Training to Improve Fitness

Introduction, Aerobic and Anaerobic Energy

and Components of Fitness

10PE
 Fitness - Definitions
• “ The capacity to carry out everyday activities without excessive
fatigue and yet have sufficient energy in reserve to cope with
emergencies.”

• “ Capacity of the heart, blood vessels, lungs and muscles to function at

optimal efficiency.”

• “ The capacity to carry out everyday activities without excessive

fatigue and yet have sufficient energy in reserve to enjoy active leisure
pursuits and for emergencies. Physical fitness is gained through
exercise and is not a natural attribute.”
 Fitness Components
• Physical fitness is multi-dimensional and consists of many components

Anaerobic Capacity / Anaerobic Power Muscular Power

 Fitness Components
Aerobic Power

• Also known as Aerobic Fitness, Aerobic Capacity and

Cardiovascular or Cardiorespiratory Fitness

• Is the capacity of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems to

supply nutrients and oxygen to the muscles and the ability of
the muscles to use the oxygen for sustained exercise

• Aerobic Power is related to the ability to perform activities that

involve large muscle groups, such as swimming, running and
cycling for extended periods of time
Aerobic Power
 Fitness Components
Muscular Strength

• Muscular strength is the maximal force that can be generated by a muscle or

muscle groups against a resistance in one maximal effort

• Muscular strength is important in sports where an object needs to be moved

forcefully (such as in weightlifting) or when the body needs to hold its position
against the opposing force of the opposition (such as in AFL Football or Netball)
Muscular Strength
 Fitness Components
Muscular Endurance

• Muscular Endurance is the ability of the muscle or muscle groups to perform

repeated contractions (concentric, eccentric or isometric) for an extended period
of time.

• Activities such as running and cycling require muscular endurance of the legs,
while swimming, rowing and push-ups require muscular endurance of the upper
body
Muscular Endurance
 Fitness Components
Anaerobic Capacity / Anaerobic Power

• Anaerobic Capacity refers to the total amount of work that

can be done by the anaerobic energy systems

• Anaerobic Power refers to how quickly the work can be

done

• The ‘work’ the systems are doing is producing ATP (chemical

energy required for muscle contractions)

• Anaerobic Capacity is closely associated with Speed

 Fitness Components
Speed

• Speed is rate of motion, so in physical activity and sport it refers to how fast you
can move your body or body part from one point to another
• In sprint running, the time it takes to run a given distance (such as 100 metres) is
dependent on the athlete’s ability to accelerate to maximal speed and to maintain
that velocity while fatiguing
• Increases in speed rely on the ability of the anaerobic energy systems to provide
energy, muscle activation and fibre composition in the muscle (fast-twitch)
Speed
 Fitness Components
Muscular Power

• the ability to exert maximum muscular contraction instantly in an explosive burst

of movements.
• The two components of power are strength and speed. (e.g. jumping or a sprint
start)
• Team sports require power to leap, jump and rebound to intercept a ball from the
opposition.
• Athletic events requiring power are those that involve jumping (high jump, long
jump, triple jump) and throwing (discus, shot-put, javelin)
Muscular Power
 Fitness Components
Agility

• Agility is the ability to quickly change body position or direction of the body in
response to a stimulus
• Eg – accelerating, decelerating, changes in direction when evading an opponent,
sprints with changes in direction to intercept a ball or player or initiation of a whole
body movement in response to a stimulus (goal-keeping, avoiding a ‘bouncer’ in
cricket)
 Fitness Components
Coordination

• The body uses it’s senses along with the body parts to perform tasks smoothly and
accurately
• Coordination may involve the control of body parts to complete a sequence of
movements (eg – a gymnastics routine), or it may involve coordination of an external
implement and various body parts (eg –hitting a golf ball, kicking a football)
• Skilled performers can transfer energy between joints better, meaning they can
execute a skill with less effort, therefore they can hit, throw, kick, etc further.
 Fitness Components
Balance

• the ability to control the body's position, either stationary (e.g. a handstand) or
while moving (e.g. a gymnastics stunt)
 Aerobic and Anaerobic Energy
ENERGY FOR ACTIVITY
Aerobic (Means with oxygen) EXAMPLE – Jogging / Walking “sub-maximal exercise”
• Your heart and lungs supply enough oxygen to the muscles to create energy
aerobically and maintain the level of exercise
• As long as you get enough oxygen to the muscles, this can continue for long periods

Anaerobic (Means without oxygen) EXAMPLE – Sprinting “maximal exercise”

• Your heart and lungs are unable to meet the muscle demand for oxygen so additional
energy is created without oxygen.
• Lactic Acid and Hydrogen Ions accumulate in the muscles as a by-product of
anaerobic energy creation.
• H++ changes the ph level of the muscle cells and inhibits muscle contractions
Aerobic and Anaerobic Energy
 Measuring Intensity (Heart Rate)
USING HEART RATE TO MEASURE INTENSITY

• To determine HR MAX use the simple equation (220 – your age).

Linking Fitness Components to Energy Systems

Each of the fitness components has a duration and intensity that can
be linked to the energy systems that allow our body to complete the
work.

A high duration and low intensity activity will mainly use the aerobic
energy system. (eg – jogging) – aerobic capacity

A low duration and high intensity activity will predominantly use the
anaerobic energy systems. (eg – 100 metre sprint, lifting heavy
weights with low repetitions) – speed, agility, strength, power

A moderate to high intensity activity will use a mix of the anaerobic

systems and the aerobic system. (eg – 400m sprinting, lifting light
weights with high repetitions) – muscular endurance, speed
endurance,
 Fitness Testing

Reasons for conducting fitness testing:-

• Test individual components to determine fitness strengths and weaknesses
• Before and after participating in a training program to gauge levels of improvement
• Goal setting and motivation

EDSC Middle School PE – Battery of Fitness Tests

20 Metre Shuttle Run (Beep Test)
25 Metre Sprint
Standing Broad Jump
AFL Agility Test
Sit and Reach
Wall Toss