Thought of The Day: Change

Change:

"There are only two things required to implement change in your life: the first is to begin, the second is to continue..."

25 Components of Fitness (Updated Jan 2012)

25 Components of Physical Fitness:

The first list I saw of this type was on Crossfit's main site as their criteria for all round fitness: Crossfit's 10 components of fitness.  

As I expanded my scope of what should be included in my reference for of all-round fitness I looked at other properties that I also found important and distinct enough to benefit me and my clients.  My list grew from 10 to 15, 18, 20 and then 21.  

For me training should:

• result in an measureable organic change in the body that wil lead to better being able to perform a physical task;
• improvements in performance that will manifest themselves through practice in areas such as balance, coordination, skill and agility, etc;
• should not just be about working out but also about playing out;
• must include not only physiological, but also mental, nutritional and psychological aspects of fitness.

Revisiting this in the last few days I have now considered 25 properties of fitness that all contribute to the body's ability to tackle demands placed upon it.  I don't believe this list is exhaustive and I am sure I will expand on this in future if I find an additional aspect that will be useful to focus on.

Revised Components of Fitness (25):

1. Accuracy - the ability to control movement in a precise manner. 
2. Agility - the ability to change the body's position quickly in a controlled fashion. 
3. Balance - the ability to control the body's stability whilst moving or stationary regardless of its base of support.
4. Body Composition  - the ability to maintain the optimal ratio of body fat to lean muscle mass. 
5. Cardiovascular Endurance - the ability of the body to gather, process and deliver oxygen.
6. Coordination - the ability to combine several distinct movements to appear as one integrated move.
7. Efficiency - the ability to perform movement with minimal exertion.
8. Exteroception - the ability to respond to stimuli outside the body. 
9. Flexibility  - optimal range of movement at the joints.
10. Flow - the mental state of being completely focussed and engrossed on the task at hand.
11. Function - the ability to perform whatever activity is required.
12. Mindfulness - the ability to be aware, careful and thoughtful about movement.
13. Mobility - the ability to move freely and easily.
14. Muscular Endurance -  the ability of muscles to maintain force production over a period of time. 
15. Posture - the ability to maintain the correct alignment and position of limbs whilst moving or stationary.
16. Power - the ability to exert maximum strength explosively over a given distance.
17. Proprioception - the internal awareness of the body's position in relation to its environment.
18. Recovery Time - the ability for the body to return to it's pre-activity state after exercise.
19. Response Time - the ability to react quickly (and appropriately) to external stimulus. 
20. Skill - the ability to develop gross and fine motor skills to refine technique.
21. Speed - the ability to move as quickly as possible over a given distance. 
22. Stamina - the ability of the body to process, store, and utilize energy. 
23. Strength - the ability to exert a force against resistance (using your own bodyweight or external objects).
24. Strength Endurance - the ability to apply force against resistance for a sustained period of time. 
25. Sustenance - the ability to provide the body with the nutrients required for good health, repair and optimal performance.

How many of these do you include in your regime or even deem to be important?

--

Darryl Edwards

Workout: Tabata Tuesday

Workout:

Tabata Intervals (A 24 minute workout - including rest periods)

• 20sec Jump Pull-Ups, 10sec rest - (repeat for 8 rounds).
• rest - 1 minute
• 20s Press-Ups/Push-Ups, 10s rest - (repeat for 8 rounds)
• rest - 1 minute
• 20s Drivers, 10s rest - (repeat for 8 rounds)
• rest - 1 minute
• 20s 2 x 10kg Shoulder Press, 10s rest - (repeat for 8 rounds)
• rest - 1 minute
• 20s Jump Squats, 10s rest - (repeat for 8 rounds)

  --

Note:

Please scale all Fitness Explorer workouts to your current ability.  This may mean increasing or decreasing the weights prescribed, modifying distances and times, or changing number of sets and reps to complete.  Get adequate rest and sufficient nutrition to fuel the activity and to aid in recovery.  Work hard and play hard but never sacrifice correct form.

Please visit the exercise FAQ for details on individual exercises or consult the advice of a registered exercise professional to ensure safe execution of the above movements.

If you are new to this mode of exercise, try one of the beginner's circuits

Perform a warmup prior to activity, here's an example Fitness Explorer warmup

Watch    Fitness Explorer video's here on YouTube

Testimonial: Primal Playout

“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.”
Lance Armstrong

It’s Monday and I am walking like an old man. My gait is stiff, uncertain and slow. Colleagues in the office offer comments of sympathy and concern. They wonder why I am nearly always limping on a Monday. Sometime on Tuesdays too. They don’t know I spend Saturdays crawling around on all fours in an attempt to get fit.

Primal Boot Camp is unlike any other fitness class I have taken. Crab walking across a wobbly bridge in a playground is not exactly what I expected when I signed up. But it is great fun. Our trainer, Darryl Edwards, is very inventive. He runs a class that is physically challenging, and far from boring.

I have attended the class once a week for two months now, and I have seen progress in all areas of my fitness. Strength, stamina, agility, flexibility and balance are all improved. So I have decided I want more of it. I will be starting personal sessions with Darryl soon. My wife and I have also decided to have regular family sessions with him. We tried one before Christmas and our 7-year old son loved it!

If you happen to live in or around West London and you are interested in giving Primal Boot Camp a go, check out Darryl’s website and blog. The class is very affordable and open to people of all ages and abilities.

The Guardian newspaper recently pronounced this kind of class the latest trend in fitness. Hopefully, this is a sign that primal living is becoming more mainstream. I for one prefer this kind of outdoor exercise to stuffy indoor gym sessions.  Even on cold rainy winter days.

Reprinted with permission from www.primalpeter.com