UNIVERSITY OF BAGUIO

SCHOOL OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND LIBERAL ARTS

PHYSICAL FITNESS

Physical fitness refers to the ability of your body systems to work together efficiently to allow you
to be healthy and perform activities of daily living. Being efficient means doing daily activities with the
least effort possible.

A fit person is able to perform schoolwork, meet home responsibilities, and still have enough
energy to enjoy sport and other leisure activities. A fit person can respond effectively to normal life
situations, such as raking leaves at home, stocking shelves at a part-time job, and marching in the band at
school. A fit person can also respond to emergency situations - for example, by running to get help or
aiding a friend in distress.

EXERCISE

Exercise, the training of the body to improve its function and enhance its fitness. The terms
exercise and physical activity are often used interchangeably.

Physical activity is an inclusive term that refers to any expenditure of energy brought about by
bodily movement via the skeletal muscles; as such, it includes the complete spectrum of activity from very
low resting levels to maximal exertion.

Exercise is a component of physical activity. The distinguishing characteristic of exercise is that it

Physical conditioning refers to the development of physical fitness through the adaptation of the
body and its various systems to an exercise program.

FITNESS COMPONENTS

1. SKILL-RELATED COMPONENTS
Skill-related physical fitness consists of those components of fitness that have a
relationship with enhanced performance in athletic activities. Skill related fitness abilities increase
one’s ability to perform in various activities and only have an indirect connection with health
a. Agility - refers to a person’s ability to move their body quickly and easily. This also
includes their ability to quickly change their direction while maintaining their balance.
b. Balance - refers to a person’s ability to maintain their equilibrium when moving or
when they are in a stationary position.
c. Coordination - refers to a person’s ability to perform complex movements due to the
working together of the nervous system and the muscles of the body. This is also
referred to as a person’s ability to do two things at the same time.
d. Power - refers to a person’s ability to transfer energy into force at a rapid pace also
known as explosive body movement. Power is considered to be a combination of
strength and speed. It has also been defined as the ability to exert muscle force
quickly.
 UNIVERSITY OF BAGUIO
SCHOOL OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND LIBERAL ARTS
PATHFT2

e. Speed - refers to a person’s ability to move fast. Speed combined with strength will
provide power and force. This is a skill-related component of physical fitness that
relates to the ability to perform a movement within a short period of time.
f. Reaction time - a skill-related component of physical fitness that relates to the time
between one of your senses recognizing a stimulus and your body moving in response.

2. HEALTH-RELATED COMPONENTS
a. Cardiorespiratory endurance is the ability to carry out prolonged, large muscle,
dynamic movements at a moderate to high level of intensity. This relates to your
heart’s ability to pump blood and your lungs’ ability to take in oxygen.
b. Muscular strength is the ability of the muscles to exert force over a single or maximal
effort.
c. Muscular endurance is the ability to exert a force over a period of time or repetitions.
d. Flexibility is the ability to move your joints through a full range of motion.
e. Body Composition is the relative amount of fat mass to fat-free mass.

PRINCIPLES OF TRAINING

1. Individualization. Exercise should be specific to the individual completing the training. People
respond differently to exercise in order to maximize the benefits, therefore training programs
should be built around the person’s needs and capabilities.
2. Specificity. Exercise should be specific to the client’s goals, needs and capabilities. Our body’s
response to training is based on the specific stimulus (training) applied. So, to increase adaptation
(results) exercise should be specific to an individual’s goals, tasks, movements, and capabilities.
3. Overload. Exercise should overload the body in order for a positive adaptation to occur. For the
body to adapt it needs to be overloaded. This means it needs to be placed under greater stress
than it is accustomed to.
This is accomplished by using the F.I.T.T principle to make the body do more than it has done
before.
F = Frequency of training
I = Intensity of training
T = Type of training
T = Time of training (duration)
4. Progressive Overload. Exercise needs to continually overload the body if positive adaptations
(change) are to continue to take place. For the body to keep adapting to exercise the stress it is
placed under should progressively increase. Therefore, the intensity and loads should continually
increase over time. Similar to overload, stress can be gradually increased using the F.I.T.T principle.
5. Variety. Exercise needs to be varied for optimal adaptation to occur, avoiding boredom, overuse,
injury or hitting a plateau. For optimal change to occur and to decrease the risk of an individual
getting bored, overtraining, getting injured or reaching a plateau, the training must constantly be
varied.
6. Rest and Recovery. Rest and recovery are required to allow the body time to adapt to exercise.
Optimal adaptation requires recovery time. It is only during the recovery phase (days between
workouts) that the body is able to change and adapt to the stress of the workout.
 UNIVERSITY OF BAGUIO
SCHOOL OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND LIBERAL ARTS
PATHFT2

7. Reversibility. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Adaptations which occur through exercise are
reversible, so when training is stopped for prolonged periods the adaptations from previous
exercise will be lost.
8. Maintenance. Fitness can be maintained by altering the F.I.T.T principle. By maintaining the
intensity of training and decreasing the volume or frequency of training by 1/3 – 2/3 the current
fitness levels of an individual can be maintained.
9. Ceiling. Room for positive development decreases the fitter you become. As we get fitter, the
amount of improvement possible decreases based on the client getting closer to their genetic
potential (ceiling).

WARM-UP AND COOL DOWN

Before you exercise, think about warming up your muscles like you would warm up your car. It
increases the temperature and flexibility of your muscles, and helps you be more efficient and safer during
your workout. A warm-up before moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity allows a gradual increase
in heart rate and breathing at the start of the activity.

Tips:

1. Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes. The more intense the activity, the longer the warm-up.
2. Do whatever activity you plan on doing such as running, walking, or cycling at a slower pace (jog,
walk slowly).
3. Use your entire body. For many people, walking on a treadmill and doing some modified bent-
knee push-ups will suffice.

Cool down
Cooling down after a workout is as important as warming up. After physical activity, your heart is
still beating faster than normal, your body temperature is higher and your blood vessels are widened. This
means if you stop too fast, you could feel sick or pass out. A cool-down after physical activity allows a
gradual decrease at the end of the episode.

It’s good to stretch when you’re cooling down because your limbs, muscles and joints are still
warm. Stretching can help reduce the buildup of lactic acid, which can lead to muscles cramping and
stiffness.

Tips:

1. Reduce your walking speed by 5–10 minutes to allow your heart rate to slow down.
Stretching:
1. Hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds. If you feel you need more, stretch the other side and return
for another set of stretching.
2. The stretch should be strong, but not painful.
3. Do not bounce.
4. Breathe while you’re stretching. Exhale as you stretch, and inhale while holding the stretch.
 UNIVERSITY OF BAGUIO
SCHOOL OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND LIBERAL ARTS
PATHFT2

AEROBIC EXERCISES

Aerobic exercise is a physical activity that uses your body’s large muscle groups, is rhythmic and
repetitive. It increases your heart rate and how much oxygen your body uses. Examples of aerobic
exercises include walking, cycling, and swimming. It reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high
blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Aerobic exercise is a physical activity that uses large muscle groups in your body. This type of
exercise is usually rhythmic and repetitive. You can adjust the intensity of your workout, which is how hard
your body works during this type of exercise.

Aerobic exercises increase your heart rate and how much oxygen your body uses. The term aerobic
means “with oxygen.” When you practice aerobic exercise, your breathing controls the amount of oxygen
that reaches your muscles to help you burn energy and move.

LOCOMOTOR AND NON-LOCOMOTOR SKILLS

Locomotor movements. Are those that move the body in space in any direction with the feet as the
moving base.
Examples: walking, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, leaping, galloping and sliding

Non-locomotor. Are those in which various parts of the body move in space with a fixed base. The base
may be standing, kneeling, sitting or lying.

Non-locomotor movements:
1. Flexion - bending or shortening of a body part occurring at a joint.
2. Extension - turning, twisting or circling
3. Pendular - swinging/ swaying arms forward, backward or sideward.
4. Percussive - Striking and hitting, pushing and pulling.
5. Vibratory - shaking and beating.
6. Sustained - slow, smooth flowing movement with a balance of movement throughout the entire
series.
7. Suspended - a sharp movement followed by a series of slow or prolonged movements until a peak
is reached.