What is Fitness? (Or at least my idea of it...)

What is the definition of fitness? www.thefreedictionary.com defines it as follows;
Fitness: Noun
    1. The state or condition of being fit; suitability or appropriateness.
    2. Good health or physical condition, especially as the result of exercise and proper nutrition.
    3. Biology The extent to which an organism is adapted to or able to produce offspring in a particular environment

 

This isnt a bad place to start but I like to look at fitness as a formula.

(Height/Weight) x Strength x Endurance x Flexibilty x Agility x (Usefulness/Functionality) = Fitness

So let's take a look at these individual componets and break them dowm.

The first thing you need to do is decide your goals. Fitness to a powerlifter doesn't mean the same thing as fitness to a triathlete doesn't mean the same thing as fitness to a gymnast etc.

1) Height/weight: This is pretty simple. How tall are you? How much do you weigh? The reason you want to figure height with weight is so that you can look at wether or not you are carrying excess weight. You want your body to be as efficient as possible so you want to carry as little weight as possible while still carrying enough muscle to perform whatever tasks you are trying to accomplish. Weight lifters will obviously want to be heavier then long distance runners.

2) Strength: We'll keep strength simple. How much can you lift/move? The stronger you are, the more weight you can lift or move. From here if you want to get technical you break strength down into "force" or "power" but for the needs of this post that's a little over kill.

3) Endurance: This is essentially your capacity to perform. How long can you keep running at a certain speed? How many reps can you perform at a given weight?

4) Flexibility: Just your active range of motion.

5) Agility: The ability to change direction. Think of a running back, a gymnast, a wild animal running through the woods, or one the coolest examples: athletes who participate in freerunning/parkour.

6) Usefulness/Functionality: This might be the most important. How suited are you to actually performing your chosen athletic pursuit? From a triathlete's perspective the powerlifter doesn't look very fit, but how well would the triathlete perform at a powerlifting meet?

    I tend to think of "Fitness" as the sum of all these parts. This also gives a good idea of what this blog is actually about. My goal isn't to be in the top 1% of anything but rather the top 5-10% in everything. Instead of being excellent at one thing, I'd rather be really good at lots of things. I'll probably never be the best runner in the world or the strongest man but i can be a lot stronger than most runners and a lot faster than most weightlifters. My Goal is to be as functional as possible across a broad spectrum of athletics.