Physical fitnessPhysical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness (a state of health and well-being) and specific fitness (a task-oriented definition based on the ability to perform specific aspects of sports or occupations). Physical fitness is generally achieved through correct nutrition, exercise, and enough rest.

In previous years[when?], fitness was commonly defined as the capacity to carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue. However, as automation increased leisure time, changes in lifestyles following the industrial revolution rendered this definition insufficient.[citation needed] These days, physical fitness is considered a measure of the body’s ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet emergency situations.

fitness

A US marine performing fitness exercises.

The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports—a study group sponsored by the government of the United States—declines to offer a simple definition of physical fitness. Instead, it developed the following chart:[1]

Health related Skill related Sports

Metabolic Morphological Bone integrity Other

Body composition Cardiovascular

fitness Flexibility Muscular

endurance Muscle strength

Agility Balance Coordination Power Speed Reaction time Other

Team sport Individual

sport Lifetime Other

A comprehensive fitness program tailored to an individual will probably focus on one or more specific skills,[2] and on age-[3] or health-related needs such as bone health.[4] Many sources[citation

needed] also cite mental, social and emotional health as an important part of overall fitness. This is often presented in textbooks as a triangle made up of three points, which represent physical, emotional, and mental fitness. Physical fitness can also prevent or treat many chronic health conditions brought on by unhealthy lifestyle or aging.[5] Working out can also help people sleep better. To stay healthy it is important to engage in physical activity.[6]

Training

Specific or task-oriented fitness is a person's ability to perform in a specific activity with a reasonable efficiency: for example, sports or military service. Specific training prepares athletes to perform well in their sports.

Examples are:

400 m sprint : in a sprint the athlete must be trained to work anaerobically throughout the race. Marathon : in this case the athlete must be trained to work aerobically and their endurance must

be built-up to a maximum. Many fire fighters and police officers undergo regular fitness testing to determine if they are

capable of the physically demanding tasks required of the job.[7]

Members of the United States Army and Army National Guard must be able to pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT).[8]

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Physical Fitness Components

More and more the term physical fitness seems to be misunderstood. Some people may assume that just because someone is not morbidly obese or drastically under weight, that they are pretty fit. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As a culture we seem to have lost touch with all the different facets of being truly healthy and fit. Experts go by a set of 5 components to determine physical fitness.

The first component that goes into determining physical fitness is cardiovascular health. The cardiovascular system, which is also referred to as the circulatory system, includes your heart and blood vessels. Many problems can arise from poor cardiovascular health. Heart disease (which is the largest cause of death in North America), blocked arteries, high blood pressure, heart attack, embolisms and strokes are all cardiovascular problems. To be physically fit a person must maintain a healthy supply of oxygen to the organs via the circulatory system.

The second component is muscular strength. This refers to the amount of force that a muscle is capable of exerting against a marked amount of resistance. The muscles of your body are responsible for your movements. Your muscular strength can be built by resistance exercises that will build muscle mass and overall strength to the body. Stronger muscles aid your body in doing strenuous activity.

The third component is that of muscular endurance. Muscular endurance deals with the ability to maintain muscular activity for a marked period of time. Poor muscle endurance can hinder simple tasks as being able to walk very far or climb a flight of stairs.

The fourth component of being physically fit is flexibility. This refers to a person’s ability to move their muscles and joints to their fullest range of motion. When muscles are not stretched they become stiff and atrophied.

The final component is body composition. This deals with the ration of fat to lean tissue in the body. And overabundance of fat in a body leads to many diseases and health problems that can be not only hindering, but fatal.

Along with these 5 physical components, doctors can also look at 6 skills related components. The first is speed. This refers to how fast a person can move from one point to another. The next component is agility. Agility can be summed up as the ability to change direction and type of motion quickly.

Third is a person’s balance. Balance is maintaining a steady upright position during stasis and movement. The fourth component is coordination. This is how well ones movement is integrated with the senses. Reaction time is the fifth component. This is measured by how long it takes for the body to react with movement. The final component is power. This refers to the ability to perform strength requiring activity at an accelerated pace.

The road to overall health and well being are paved with these components of physical fitness. The benefits of maintaining health in these areas prevent diseases and other debilitating medical conditions that can lead to a loss of the overall quality of life and in many cases death. Overall physical fitness will aid in daily life, helping you to have more energy, feel better, breathe easier and have full range of motion with no stiffness or pain.

Being physically fit also helps you to better enjoy and excel when participating in sporting activities that an out of shape person would not be able to partake in. These basic components are the basis for you to live your life to the full potential your body is capable of.

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Physical Fitness Test In order to be accepted by any branch of the United States military or employed by the country’s federal agency’s security, applicants must first successfully pass a physical fitness text to ensure that potential soldiers and agents have the strength and endurance to defend their country.

Each branch of the United States Military has its own criteria for passing these tests, some of which are considerably more physically demanding than others. Each of the federal security agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) have tests of their own that require an applicant to be in top shape, particularly for positions that are located in the field. Here is an in depth look at what is expected for these tests and how to train for your physical fitness test properly.

Physical Fitness Tests for the United States Military

Regardless of which branch of the military you choose to enlist with or whether your duties will lie on the ground or shuffling papers, every soldier must begin by passing a fairly rigorous physical fitness test. For soldiers who seek out glory in the Special Forces, the physical fitness tests are often far more demanding.

In the United States Army, new recruits are required to pass the necessary Army Physical Fitness Test, or AFTP, for their age and gender. Recruits must earn a total of 60 points or more based on their performance in completing a set number of push-ups and sit-ups, as well as the amount of time that it takes them to complete a two mile run. In the case of males who are between 17-21 years of age, a soldier must complete at least 42 push-ups, 53 sit-ups and a two-mile run in 15:54 or less.

In the United States Navy, all sailors must pass the Naval Physical Requirements Test, or PRT, to the standards associated with their age and gender. For example, a male who is between 20-24 years of age must complete at least 50 curl ups, 42 push ups, and run a 1.5 mile course in 13:15 or less. Sailors in this age bracket are also required to 500 yards in thirteen minutes or less.

In the United States Air Force, a soldier must pass the requirements of the brand new Air Force fitness program that consists of four separate components: body composition, push-ups, sit-ups and a 1.5-mile run. Again, the requirements are set on a sliding scale that takes age and gender into consideration. For example, a male who is under 30 years of age must have a waist measurement of less than 39 inches, complete a 1.5-mile run in between the times of 13:15 and 13:36, and perform both 33 push-ups and 42 sit-ups.

Physical Fitness Tests for Federal Agents

Similarly, most employees of federal agencies such as the FBI must pass regular physical fitness tests regardless of the nature of their job. In the FBI, the minimum requirements to pass the basic physical fitness test are based on being able to earn 12 points or more during tests for maximum number of sit-ups an agent can complete in one minute, a timed 300-meter sprint, push-ups and a timed 1.5 mile run.

For the DEA, a new employee must be able to meet the agency’s requirements for a two-mile run, 120-yard shuttle run, maximum sit-ups in two minutes and a test of push-ups without a time limit.

How to Train for a Physical Fitness Test

Even if you consider yourself to be in pretty good shape and workout regularly, you will still need to train for a six to twelve week period in order to ensure that you will pass your physical fitness test without a problem. While new recruits are often whipped into shape during basic training, every soldier will tell you that it is a big mistake to show up basic training without some serious preliminary training.

Thankfully, these tests are quite easy to train for due to the fact that they are based on a small handful of tests. You can begin by simply test yourself before starting a training program to see where you currently stand. From there, it is simply a matter of scheduling daily and weekly goals that will have in shape to easily exceed your test requirements before the date of your test or first day of boot camp.

The Importance of Physical Fitness in Military and Security Positions

It is no secret why the military and federal investigative agencies required their soldiers and staff to be in adequate shape. Unlike most civilian jobs, these careers require individuals to be able to snap into physical action at a moments notice, and the difference between being able to perform well physically under stress can make the difference between the life and death of yourself and those who are depending on you.

By training well for your physical fitness test, you are doing more than fulfilling a job requirement. Instead, you are ensuring that you will be in the best shape possible if and when you are called into action.

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5 Components of Physical FitnessBy Peter Somerville

Physical fitness is the ability to function effectively throughout your workday, perform your usual other activities and still have enough energy left over to handle any extra stresses or emergencies which may arise.

The components of physical fitness are:

* Cardiorespiratory (CR) endurance - the efficiency with which the body delivers oxygen and nutrients needed for muscular activity and transports waste products from the cells.

* Muscular strength - the greatest amount of force a muscle or muscle group can exert in a single effort.

* Muscular endurance - the ability of a muscle or muscle group to perform repeated movements with a sub-maximal force for extended periods of times.

* Flexibility - the ability to move the joints or any group of joints through an entire, normal range of motion.

* Body composition - the percentage of body fat a person has in comparison to his or her total body mass.

Improving the first three components of fitness listed above will have a positive impact on body composition and will result in less fat. Excessive body fat detracts from the other fitness components, reduces performance, detracts from appearance, and negatively affects your health.

Factors such as speed, agility, muscle power, eye-hand coordination, and eye-foot coordination are classified as components of "motor" fitness. These factors most affect your athletic ability. Appropriate training can improve these factors within the limits of your potential. A sensible weight loss and fitness program seeks to improve or maintain all the components of physical and motor fitness through sound, progressive, mission specific physical training.

Principles of Exercise

Adherence to certain basic exercise principles is important for developing an effective program. The same principles of exercise apply to everyone at all levels of physical training, from the Olympic-caliber athlete to the weekend jogger.

These basic principles of exercise must be followed.

Regularity

To achieve a training effect, you must exercise often. You should exercise each of the first four fitness components at least three times a week. Infrequent exercise can do more harm than good. Regularity is also important in resting, sleeping, and following a sensible diet.

Progression

The intensity (how hard) and/or duration (how long) of exercise must gradually increase to improve the level of fitness.

Balance

To be effective, a program should include activities that address all the fitness components, since overemphasizing any one of them may hurt the others.

Variety

Providing a variety of activities reduces boredom and increases motivation and progress.

Specificity

Training must be geared toward specific goals. For example, people become better runners if their training emphasizes running. Although swimming is great exercise, it does not improve a 2-mile-run time as much as a running program does.

Recovery

A hard day of training for a given component of fitness should be followed by an easier training day or rest day for that component and/or muscle group(s) to help permit recovery. Another way to allow recovery is to alternate the muscle groups exercised every other day, especially when training for strength and/or muscle endurance.

Overload

The work load of each exercise session must exceed the normal demands placed on the body in order to bring about a training effect.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Somerville

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