The document discusses the components of fitness, including muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and speed. It provides an overview and key characteristics of each component, recommended training methods, relevant exercises, and benefits. Specifically, it emphasizes that cardiovascular fitness is particularly important as it reduces risks of heart disease and stroke, and that flexibility training for 10 minutes daily can help reduce injury risk by over 15%.

1. Components of Fitness

2. An Overview
• In this presentation we’ll take a quick peek at the components of fitness (CF):
their characteristics and what they mean in relation to personal physicality. In
addition, next to each component of fitness an effective training method has
been identified. Why?
• Well it’s not enough just to know the characteristics of each component of fitness.
This knowledge alone would not enable you to take action to improve or rectify
fitness imbalances.
• It is for this reason why each component comes accompanied with a best
training method and range of associative exercises.

3. What this presentation covers:
• The five primary components of fitness
• The characteristics of each CofF
• Best training methods
• A range of relevant exercises
• Benefits of Developing the CofF
• A quick overview of the skill-based CofFs and health related CofF
But first . . .

4. Quick Component of Fitness FAQ
Q: Why are components of fitness important?
• It’s important to have an awareness of the components of fitness for the simple fact that
by doing so you will be able to identify physical imbalances but also how to rectify them.
• Let’s imagine that you are completely clueless to this concept; you haven’t the foggiest
what strength or muscular endurance mean and you have no idea what exercise
modalities can improve them. If, for whatever reason, you became aware of a particular
weakness, say you trained with a friend who could lift way more and with relative ease,
you would not know how best to ameliorate your inferior physicality. However, after
reading this article you will know!

5. Q: Which component of fitness is the most important?
• A professional health and fitness practitioner afflicted with a puritanical predisposition would
probably scoff at the notion of prioritising one component of fitness over another. ‘They are all
of equal importance,’ the purist might proclaim with affected passion, beating their chest as
they did so. However, I’m of the opinion that cardiovascular is by far the most important
component of fitness. Here’s why.
• Cardiovascular fitness provides us with an indication of the relative capacity of our heart,
vascular and respiratory systems. These are, unarguably, highly important physiological
insights. After all, every year millions of people die from coronary heart disease and vascular
conditions – stroke, atherosclerosis and myocardial ischemia. Other than diet reformation the
surest method of reducing susceptibility to these diseases is cardiovascular exercise. (For more
on the benefits see Benefits of Cardiovascular Fitness: slide 28.)
• The same cannot be said of strength or flexibility. No one ever died from poor range of
movement around a joint.

6. Q: Which components of fitness should be emphasised in a warm-up?
• Good question you at the back. The warm-up phase of an exercise session, though
often overlooked by many trainers, is of paramount importance. But not all warm-
ups were created equal.
• For example, performing a series of light lifts or spending 5 minutes mobilising joints
is very nearly pointless.
• When it comes to warming up – and warming up well – we ought to engage in
cardiovascular exercise, such as rowing, because this raises our core temperature,
and include a number of muscular endurance exercises, such as press-ups, burpees,
light resistance exercises, because this acts as a face slap for our muscles: that is it
wakes them up (otherwise known as neuromuscular facilitation).

7. Q: Which component of fitness does circuit training improve?
• Depending on the design of the circuit most all of the components can be
incorporated and improved. Due to the bewildering versatility of circuit training
you could engineer the emphasis around a specific component of fitness or
include a range.
• Take CrossFit training as a perfect example. Some CrossFit sessions are almost
purely muscular endurance – light weights and high reps. Yet other sessions see
the athlete transition from a cardiovascular exercise to a heavy Olympic lift.
• Thus the answer to the question is: which ever component of fitness you want
the circuit to improve.

8. The Components of Fitness
The five components of fitness covered include:
• Muscular Strength
• Muscular Endurance
• Cardiovascular Fitness
• Flexibility
• Speed

9. Muscular Strength

10. Strength Outlined
• Strength is an expression of one’s ability to exert force against a resistance – usually a
percentage of or exceeding one’s body weight. The power lifter, body builder or
strong man are synonymous with this component of fitness.
• However, contention rages regarding what constitutes as ‘real’ or ‘functional’
strength as opposed to ‘static’ or ‘synthetic’ strength.
• The former would be modelled by the gymnast who, though unable to bench press
their body weight, can with ease perform highly complex controlled movements
such as the crucifix.
• Static strength, by contrast, is seen in the highly-muscled weight lifter who can bench
above his (or her) body weight but couldn’t perform 5 strict pull-ups.

11. Best Training Methods for Developing Strength
• The strength building calculation is quite a simple one (heavy weights + long rest
periods = augmented strength). The trainer, after an extensive warm-up, would
proceed at a leisurely pace to climb the poundage ladder until they had reached their
1 rep max.
• But though this is widely recognised as the most effective method it is by no means
infallible.
• There are all too many examples of world renowned strength athletes who have
broken the mould and pursued unorthodox methods that yielded remarkable results.
• As with any method of developing a component of fitness it is certainly the case that
one size does not fit all. You have to forge your own path.

12. Range of Relevant Exercises
• Traditional strength exercises are nearly all compound movements. A compound exercise is one that works
multiple muscle groups and transitions through two joints: a squat, for example, stimulates the muscles of the legs
and transitions through the joints of the hip and knee. Of course, strength is not merely limited to traditional
compound exercises but can also be developed functionally. Examples of strength exercises include:
• Bench press
• Bent-over row
• Military (or shoulder) press
• Dead lift
• Squat
• Clean and press
• Snatch

13. Benefits of Strength
• Strength is usually pursued as an end in and of itself. Usually because the strong
man (or woman!) receives backslaps, adulation and kudos from fellow gym
frequenters and the physically enfeebled.
• As physical attributes go strength is by far the most coveted. This has been the
case for thousands of years. In the Iliad Homer sings the praises of the strong
man and it was Hercules’ strength alone that carried his name through the ages.
• However, when acquired in this mind-set – to be strong because it carries
considerable social coin – strength is almost worthless. Honestly, in the real
world, when’s Billy Big Arms ever going to be called up to curl 100kees?

14. Benefits Continued . . .
• But when used to enhance performance in activities – such as a physical
discipline like swimming or rowing – augmented strength is highly beneficial.
• Watson (1995) cites a study showing performance gains made by elite level
athletes after adopting strength training techniques.
• A mere ‘four weeks of strength training produced a 19 per cent increase in power
which resulted in a 4 per cent improvement in swimming speed.’ For a
performance athlete a 4% improvement is enormous.

15. Key Points:
Strength is an expression of one’s ability to exert force against a resistance.
The power lifter, body builder or strong man are synonymous with this
component of fitness.
However, strength is more than static weightlifting. It can also include complex
controlled movements seen in gymnastics or combat sports – such as wrestling.
The strength building calculation is a simple one: heavy weights + long rest
periods = augmented strength.
Strength is best pursued for the purpose of enhancing sporting performance.

16. Strength Personified - Pyrros Dimas: Most Decorated Olympic Weightlifter

17. Muscular Endurance

18. Muscular Endurance Overview
• Muscular endurance is merely the ability to apply force against a resistance for
extensive periods of time. For example, a person who can perform, say, 50
kettlebell snatches or complete a set of 100-unbroken press-ups is said to have
good muscle endurance.
• Looked at another way, endurance is a term ‘used to describe the durability of an
object or an individual’s ability to tolerate circumstances that are less than
pleasant,’ (Watson 1995).
• Thus the grand tour cyclist crawling up a mountain pass or the marathon runner
pushing on in spite of the pain and fatigue is showcasing extreme muscular
endurance.

19. Best Training Methods for Developing Muscular
• Perhaps the single most effective method of developing muscular endurance
would be to take part in regular circuit training.
• This is because the characteristics that define a circuit – minimal rest periods
coupled with high-intensity/volume output – aligns almost exactly to the
characteristics that define endurance training.
• In fact, it would be true to say that in the vast majority of cases a circuit is
populated by a series of muscular endurance activities; usually resistance
exercises of a light to moderate weight.

20. Range of Relevant Exercises
• Really it matters not the exercise but the weight and number of repetitions performed per
set or sitting. As discussed above, as long as the weight is low and repetitions high you
are training muscular endurance. But unlike strength, muscular endurance training
usually incorporates calisthenics (body weight exercises). See example list below:
Body weight exercises
• Press-ups
• Pull-ups
• Hanging leg raises
• Burpees
• Squat thrusts
Resistance exercises
• Vertical lift
• Bicep curls
• Lat pulldowns
• Any and all kettlebell exercises
• All of the strength exercises can be
converted into muscular endurance

21. Benefits of Muscular Endurance
• Though it’s not always the case the trainer with good muscular endurance
usually has good cardiovascular capacity. The two aren’t inextricably linked but
they do often walk hand-in-hand.
• When multiple muscular endurance exercise are grouped together to form a
circuit and the circuit is completed at a high intensity with minimal rest, the
trainer would not escape without elevating their heart rate.
• Consequently, by training muscular endurance you will likely be training your
cardiovascular system also. This is a beneficial by-product that strength and/or
flexibility alone cannot offer.

22. Key Points:
 Muscular endurance is merely the ability to apply force against a resistance for extensive
periods of time.
 A person who can perform, say, 50 kettlebell snatches or complete a set of 100-unbroken press-
ups is said to have good muscle endurance.
 But looked at another way endurance describes ‘the durability of an object or an individual’s
ability to tolerate circumstances that are less than pleasant,’ (Watson 1995).
 The single most effective method of developing muscular endurance would be to take part in
regular circuit training.
 The muscular endurance equation: low weights + high reps + low rest = augmented muscular
endurance.

23. Muscular Endurance Exemplar

24. Cardiovascular Fitness

25. Cardiovascular Fitness Overview
• Cardiovascular – or aerobic – fitness pertains to the efficiency at which the heart and vascular system
can deliver oxygenated blood to the working muscles.
• In any aerobic discipline – cycling, running, swimming – an athlete who can sustain a high output is
said to have a ‘good engine’. That is: their heart is strong and it can pump a high volume of blood
around the body. As McArdle (2001) says, ‘a large maximum cardiac output (stroke volume)
distinguishes champion endurance athletes from well-trained athletes.’
• An individual with above average cardiovascular fitness will almost certainly have:
 a larger than average sized heart
 greater stroke volume (the quantity of blood that is pumped out of the left ventricle with each beat)
 low resting heart rate and
 above average muscular density in the muscles of the cardio-respiratory system: cardiac muscle, the
diaphragm and the smooth muscles that line veins to assist blood flow.

26. Best Training Methods for Developing Cardiovascular
Fitness
• Few people recognise just how responsive and sensitive to physical stimulation
the cardiovascular system is. For example, studies have shown that a mere 60
minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise (such as gardening or walking) is
enough to maintain general health and cardiovascular fitness whilst also
‘reducing the risk of a first heart attack’ (McArdle et al – Exercise Physiology).
• Here we’re merely considering maintenance. To develop cardiovascular fitness,
say in preparation for an event such as a marathon, the intensity and training
volume must both be consistently high.
• It is not uncommon for a professional endurance athlete to exercise for in excess
of 40 hours per week in readiness for a competition.

27. Range of Relevant Exercises
• Conventional cardiovascular training involves continuous or steady state activities. Continuous
training is exactly how it sounds: performing the same exercise without rest for extensive periods of
time. To qualify as continuous training and adequately stimulate the appropriate physiological
systems the activity should last longer than 15 minutes. There is no upper maximum duration.
Cardiovascular exercises include:
• Running
• Cycling
• Rowing
• Swimming
• Skiing
• Speed walking

28. Benefits of Cardiovascular Fitness
• ‘Regular aerobic training reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure during rest
and submaximal exercise,’ (McArdle et al – Exercise Physiology – pp475). This is
eminently a good thing.
• According to the NHS high blood pressure ‘increases your risk of serious problems
such as heart attacks and strokes,’ (NHS 2020).
• Furthermore, regular aerobic exercise has been shown to reduce one’s susceptibility
to coronary heart disease (CHD), which is a serious health condition resulting from
the accumulative build-up of fatty plaque in the arteries. In the US alone CHD is the
number one cause of premature mortality and is responsible for a staggering 375,000
deaths every year (Greger 2017 – How Not To Die).

29. Key Points:
Cardiovascular fitness pertains to the efficiency at which the heart and vascular
system can deliver oxygenated blood to the working muscles.
Large maximum cardiac output (stroke volume) distinguishes champion
endurance athletes from well-trained athletes.
The cardiovascular system is highly responsive.
A mere 60 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise (such as gardening or
walking) is enough to maintain general health and cardiovascular fitness.
Engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise has been shown to reduce
susceptibility to strokes and coronary heart disease.

30. Extreme Cardiovascular Fitness!

31. Flexibility

32. Flexibility Overview
• Flexibility is typically characterised by the range of movement (ROM) around a
joint: the greater the ROM the more flexible a person is.
• Often regarded as an enigmatic quality that some people just possess, flexibility
is a property of the muscles, tendons and joints and anyone, if they are willing to
implement the training principals that follow, can enhance their ROM.
• The sports and disciplines in which flexibility is highly prized include
gymnastics, dancing and martial arts – more specifically kick boxing and Muay
Thai boxing.
• However, as it will become evident, all people, irrespective of their sport or
training discipline, can benefit from increased flexibility.

33. Best Training Methods for Developing Flexibility
• To enjoy the benefits flexibility has to offer (see below) we need only stretch for
10 minutes daily. This would include a whole-body stretch that incorporates the
major muscle groups – those of the legs and back.
• The modality of stretching applied should be long-duration static – otherwise
known as developmental stretching. We would perform a developmental stretch
by gently progressing into the position and, once a mild stretch can be felt in the
muscle, hold it for between 20 seconds and 1 minute.
• Other ways to reap the rewards stretching can confer is by taking part in Yoga or
Pilates.

34. Range of Relevant Exercises
• Stretching comes in multiple shapes and sizes. They include:
• Static or developmental stretching: holding the stretch position for 20-plus seconds.
• Ballistic stretching: applying the stretch with force – the individual, usually someone training
in the martial arts or dancing, would forcibly throw the limb through the range of movement
until it had reached maximal stretch capacity. This is an anachronistic and dangerous form of
stretching that has largely been replaced by dynamic stretching.
• Dynamic stretching: exactly the same as ballistic other than that, when throwing the limb out,
an intercepting object would be placed in its path so as to prevent over stretching the muscle.
• Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF): the muscle is firstly contracted for 10-20
seconds. Once the contraction is eased the stretch is applied – usually by a sports therapists or
physio.

35. Benefits of Increasing Flexibility
• Of all the components of fitness flexibility is most neglected as it is seen as
unessential to the augmentation of physicality. This is a gross mistake and those who
harbour this contention could be putting themselves at greater risk of injury.
• Flexibility is actually one of the major components of fitness and ‘it is important for a
number of reasons, the three principal ones being: (1) to allow an adequate range of
movement, (2) to avoid posture defects and (3) to avoid sports injury,’ (Watson 1995).
• It’s that last reason that makes flexibility training so important.
• By participating in daily stretching, for a mere ten minutes, we could reduce our
injury susceptibility by over 15%. Norris, in his book The Complete Guide to Stretching,
cited one such study demonstrating how injury in sports athletes reduced when they
developed their ROM. ‘the risk of injury decreased as flexibility improved,’ (Norris
2004).

36. Key Points:
 Flexibility is typically characterised by the range of movement (ROM) around a joint.
 Flexibility is a property of the muscles, tendons and joints and anyone, if they are
willing to implement the training principals that follow, can enhance their ROM.
 To enjoy the benefits flexibility has to offer (see below) we need only stretch for 10
minutes daily.
 The modality of stretching applied should be long-duration static – otherwise known
as developmental stretching.
 By participating in daily stretching, for a mere ten minutes, we could reduce our
injury susceptibility by over 15%.

37. Flexibility in Action!

38. Speed

39. Speed Overview
• Broadly speaking speed relates to the rapidity at which a person can move either
part or the whole of their anatomy across a distance within a certain time. We
talk about ‘fast reaction’ and ‘bursts of rapid movements’ but these terms are
meaningless without the two necessary unitive measurements: distance and
time.
• Without getting too technical, so as not to confuse myself, this is the macro
measurement of speed – that is, action we can perceive with the naked eye: the
boxer throwing a lightning fast punch, the sprinter covering 100 metres in under
10 seconds.

40. Speed Overview Continued . . .
• But speed can be registered and measured before it translates into physical
action. ‘Reaction time is a property of the nervous system and depends upon the
speed at which information is processed,’ (Watson 1995).
• You could be the fastest sprinter in the world but if you are slow to react to the
starting pistol you might never win a race – especially when a place on the
podium hinges on hundredths of a second.
• Thus in sports where success balances on such fine margins, the athlete will
develop both their speed – the time it takes to cover a specific distance – and their
reaction time – how quickly they can process information and translate it into action.

41. Best Training Methods for Developing Speed
• Speed is affected by two properties: the force a muscle can generate and how much
weight the muscle must move. If we conduct a thought experiment we will easily
understand this relationship.
• Imagine two competitive cyclists both of whom can apply equal force through the
peddles. Now let’s say that one of the cyclists weighs 20kg more than her
counterpart, in a head-to-head race, all else being equal, we know which cyclist
would emerge victorious.
• But why, when framed this way, is it so obvious? Because weight nullifies speed. It’s
for this reason why top level athletes obsess over superfluous weight.
• For speed and acceleration will always be ‘improved by increasing force available
from muscular contraction and by reducing weight of the object to be moved,’
(Watson 1995).

42. Best Training Methods Continued . . .
• So, to increase speed we must develop the force a muscle can exert whilst also
looking to reduce excess, non-force producing tissue (aka fat!). Because speed is
a component of fitness highly specific to sporting disciplines, to outline the
myriad methods of developing speed would require a book.
• However, the aforementioned relationship outlined in the previous paragraph
provides a framework in which to operate.
• All we would need to do is tailor training session to increase the force muscles
can exert whilst re-engineering body composition so as to reduce or remove
superfluous weight. In theory it’s as simple as that!

43. Benefits of Increasing Speed
• The enhancement of one’s ability to cover a distance in a shorter time is always
going to be beneficial for those who compete in sports.
• The boxer who can move in or out of danger quicker makes for a more
formidable opponent. The cyclist who has marginally reduced their body mass
but maintained their power outputs will have cultivated a competitive
advantage over their counterparts.
• However it’s gained, however the relationships has been manipulated, more
speed in sport nearly always makes the champion.

44. Key Points:
Speed relates to the rapidity at which a person can move either part or the whole
of their anatomy across a distance within a certain time.
‘Reaction time is a property of the nervous system and depends upon the speed
at which information is processed,’ (Watson 1995).
Speed is affected by two properties: the force a muscle can generate and how
much weight the muscle must move.
Speed and acceleration will always be ‘improved by increasing force available
from muscular contraction and by reducing weight of the object to be moved,’
(Watson 1995).

45. Speed in action!

46. Quick Overview of the Skill-based and Health
Related Components of Fitness
• Coordination: exemplar displays of coordination can be seen in such sports as basketball and
boxing where the athlete effortlessly and in high pressured situations conducts their body
through a series of complex movements. And really, without waffling on any further,
coordination is precisely that: deftly navigating the body to meet the demands of the external
environment.
• Agility: is the quality of being able to respond quickly to external demands by changing one’s
directional of travel with ease and efficiency. However, there’s more to it than that. For not only
is agility a display of one’s ability to change direction but also to be able to meet the
environmental demands after moving. For example, it’s not much use if the footballer, after
weaving round an opponent, is unable to fire off a shot. Thus good agility is about changing
‘direction quickly whilst keeping balance, strength, speed and body control,’ (BBC - 2020).

47. • Balance: pertains to the control one has of their body during movement. Typically
associated with ‘up-right’ movement, balance is perhaps best seen in wrestling, judo
and jujitsu where the combat athlete, after a throw, attempts to control their
opponent from the floor. Other sports of note where balance is an essential attribute
include fencing, rock climbing and gymnastics.
• Body Composition (health related): is a means of providing a person with an insight
into the proportional composition of their body. Crudely stated, how much fat they
are carrying as a percentage of over-all body mass. The most ubiquitously used
method of calculating body mass is the flawed BMI. The ‘body mass index provides a
crude indication of body fitness in untrained adults where excesses of body weight
are likely due to reserves of fat,’ (Watson 1995). However, studies have shown that
BMI readings can be incorrected in over 51% of cases (Marks et al 2018). Moreover,
the readings were shown to mislead people into believing that their BMI was at a
healthy range when in actuality it was unhealthy. Of course, the BMI cannot account
for visceral fat or lean tissue.

48. In Conclusion
• The above is supposed to act only as a summative overview of each of the main
components of fitness – a short synopsis if you will. Unfortunately room (and, I
presume, the reader’s patience) does not permit an extensive and thorough
investigation.
• However, if the reader feels unfulfilled from my measly repast and would like to
broaden their understanding of the components of fitness further, I recommend
consulting A. W. S. Watson’s Physical Fitness & Athletic Performance which
contains detailed insights of each component and scientifically certified best
training methodologies.

49. References
BBC quote: direction quickly whilst keeping balance, strength, speed and body control – cited
online 2020: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/
Marks. F, D. Murray. M., Estacio. E. V (2018) Health Psychology: Theory, Research and
Practice (Fifth Edition). SAGE Publications Ltd. UK.
NHS cited online (2020): https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-blood-pressure-
hypertension
Watson A. W. S (1995) Physical Fitness & Athletic Performance. Longman. England.
This presentation was created by:
Adam Priest, former Royal Marines Commando, professional personal trainer, developer of the Hugry4Fitness website, lecturer, boxing and Thai
boxing enthusiast.