Chapter 2: Principles of Physical Fitness

Physical activity

Body movement carried out by the skeletal muscles that requires energy.

Muscular endurance

The ability of a muscle to remain contracted or contract repeatedly for a long period of time.

Fat-free mass

The nonfat component of the human body, consisting of skeletal muscle, bone, and water.

Health-related fitness

Physical capacities that contribute to health: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition.

Skill-related fitness

Physical capacities that contribute to performance in a sport or an activity: speed, power, agility, balance, coordination, and reaction time; neuromuscular fitness refers to specific fitness related to maintain performance levels of balance, agility, coordination, and gait.

Exercise

Planned, structured, repetitive movement intended to improve or maintain physical fitness.

Cardiorespiratory endurance

The ability of the body to perform prolonged, large - muscle, dynamic exercise at moderate to high levels of intensity.

Flexibility

The ability to move joints through their full range of motion.

Muscular strength

The amount of force a muscle can produce with a single maximum effort.

Physical training

The performance of different types of activities that cause the body to adapt and improve its level of fitness.

Body composition

The proportion of fat and fat-free mass (muscle, bone, and water) in the body.

Metabolism

The sum of all the vital processes by which food energy and nutrients are made available to and used by the body.

Reversibility

The training principle that fitness improvements are lost when demands on the body are lowered.

Progressive overload

The training principle that placing increasing amount of stress on the body causes adaptation that improve fitness.

Specificity

The training principle that the body adapts to the particular type and amount of stress placed on it.

Overtraining

A condition caused by training too much or too intensely, characterized by lack of energy, decreased physical performance, and aching muscles and joints.

Exercise stress test

A test usually administered on a treadmill or cycle ergometer that involves analysis of the changes in electrical activity in the heart from an electrocardiogram taken during exercise; used to determine if any heart disease is present and to assess current fitness level.

Graded exercise test (GXT)

And exercise test that starts at an evening intensity and progresses to maximum capacity.