What is fitness?

‘What is fitness?’ - a question commonly asked within the fitness industry, but one which is often answered subjectively or inexplicitly. At Physique Academy, our training processes are constantly being improved to support the training and progress of the fitness of each individual, making it important to give an objective definition of fitness.

Physique Academy measures fitness as the average of 4 attributes: strength, power, capacity, and endurance. This is objective and measurable. It is what our fitness testing is based upon and allows us to test each component individually to calculate the overall fitness of an individual, offering them insight into which areas they might need to improve, and providing objective measurements to progress upon. This definition can further be deconstructed by individually defining each attribute.

• Strength = the ability to generate maximum force.
• Power = the ability to generate maximum work in the shortest time period.
• Capacity = the ability to maintain high work output over a prolonged time period.
• Endurance = the ability to maintain high work output sustainably.

Energy Systems

The body adapts to different situations in life by producing energy in three different ways to most effectively meet the demands. Fitness is our body's ability to meet the demands of life. This is why three of the fitness attributes are closely tied to the three main energy systems.

• The Anaerobic Alactic (ATP-CP) Energy System is required for high intensity and short durations. This system utilises your body’s CP (creatine phosphate) stores to generate huge amounts of energy for short durations. This is the dominant system tested when performing the power attribute of fitness.
• The Anaerobic Lactic (Glycolytic) Energy System is required for short to medium intensity situations lasting from 10 seconds to a max of approximately 90 seconds. This system utilises glucose that comes from carbohydrates to generate energy and is the preferred energy source for high intensity exercise. This is the dominant system tested when performing the capacity attribute of fitness.
• The Aerobic Energy System is required for low intensity and long duration situations. The aerobic system requires oxygen and is what is used for day-to-day activities. Any activity over a minute in duration will begin to utilise the aerobic energy system, it will become more dominant the longer the activity. This system is tested when performing the endurance attribute of fitness.

To conclude, the development of each energy system is what will develop the overall fitness of an individual. There is some crossover between the energy systems in almost every activity, being proficient in all three how we best meet the demands of life. Strength does not fall within a specific system; however, it is the base of all.