PHYSICAL EDUCATION
HANDOUT
3º E.S.O.
PHYSICAL FITNESS AND HEALTH
FITNESS COMPONENTS
Teacher: Daniel Martínez Gallego
IES LA SAGRA
1. PHYSICAL FITNESS AND HEALTH
What does physical fitness mean?
Physical fitness is defined as "a group of physical components that allow people to
perform physical activity". (USDHHS, 1996). Fitness is (made up/composed) of five
health related components. Everyone needs to have a level of fitness for everyday
activities. Health related exercise improves the health related fitness components which
are also useful for sportspeople. These are:
1. Cardiovascular endurance.
Cardiovascular endurance is the ability of the
circulatory and respiratory systems (to support / to
give) fuel during physical activity . To improve your
cardiorespiratory endurance, do activities that keep
your heart rate elevated at a safe level during a long
period of time (walking, jogging, swimming, bicycling).
2. Muscular strength.
Muscular strength is the ability of the muscles to
produce force during an activity. If you want to make
your muscles stronger you have to work them against a
resistance. You can use weights, your own body and a lot
of different materials that we are going to use in class.
3. Muscular endurance.
Muscular endurance is the ability to use voluntary
muscles many times without becoming tired. To improve
your muscle endurance, try cardiorespiratory activities
such as walking, jogging, bicycling, or dancing.
4. Flexibility.
Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint . Good
flexibility in the joints can help prevent injuries. If you
want to improve your flexibility, try activities that
lengthen the muscles such as swimming or a basic
5. Body composition.
Body composition is the percentage of muscle, fat, bone, and other vital parts of the body.
The more body fat we have the more at risk we are to suffer from different illness.
Bodies have different shapes and sizes, and weight changes at different times of your life.
The BMI is a number that reflects the percentage of body fat in proportion to lean body
mass (i.e. bone, muscle, tissue, organs, and blood). An ideal BMI would be inside the healthy
weight range of 20-25.
To calculate your BMI, divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in
meters:
BMI = (weight in kilograms) divided by (height in meters x height in meters)
Or
BMI = kg/m2
BMI
Weight Status
Below 18.5
Underweight
20-25
Normal
25.0-29.9
Overweight
30.0 and above
Obese
Above 40
Very obese
Some concepts
To be healthy: to be free from illness, injury or pain. Good nutrition, good hygiene, enough
rest, free of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, safe sexual choices, no risky behaviors, able to
handle stress.
To stay active: doing some form of physical activity at least 30 minutes a day.
There are two types of endurance:
Muscular Endurance
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Your muscles can continue to apply a lot of force for a long period of time.
The feeling of heavyness and weakness means your muscles are fatiguing
Muscular endurance can be increased through weight training.
Cardiovascular Endurance
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Your heart and lungs can keep your muscles supplied with Oxygen during the exercise.
The harder your muscles work the more oxygen they need, causing the heart and
breathing rates rise.
The better your cardiovascular system is, the slower your heart rate is because you
pump more blood with each beat.
Why are health related fitness components important?
Cardiovascular endurance
This component has enormous benefits to our lifestyle as it allows us to be active throughout
the day, for example walking to the shops, climbing stairs or running to catch a bus. It also
allows us to get involved in sports and leisure actvities.
If we have good cardiovascular fitness then our health is also good as it helps with:
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Increases fat metabolism
Improves delivery of Oxygen
Faster removal of waste products
Decreases levels of stress.
Improves sports performance.
Muscular endurance
This component is used in day-to-day life in activities such as climbing stairs, digging in the
garden and cleaning. Muscular endurance is also important in sports, such as football
(repeated running and kicking), tennis (repeated swinging of the arm to hit the ball) and
swimming (repeating the stroke).
Muscular strength
Strength is vitally important, not only in sports but in day-to-day life. We need to be strong
to perform certain tasks, such as lifting heavy bags or using our legs to stand up from a
chair.
Strength is important for our health as it enables us to :
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Avoid injuries
Maintain good posture
Remain independent (in older age).
Increases basal metabolism.
Improves sports performance.
Flexibility
This is often thought to be less important than strength, or cardiovascular fitness. However,
if we are not flexible our movement decreases and joints become stiff. Flexibility in sports
allows us to perform certain skills more efficiently, for example a gymnast, dancer or diver
must be highly flexible, but it is also important in other sports to aid performance and
decrease the risk of injury.
In daily activities we must be flexible to reach for something in a cupboard, or off the floor.
It also helps:
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Prevent injuries.
Improve posture.
Reduce low back pain.
Maintain healthy joints.
Improve balance during movement.
Body Composition
The amount of fat we have varies from person to person. A healthy amount of fat for a man
is between 15 and 18% and for women is between 20-25%. It is important to maintain a
healthy percentage of body fat because:
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Too much body fat can contribute to develope a number of health problems such as
heart disease and diabetes.
Places strain on the joints, muscles and bones, increasing the risk of injury.
Skill Related Fitness Components
There are six skill related fitness components(Agility, Balance, Power, Speed, Coordination,
reaction time). These components do not contribute to good health but rather assist in
improved performance of skills used for example in games and sports.
- Agility: ability to change direction
quickly
- Balance: ability to keep upright
posture.
- Coordination: ability to use many
body parts in unison.
- Power: ability to use strength
explosively , in one big effort for a
short time.
- Reaction time: time taken to start
a movement.
- Speed: ability to complete a
distance in a short period of time.
Target Heart Rate
The aerobic zone is the where you should be working if you want to improve your
cardiovascular endurance. To calculate the heart rate where you want to work out (target
heart rate), the first step is to know your maximum heart rate (220 - age). To improve the
aerobic system, a person works at a percentage of a maximum Heart Rate. You want to know
the lower and the upper range.
AGE
MAX HR
60% LOW RANGE
75% MIDDLE
RANGE
85% UPPER
RANGE
12
208
125
156
177
13
207
124
155
176
14
206
124
155
176
15
205
123
154
174
Your Target Heart Rate must be aproximately between 60% and 85% of your Maximum
Heart Rate.
EXAMPLE: Work out at 75% of your Maximum Heart Rate.
Maximum Heart Rate: 220 - 13 = 207
207 x 0.75 = 155 bpm (beats per minute).
60% of your Maximunm Heart Rate______________
85% of your Maximum Heart Rate_______________
Finding your heart rate:
Wrist: Radial artery. Place the middle
and index fingers on the soft area of the
wrist just below the base of the thumb.
En la muñeca (por allí pasa la
Neck: Carotid artery. Place the middle
and index fingers midway between the ear
and the Adam’s apple on the neck.
En el cuello, tras la tráquea (por
your beats
per minute, count the
En elTo know
pecho,
directamente
al
number of beats in:
15 seconds and multiply by 4.
10 seconds and multiply by