What is It

HISTORY OF DANCE
Dance is considered as the oldest among all the arts, as it comes from our
innate expressions of collective feelings and action. The word dance rooted from the
German word damson, which means “to stretch” or “to drag”. Therefore, the music
from the early man came from humming, stamping of feet, clapping, snapping or any
sound that can produce rhythm. It doesn’t require an instrument as an art because
the dancer’s body is the instrument itself.

PREHISTORIC PERIOD
Dance is considered as part of communication in prehistoric era. As it involved
everyday movement and life events that were meaningful to an individuals and tribes:
birth, puberty, courtship, marriage and death. Most of the tribes integrates dance in
their religious ceremonies and festivities based on their beliefs and
superstition. Below is an example of prehistoric dance ritual.

ANCIENT CIVILIZATION
Ancient Egypt
Dance in ancient Egypt is known as their medium of expressing their
religious services and teaching about their ancient myths. It was also a
form of entertainment in their celebration of festivities and life events.
Ancient Greece
Dance in ancient Greece were incredibly systematic and structured. They
maximized their movement as they, incorporate their rituals, symbols and
gestures and were accompanied by music, both vocal and instrumental. Dancers
were also required to sing during a performance.

Ancient Rome
In the Roman era dance were predominantly performed for religious,
social and entertainment purposes. They oftentimes emphasized
burlesque, overtly erotic, antic and direful elements. Wealthy Romans
generally do not dance and choose to hire and watch dancers. These dance
performers were less respected as artists and participants of religious
events.

Ancient Crete
Cretan civilization existed from 3000 to 1400 BC, it was a cultural
link in ancient world between Egypt and Greece. Cretans were known to
be sophisticated and rich in arts and culture. According to the Greek
Writer Homer, the Cretans had an excellent army because they used
dance to perfect their training.

THE MIDDLE AGES ERA

In the Middle ages, dances were categorized into two:
Liturgical(church) and
Society(secular). With this, dance themed included sacred dance and
life- span events that were connected to religious activities and other
occasions.

RENAISSANCE
In the 12th century, feudalism and knighthood bound the codes of
decorum, loyalty, bravery, romantic love and chivalry. As knight cannot
wear their armour when they dance because of its weight; chivalry
transformed dancing, giving it a code of etiquette, manners and courtly
love.

BAROUQUE ERA
Is the standard name given to the style of dancing that had its
origins. During the 17th century and dominated the 18th century until the
French Revolution, Louis XIV was a major influence in its development
and promotion. At the age of 14, Louis XIV was an accomplished dancer:
as the sun god Apollo in the “Ballet de la Nuit” (1653)
 Lesson Dance in the 21st
2 Century

Are you ready to learn more? Make sure to answer all the activities made
for you. Good luck and enjoy!

The Renaissance Era was considered as a golden age, especially in dance. As

it opens its door; from the famous court dance and its transition to different genre
up to the modern dance that this generation is enjoying now. Still, the purpose of
dancing is self- expression and pleasure in the movement itself.

Ballroom Dance
Centuries ago, ballroom dancing was substantially for the concession and
well- off, while for the commoners are subject to enjoy with folk dancing; nonetheless,
these verges had fade, leaving ballroom dancing a fun for everyone. “Ballroom
dancing” hails from the Latin word “ballare” which, concurrently means “to dance”
The latter part of the 1990 was a critical period for Philippine ballroom. Back
then, dance sport was born here. It was when the sport enthusiasts began to discover
this as a new knowledge- a doorway to a more refined and higher level of ballroom
dancing. Our passion for being competitive in ballroom dancing began and
quickly proliferate.
In Dance sports, Ballroom dance is divided into two categories: (1) Western
Style or Standard Dance (Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot, and Quickstep. (2) Latin Dance (Jive,
Rumba, Cha- cha, Samba and Paso Doble). Western Style is more of traditional form
ballroom dancing, the flow of the form of the couple is constantly moving in circular
fashion. Whereas, the Latins Style is more of a rhythm- initiated in which the couple
placing is most of the time fixed and their steps are zippy and precise.

Western Style

Tango – this dance was developed in Buenos Aires with a mixed cultural
element from African, Native American and Latin Dance. Known to be performed by
a couple in a highly sensual and erotic dance with close body and direct eye contact.
La Cumparsita is considered the most famous Tango song ever recorded.
Waltz – when we watch about fairytale movies, it is certainly that waltz dance
is one of the highlight scenes. History of this dance dates to the 1500’s, from the
simple gliding or sliding steps to gliding rotation rather than going straight forward
without turning. Waltz becomes fashionable in Vienna around 1780’s, spreading to
many countries in years to follow and it becomes fashionable in Britain during the
Regency period.
Foxtrot – in 1914 Arthur Carringford (Harry Fox) developed and performed the
famous two slow steps followed by 4 quicksteps which gained popularity in society
and brought in dance hall in New York vaudeville theaters.
Quickstep – termed as “joy” dance of modern dancing. While the basic figures
are simple, the tempo of the music and the character of this dance invites a carefree
interpretation of its inviable rhythm. Also, quickstep is the fast version of Foxtrot.
Latin Style
Paso Doble - the dance and music of Paso Doble is based on the Spanish
bullfight. The man takes the part of the matador, and the woman takes the part of
the man’s cape. Though this dance originates from France the Spanish style took its
present form. The music is a march type
Cha cha – from slow version of Mambo comes into new dance called Cha cha
which has a modified Cuban Motion hip action, because of the speed of the triple
step. It was only in 1954 when this was introduced in the US.
Samba – it was in 1956 when it was introduced into a couple dance in a
ballroom dance. A fun, upbeat, lively dance that progress counter- clockwise around
the floor. Although it is considered as a national dance in Brazil, the style of Samba
performed in the Carnival parade is different from the Ballroom Samba.
Jive – resembles to a triple- step East Coast Wing, nonetheless Jive is faster
and uses a lot of knee and hip action.
Rumba – is universally recognized as the dance of love. It is dance with
sensual music and features a hip action. A non- progressive dance with continuous
flowing motion which gives it sensual look.
 Lesson PROFESSIONAL PERFORMAMCE
3 DANCE

BALLET - The origins of ballet can be drawn back to 15th century Italy,
when the peninsula was in the height of its period of artistic, cultural, and
scientific growth known as the Renaissance. The wealthy, art-obsessed elites
of Italian society would hold massive masked dances, which we call 'balls'
after the Italian words for dance - ballare. Renaissance Italians believed in
perfecting all the arts, and dance was no exception. Dancing instructors
trained the elites in

The advanced steps and motions, combining athleticism with art in

huge dance parties. In the 16th century, there was a woman named Catherine
de' Medici, she hosted the

first formal performance of this new art in 1581. It was called the ballet du
cour; literary means dances of the court in French. All the French nobles loved
it, but none could match the enthusiasm of Louis XIV, who was the king of
France from 1643-1715. Under Louis XIV, the movements, costumes, stories,
and music of ballet were set with standard and refined. Dance schools and
ballet theaters were built and formally supported by the Crown. To this day,
most official terms for ballet techniques are in French. Louis himself was a
talented dancer, often called the 'Sun King' throughout his reign due to a role
he performed in a popular ballet of the time.

Ballet Philippines (BP) is widely recognized today as a cornerstone of

the Filipino cultural identity. It was founded in 1969 by Alice Reyes with the
support of Eddie Elejar and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. As the
dance company in residence at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Ballet
Philippines is globally recognized as the country’s flagship in ballet and
contemporary dance.

Contemporary Dance
Modern dance, a term to describe contemporary dance, is a style of
dancing where dancers are free to express their feelings through movements
without adhering to any rules in dance particularly that of ballet. Unlike
ballet, dancers of modern use their own interpretation instead of structured
steps. Contemporary dance uses more of the torso on a horizontal rather than
a vertical plane, and new varieties of tilting, twisting, and bending movements.
The feet are not always turned out and are either pointed of flexed.

Dance is a form of aerobic exercise that has physical, mental and

emotional benefits. Its great both kids and adult, so it is necessary to know
the relationship of dancing to physical activity. Participating in dance may
allow everyone to improve their physical function, health and well-being.
Engaging in dance can significantly improve their aerobic capacity, lower body
endurance, strength and flexibility, balance, agility and gait through dance.

Health- Related Fitness (HRF) in relation to dance plays a vital role in holistic
development. It also serves a prevention of lifestyle disease and illness. Therefore,
physical activities should not be taken for granted despite of any reason. Remember
this HRF components?
⚫ Cardiovascular Endurance
⚫ Muscle Strength
⚫ Muscle Endurance
⚫ Flexibility
⚫ Body Composition

SKILL – RELATED FITNESS COMPONENTS

Fitness components enhances one’s performance in athletics, dance
sports and other sport events.
1. Speed – the ability to perform a task or move from one point to
anotherr in the shortest possible time.
2. Agility –the ability of an individual to quickly shift or change
direction of the body from one point to the other.
3. Power – abilty to perform one maximum effort in the shortest
possible time. It is the product of both speed and strength.
4. Balance – the abilty to stay in equilibrium in relation to changes in
body position. It may be static or dynamic. Static balance is the
kind of balance demonstrated in stationary position. Dynamic
balance is demonstrated while the body is moving.
5. Reaction Time – the amount of time it takes to respond to a
stimulus.
6. Coordination – is the integration with hand and/foot with the input
of senses.

Process Questions:

1. In your own understanding, how would you define fitness?

2. How would you describe a physically fit and unfit person?
3. Why is it important to be physically fit?
4. Rate yourself from 1-10, are you physically fit individual? Explain your
answer.
Physical Activity and Physical Fitness Assessment

Fitness testing is a way of gaining information about the health-related

and skill related components of an athlete’s fitness. Testing can take place in
a number of environments, with laboratory testing being the most accurate,
however, there is still a large range of tests that can be carried out, away from
a lab, which provides a lot of useful information.

Reasons for Fitness Testing

• To highlight the strengths and weakness of an athlete enabling a training
program to be devised which addresses the findings.
• To evaluate a training program, to see if it is helping the athlete in achieving
set goals
• To measure fitness levels following injury, illness or following the offseason
• To assist in setting goals
• To determine health status (in the non-sporting population)
• Talent identification
• To aid motivation

Principles of Fitness Testing

In order for fitness testing to be accurate and worthwhile, a number of
principles must be followed:
• Specificity: Fitness tests must assess an individual’s fitness for the
activity or sport in question. For example, there is little point in using
a running endurance test to assess an athlete’s improvement in
cycling endurance.
• Validity: Fitness tests must measure the component of fitness that
they are supposed to. For example, is your sit and reach test
measuring solely the flexibility of the hamstrings or are there other
factors involved?
• Objectivity: Sometimes also known as interstater reliability. A test
that is objective will produce the same results for the same individual,
regardless of the tester, or technician administering the test
• Reliability: A reliable test produces the same results if repeated. For
example, an assessor trained in skin-fold measurements will produce
the same result, when the same area is re-tested shortly after.
• Overload: It is the most basic of all fitness training principle. It
specifies that you must perform physical exercise than normal
amounts(Overload) to get an improvement in physical fitness and
health benefits. For example, if improvement in muscular strength is
the goal, the muscle must be exercised with a greater weight than
normal.
Proper Etiquette and Safety in the Use of Facility and
Equipment
Whether you are involved in training, exercise or just a simple physical
activity, you still need to use facility and equipment. In doing so, taking care of these
means not only protecting ourselves but for the welfare of other users as well,
especially in this time of new normal because of the Covid 2019 pandemic. Can you
give an example of the safety etiquette that we should practice in our current
situation?

Analyzing Physiological Indicators

Terms to remember:
Target Heart Rate (THR) ● is the computed based on the maximum heart
rate and the resting heart rate (RHR).
Maximum Heart Rate (MaxHR) ● the highest number of beats per minute
(bpm) observe during a rigorous and exhausting physical activity (PAs).
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) ● measures exercise intensity and can be
combined with the prediction equation of MaxHR.
According to the Philippine National Guidelines on Physical Activity,
adolescents should engage in a total of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous
physical activities everyday. An exercise performed at moderate to vigorous
intensity will elevate the heart rate and breathing significantly. A higher rate
implies that the activity is more intense. One of the best ways to set the correct
intensity of an exercise is by computing the target heat rate (THR). To do this,
first you must find your RHR. Check your pulse, count how many beats are
there in 15seconds and multiply by 4 so you will get your beats per minute
(BPM). Next is you get your MaxHR by simply subtracting your age from 220.
Now, look on the table to measure the RPE.
For example: Basyang is an active 15yo teenager and involves herself in PAs.
Her resting heart rate in 15 seconds is at 14. In a normal day under GCQ, she can
have at least 60% of Approximate level of exertion without feeling any discomfort.
Find her beats per minute in RHR, MaxHR, RPE & THR using the two methods.
 LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Keeping track of your physical activity will bring you beyond improving your
appearance; moreover, it will provide you with significant health benefits. It is
important as well that you enjoy the things that you do. Different physical activity
level provides health advantages. Here are the four level of physical activity and the
positive benefits that each one provides.
Sedentary Activity Level – this means that there is no formal exercise and no
physical activity during the day. It is like spending your weekend after a long
weekdays of school workloads. The tendency is you just want to relax, eat, and play
online games the whole day. It is good that you find tie to recharge after a busy week.
However, if you keep this kind of lifestyle, it will contribute to weight gain and
eventually obesity. It will also result to decrease your sense of overall well- being and
increase in developing certain health problems and diseases.
Light Physical Activity Level – this refers to physical activities that you do
regularly as a part of your everyday routine. The health benefits of this may include
better blood cholesterol levels, reduced body fats, improved blood pressure and
ameliorate your metabolic health.
Moderate Physical Activity Level – this pertains to physical activities that may
include cardiovascular endurance exercises for at least 20 -30 minutes, three – to
five days a week. May also be a strength and flexibility exercises. Having this physical
activity in your lifestyle may reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Vigorous Physical Activity Level – this refers to a 30 - 90 minutes, two- to three
days a week. This may include aerobic exercise, muscle strength and stretching
exercise. Those who follows a vigorous exercise program have benefited a great
increase in fitness. Additionally, a greater reduction in chronic disease risk. Yet, it is
imperative to note that being engage in this level without being cautious will lead to
the risk of injury and burn out from overtraining.
 Health Related
Physical Fitness
8
Physical fitness directly influences the health of an individual.
So to keep ourself healthy, fitness sessions should be
incorporated in our daily routine.
‘Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being. It
develops your capacity to perform better in sports, your
job and day-to-day routine work. This is achieved through
moderate/vigorous physical activities, balanced diet and
proper recovery.’
Regular planned fitness activities like walking, jogging,
cycling, swimming and yoga improve health and physical
fitness of an individual. It also reduces the risk of heart
diseases, diabetes, hypertension and depression. So, we
can say that physical fitness is related to — ‘well-being’ and
‘wholesome development’ - of an individual.
There are five components of health related physical
fitness—
1. Muscular Strength
2. Endurance
3. Flexibility
4. Body Composition
5. Cardiovascular Endurance

Muscular Strength
Muscular strength is directly related to force production.
Not only in sports but it is related to our each and every
movement. Movement of our body parts is possible due to
strength be it flexing a finger or getting up from the bed.
Paralysed people cannot move their body parts because
they have lost the capacity to produce strength.

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A new born baby cannot stand up and walk because they

Activity 8.1
has less strength. So, we can say that for every movement of Compare the strength of
body part or for moving body from one position to another your classmates with an Arm
position, strength is required. Wrestling competitor.
Whenever we think about sports performance, the first
thing which comes into our mind is the muscular strength.
Normally we use the term strength instead of muscular Do You Know?
•• Aerobic capacity is the
strength. If we ask someone a question, do you have the
capacity to work in the
strength to do this physical work? He or she will knowingly presence of maximum
or unknowingly flex his or her muscle and say I have the amount of O2 and the nature
strength to do this. This shows in itself that somewhere of the work is of longer
strength is associated with muscles. duration.
Strength is normally understood as the ability of the •• Anaerobic capacity is
muscle or group of muscles of an individual to exert force capacity to work in less
against the resistance. If we are talking about exerting force amount of O2 and nature of
then the question which comes in our mind is, why do we work is of short duration.
want to exert force? For this we have to look into the nature
of the sports activities. We try to act against the resistance.
Now the resistance can be of two types. It can be internal
resistance like your own body weight or it can be external
resistance like opponent’s body weight. In some of the cases
we act against the resistance which we cannot conquer and
in some of the cases we act to overcome that resistance. In
both the cases we exert force with the help of our muscles.
Muscular strength is thus, ‘the ability of the muscle or
muscle groups of an individual to exert force on the resistance
to overcome it or to act against it as per the demand of the
sports activity’.
Moving further, we look at how the muscular strength
ability is used according to the nature of sports. We find
that sometimes we need to apply force against the maximum
resistance, but it is for shorter duration and sometimes
we need to apply the force for longer duration. Taking into
account the nature of sports as far as strength abilities are
concerned, we can divide the strength abilities into three
parts—
(a) Maximum Strength: The name itself reflects that we
are talking about something to its maximum limit. So,
we can say that when our muscle or muscles group is
able to generate the force with 100 per cent effort by
which we are able to tackle the maximum resistance
in a single contraction, it is called maximum strength
of an individual. It is the ability which is of great use
in the sports like weight lifting, throw events in
athletics, etc.

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 274 Health and Physical Education - XI

(b) Explosive Strength: In some of the books, you may

find this with the name of elastic strength. This is
the ability where both strength and speed comes into
play. When the muscle or group of muscles contract
with high speed to overcome or to act against the
resistance with 70 per cent to 80 per cent effort, then
it is called the explosive strength. There are several
examples where the explosive strength is required
such as jumping, sprinting in athletics, boxing, etc.
(c) Strength Endurance: As it reflects from the name
itself that it is related to the work which is done
for longer duration. It is both strength as well as
endurance which comes into play. In simple words,
we can say that when our muscle or a group of
muscles act against the resistance with 50 per cent
to 60 per cent effort or try to overcome the resistance
for longer duration in spite of having fatigue, then
it is called that the individual is having strength
endurance. There are many sports where we can
easily see the use of this ability such as hill running
in cross country race, cycling, swimming, etc.
As we know that strength depends upon the
contraction of muscles and several other factors. So
let us have a look on the factors which play major
role in the liberation of force by the muscles. These
are as follows—
1. Neural Control: How much force the muscle will
generate largely depends upon three major factors.
●● Number of motor units involved in the
contraction — If the greater number of
motor units are recruited then more amount
of force will be generated.
●● Size of the motor units involved in the
contraction — If the size of the motor units
is greater, then also, the amount of force
generated will be higher.
●● Intensity of nerve impulse — If the intensity
of nerve impulse is faster, then also, the
force generated by the muscle will be higher.
2. Muscle Cross-section: It is well known to everyone
that liberation of force largely depends upon the
size of the muscles. The more the size, the more
force it will generate.
3. Muscle fibre: Muscles are made up of two types of
fibres, one is fast twitch fibre (white) and another

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is called slow twitch fibre (red). Both the fibres

Activity 8.2
are present in the muscles. The quality of Perform push-ups, pull-ups, sit-
the muscle depends upon the proportion of ups along with your classmates
the fibres in the particular muscle. If the fast and find who scores highest in
twitch fibres are more in ratio, then the muscle these activities.
will contract faster and generate more force.
This type of muscle has anaerobic capacity.
Whereas, the muscle having slow twitch fibre
will generate less force in comparison to the
muscle with fast twitch fibres.
4. Energy supply: Muscles get their energy by the
breakdown of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)
and CP (Creatine Phosphate) which is stored in
the body. The amount of ATP and CP store is
very essential for the muscular activities as it
provides the energy to the muscles.
5. Psychological factors: In many of the situations,
the psychological factors contribute a lot in
getting more forceful muscular contraction.
The factors such as anger, aggression,
motivation, etc., play a very crucial role in
pushing their mind to develop very strong
nerve impulse which can lead to activate more
number of motor units.

Methods of Strength Improvement

Strength is regarded as a very essential part of sports
performance. It is a conditional ability and can be
improved to a greater extent by the training. There are
various methods by which one can achieve the level of
strength one wants. Whenever we think about improving
the strength ability of an individual, the first thing which
comes to our mind is the structure of our activity where
we are going to use this strength. In some of the activities,
our own body weight acts as a resistance and in some
cases, external resistance plays the maximum role.
For example, in cross country races while running on the
hill, our own body weight acts as a resistance and in weight
lifting, external weight acts as the resistance. So, when we
design resistance training for developing strength ability
of an individual, we keep both the conditions in our mind.
We know that countering the resistance again and
again will help us to improve our strength ability.
For improving the strength ability, the following methods
are used.

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1. Using our own body weight as a resistance: In this

method, we design our strength training in such a
way that our own body weight acts as a resistance,
for example, rope climbing, hill running, etc. In this,
the pull of gravity plays a very vital role. We try to
carry our own body against the gravity which helps
us to improve our muscular strength. This method
is very effective for the young athletes.

Sit-ups Lunges Bicycle Crunches

Leg Raises High Knees Turning Kicks

Chin-ups Full Arch

Fig. 8.1: Exercise with own body weight

2. Using external weight as a resistance: In this type

of training, the athlete uses external weight as a
resistance. This is a more effective method of improving
the strength abilities. For example, weight training
where weight plates, medicine ball, weight belts, etc.,
are used to develop strength ability. The resistance
is increased or decreased according to the need.
Along with weight training, several other methods are
also used for improving the strength where external
resistance is used. For example, swimming against
the flow of water in the river, drag running, etc.

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Activity 8.3
•• Perform shoulder press,
bench press and squats and
find out who scores highest
in these activities.
•• Compare the body weight of
Dumbbell Bench Press Leg Curl Cable Pushdown a long distance runner and a
sprinter in your school and
see the difference.

Seated Row Dumbbell Shoulder Press Lat Pull Down

Twist Abs Incline Situp Calf Raise

Fig. 8.2: Excercise with external weight as resistance

Endurance
When an individual continues doing physical activity for a
longer period of time, then he or she is said to have good
endurance for doing that particular work. By nature, it looks
like both physiological as well as psychological abilities of an
individual play a crucial role in determining the endurance
ability.
As an individual continues doing any work for longer
duration, after some time he or she may feel physical as well
as mental fatigue. But in spite of this, if he or she is able to
continue the work for longer duration then this shows that
he or she is having good endurance.
Endurance is normally understood as the ability to do any
work for longer duration. It is task specific in nature. We come
across many such examples in our daily life which shows
that this ability is task specific such as we see a teacher who
stands and continues taking his classes for hours together. If
the same teacher is asked to run for an hour or more, he or
she will not be able to do so. At the same time, if you ask a long
distance runner to run for an hour, he or she will do it easily,
but you ask the same runner to sit and work in the office for
long hours, he or she may not be able do it. Mental toughness,
interest for the task and physiological qualities all have a very
important role to play when we talk about endurance.

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So considering all such things we can say that

‘endurance is the physiological as well as psychological
ability of an individual to do some specific type of work
for longer duration with the desired quality under the
condition of fatigue’.
Endurance can be divided into three types, as far as
nature of the activity is concerned.
1. Basic endurance: This type of endurance ability
makes an individual capable to carry out any type
of work for longer duration. It is not task specific.
This type of endurance largely depends upon aerobic
capacity of an individual. In this type of endurance,
the pace of the activity is slow.
2. General endurance: This type of endurance ability
makes an individual capable to carry out any type
of work for longer duration with various movement
patterns and pace. The nature of the pace may change
according to the demand of the activity.
3. Specific endurance: This type of endurance ability
makes an individual capable to carry out a specific
type of work for longer duration with a set type of
movement patterns and pace. This involves aerobic
as well as anaerobic qualities of an individual and is
highly trainable in nature.

Factors determining endurance

Various physiological and psychological factors are involved
in determining the endurance of an individual. These factors
are muscle fibre type, aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity,
movement pattern and psychological factors.
1. Muscle fibre type: Muscles are made up of two types of
fibres, namely fast twitch and slow twitch fibre. Both
types are present in the muscle of an individual. If the
ratio of slow twitch fibres is more, then an individual
will possess the aerobic capacity which will enable
him/her to have endurance ability. In the same
manner, if there is higher ratio of fast twitch fibres,
then an individual will possess the anaerobic capacity
and will dominate in strength and speed activities.
2. Aerobic Capacity: It is the ability of muscle to
utilise more amount of oxygen while working.
This type of capacity largely depends upon the
oxygen uptake, its transportation from atmosphere
to the working muscles and oxygen consumption.
Oxygen intake is the amount of oxygen which is

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taken from the atmosphere with the help of nose and

mouth and is sent to the lungs and from where it
is transferred to the blood. Transportation of oxygen
from lungs to the target muscle is very important.
How much oxygen will be transported depends upon
the amount of oxygen absorbed by the blood and the
capacity of the heart which will pump the blood into
circulation. The amount of oxygen absorbed in blood
depends upon the amount of haemoglobin present in
the blood which carries oxygen to the target muscles.
The capacity of the heart and vascular system of the
body will determine how fast the blood will reach to
the target muscle. If the heart is strong and has larger
chamber size, it will pump more blood in circulation
which will help the oxygen to reach the target muscle
in less time. Further, when the oxygen reaches the
target muscle, it has to be taken up by the muscle
and then consumed.
3. Anaerobic capacity: It is the ability of the muscle to
work in the presence of inadequate amount of oxygen.
During such conditions, two types of energy systems
work, i.e., splitting of phosphogens and glycolysis
of glycogens. The phosphogens, i.e., Adenosine
Triphosphate and Creatine Phosphate (ATP and
CP) last for 8 to 10 seconds only. The amount of
phosphogens can be increased by training. The
increased ratio of lactic acid in the muscle decreases
the capacity of working muscle, so it is quickly
pushed into the blood which makes changes in the
pH value of the blood and makes the blood acidic.
To avoid this, alkali reserves present in the blood
neutralise the lactic acid effect. This system is called
buffer system and it is very helpful for endurance
performance. Further, an individual’s capacity to
tolerate lactic acid also plays an important role in
deciding the endurance capacity.
4. Movement pattern: Economical movement pattern is
of great help for saving energy, which in turn helps
in improving endurance capacity of an individual.
A good technique can save the wastage of energy.
5. Psychological factors: This has a big role to
play when it comes to endurance performance.
Mental toughness to tolerate pain, pushing oneself,
etc., has a great impact on continuing the long
duration activities.

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 280 Health and Physical Education - XI

Improvement of endurance
There are various methods by which one can improve his or
her endurance. This is highly trainable ability. The methods
by which we can improve our endurance capacity are
mentioned below.

Fig. 8.3: Improvement of endurance with fast pace

1. Continuous method: The method in which we go for long

duration activity without any rest or break in between.
This method can be practiced in various forms.

Fig. 8.4: Improvement of endurance through cross country

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 Health Related Physical Fitness 281

a) With slow pace: This method is normally used for

very long duration activity in which the pace is
slow and helps in developing the aerobic capacity
of an athlete. This method has a great effect on
muscles. The major changes which take place are
— increase in muscle glycogen level, increase of
capillaries in muscle and increase in the quantity of
oxidative enzymes. Number and size of mitochondria
increases, thermo-regulation capacity of the body
improves and due to long practice, the movement
pattern also becomes economic.
b) With fast pace: In this method, the pace is faster.
The duration of practice depends upon the fitness
of the athlete. This method is very much effective
to improve the anaerobic capacity of the athlete.
c) With changing pace: In this type of method, the
athlete is trained with change in pace. This is very
much effective in improving the aerobic as well as
anaerobic capacity of the athlete.
d) Fartlek method: This method is also called ‘speed
play’. In this method, the change of pace is not
planned prior to the start of the practice. This
method is very effective for mature athletes. The
athlete himself decides the pace and duration as
per the capacity. This method helps in developing
both aerobic and anaerobic capacity.
2. Interval Method: In this type of method, the athlete
is trained with sub-maximum intensity and with a
short break in between with incomplete recovery.
This type of method is very effective and helps in
improving endurance capacity. In this type of method,
the training load is decided by monitoring the heart
rate of the athlete. The interval given in between the
exercise is also decided by monitoring the heart rate.
3. Repetition Method: In this method, the pace is near
to or more than the pace of real completion. The
distance can be decided as per the need. The interval
in between will be given for complete recovery. This
method is very much useful for improving the pace
judgement and anaerobic capacity.
4. Competition method: This method is very much
effective for learning the tactic of long distance
running. This method develops specific endurance
and also helps in improving certain psychological
factors which play a vital role in carrying out long
distance activities. Competition method can be of

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 282 Health and Physical Education - XI

great help in checking the performance and deciding

the future training programme. Participating in
the matches of respective game/sports is a simple
example of competition method.
Table 1: Benefits of Endurance Training
System Increases Decreases
Cardio- 1. Heart size and volume 1. Resting heart-rate
respiratory 2. Blood volume and slight increase in 2. Sub-maximal exercise heart rate
System haemoglobin 3. Blood pressure (if high)
3. Stroke volume
4. Cardiac output
5. VO2 max
6. Oxygen interaction with cells
7. Lung volume
Muscular 1. Mitochondria — number and size 1. Chances of injuries
Skeletal System 2. Myoglobin storage
3. Triglyceride storage
4. Oxidative Phosphorylation
Other System 1. Strength of connective tissues 1. Body weight (if overweight)
2. Heat acclimatisation 2. Body fat
3. High-density lipoprotein Cholesterol 3. Total Cholesterol
(HDL) 4. Low Density Lipoprotein
Cholesterol (LDL)

Flexibility
It may be termed as the ability of an individual to move his
body parts to its maximum range around the related joint. It is
measured in degrees, radians or centimetres. This is a motor
ability which is of great importance for sports performance
as well as for leading a normal healthy life. It can be passive
or active in nature.

Fig. 8.5: Passive (Left), Active (Right)

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 Health Related Physical Fitness 283

1. Passive flexibility: When the movement around the

Activity 8.4
joint is done with external help, then this type of Try to stretch your muscles
flexibility is termed as passive flexibility. Help may be with and without help and see
taken from another person. the difference.
2. Active flexibility: When the movement around the
joints is done without the external help, then this type
of flexibility is termed as active flexibility. Further,
active flexibility is sub divided into two parts — static
and dynamic flexibility.

Fig. 8.6: Static flexibility

a) Static: When the individual is executing movement

around his joints in sitting or standing position,
then it is called static flexibility.
b) Dynamic: When the individual is executing
movement around his joints while moving, then it
is called dynamic flexibility.

Fig. 8.7: Dynamic flexibility

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 284 Health and Physical Education - XI

Factors determining flexibility

Do You Know?
The range of motion will be The range of movement around a joint depends on various
greater in passive stretching in factors which are as follows:
comparison to active stretching. 1. Anatomical structure of joint: The range of movement
around joints largely depends on the anatomical
structure of the joint. For example, ball and socket
type of joint has the maximum range of motion in
comparison to other type of joints.
2. Ligaments and muscles stretchability: The bones are
attached to each other by ligaments. These ligaments
have a great role to keep the two bones attached to
each other. Their stretchability has a great impact
on the movement possible around that joint. The
stretching ability of muscles around a particular joint
also plays a major role in their movement.
3. Coordination: Coordination between the agonist and
antagonist muscles around the joint plays a very crucial
role in determining the flexibility around the joint.
4. Strength of the muscle: For any movement, the
muscle should have the basic strength to move
the associated part or bone. If the muscle is weak,
then it will not be able to move the bone to its
maximum limits.

Improvement of flexibility
There are a few methods by which we can improve our
flexibility, these are:

Fig. 8.8: Ballistic method to improve flexibility

1. Ballistic method: When the flexibility exercises are

done with rhythmic movements, then it is called

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 Health Related Physical Fitness 285

ballistic method. In this method, the movements

around the joints are done with a swing. This type
of method is very much effective in improving the
range of motion around the joints, e.g., gymnastic
movements.
2. Stretch and hold: In this type of method, the athlete
is asked to stretch to his or her maximum limit and
hold the position for few seconds, then regain the
previous position. This type of method is very useful
for the improvement of flexibility. This can be done
individually or with the help of another person.

Sky Reach Toe Touch Neck Roll

Shoulder Roll Shoulder Stretch Side Reach

Gastrocnemius Stretch Quadriceps Stretch Cross-thigh Hug

Fig. 8.9: Stretching exercise

3. Post-Isometric Stretch: In this, the muscle is

isometrically contracted for around 8–10 seconds
and as it returns to normal condition, muscle is
stretched to its limit gradually. It is also called as

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 286 Health and Physical Education - XI

proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF). It

requires supervision of a trained person and advanced
methods to practice.
Physical fitness is not only required for players
but also for everyone. One must do various fitness
activities to keep oneself physically, emotionally and
mentally healthy.

Fig. 8.10: Stretching exercise with the help of another person and equipment

Body Composition
It is the classification of human body into fat weight and
lean body weight. It can be assessed using both direct and
indirect methods. Direct method for evaluating the body
composition is hydrostatic weighing or under water weighing,
and assessing body composition by a skin-fold caliper is
called indirect method.

Cardio-vascular Endurance
It is the ability of heart, lungs and blood vessels to supply
sufficient amount of oxygen and nutrients to the cells to
meet the demands of the activity characterised by moderate
contractions of large muscle groups over prolonged period of
time. Twelve minutes run/walk test can be used to evaluate
cardio-vascular endurance.

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 Assessment
I. Long Answer Questions
1. What do you understand by health?
2. List and explain the components of health related fitness.
3. Explain muscular strength.
4. Explain the benefits of endurance training.
5. Explain flexibility and its types.
6. Explain the various factors affecting flexibility.

II. Short Answer Questions

1. Define endurance.
2. What is physical fitness?
3. What is interval method?
4. What is Post-Isometric Stretch?
5. List down the four motion factors responsible for range of motion.
6. What is the full form of PNF?

III. Fill in the Blanks

1. Force is produced ______________________.
2. _____________ component helps in improving the number and
size of mitochondria.
3. ________________ is a swedish method to develop the endurance.
4. ______________ method has incomplete recovery in endurance.
5. Body weight _________________ with endurance traning.
6. _____________________ is responsible for great range of motion.
7. Flexibility movements done with rhythmic movements are
called as ___________.
8. Universally practised stretching method is ______________.

IV. State whether True or False

1. Passive flexibility training is done with internal help.
2. The bones are attached to each other by ligaments.
3. Muscles are made up of two types of fibres namely, fast twitch
and slow twitch fibre.
4. Physical fitness indirectly influences the health of an individual.
5. The ability of muscles to consume oxygen while working is
known as aerobic capacity.

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 Optimizing Energy Systems
Tip 1: eat your meals at regular time

Indeed, always eating at a fixed time allows the body to have a regular energy intake. As a result, your
body will be able to adapt and optimally manage the digestion of food.

To stay in good shape, we often recommend a diet with lots of starch, moderate amounts of proteins
and a low-fat meal.

Tip 2: eat healthy and varied

• Carbohydrates: consume some with each meal to fill up with energy (pasta, rice, semolina,
potatoes, etc.).

• Meat, fish, eggs 1 to 2 times a day for protein intake

• Fruit and vegetables as the saying goes "eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day". It is
important to respect this for your vitamin, fiber and water intake.

• Dairy products: about 3 times a day (protein and calcium intake).

• Fat: indeed, you also need fat (but in moderation). They provide lipids and vitamins.

Physical activity consumes a lot of calories. It is therefore necessary to eat regularly to maintain
the energy stock. Starchy foods, rich in complex carbohydrates, provide significant energy. For optimal
effectiveness, eat it throughout the day, ideally with every meal.

Tip 3: eat before the effort

It is important to eat before exercise. This meal will directly impact your physical performance. If the diet is
insufficient, hypoglycemia may result. If it is too high, it can cause digestive problems. This is why, before
exercise, choose a meal that is both digestible and complete.

Your priority must be to eat an energy meal that is completely digested before departure. The meal must
be digestible: avoid butter brioche ! It must provide carbohydrates without causing digestive discomfort, so
avoid whole starch (wholemeal bread, rusks, etc.). In practice, consume:

• An ultra cake: it is an energy cake rich in carbohydrates and especially very digestible

• A hot drink

•
Tip 4: eat during exercise

Hydration and nutrition during exercise will also be important factors in your
performance. Thus, a failure may result in dehydration and decreased energy. It is therefore important
to drink well and eat well to compensate for the losses.
 • Low intensity efforts: for low intensity efforts, such as jogging for an hour for example, you
draw little from your reserves, so you do not need to bring much energy: a chocolate bar or a
coated cereal bar will suffice.

• Medium intensity efforts: In the case of a 2-hour bike or race outing, for example, you start
to draw from your reserves. You must bring 30 g of carbohydrates per hour of effort.
Therefore, I advise you to drink 1 can of energy drink and eat 2 cereal bars.

• High intensity efforts: for high intensity efforts, such as a marathon, you should bring 60 g
to 90 g of carbohydrates per hour. This corresponds to 2 cans (2 x 500 ml) of energy drink or
2 gels and one can of isotonic drink.

Tip 5: recover after exercise

Once a competition or training is over, athletes tend to forget to recover. Yet, that is what is most important.
After the effort the body needs to regain its balance. Thus, care must be taken to compensate all losses
and renew them.

• Rehydrate at the end of the outing: After an effort, the body is in a state of more or less
pronounced, but systematic dehydration. Its severity depends on the intensity and duration of
the effort, the quality of the drink consumed during the effort and the weather conditions on
the day of the effort. Sweating during the activity obviously causes a loss of water as well as
a loss of minerals that must be compensated very quickly. Rehydration is thus the primary
objective of recovery.

• "Re-sugar" your body: after a long or intense outing, the energy reserves are logically well
depleted. It is thus necessary to reconstitute them. To do this, a carbohydrate intake must be
made. Ideally, this should be done within 2 hours of physical exertion. All kinds of
carbohydrates (low or high GI) can be consumed.

GI = glyceamic index = ratings on food containing carbon and how they affect your body / blood glucose
level.
Improving Your Eating Habits
• Obesity and Excess Weight Increase Risk of Severe Illness;
Racial and Ethnic Disparities Persist
• Food Assistance and Food Systems Resources

When it comes to eating, many of us have developed habits.

Some are good (“I always eat fruit as a dessert”), and some
are not so good (“I always have a sugary drink after work as a
reward”). Even if you’ve had the same eating pattern for
years, it’s not too late to make improvements.

Making sudden, radical changes, such as eating nothing but

cabbage soup, can lead to short term weight loss. However,
such radical changes are neither healthy nor a good idea and
won’t be successful in the long run. Permanently improving
your eating habits requires a thoughtful approach in which
you reflect, replace, and reinforce.

• REFLECT on all of your specific eating habits, both bad

and good; and, your common triggers for unhealthy
eating.
• REPLACE your unhealthy eating habits with healthier
ones.
• REINFORCE your new, healthier eating habits.

Reflect:

• Create a list of your eating and drinking habits. Keep

a food and beverage diary for a few days. Write down
everything you eat and drink, including sugary drinks and
alcohol. Write down the time of day you ate or drank the
item. This will help you uncover your habits. For
example, you might discover that you always seek a
sweet snack to get you through the mid-afternoon
energy slump. Use this diary [PDF-105KB] to help. It’s
good to note how you were feeling when you decided to
 eat, especially if you were eating when not hungry. Were
you tired? Stressed out?
• Highlight the habits on your list that may be leading
you to overeat. Common eating habits that can lead to
weight gain are:
o Eating too fast
o Always cleaning your plate
o Eating when not hungry
o Eating while standing up (may lead to eating
mindlessly or too quickly)
o Always eating dessert
o Skipping meals (or maybe just breakfast)
• Look at the unhealthy eating habits you’ve
highlighted. Be sure you’ve identified all the triggers that
cause you to engage in those habits. Identify a few you’d
like to work on improving first. Don’t forget to pat
yourself on the back for the things you’re doing right.
Maybe you usually eat fruit for dessert, or you drink low-
fat or fat-free milk. These are good habits! Recognizing
your successes will help encourage you to make more
changes.
• Create a list of “cues” by reviewing your food diary to
become more aware of when and where you’re
“triggered” to eat for reasons other than hunger. Note
how you are typically feeling at those times. Often an
environmental “cue”, or a particular emotional state, is
what encourages eating for non-hunger reasons.
Common triggers for eating when not hungry are:
o Opening up the cabinet and seeing your favorite
snack food.
o Sitting at home watching television.
o Before or after a stressful meeting or situation at
work.
 o Coming home after work and having no idea what’s
for dinner.
o Having someone offer you a dish they made “just
for you!”
o Walking past a candy dish on the counter.
o Sitting in the break room beside the vending
machine.
o Seeing a plate of doughnuts at the morning staff
meeting.
o Swinging through your favorite drive-through every
morning.
o Feeling bored or tired and thinking food might
offer a pick-me-up.
• Circle the “cues” on your list that you face on a daily
or weekly basis. While the Thanksgiving holiday may be
a trigger to overeat, for now focus on cues you face more
often. Eventually you want a plan for as many eating
cues as you can.
• Ask yourself these questions for each “cue” you’ve
circled:
o Is there anything I can do to avoid the cue or
situation? This option works best for cues that
don’t involve others. For example, could you
choose a different route to work to avoid stopping
at a fast food restaurant on the way? Is there
another place in the break room where you can sit
so you’re not next to the vending machine?
o For things I can’t avoid, can I do something
differently that would be healthier? Obviously,
you can’t avoid all situations that trigger your
unhealthy eating habits, like staff meetings at
work. In these situations, evaluate your options.
Could you suggest or bring healthier snacks or
 beverages? Could you offer to take notes to
distract your attention? Could you sit farther away
from the food so it won’t be as easy to grab
something? Could you plan ahead and eat a
healthy snack before the meeting?
Top of Page

Replace:

• Replace unhealthy habits with new, healthy ones. For

example, in reflecting upon your eating habits, you may
realize that you eat too fast when you eat alone. So,
make a commitment to share a lunch each week with a
colleague, or have a neighbor over for dinner one night a
 week. Another strategy is to put your fork down between
bites. Also, minimize distractions, such as watching the
news while you eat. Such distractions keep you from
paying attention to how quickly and how much you’re
eating.
• Eat more slowly. If you eat too quickly, you may “clean
your plate” instead of paying attention to whether your
hunger is satisfied.
• Eat only when you’re truly hungry instead of when you
are tired, anxious, or feeling an emotion besides hunger.
If you find yourself eating when you are experiencing an
emotion besides hunger, such as boredom or anxiety, try
to find a non-eating activity to do instead. You may find a
quick walk or phone call with a friend helps you feel
better.
• Plan meals ahead of time to ensure that you eat a
healthy well-balanced meal.

Reinforce:
• Reinforce your new, healthy habits and be patient
with yourself. Habits take time to develop. It doesn’t
happen overnight. When you do find yourself engaging
in an unhealthy habit, stop as quickly as possible and ask
yourself: Why do I do this? When did I start doing this?
What changes do I need to make? Be careful not to
berate yourself or think that one mistake “blows” a whole
day’s worth of healthy habits. You can do it! It just takes
one day at a time!