Ep 04: How to Measure Fitness Without Getting on a Scale

In this podcast, Janet, Nikki and Rebecca of Soma Pilates discuss how can you measure your fitness beyond the number on the scale and or what you look like. They discuss major fitness benchmarks, fitness guidelines and how much you should really workout. The 5 components of fitness - Body composition - Muscular strength - Muscular endurance - Flexibility - Cardiovascular endurance The difference between muscular strength and muscular fitness Muscular strength is the amount of force a muscle can produce to lift a weight one time. Muscular endurance is the amount of force you can produce over a period of time. You typically train for muscular force by using heavier weights and lower reps (usually under 6 reps. Conversely, you’d train for muscular endurance with lighter weight and higher reps. However, any strength training will affect both muscular strength and endurance. How to train for each component of fitness (based on ACSM) Cardio: 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise or 3 times a week for 20 minutes a session for more intense cardio Muscular strength & endurance: Lift 2-3 times a week, focusing on all muscle groups Flexibility: Can be used as dynamic stretching or movement throughout a workout or can be used as static stretching (30 seconds or more) preferably at the end of a workout to preserve power. Links mentioned: Soma blog on performance related injuries