Fitness and muscular strength

Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being built through activity, a balanced diet and recovery; it lowers the risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and depression. Its health components: muscular strength, endurance, flexibility, body composition and cardiovascular endurance.

Muscular strength is the ability of muscles to exert force against resistance, internal (body weight) or external (an opponent or weight).

Types: maximum strength (100 per cent effort, one contraction: weightlifting, throws); explosive strength (strength with speed: jumps, sprints, boxing); strength endurance (moderate effort for a long time: hill running, cycling, swimming).

Force depends on neural control (more and larger motor units, stronger nerve impulses), muscle size, fibre type (fast twitch is stronger and faster), ATP and CP energy stores, and mind (motivation, aggression).

Training: body weight as resistance (rope climbing, hill running, push-ups: good for young athletes) or external weight (weights, medicine ball, drag running), increased step by step.