OPTIMUM FITNESS

by Alphonso Allen

There are many ways to define Physical fitness. The type of exercise which develops cardio vascular endurance is not very effective for developing optimum balance of muscular strength. Flexibility training usually increases the range of motion about a specific joint, such as the hip, but is not effective for improving cardiovascular endurance or muscle strength. Resistance training, such as weight lifting, is the best way too increase strength, but is not the most effective way to improve cardiovascular fitness.

The principal of training specificity defines optimum physical fitness as the condition resulting from a lifestyle that leads to the development of an optimal level of cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and flexibility as well as the achievement and maintenance of ideal body weight. Let’s look at the details.

Cardiovascular (or cardiopulmonary endurance, cardiovascular/cardiopulmonary fitness or aerobic fitness) describe the ability to deliver adequate supply of  oxygen to exercising muscles.

Muscular Strength is the maximum amount of force a muscle or muscle group can develop into a single contraction. Muscular endurance is the repeated contractions a muscle or muscle group can perform against a resistance without fatiguing, or the length of a contraction can be held without fatigue.

Flexibility

Describes the amount of movement which can be accomplished at a joint (an articulation) such as the knee or shoulder, usually referred to as “range of motion”. Maintaining flexibility may help reduce the risk of injury and also helps improve performance in many activities.

Ideal body weight represents an ideal body composition. One’s weight on a scale is comprised of two dimensions (1) body-fat (adipose tissue) and (2) lean body mass.

Body-Fat, which is the body’s primary reserve for energy, is stored triglycerides both in fat (adipose) cells located between the skin and muscle all over the body, as well as within the skeletal muscle. While the energy available from fat is used in many different cells in the body, exercising muscles can utilize a tremendous amount of fat to produce energy necessary for muscle contraction. Percentage of body fat represents the percentage of total body weight that is carried as fat. In general, ideal percent body-fat falls in a range of 17-25% for women and 10-16% for men. Lean Body Mass represents all the rest of the body’s weight, which consists of muscles, bones, organs, and nervous tissue.

Achieving and maintaining an ideal body composition is an important part of health and fitness. It is possible to measure one’s level of fitness in each of the area of optimum fitness using a variety of fitness tests.