Physical Fitness Fundamentals: Warm-up and Core Capacities

Warm-up Essentials

Warming up is part of the initial phase of any PE session. It prepares the body to make an effort, it improves performance, and it helps to prevent possible injuries.

Factors that Must Be Considered

• Age
• The sport or activity
• Personal level
• The time of the day

Types of Warm-ups

• General warm-up
• Specific warm-up
• Preventive warm-up
• Active warm-up

General Characteristics

• Between 10 and 20 minutes
• The rhythm should be progressive
• Adapted to the activity that is going to follow
• Done individually or in pairs
• Equipment can be used

Phases of the Warm-up

• Slow run
• Joint mobility exercises and dynamic stretching
• General exercises
• Specific exercises

Understanding Endurance

Endurance is defined as the capacity that allows us to maintain physical exercise for a prolonged time and recover quickly after doing a physical activity.

Factors that Determine Endurance

• Volume of the effort
• Intensity of the effort: MHR = 220 - age
• Oxygen

Types of Endurance

a) Aerobic Stamina

• High volume of effort
• Low or moderate intensity
• Enough oxygen reaches the muscles
• Heart rate fluctuates between 120 and 160 per minute
• Examples: 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, or marathon in athletics

b) Anaerobic Stamina

• Low volume of effort
• High intensity
• Not enough oxygen reaches the muscles
• Heart rate fluctuates between 170 and 190 per minute
• Examples: 400 meters or 800 meters in athletics

Sports Classification by Endurance

Sports can be classified by the types of endurance:

• Aerobic sports
• Anaerobic sports
• Mixed sports

Speed and Movement

Speed is defined as the ability to perform one or several movements at maximum intensity in the shortest possible time.

Types of Speed

• Travel speed
• Reaction speed
• Movement speed

Strength and Muscle Power

Strength is defined as the body's ability to beat or overcome resistance using the tension produced in muscles by the contraction of muscle fibers. Physics defines force as the result of mass multiplied by acceleration: F = m x a.

Types of Strength

• Maximum strength
• Explosive strength
• Strength endurance

Flexibility and Range of Motion

Flexibility is defined as the maximum possible range of a joint during a movement. It has a huge influence on the ability to correctly execute technical moves in any sport.

Types of Flexibility

• Functional flexibility
• Residual flexibility
• Absolute flexibility

Other Key Concepts

• Dynamic stretching: Performed during your warm-up.
• Static stretching: Performed at the end of your training session.
• Range of Movement: Depends on your degree of flexibility.
• Joints: The points where bones meet.
• Elasticity: The body's ability to return to its resting position when there is no force acting on it.