Components of Fitness (Part 2) :

by female bodybuilders on 4:27 PM in Photo

Body composition is the fourth and final component of fitness. There are two distinct elements with body composition: fat mass and lean body mass. Fat mass, as it implies, is the percentage of fat, both essential and nonessential, that makes up an individual's body. Essential fat can be found in bone marrow, nerve tissue and in various internal organs.Woman have a significantly greater percentage of essential body fat, around 12 percent, than men, around 4 percent, due to the demands of child bearing. Nonessential fat can be found subcutaneously, or beneath the skin, and is primarily used for excess body fat storage. "Based on data from physically active young adults, it would be desirable . . . to strive for a body fat content of 15% for men (certainly less than 20%) and about 25% for women (less than 30%)" (McArdle et. al. 1996, 570). Lean mass, on the other hand, is comprised of everything in the human body other than fat, such as muscle mass, bone mass, and the weight of the internal organs. An ideal body composition, therefore, would be an individual possessing a healthy body fat percentage: 15-20 percent for men and 25-30 percent for women.

These four components are essential for maintaining optimal health and fitness while preventing injury and muscular imbalances. Imagine a long-distance runner who spends her training time running without any regard for strengthening or stretching.While her cardiorespiratory endurance and body composition are favorable, she neglects her muscular strength and flexibility and can possibly set herself up for serious injury in the future. Along similar lines, imagine an amateur bodybuilder who spends a large amount of time lifting weights and increasing muscle mass, but who neglects his cardiovascular health and flexibility. He, too, increases his chance of injury by ignoring two very important components of fitness.

While it is ideal to have a balance of cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and a favorable body composition, it is not something that is easily attainable. Good health takes work, but it does not have to resemble work.