THE TRIPOD OF PHYSICAL FITNESS-FLEXIBILITY, CARDIOVASCULAR & STRENGTH TRAINING-AN INITIATION (314 words)

All possible human dynamics are invariably a combination of appendage flexibility, cardiovascular health and muscular strength. Every step we take, every move we make is due to these three stunning evolutionary attributes of higher life forms. And thus, any mode of training aimed at improving one’s physical fitness is tantamount to the incorporation of the three titular principles in its regime.

Flexibility is quite simply the suppleness of joints. It can also be interpreted as the maximum strain the joints can be put through until damage. Ostensibly, flexibility reduces with age and women are genetically more flexible (well, only when it comes to their joints and not otherwise). Practice of light warm-ups succeeded by soft stretching before the actual training maintains flexibility and reduces the incidence of injuries.

Enhanced flexibility, though, is exhibited by practitioners of Hathayoga (as propounded by Patanjali in his Yogashastra; with the ultimate stage of yoga being the unification of the soul with the divine—the atma with the param atma—or the Samadhi).

It is no secret that the various organs of our body are kept operational through the supply of essential nutrients by blood. It also requires no Platonian intellect to understand that a well supplied organ is functionally optimized. And cardiovascular training keeps the cardiac and the pulmonary muscles along with the circulatory framework in the pink.

Some of the popular circulation training methods are swimming, cycling, aerobics and our good old running.

Muscles are the load bearing structures of our bodily architecture. Basic muscular strength is inevitable to our corporal existence and is congenital to every individual. Attainment of improved muscular power, however, is subject to need, genetics and resources and of course interest.

Any physical movement yields or at the least maintains muscular strength. But weight training has emerged as the strength training method of choice and this will be taken up in later posts.