Physical fitness is used in two close meanings: general fitness (a state of health and well-being) and specific fitness (a task-oriented definition based on the ability to perform specific aspects of sports or occupations).
Physical fitness is the capacity of the heart, blood vessels, lungs, and muscles to function at optimum efficiency. In previous years, fitness was defined as the capacity to carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue. Automation, increased leisure time, and changes in lifestyles following the industrial revolution meant this criterion was no longer sufficient. Optimum efficiency is the key. Physical fitness is now defined as the body’s ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet emergency situations.
General fitness is the result of regular exercise, proper diet and nutrition, and proper rest for physical recovery within the parameters allowed by the genome.
Physical fitness is often divided into the following types.
- Accuracy
- Agility
- Balance
- Body composition
- Cardiovascular endurance
- Coordination
- Flexibility and joint range of motion
- Power
- Speed
- Stamina
- Strength
Core Muscle Training (also referred to as Core Training, Core Stability or Core Strengthening) is physical training that focuses on the core muscles of the body. The fitness and wellness industry might see it as an exercise routine aimed at improving the overall health and fitness; in this context, it can involve proper hydration, natural nutrition, daily core exercises, body relaxation and recreation.
The meaning of the term “core training” has changed over the last 10 years. Originally, “abs exercises” meant the facilitation of abdominal exercises, usually using military techniques such as sit-ups and crunches, where both were introduced in the late 1970s to schools and fitness centers.
The ‘core training’ or ‘core muscle training’ refers to the exercises and nutrition programs specific for the development and maintenance of the abdominal and back muscles. Core training is defined as the complete set of processes that support core muscle development. In the 1970s and 1980s, this would also have involved techniques from yoga, Pilates and martial arts.
Today, core muscle training encompasses a very wide range of exercises and fitness programs such Yoga, Pilates and Mastermoves. Similar to dancing exercises, core traininig requires the stimulation of the abdominal, abliques and lower back muscles.
When the term “core training” first became well-known among the general public in 1990, many fitness companies and gyms forecasted that core training would soon become a major fitness trend. However, it took about 10 years to become a well established form of fitness training.
In scientific terms, the “core” is defined as the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex (LPHC), the thoracic spine, and the cervical spine. There are approximately 29 muscles that attach to the LPHC. The core is where the human body’s center of gravity is located, and where all movement is initiated.
Exercise benefits
Physical exercise is important for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute positively to maintaining a healthy weight; building and maintaining healthy bone density, muscle strength, and joint mobility; promoting physiological well-being; reducing surgical risks; and strengthening the immune system.
Frequent and regular aerobic exercise has been shown to help prevent or treat serious and life-threatening chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, insomnia, and depression. Strength training appears to have continuous energy-burning effects that persist for about 24 hours after the training, though they do not offer the same cardiovascular benefits of aerobic exercises. Exercise can also increase energy and raise one’s threshold for pain.
There is conflicting evidence as to whether vigorous exercise (more than 70% of VO2 Max) is more or less beneficial than moderate exercise (40 to 70% of VO2 Max). Some studies have shown that vigorous exercise executed by healthy individuals can effectively increase opioid peptides (aka endorphins, a naturally occurring opiate that in conjunction with other neurotransmitters is responsible for exercise induced euphoria and has been shown to be addictive), positively influence hormone production (i.e., increase testosterone and growth hormone), benefits that are not as fully realized with moderate exercise.
Exercise has been shown to improve cognitive functioning via improvement of hippocampus-dependent spatial learning, and enhancement of synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis. In addition, physical activity has been shown to be neuroprotective in many neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases. For instance, it reduces the risk of developing dementia. Physical activity is thought to have other beneficial effects related to cognition as it increases levels of nerve growth factors, which support the survival and growth of a number of neuronal cells.
Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise also work to increase the mechanical efficiency of the heart by increasing cardiac volume (aerobic exercise), or myocardial thickness (strength training, see Organ hypertrophy).
Not everyone benefits equally from exercise. There is tremendous variation in individual response to training: where most people will see a moderate increase in endurance from aerobic exercise, some individuals will as much as double their oxygen uptake, while others will never get any benefit at all from the exercise. Similarly, only a minority of people will show significant muscle growth after prolonged weight training, while a larger fraction experience improvements in strength. This genetic variation in improvement from training is one of the key physiological differences between elite athletes and the larger population. Studies have shown that exercising in middle age leads to better physical ability later in life.