How Integrated are the Pieces of Your Fitness Puzzle? Part 1

Integration:  an act or instance of combining into an integral whole. 
 According to Dictionary.com

How complete is your fitness puzzle?

What does this have to do with being fit? Imagine fitness as having many different pieces like a puzzle. How they are put together determines what you end up with.

This article from Breaking Muscle got me thinking about this. 

What determines how Fit you are?

  - Strength, Flexibility, Mobility, Agility

  - Cardiovascular Conditioning

  - Diet

My definition of Fitness is having the ability to physically perform whatever it is that you want to perform.  The fitter you are, the less effort it takes to perform 

whatever it is you want to perform.  

IMO, the most important thing lacking in most fitness programs is integration.
How you put the different components together to be fit.

He looks fit. Why does he have Kinesio Tape on his knees?

Mike couldn't keep up.

Lance might not survive this.

 

I hate it when someone suggest a certain athlete is the world fittest. While they might be the best at whatever activity they are performing, there are other athletes that are much better at other activities. 

I remember the example of Lance Armstrong vs Mike Tyson. While Mike would have had trouble climbing mountains of a bike with Lance, Lance wouldn't last but a few seconds in the boxing ring with Mike. Did this make either one any less fit? Of course not.

One example of fitness

For the average non-competitive person another definition of a integrated exercise program could be a well rounded program. You don't want to focus on only training for strength or flexibility or mobility at the expense of another component of fitness. You want to be a generalist instead of a specialist. Good at a variety of physical activities instead of great at one. 

To put that last sentence another way: When working out, work on all the components of fitness instead of just Cardio or Strength or Flexibility. I know of many cyclist that just want to ride their  bikes for fitness. Is this better than not working out? You bet it is. 

Fit cardiovascular systems, what about their bones?

Only cycling for fitness can cause other issues. Examples, weakening of bones and all non-cycling muscles. (Have you ever seen the upper bodies of most professional road cyclist?) There is not much muscle on their upper bodies. 

Integration is important in other areas as well. When and how should you use foam rolling? How does your warm up prepare you for what follows? How do you use periodization when designed a strength training program? How can integration help recover from an injury after finishing Physical Therapy?

In part 2 I will go into more detail about these concepts.