Understanding Physical Fitness: 4 Key Components

Posted on Jan 14, 2025 in Physical Education

Resistance

Resistance is the ability that allows us to maintain physical effort for a long time and recover more quickly after having done it.

The elements that influence resistance are:

In the Muscular System

  • Type of muscle fiber: fast or slow
  • The energy reservoir from which we get the ATP to do the exercise.
  • Ability to remove lactic acid, which accumulates after anaerobic endurance work and causes fatigue.

In the Nervous System

  • The coordination of different muscles that perform the movement (agonists, antagonists, and fixators).

In the Circulatory System

  • The amount of blood circulating through the body shapes the capacity to carry oxygen and energy substances: more blood, more oxygen and energy.

In the Respiratory System

  • The ability to deliver oxygen to the body and exchange oxygen properly in the pulmonary alveoli and muscle cells.

Strength

Strength is the ability of our body to overcome resistance or oppose it using muscle tension caused by the contraction of the muscle fibers.

The elements that determine strength are:

In the Muscular System

  • Muscle fiber types: fast or slow.
  • The length and thickness of muscle fibers. The thicker, the more strength. The increased volume of fibers is called muscle hypertrophy.
  • The type of muscle contraction: isotonic concentric (lower level of maximum strength), eccentric isotonic (maximum degree of force), and isometric (intermediate degree of force).
  • At younger ages, musculoskeletal structures are not fully developed, and maximum strength training is damaging.

In the Nervous System

  • The coordination of different muscles that perform the movement, as we’ve seen on the topic of exercise physiology, are agonists, antagonists, and fixators.

Other Factors

  • The temperature of the muscle, which may increase with a good warm-up.
  • The fitness or training level; the higher the level, the better the performance.
  • Sex: in absolute terms, men have more strength than women.

Speed

Speed is the ability to make one or more movements in the shortest time possible.

Elements that condition speed:

In the Muscular System

  • The type of muscle fiber: fast or slow.
  • The strength of the muscles.

In the Nervous System

  • The transmission speed of nerve impulses.

In the Biomechanical Field

  • The technical implementation.

Flexibility

Flexibility is the ability to achieve the maximum range of a movement in a particular joint.

Elements that condition flexibility:

Mechanical Factors

  • The type of joint.
  • Musculoligamentous flexibility.

Emotional Factors

  • Individual’s state of nervousness or calmness.

External Factors

  • Temperature.
  • Age (regressive factor).
  • Social customs.

Training Principles

The training principles are the theoretical basis for applying different training systems and, thus, improving our fitness, sports performance, and health.

To achieve improved performance, it is necessary to plan long-term training, usually 2 to 4 years.

The annual training cycle is divided into three periods:

  • Period or preseason preparation: The objective of this period is to give an athlete a good performance level, a sports fitness level that meets the competitive demands of the sport.
  • Period or season competition: Coincides with the annual cycle of competitions. The goal is to get the best result in the championships in which they participate.
  • Period of transition: This is the period between the completion of an annual cycle and the beginning of the next. The aim is to undertake a process of competitive rate mismatch and help the recovery of the athlete.

Planning of Training

Planning of training covers both the equipment or highly competitive athlete and the person who performs physical activity for recreation or health. It is only necessary to adapt the media content, work, timing, etc. to enable each to achieve its objectives.

Before starting sports planning, it is necessary to:

  • Define the main objectives we want.
  • Define the resources (material and human).
  • Define the nature of sports and racing gambling.
  • Carry out an assessment of our real and present physical capabilities.
  • Define the content (physical, technical, tactical, and psychological).
  • Select exercises to work on the contents.
  • Analyze the competition calendar in which we participate.
  • Prepare a draft annual program (timing).
  • Establish mechanisms for evaluation (physical evidence, etc.).