Jakab
03.05.2020
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