If you are sincere about improving or keeping up your physical fitness, you may already be aware of the five components of physical fitness. But those who are just beginning to focus on physical fitness this may be the time to learn these components. People who are categorized as "fitness freaks" generally tend to assess and work on these 5 core components of fitness training on a routine basis.

To decide how healthy and fit a body is, there are five components of physical fitness that must be assessed. Fitness schools and health clubs gauge the fitness of a person based on these 5 factors and you can also use these to evaluate your level of fitness.

The Five Components
A good score in all 5 components is needed for a person to be stated as totally fit.

* Cardiovascular Endurance - It is the body's capability to have the heart and lungs work in unison to supply the necessary oxygen and fuel that the body needs to function properly during a workload such as jogging, swimming or other types of endurance activities.

* Muscular Strength - This is tested with tasks such as bench pressing, push ups, or leg presses. This determines the amount of force that the body can produce.

* Muscular Endurance - This is a measurement of how well the body behaves during continuous activity. These activities could include bicycling, elliptical, and sit ups. Sit ups are the most frequently used activity to test muscular endurance.

* Flexibility - Flexibility is usually tested using the sit and reach technique. This test determines a person's capability to move through the possible range of motion for each joint. Stretching or lunges are other good examples of this type of exercise.

* Body Composition - This test determines the amount of body fat compared to lean muscle, bone and organs. There are numerous methods that are used to carry out this test. The most suitable method is considered to be the under water weighing, however because of the necessary equipment it is expensive and large it is not often used. Skinfold readings and bioelectrical impedance are often used to perform the body composition test.

The Reason and Outcome of These Tests

To steer clear of potential harm you need to make sure that you are fit enough to perform the necessary activities. Keep in mind that while these tests offer a great deal of information, there are still areas that they do not address. These areas include things such as agility and balance.

These tests can reveal the strength and weakness in your health. The results can show that you are strong in one area but very weak in the other. Thus allowing you or the professional that you are working with to flesh out a physical fitness routine that will aim for the areas that you need to focus on.

If you are serious about becoming physically fit you should certainly consider having this kind of testing done. It will provide you a very thorough view of each area and how well your body functions in each of the categories. This will allow you to work more diligently on your areas of weakness as well as show you what level of activity would be safe for you to begin for each of the five components.

A fitness test is a great idea for people striving for first-rate health. It is always a good idea to know what your areas of weakness and strength. The results can be used to concentrate on your weak areas and set your workout schedule accordingly. Do not forget to get your doctor's authorization before undertaking this type of test and be sure that the test is carried out by an expert that can help you to accurately analyze the results.