June 2013 - Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency

PSP Fitness, Sports and Recreation
LETS GET FIT
By Mr. Guy Boudrias, Fitness, Sports, and Recreation Director, CFSU(E)
C OMPONENTS OF FITNESS
When talking about fitness we must first properly define it. The
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines physical fitness
as a multidimensional concept of a set of attributes that people
possess or achieve that relates to the ability to perform physical
fitness and is comprised of skills, health and physiologic related
components.
Cardio-vascular endurance
Flexibility
Muscular Strength
Body composition
Agility
Speed
Muscular endurance
Stamina
Therefore, skill-related components of physical fitness include agility,
balance, coordination, speed, power and reaction time, while healthrelated
physical fitness is associated with the ability to perform daily
activities with vigour, and reducing the risk of diseases associated
with inactivity.
Now let’s explore the main components of physical fitness and training
methods associated with them.
Body composition
Basic body composition can be expressed as the relative percentage
of body mass that is fatty tissue and fat-free tissue (or lean body
mass). Measurements of height, weight, waist circumference and skin
folds are used to estimate body composition and health risks.
BMI = Weight (kg) / Height (m) 2
Underweight Under 18.5
Normal 18.5 to 24.9
Overweight 25.0 to 29.9
Obesity, class
I 30.0 to 34.9
II 35.0 to 39.9
III Over 40
Waist circumference (cm)
Risk Category Female Male
Very low 120
Body fat value considered satisfactory for health
Male 10 to 22 %
Female 20 to 32 %
OPS Fit Newsletter • Volume 2 • Issue 2 • JUNE 2013 4