Fitness Components – Flashcards

Aerobic capacity Anaerobic capacity Muscular strength Muscular endurance Flexibility Body composition

Muscular power Speed Agility Coordination Balance Reaction time

Aerobic capacity is the capacity of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. It is the ability of the heart, blood vessels and respiratory system to supply nutrients and oxygen to the muscles and the ability of the muscles to use the oxygen for sustained exercise. Aerobic capacity is also known as aerobic fitness; aerobic power; and cardiovascular or cardiorespiratory fitness, endurance or capacity.

The capacity of the anaerobic systems (that is, the ATP-PC and anaerobic glycolysis systems to provide energy for muscular contractions is termed anaerobic capacity or anaerobic power. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, they mean different things. Anaerobic capacity refers to the total amount of work that can be done by the anaerobic systems, while anaerobic power refers to how quickly the work can be done. Unlike the capacity of the aerobic system, the capacity of the anaerobic systems is finite. Both the ATP-PC and the anaerobic glycolysis system have limited capacity but high power output.

Muscular strength is the maximal force that can be generated by a muscle or muscle group in one maximal effort. Muscular strength is specific to the muscle group, type of contraction, speed of contraction and joint angle. The amount of strength that can be generated in an individual muscle or muscle group is dependent on the size, shape and fibre composition of the muscle.

Muscular endurance is the ability of the muscle or muscle group to perform repeated contractions (concentric, eccentric or isokinetic) for an extended period of time, or to maintain a contraction for an extended period of time (isometric contraction). Factors that affect muscular endurance are fatigue, fibre type, age and gender.

Flexibility is the capacity of a joint to move through its full range of motion, and reflects the ability of the muscles and connective tissues to stretch. Flexibility is specific to the joint. Having good flexibility in one joint does not mean you will have good flexibility in all joints of the body. There are two types of flexibility: static and dynamic. Static flexibility refers to a joint's range of motion under stationary conditions. Dynamic flexibility refers to the resistance to motion in a joint.

Body composition can be divided into two components: fat-free mass and fat-mass. Fat-free mass includes bones, water, muscle and connective tissue, organs and teeth. Fat-mass includes both essential and non essential fat stores. Essential fat is required for normal physiological functioning; it is used for body temperature control, shock absorption and the regulation of nutrients. Essential fat is found in the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, intestines, muscles, central nervous system and bone marrow.

Muscular power is the component of fitness that allows athletes to jump higher, hit a ball harder and ride uphill more easily. Muscular power is the ability to exert a force rapidly, over a short period of time, and is closely related to muscular strength and speed. Activities that require power include jumping events in athletics and throwing events such as javelin, hammer throw, shot-put and discus. Team sports often require power to leap, jump and rebound in order to intercept the ball from the opposition.

Speed is rate of motion, so in physical activity and sport it refers to how fast you can move your body or a body part from one point to another. Speed is obviously important in sprint events. For example, the aim of a 50-metre freestyle event is to get from the start to the finish in the quickest time possible.

Agility has historically been defined as the ability to change direction rapidly and accurately. However, when you think about some types of activities that require agility (for example, field and court sports), the rapid and accurate change in direction is often in response to a stimulus, such as another player or the ball.

Many sports and activities require good coordination to execute the skill successfully. The body uses its senses with the body parts to perform tasks smoothly and accurately. Coordination may involve the control of body parts to complete a sequence of movements (for example, in a gymnastics routine) or it may involve coordination of an external implement and various body parts (for example, kicking a football).

Balance is important in almost all activities performed by the body. To maintain equilibrium, external forces acting on the body (gravity, friction and forces applied by moving objects) must be constantly opposed by internal forces (muscular contractions). Balance is specific to the task being performed.

Reaction time is the time it takes the body to react to an external stimulus. Reaction time is very important in sprint events and in other events where the environment is constantly changing and adjustments to movement need to be made quickly, such as car racing.