What Are the 5

Health-Related
Components of
Physical Fitness?
 Physical Fitness

Physical fitness involves the performance of

the heart and lungs, and the muscles of the
body. And, since what we do with our bodies
also affects what we can do with our minds,
fitness influences to some degree qualities
such as mental alertness and emotional
stability.
 The basic components of physical fitness

The five health-related components of physical fitness can be a useful guide to help you
achieve physical fitness and promote good health. They describe five areas to focus on in your
fitness journey to ensure a well-rounded, active lifestyle.

The five areas of health-related fitness are

Cardiovascular endurance: the ability to perform exercises at moderate-to-vigorous
intensities for a prolonged period of time.
Muscular strength: how much force your muscles can exert or how heavy weights they can
lift.
Muscular endurance: the ability of your muscles to sustain exercise for a period of time.
Flexibility: the ability to move muscles and joints through a full range of motion.
Body composition: your body’s ratio of fat mass to fat-free mass like muscle and bone.
 Why are they important?

Some benefits are immediate, like improved mood, sleep, insulin sensitivity, and blood
pressure. Other benefits are noticeable after a few months, like increased muscle mass,
strength, flexibility, and lung capacity. Further, numerous studies have found that
being physically fit protects against many diseases and health issues — including heart
disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, dementia, and certain types
of cancer, just to name a few. Being physically active can also support healthy aging
and increase how many healthy, active years you have. For example, strength training
into late adulthood can help preserve lean muscle mass, which is a major predictor of
falls and quality of life.
Ultimately, living an active lifestyle no matter your age is important for supporting
good overall health.
 Cardiovascular endurance

Cardiovascular endurance consists of maintaining an increased heart rate and

breathing rate for a longer period of time. Cardiovascular endurance can be
accomplished through consistent exercise performed for prolonged periods of
time. Cardiovascular exercise improves your body's ability to bring oxygen
from the environment, into the lungs, and diffused into the bloodstream. With an
increase flow of oxygen to cells in the body will help them work to their
capacity. In addition, cardiovascular exercise helps the heart become bigger and
stronger (it is a muscle), allowing more blood to be pumped out with each beat.
If more blood is pumped out with each beat, the heart does not have to beat as
fast or work as hard.
 Muscular strength
Muscular endurance refers to the ability of a muscle to sustain
repeated contractions against resistance for an extended period of
time. To increase muscular endurance , you should engage in
activities that work your muscles more than usual such as squats,
push-ups, or jumping jacks. Muscular strength relates to your
ability to move and lift objects. It’s measured by how much force
you can exert and how much weight you can lift for a short period
of time. Examples of exercises that develop muscular strength and
power include resistance training, such as weightlifting,
bodyweight exercises, and resistance band exercises. Running,
cycling, and climbing hills are also options.
 Flexibility
Flexibility is the ability of a joint or series of joints to move through an
unrestricted, pain free range of motion. Although flexibility varies
widely from person to person, minimum ranges are necessary for
maintaining joint and total body health. Many variables affect the loss of
normal joint flexibility including injury, inactivity or a lack of
stretching. The range of motion will be influenced by the mobility of the
soft tissues that surround the joint. These soft tissues include: muscles,
ligaments, tendons, joint capsules, and skin. A lack of stretching,
especially when combined with activity can lead to a fatigue induced
soft tissue shortening over time.
 Flexibility

Static Stretching
Static stretching requires you to move a muscle as far as it can go
without feeling any pain, then hold that position for 20 to 45
seconds. You should repeat static stretches two to three times each.
This is a very effective way to increase flexibility.
 Flexibility
Examples of static stretches
1. Overhead triceps stretch
This stretch targets your triceps and the muscles in your shoulders.
1.Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and roll your shoulders back and down to release
any tension.
2.Reach your right arm up to the ceiling, then bend your elbow to bring your right palm
down toward the center of your back.
3.Bring your left hand up to gently pull your right elbow downwards.
4.Hold this stretch for 20–30 seconds before switching arms.
5.Repeat on both sides 2 or 3 times, attempting to get a deeper stretch with each repetition.
 Flexibility
2. Biceps stretch
This stretch targets your biceps as well as the muscles in your chest and shoulders.

1.Stand up straight, place your hands behind your back and interlace your hands at the
base of your spine.
2.Straighten out your arms and turn your hands so your palms are facing down.
3.Then, raise your arms as high as you can until you feel a stretch in your biceps and
shoulders.
4.Hold this stretch for 30–40 seconds.
5.Repeat 2 or 3 times.
 Flexibility
3. Cobra Pose
This stretch helps to relieve tightness in your abdominals, chest, and shoulders.

1.Lie on your stomach with your hands directly under your shoulders, fingers facing
forward, and arms drawn in tightly next to your chest.
2.Press into your hands and squeeze your elbows into your torso as you lift your head,
chest, and shoulders.
3.You can lift your torso partway, halfway, or all the way up.
4.Keep your elbows slightly bent.
5.You can let your head drop back to deepen the pose.
6.Hold this position for 30–60 seconds.
7.Repeat 1 or 2 times.
 Flexibility
4. Seated butterfly stretch
This stretch targets your inner thighs, hips, and lower back.

1.Sit on the floor with your back straight and your abs engaged.
2.Place the soles of your feet together in front of you. Let your knees bend out to the
sides.
3.Place your hands on your feet as you pull your heels toward you, letting your knees
relax and inch closer to the floor.
4.Take a deep breath, and hold this pose for 10 to 30 seconds.
 Flexibility

5. Head-to-knee forward bend

Use this stretch for the muscles in your back, groin, hamstrings, and calves.

1.Sit on a yoga mat or other comfortable surface.

2.Extend your left leg out in front of you, and place the sole of your right foot to the
inside of your left thigh.
3.Inhale and lift your arms overhead.
3.Exhale as you lengthen your spine and bend forward at your hips.
4.Rest your hands on your foot, legs, or the floor.
5.Hold this pose for up to a minute.
6.Repeat on the opposite side.
 Flexibility

Dynamic, or active, stretching

Active stretching, not to be confused with dynamic stretching or
ballistic stretching, can be defined as using agonist muscles to relax and stretch
antagonist muscles without the aid of any additional forces.
Active stretches are not passive. Seems obvious by the name, but what makes it
active is not that there is a lot of movement. The active component is the muscle
engagement that elicits a relaxation and stretch of the opposing muscles. An
example of this would be to use your hip flexor and quadricep muscles to lift your
leg to relax and stretch the hamstrings. This is using what is called reciprocal
inhibition, the body’s mechanism of inhibiting (relaxing)
the antagonist muscles while the opposing muscles are contracting.
 Flexibility

Dynamic stretches for warming up

Hip circles

1.Stand on one leg, holding on to a countertop or wall for

support.
2.Gently swing your other leg in small circles out to the side.
3.Perform 20 circles then switch legs.
4.Work up to larger circles as you become more flexible.
 Flexibility

Lunge with a twist

1.Lunge forward with your right leg, keeping your knee directly over your ankle
and not extending it farther than your ankle.
2.Reach overhead with your left arm and bend your torso toward the right side.
3.Bring your right leg back to return to an upright standing position. Lunge
forward with your left leg.
4.Repeat five times on each leg.
 Flexibility

Arm circles

1.Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hold arms out to the side at
shoulder height.
2.Circle around your arms slowly, starting with small circles, working up to
larger circles. Perform 20 circles.
3.Reverse direction of the circles and perform 20 more.
 Flexibility

Dynamic exercises
These include exercises that elongate and stretch the muscle during
movements, such as when performing pi lates, yoga, tai chi, and barre. Unlike
static stretching, the muscles aren’t held in a single position for a longer period
of time. The purpose of dynamic movement is to wake up the muscles needed
for the upcoming exercise. t’s great to include dynamic stretching in a warmup
routine before both endurance and strength training to prepare your body for
movement. Endurance exercises that benefit from dynamic movement include
biking, running, and swimming, as well as sports activities like basketball,
soccer, and volleyball.
 Flexibility

12 Exercises for Dynamic Flexibility

1. Arm circles 7. Butt kicks
2. Arm swings 8. Walking lunges
3. Shoulder rolls 9. Leg circles
4. Torso twists 10. Ankle rolls
5. Walking high kicks 11. Sumo side squats
6. Knee-to-chest 12. Crawl-out squats
 Muscular endurance

Muscular endurance is the ability to continue

contracting a muscle, or group of muscles, against
resistance, such as weights or body weight, over a
period of time. Increasing the performance of these
muscles means they can continue to contract and
work against these forces.
 Muscular endurance

Weight training. Instead of aiming for a low rep range, try to lift lighter
weights with a higher rep range — like 20 or more reps — until your muscles
become fatigued.

Isometric exercise. This involves holding your body in the same

position for an extended period of time. For example, holding a plank for as
long as you can.
Longer duration training. Using your muscles for long periods of time,
like cycling, running, swimming, or stair climbing, relies on muscular endurance
to keep you going. The more you train, the longer your muscles can go before
reaching fatigue.
 Muscular endurance

If you’re looking to improve your general endurance,

low-intensity bodyweight exercises are a great starting
point. For example, pilates, yoga, stair climbing, and
long-distance activities are good options. If you’re
looking to improve your athletic performance, consider
incorporating higher rep strength training and sport-
specific training to increase your muscular endurance.
 Body Composition

Body composition is the phrase used by medical professionals

and the health community to refer to the percentage of fat, water,
bone, muscle, skin, and other lean tissues that make up the
body.1 Knowing your body composition provides more detailed
information about your health. Two people can weigh the same,
but have very different wellness and fitness needs because of
their body composition.
 Body Composition

Waist circumfere. A larger waist circumference (>35 inches or

85 cm in women and >40 inches or 101.6 cm in men) indicates
greater body fat in the stomach area and is linked with a higher
risk of chronic diseasence.
Waist-to-hip ratio. A high ratio (>0.80 in women and >0.95 in
men) is associated with a higher risk of chronic disease
 Body Composition

Waist-to-hip ratio. A high ratio (>0.80 in women and >0.95 in men) is

associated with a higher risk of chronic disease.
Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). A convenient but less
accurate measure of body fat percentage. You can find these machines in some
fitness centers or purchase at-home BIA scales.
Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). Performed in
clinical settings, DEXA measures bone mineral density, muscle mass, and fat
mass. It can give a more accurate idea of your body composition. However, it’s
less accessible and can be costly.
Hydrostatic underwater weighing. This method measures your
weight on land and then again underwater using an underwater scale. This
method is usually reserved for research settings.
Air Displacement Plethysmography (ADP) or BodPod. Found in
specialty clinics, BodPods measure your total weight, fat mass, and muscle
mass. It’s much easier to perform than hydrostatic underwater weighing.

Body Composition
 Body Composition

You can also use body mass index (BMI) to give you a
general idea of your body composition. However, it’s less
specific and rarely paints a true picture of your health. While
body composition is an important component of fitness, it’s
not the only one. Focusing on the other four areas of fitness
— cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, and muscular
strength and endurance — may help you achieve a healthy
body composition.
 The bottom line

The five health-related components of fitness can work as a useful guide toward
achieving physical fitness. Each of the components — cardio, muscular strength and
endurance, flexibility, and body composition — are associated with better physical
fitness and overall health. Though your training plan depends on your fitness goals,
it’s a good idea to incorporate a variety of training modalities into your workout
routine. This may include some cardio exercises, muscular strength and endurance
training, and stretching or dynamic movement. Since each area is important for
health and overall fitness, keep them all in mind when designing your workout
program.