Fitness Components

Health & Skill related fitness components Definition of each component What you need to know... Health & Skill related fitness components Definition of each component Sporting examples Energy system use Factors affecting How to train

How do we define Physical Fitness ‘The ability to carry out daily tasks with vigour and alertness, without undue fatigue, and ample energy to enjoy leisure time pursuits and meet unforseen emergencies’ ‘The capability of the heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles to perform at optimal efficiency’ ‘The ability to perform moderate to vigorous levels of physical activity without undue fatigue, and the capability of maintaining such ability throughout life’

How do we measure physical fitness?? BRAINSTORM……..

Health related fitness components Health related fitness components are those fitness components more closely linked with body systems affecting health and fitness such as the circulatory, respiratory and skeletal systems. More important to health than to athletic or sporting ability. Reduce the risk of Hypokinetic Disease – a disease associated with lack of physical activity eg. heart disease, lower back pain, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Skill related fitness components Improve a person’s physical performance in motor skills. Having a high degree of fitness in these areas is often linked to high levels of athletic performance. Look at Table 7.5 page 193

Fitness Components Health Related Skill Related Aerobic Capacity Muscular Power Anaerobic Capacity Speed Muscular Strength Agility Muscular Endurance Coordination Flexibility Balance Body Composition Reaction Time

Aerobic Capacity Also known as aerobic capacity and cardio respiratory endurance Circulatory and respiratory systems working together to deliver oxygen to the working muscles for any physical exertion that requires aerobic capacity. Ability of the heart, blood vessels and lungs to deliver oxygen to the working muscles High aerobic power = Greater production of ATP Increased capacity for recovery of anaerobic systems

Sporting examples How it is trained? Aerobic Capacity Sporting examples Team sports (netball, football, hockey) Racquet sports (tennis, squash) Extended athletic events (marathon, triathlon) How it is trained? Continuous training (> 20 mins sub maximal activity) Improve VO2 max (oxygen delivery and use by muscles) NOTE……..A persons maximum oxygen uptake is the usual measure of aerobic power

Factors affecting aerobic power Aerobic Capacity Factors affecting aerobic power VO2 max LIP Gender Age Training

Anaerobic Capacity Anaerobic Capacity – the total amount of work done by the anaerobic energy systems Anaerobic Power - Ability to produce energy (without the use of oxygen) quickly ATP-PC and lactic acid systems vital to anaerobic power Maximal effort for around 10 seconds Near – maximal effort up to a limit of about 1 minute Sporting examples 100m sprint Athletic field events - Javelin Volleyball block Basketball rebound and blocks AFL for long kicks and handballs Netball sprints to position Uphill cycle for 30-60 sec in a triathlon Performer can repeat powerful movements as needed during an extended period of time, such as a 1 hour and 2 hour playing period in a team game.

Anaerobic Capacity Factors affecting anaerobic power Reaction time Acceleration Initial velocity Strength Gender – males have a higher muscle mass Tolerance to fatigue (phosphates and hydrogen ions) Genetic factors (size of bones and angle of joints, proportion of fast twitch muscle fibre types) How is it trained? Resistance training Circuit Training Plyometric training

Muscular Strength Force exerted by muscle/s for 1RM (1 repetition maximum) Rarely used in isolation in sport Often combined with anaerobic power, muscular power and LME Sporting examples Attempting a static hold against an opponent in wrestling Pushing opponents in a rugby scrum Gripping a hockey stick while making a powerful shot at goal Tackling a player to the ground in football

Factors affecting muscular strength How is it trained? Weight training (<5RM) Circuit training Factors affecting muscular strength Speed of muscle contraction Length of muscle fibre type Age of performer – strength peaks at 25 – 30yrs Strength declines 8% per decade Muscle fibre type Cross-sectional area Sex of performer Joint angle around the muscle Number of muscle fibres recruited

Muscular Strength Types of contraction: Isometric – No limb movement, muscle length remains constant as the force is developed eg. pushing against a wall, gripping a hockey stick. Isotonic – most common. Muscle length changes and tension is developed. Concentric / Eccentric Isokinetic – tension developed is maximal throughout the whole range of motion.

Muscular Strength Length-tension-angle relationship – page 183 Speed of contraction The lighter the load the faster the contraction The greater the amount of force developed in the muscle, the slower the speed of contraction Muscle Size/Fibre arrangement/type The greater the cross sectional area, the greater the strength See figure 7.13 page 185 Type I – Slow twitch (Aerobic) Type IIA - Fast twitch (Anaerobic and Aerobic) Type IIB - Fast twitch (Anaerobic)

Muscular Endurance Total body endurance where most major muscle groups in the body are required to carry out sustained performance. LME is the ability of a particular muscle group to keep working at the desired level of effort for as long as the situation demands Fatigue is often related to hydrogen ions and phosphates (Pi) (not lactic acid)

Closely linked with muscular strength LME & ME Closely linked with muscular strength Muscular endurance is often controlled by the body’s tolerance of the increasing levels of lactic acid. (Heavy arms or legs) Sporting examples Arms, legs and abdominals in 200m swim Abdominals, legs and arms in 2000m rowing race Arms, legs and abdominals in most team games LME – Abdominals in a 1 minute sit up test Legs in 1km time trial in cycling Shoulder muscles and abdominals in a 60 second bench push-up test

Muscular Endurance How is it trained? Continuous training trains specific muscle groups Weight training (>20RM) Factors affecting muscular endurance Inorganic phosphates Accumulation of lactic acid (H+) Age Sex Temperature Circulation Fibre Type

Refers to the range of possible movement about a joint Flexibility Refers to the range of possible movement about a joint Can be dynamic (moving) or static (stationary) Sporting examples Gymnastics events Goal keeping in hockey Defensive shuffles in basketball and netball Kicking long goal in football

How to train flexibility? Best when the body is warmed up Static stretching Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching Ballistic stretching

Factors affecting flexibility Age – children are usually more flexible Gender – Females more flexible than males due to skeletal differences Skin resistance Injury Body build Muscle temperature – increases elasticity Length of muscle at rest Type of joint – allows for different types of movements Soft tissue structures – tendons, ligaments and skin – have elastic qualities

Body Composition Healthy body fat percentages <25% for males 16 - 25% for females Measured BMI Somatotyping: endomorph, mesomorph, ectomorph Fat: skin folds Fat free mass – bones, water, teeth, muscle Fat mass – essential for body temp regulation, shock absorption, non- essential is adipose tissue.

Muscular Power A powerful movement is achieved as quickly as possible, while imparting as much strength as possible A combination of speed and strength ATP-PC system is vital A muscle that contracts very quickly has insufficient time to develop maximal force, whereas a very forceful contraction takes time, resulting in slow movement Trade off between the speed and force – at high speeds, power can decrease because there isn’t enough time to develop max force

Muscular Power Sporting examples Field events Spike in volleyball Drive in golf Tackles Netball and Basketball when performer leaps to intercept a pass How to train muscular power Weight training (8-12RM) Plyometrics

Factors affecting Muscular Power Age Gender Speed of contraction Fibre type Fibre recruitment Muscle length

Speed Performer moves as quickly as possible from point A to B. It can refer to the whole body or a body part Relies on the efficiency of the anaerobic systems, muscle activation, fibre composition, rate of force production, joint stiffness, duration of the activity Sporting examples Any sprint events in athletics Accelerating to create space or evade an opponent in team games Releasing in javelin

Ability to change whole body direction with maximal speed and control Agility Ability to change whole body direction with maximal speed and control Includes speed, balance, coordination, flexibility, muscular power Reactive or planned Cognitive aspect – response to a stimulus Familiarise yourself with Table 7.6 page 197 Sporting examples Evading an opponent in soccer Dribbling around an opponent in basketball or soccer Reacting to a player’s baulk in football

Factors affecting agility How to train agility? Specific courses that replicate game movements Regular sprint training Improved flexibility Factors affecting agility Centre of gravity Speed Reaction time Muscular strength Range of motion at joints Fibre type Flexibility

How to train coordination The ability to use the body’s senses to execute motor skills smoothly and accurately. The control of body parts to complete a sequence of movements. May involve co-oridination of an external implement eg. kicking a football Elite level – decreased muscular effort & less energy Sporting examples Tennis serve Spike in volleyball Scoring in netball Arm-leg action in breaststroke How to train coordination Practice the relevant movements for the particular sports Begin with basic activities and progress to more complicated movements

Dynamic balance (whilst moving) Static balance (whilst not moving) The ability of the body to remain in a state of equilibrium while performing a desired task Dynamic balance (whilst moving) Static balance (whilst not moving) External forces acting on the body (gravity, friction) must be opposed by external forces (muscular contractions) Sporting examples Running a bend in a 200m sprint Handstand Standing on one foot shooting in netball

How to train balance Balance Weight training to improve muscular strength Repetitively practising the required movements Pilates Swiss ball training (core training)

The speed with which an individual can react to an external stimulus Reaction Time The speed with which an individual can react to an external stimulus Time taken for the brain to react to a stimulus, process them, select a response, then activate the muscular response Sporting examples Reacting to starter’s gun in a sprint Judging the speed and spin of the ball in a table tennis

How to train reaction time Practise specific moments depending on sport Sprint start Tennis volleys