types of physical fitness and their specific benefits
Being active, moving, and pushing your body to its (temporary) limits to a healthy degree: Health also arises from the challenge that we have set ourselves. Although your own fitness can be assessed holistically. it makes sense to divide it into its five components. especially when creating a training plan. These are not uniform.
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The five types of physical fitness are also included in the World Health Organization (WHO) physical activity recommendations. At the same time, she divides her own recommendations into age categories from 5 to 17 years old, 18 to 64 years old, and 65 and older.
A healthy fitness mix brings advantages not only in terms of one's own well-being or aesthetic interests but also in the Prevention of many diseases.
Another advantage: if your fitness program is as balanced and versatile as possible, this guarantees both short-term and long-term motivation to "stay on the ball".
types of physical fitness Cardiorespiratory fitness
Cardiorespiratory fitness refers to a person's endurance and therefore also in a direct way the ability of his body to provide the necessary energy for prolonged exertion to continue supplying cells with enough oxygen and nutrients.
Cardio-respiratory training is aimed at challenging the body in such a way that individual organs become more efficient. To adequately supply the body during endurance training, the lungs, heart, arteries, veins, and cells, for example, work at their best. Demanding them regularly also means pushing the maximum performance limits to the top.
Benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness
With regular endurance training, some benefits can be achieved, and they all revolve around the fact that the body and individual organs become more efficient, and some processes become more efficient. Those who regularly do endurance training not only master the obstacles of everyday life more confidently and get out of breath more often but also internal metabolic processes are improved.
Blood circulation is enhanced and the risk of heart disease is reduced. The body also gets used to transport more oxygen to the cells as needed - which also reduces the risk of heart disease and circulatory disorders ،
Endurance training is diverse: running, swimming, hiking, Nordic walking, and all other activities that are carried out rhythmically over a longer period improve endurance, improve endurance. If you have existing health problems or are unsure, you should still consult your doctor before starting strenuous endurance training.
types of physical fitness: muscle strength
The muscle strength component is the maximum strength that a muscle can provide during a short period of effort. Muscle strength determines, for example, how much weight can be lifted during the bench press - even if only by repetitions.
The benefits of maximum muscle strength
- You become more powerful and you can lift heavier objects in everyday life.
- With the growth of muscles, the body also changes positively.
- Higher maximum muscle strength has a positive effect on overall performance.
Important: do not take over! The maximum strength of the muscles is measured on one classic repetition in one set. A lot of stress. but can also lead to muscle injury or lead more risks when handling free weights. For example, call an observer in the gym for such a conscientiously conducted test!
types of physical fitness: muscular endurance
The muscle strength just described is not a match for muscle endurance. The latter describes how many repetitions (representing efforts) a muscle or muscle group can perform at most if it is not necessary to expend maximum strength. In the gym, this will usually be three sets of eight to 12 repetitions each.
The biggest advantage of muscular endurance training The muscles are constantly irritated and have to work against resistance. which, in turn, trains them. So if you want to build muscle. or long to get a well-toned body, do not train according to the maximal principle in the previous paragraph, but instead. focus on muscular endurance. In the literature, muscular endurance is measured using 30 to 50% of the maximum muscle performance.
The benefits of trained muscular endurance
- They perform better under stress. Which, in some circumstances, can change one's life.
- Frequent muscle training is the most effective measure to stimulate muscle growth.
- The results of the muscle mass gained in sports fitness are more.
- By building muscle, their performance is. also improves, up to a certain point - for example through leg training and/or cycling.
types of physical fitness: Flexibility/agility
Flexibility or mobility describes the range of motion achieved by the body and how flexible the joints are. A distinction is made here between mobility at rest (without tense muscles). and mobility in the dynamic-active state, that is, with tense muscles or using higher efforts.
Flexibility is an important pillar of physical fitness because it is also very noticeable in everyday life. Flexibility can be trained, for example, with yoga, and Pilates. or generally free stretching exercises.
With age, regular training in one's own movement becomes more and more important, since this inevitably loses itself as the years of life progress. Of course, this biological process of aging cannot be completely stopped. However, significant improvements can be expected if you maintain the fit and flexibility of your joints and muscles at an early stage.
The benefits of training flexibility and agility
- Flexibility is constantly manifested in everyday life. for example when reaching a high rack, which succeeds more easily with proper training.
- An objectively good assessment of flexibility and mobility can reduce the risk of injury, according to this study.
- Staying active and flexible reduces the risk of joint discomfort.
- Those who are flexible and flexible can choose from a greater number of different exercises and sports.
types of physical fitness: Structure / physical configuration
The physical composition is, to some extent, the result of the previous four components. It describes the ratio between the proportions of muscle and fat, as well as the relative body weight of humans. So the physical structure is at the same time a direct aesthetic characteristic of the often-quoted "dream figure".
Consideration of the body fat percentage also compensates for the known weaknesses of the frequently used body mass index (BMI). This puts the weight relative to the volume but does not take into account how the weight is distributed. Since muscles weigh heavier than fat, especially muscular people often get into the overweight zone of the BMI, even though they are trained, fit, and have a low percentage of body fat.
Benefits of the optimal physical configuration
- Low body fat reduces the risk of diabetes and insulin resistance.
- A decrease in fat usually leads to increased mobility.
- Low body fat percentage reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
- A normal to ideal-body fat ratio is considered aesthetic.
The best way to reap these benefits is to change your diet. A calorie deficiency is beneficial, but only if more fat is lost while maintaining muscle - which, in turn, goes through the diet. Simply achieving a calorie deficit without providing the "right" nutrients initially leads to muscle loss instead of the desired fat loss.
Conclusion: the physique is naturally diverse
If you are really fit, then you are not only in one part of your body and do not cover only one component. By definition, well-being and health-promoting fitness span five sub-areas, all of which play a role in each other.
In particular, trained endurance has health benefits and can reduce the risk of various cardiovascular diseases and, conversely, increase life expectancy.
At the same time, physical formation and muscular endurance have the largest share in aesthetics. while in many everyday situations they especially benefit from increased flexibility and mobility.
Thus, the five components of fitness are also an argument for a balanced, versatile, and varied training plan, which includes cardio as well as muscle training, stretching, yoga, and co. As a result, you can clearly benefit from an optimal physical composition with an ideal to-normal body fat ratio.