Fitness
What is it?
How can we measure it?
Definitions of Fitness
“the capacity to carry out the day’s activities
without undue fatigue ”
“Physical fitness is the functioning of the
heart, blood vessels, lungs, and muscles to
function at optimum efficiency ”
“…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.”
“a state of complete physical, mental and
social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity ”
- World Health Assembly, 1948
Who is Fit?
Someone who…

is free from illness?

has big muscles?

is an ideal weight?

is active?

looks “good”?

has a good BMI?

feels “good”?
So, what type of Fitness?








Aerobic fitness
Muscular strength
Muscular endurance
Flexibility
Body composition
Agility
Jumping
Balance







Reflexes
Coordination
Flexibility
Speed
Acceleration
Mental health
Emotional health
Ways of measuring fitness



BMI
Waist circumference
Body Composition:





Skin-fold Measurements
Bioelectrical Impedance
Hydrostatic weighing
Heart Rate
VO2Max
Body Mass Index
(BMI)
BMI = weight (kg) / height2 (m2)
Severely underweight
Underweight
Normal
Overweight
Obese Class I
Obese Class II
Severely Obese
Morbidly Obese
Super Obese
Hyper Obese
less than 16.5
from 16.5 to 18.5
from 18.5 to 25
from 25 to 30
from 30 to 35
from 35 to 40
from 40 to 45
from 45 to 50
from 50 to 60
above 60
Average Woman
(aged 20-74)

Height: 5 ft 4

Weight: 163

BMI: 28

“Overweight”
Isabelle Caro

Height 5 ft 5

Weight: 68 lbs

BMI: 11.6

“Severely underweight”
Serena Williams




Height: 5 ft 9
Weight: 150 lbs
BMI: 22.1
“Normal”
Average Man
(age 20-74)

Height: 5 ft 9

Weight: 184

BMI: 27

“Overweight”
Arnie

Height: 6 ft

Weight: 235 lbs

BMI: 31.9

“Obese class 1”
Lebron James

Height: 6 ft 8

Weight: 250

BMI: 27.5

“Overweight”
Charles Barkley

Height: 6 ft 4

Weight: 252 lbs

BMI: 30.7

“Obese Class 1”
Ted Washington

Height: 6 ft 5

Weight: 400 lbs

BMI: 47.5

“Morbidly Obese”
Danny Heatley




Height: 6 ft 3
Weight: 221 lbs
BMI: 27.5
“Overweight”
Haile Gebreselassie

Height: 5 ft 3

Weight: 120 lbs

BMI: 21.3

“Normal”

BMI is not a good way of determining fitness,
because it doesn’t differentiate between muscle
and fat
Waist Circumference
When the BMI is between 25 and 34.9…


Males: ≥ 40 inches
Females: ≥ 35 inches
Disease Risk Relative to Normal Weight and Waist
Circumference
BMI
(kg/m2)
Obesity
Class
Men 102 cm (40 in) or less
Women 88 cm (35 in) or less
Men > 102 cm (40 in)
Women > 88 cm (35 in)
Underweight
< 18.5
-
-
Normal
18.5 24.9
-
-
Overweight
25.0 29.9
Increased
High
Obesity
30.0 34.9
I
High
Very High
35.0 39.9
II
Very High
Very High
40.0 +
III
Extremely High
Extremely High
Extreme
Obesity
Body Composition
Description
Women
Men
Essential fat
12–15%
2–5%
Athletes
16–20%
6–13%
Fitness
21–24%
14–17%
Acceptable
25–31%
18–25%
Obese
32%+
25%+
Skin-fold Measurements





Based on a skin-fold test
A pinch of skin is measured by calipers at
several standardized points on the body to
determine the subcutaneous fat thickness
These measurements are converted to an
estimated body fat percentage by an equation
Some formulas require as few as three
measurements, others as many as seven
Very prone to error
Skinfolds
(mm)
Girths
(cm)
#1: Triceps
5.3
#10 Upper arm
relaxed
#2: Subscapular
7.9
#11 Wrist
#3 Biceps
3.4
#12 Upper arm tensed
10.5
#13 Gluteal
28.5
26.5
#4 Iliac crest
6
9.5
7
#5 Supraspinale
5.3
#14 Waist
#6 Abdominal
6.7
#15 Forearm
9
#7 Front thigh
5.7
#16 Thigh
19
#8 Medial calf
4.6
#9 Mid-axilla
5.1
Breadth
(cm)
#17 Biepicondylar
humerus
#18 Biepicondylar femur
3
4.5
Thorland et al (1984)
Witner et al (1987)
Men
7.001074554
1.08324
Women
7.971532207
1.08095406
Durnin and Womersley (1974)
Men
4.922079144
1.088169821
Women
9.983454365
1.076245523
Sloan (1967)
Men
10.19435106
1.075754332
Men
5.671707175
1.0863871
Women
17.23468225
1.059610425
Women
14.03980931
1.066876
Withers et al (1987)
Katch and McArdle (1973)
Men
7.001074554
1.08324
Women
8.319918726
1.080135778
Forsyth and Sinning (1973)
Men
9.950635776
1.076322
Men
7.039628805
1.083149
Women
7.357630504
1.082399
Bioelectrical Impedance






Two conductors are attached to the body and a small
electrical current is sent through
Since resistance to electricity varies between adipose,
muscular, and skeletal tissue, the resistance will provide
a measure of body fat
Fat-free mass (muscles) is a good conductor as it
contains a large amount of water (approximately 73%)
and electrolytes
Fat is anhydrous and a poor conductor of current
Factors that affect the accuracy of this method include
instrumentation, subject factors, and the equations used
to estimate the Fat Free Mass
The amount of liquid an individual has consumed before
the test can affect results
Hydrostatic Weighing





Measure of density (total mass divided by total
volume) converted to body fat percentage
Fat tissue has a lower density than muscles and
bones
Distorted because muscles and bones have
different densities
However, this method gives highly reproducible
results (± 1%), unlike other methods
Two formulas:


Brozek formula: BF = (4.57/ρ − 4.142) × 100
Siri formula is: BF = (4.95/ρ − 4.50) × 100
(ρ is body density in kg/L)
Record dry weight
 Record underwater weight
 Use formula:

Density= Wa / (((Wa - Ww) / Dw) - (RV + 100cc))
Wa: body weight in air (kg)
Ww: body weight in water (kg)
Dw: density of water
RV: residual lung volume
100cc: correction for air in GI tract
Heart Rate
Resting heart rate:




Newborn infants: 100 - 160 bpm
Children 1-10 years: 70 - 120 bpm
Over 10+: 60 - 100 BPM
Athletes: 40 - 60 BPM
Heart rate Recovery:






Reach peak heart rate
Record
Stop excercising
Record heart rate 2 mins later
Subtract this from max heart rate
Score of 15-25 bpm is normal
Blood pressure


Refers to the force exerted by circulating blood
on blood vessel walls (usually just arteries)
Two numbers:


Systolic (when heart pumps)
Diastolic (when heart relaxes)
Category
Systolic
(mmHg)
Diastolic
(mmHg)
Hypotension
< 90
or < 60
Normal
90 – 119
and 60 – 79
Prehypertension
120 – 139
or 80 – 89
Stage 1 Hypertension
140 – 159
or 90 – 99
Stage 2 Hypertension
≥ 160
or ≥ 100
2
VO Max
VO2Max


Aerobic Capacity: maximum amount of oxygen
the body can use
Function of both cardiorespiratory performance
as well as the ability to remove and utilize
oxygen from circulating blood

Measured using a VO2 Max (maximum amount of
oxygen the blood can carry)

Fick equation:
Q: cardiac output of the heart
CaO2: arterial oxygen content
CvO2: venous oxygen content





Easily calculated if you do a 12 minute run
Average young untrained male 45 ml/kg/min
Average young untrained female 38 ml/kg/min
These scores can improve with training and
decrease with age, though trainability varies
Conditioning may double VO2max in some
individuals but never improve in others
Comparison time!



12 minute run: 7 laps
2850m
VO2Max: 50 ml/kg/min
Devin Dignam (circa 2004)
12 minute run: 11 laps
4330m
VO2Max: 85 ml/kg/min



Haile Gebreselassie (circa 1995)
<<
Health Tips


Generally, eat what you want
But try to eat a variety of foods from all the food
groups



Eat smaller, more frequent meals
Exercise more



The more colours on your plate the better
Find a workout partner
Join a sports team
Find a physical activity you like and stick with it
Health Tips

Most people drop out of sports in their mid-late
teens


Take advantage of local and University facilities after
high school
Make healthy lifestyle choices




Take the stairs
Ride a bike
Pack a lunch
Drink (tap)water