5 Components of Physical Fitness

What Is Physical Fitness? Understanding the Five Basic Components of Physical Fitness Can Be The Difference Between Fitness Success & Failure.

What does it mean to be “physically fit?”

Ask a dozen people to describe to you a person who typifies the concept of “physical fitness” and you will likely get 12 different answers.

Many people will probably mention Olympic athletes as paragons of physical fitness — people like swimmer and Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps or U.S. gymnast Shawn Johnson. Others might point to professional athletes like NBA forward LeBron James or legendary NFL running back Herschel Walker. Other people might say that fashion models, certain actresses or actors, bodybuilders or even professional wrestlers represent “physical fitness.”

So clearly, physical fitness is in the eye of the beholder.

Or is it?
Can You Look “In-Shape” But Not Be Physically Fit?

While excelling at some type of athletic activity — whether you are a professional or amateur — requires a certain level of physical fitness, it doesn’t guarantee that they are physically fit.

For example, there are NFL linebackers who do their job very well on the field, but are over-weight and inflexible. The same goes for people who have lots of muscle mass like bodybuilders or professional wrestlers, but who may not be able to run more than a mile or touch their toes. And Hollywood actors and actresses, as well as professional models, may be skinny and look fit, but also have very little strength and enjoy their physiques thanks to fad diets, cosmetic surgery and weight-loss drugs. There are a lot of “skinny-fat” people running around Hollywood and the fashion runways.

So just looking like you are in shape doesn’t necessarily qualify you as physically fit.

The 5 Components of Physical Fitness

Believe it or not, there is an objective standard that can be used to determine overall physical fitness, and it’s broader than whether you can put a basketball in a hoop or sport a great six pack.

While athletic ability or a lean physique may be outward signs of physical fitness, they alone aren’t enough to qualify a person as physically fit. To determine true fitness, you need to evaluate that person (as well as yourself) against the five recognized components of physical fitness.

Physical fitness is broken down into five fundamental components:

• Cardiovascular Endurance
• Muscular Strength
• Muscular Endurance
• Flexibility
• Body Composition

While you may not have heard physical fitness broke down this neatly in the past, these are the main components of physical fitness, and should be at the core of any discussion around exercise, athletic performance and general health and fitness. In order to be considered truly fit, you’ll need to exhibit certain characteristics within each of these components.

Practically speaking, having a good understanding of these components of physical fitness can also help you make sure that your training and exercise routine (as well as your diet) supports improved fitness levels.

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