Body Composition Exercises

Fitness is very important for the proper functioning of all body parts and systems. The 5 components of physical fitness are cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition. So, what does body composition mean? It is used to describe the percentages of bone, fat and muscle mass in the body. The muscles in the body take less space in our body compared to the fat tissue, our composition helps to determine our weight and leanness. So, it is possible that two people with same body weight and height look completely different from each other.

Body Composition Analysis

Body composition takes into account the body's type (male or female), the height, the weight, frame size and the proportion of the fat mass compared to the lean muscle mass. The analysis can be done in several ways. The most common method is using a set of measurement calipers, which helps to measure the thickness of subcutaneous fat in different body parts like abs, arms, buttocks, and thighs. These measurements help to determine the total body fat. One of the excellent ways to assess the body composition is hydrostatic weighting, also known as underwater weighting. In this method a person is placed in a specially designed underwater tank to determine the body fat percentage. If more body fat is present, then the body floats and the less it weights in water. When this method is done properly, it gives accurate results.

What are Possible Exercises for Improving Body Composition?

Different exercises provide different benefits. If a person is obese or overweight, then he/she should opt for exercises which burn the most amount of calories. If you have a medium frame and wish to lose weight and build lean muscles, then stick to exercises which help to build lean muscles rather than exercises which make you sweat a lot. If you wish to put on muscle mass, then you should focus on weight training exercises that help to build muscle weight.

Best Exercises to Lose Weight Fast
Two of the best exercises that help to burn a lot of calories are skipping with a jump rope, and elliptical trainer workout. Skipping is very easy to perform exercise, which doesn't need any expensive fitness equipment, all you need is a jump rope and some floor space, and you can do skipping workouts easily. Skipping helps to burn many calories fast in a short period of time, it helps to burn calories faster than running. Elliptical machine workout is great for losing weight fast, because on an elliptical trainer one need to use the legs and arms both. This leads to overall body weight loss.

Exercises to Build Lean Muscles
Two great exercises to build lean muscles are swimming and aerobics. Swimming is a great cardio workout, which is a low impact and great for people suffering any injuries. Regular swimming helps to build lean muscles, and improve flexibility. Step aerobics workout, are fun workouts which not just help to lose weight fast but also to build lean muscles.

Workouts for Bodybuilding
If you wish to build great looking muscles, then weight training exercises are required. It is important that you focus on weight training for all the muscle groups. Many people concentrate only on chest muscles, and ignore leg muscles, which gives a disproportional look. Examples of weight training exercises include push ups, press ups, dead lifts, lunges, squats, bench press, etc.

So, get a analysis done, and form a workout routine using the exercises that best suit your body composition.