There are two types of fitness: General Fitness and Specific Fitness General fitness – is being able to carry out everyday jobs. To do this you need the four S’s 1. Strength 2. Speed 3. Stamina 4. Suppleness Strength is how much you can pull or hold. You need your strength to be able to lift or carry things. i. e. a bag. Speed is how fast you can carry out a task. You need speed so you stay fit and speed helps you with everyday life. i. e. running for a bus. Stamina is how long you can resist tiredness; someone with good stamina can go on for longer so you are capable to go through everyday life. Suppleness is how flexible you are.
You need to be flexible so you can do everyday jobs or you can strain your muscles. You need to have these four S’s to be able to do everyday jobs. You need to keep your heart and lungs healthy to provide oxygen to the muscles and to maintain cardiovascular fitness for carrying out jobs such as manual labour. You also need to keep your muscles fit by using them regularly; by just going shopping and carrying bags, you are keeping your muscles fit. Your body composition can have an affect your general fitness. You could be endomorph that is a large body composition so your strength, speed, stamina and your suppleness can change.
Endomorph is a larger body composition. Mesomorph is a well-developed body composition. Ectomorph is a thin body composition. These three-body compositions have all different levels of fitness. Specific fitness – is being capable to play sport at a high level. You need to have a good general fitness otherwise; it can affect your specific fitness. There are six types of specific fitness that most sports men need them. Agility – to be able to change direction at speed. Rugby player Gareth Thomas would need this so he can run in between defences. Balance – to be able to stay up and not fall over.
Gymnasts need this when balancing on a beam. Coordination – to move accurately and smoothly. Roger Federer needs this when playing tennis so he can keep his eye on the ball while putting his racket into position. Explosive strength – group strength combined with speed. Sprinter, Justin Gatlin would need this for the 100m. Fast reaction – reacting quickly. Boxer Mohammed Ali dodging a punch by George Forman. Good timing – reacting at just the right moment. Tiger Woods would need this when playing golf so he knows when to hit the ball. Your lifestyle affects your performance in sport.
Your lifestyle can affect your performance and your health. There are various factors in your lifestyle that can help your performance. Personal hygiene can affect your performance in sport because if you do not stay clean you can get many diseases. Lifestyle can affect your performance in sport because if you do not have physical exercise in your lifestyle you can become unfit. Emotional health can affect your performance in sport because if you do not feel good you cannot fully concentrate on the sport ahead. Alcohol/drug use can affect your performance in sport because drinking alcohol or taking drugs can lead to poor health.
Safety can affect your performance in sport because if you have a dangerous job or have a dangerous hobby you can injure yourself easier. Environment can affect your performance in sport because if you live somewhere where there is pollution it can affect your health. Diet can affect your performance in sport because if you do not eat food with proper nutrients in it, you can become unhealthy. Your body composition can affect your performance because if you are a different size you can have different abilities. i. e. someone who is thin (ectomorph) should beat a man at running who is fat (endomorph).
This is because a man who is fat has to carry more weight. Therefore, your weight can affect your performance. Evaluating lifestyle factors There are many lifestyle factors that improve your performance. Height & Weight Your height can be a disadvantage and an advantage in different sports. For example, a tall person would be better at basketball but would not be as good in horse riding. Your weight is can also be an advantage and a disadvantage. For example, a heavier person would be better at rugby but would not be as good doing gymnastics. Illness & Injury An injury can be temporary or permanent.
Many sportsmen can get injured and some can ruin their career. For most sports, you have to wear certain equipment. i. e. in football, you have to wear shin pads. Illness can also affect your ability to perform. You do not have as much energy when you are ill so sportsmen do not play. Psychological factors This is the mental strength required to make someone compete. For example if you are losing a competition you should not become stressed but be determined to overcome the situation and attempt to succeed. Disabilities Having a disability can affect your fitness, but by doing certain activities you can reach a high level of fitness.
There are still many sports you can compete in. for example, if you are paralyzed in the legs, you can build up your upper body strength to compete in sports such as wheelchair basketball, where you need strong arm muscles to move the wheels round the court. Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking Alcohol, drugs and smoking are all bad for your health and your general fitness in both the short term and long term. Your abilities decrease and it is much harder to do everyday activities. Some sportsmen do have a drink of alcohol and it can cause bad media but it is very unhealthy to drink alcohol regularly.