Fitness Station Ideas

 

Name of Activity / Task: The Twelve Ways to Fitness

Concept being Taught: Components of fitness (cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, flexibility and muscular strength)

Purpose of Activity: To have students work on their cardiovascular and muscular endurance in a fun and motivational way. This activity can be used during the fitness portion of any physical education lesson.

Suggested Grade Level: 6-8

Materials Needed: A large open space that safely accommodates a particular class size, music, CD/Tape player

Description of the Activity

This is an add-on fitness activity using 12 student leaders. Have your students get into groups of twelve (or a large group could be used as well with the twelve student leaders in front of the group calling out the exercise they are assigned).

Explain to the students that you are going to have them work on some fitness exercises and it works very much like the Christmas song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" where the students add on and perform the next number of exercises. All of the students will do the exercises together. For example, all do 4 sit-ups together, then they do 3 push ups, etc.

The following is an example complete with suggested fitness exercises. You are welcome to choose the exercises that you are partial to.

1. Push-up (first student leader does)

2. Sit-ups (second leader adds on and then repeats #1)

3. Coffee-grinders (extend one arm on the ground supporting the body weight while walking the feet 360 degrees around the arm. Students can alternate arms when needed. In this example, students perform 3 coffee-grinders each time it comes up then do 2 sit-ups) (third leader adds on then repeat #2, #1)

4. Crab kicks (fourth leader adds on then repeat #3, #2, #1)

5. Golden rest (This is a rest period where students get a break between exercises by walking slowly around the area chanting "one golden rest, two golden rests, three golden rests, four golden rests, five golden rests". After they complete the fifth golden rest, as suggested by this example, they perform 4 crab kicks. (fifth leader adds on then repeat #4, #3, #2, #1)

6. Leaping leaps (sixth leader adds on then repeat #5, #4, #3, #2, #1)

7. Jumping jacks (seventh leader adds on then repeat #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1)

8. Forward lunges (eighth leader adds on then repeat #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1)

9. Carioca (or grapevine/crossover) steps (students move sideways with arms held out and parallel to the ground using a crossover step in front and a return step, a crossover step in back, and finally another step (this is considered one complete carioca step). (ninth leader adds on then repeat #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1)

10. Skipping skips (tenth leader adds on then repeat #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4 #3, #2, #1)

11. Rooster hops (Simply hopping on one foot. Students can alternate legs if needed.) (eleventh leader adds on then repeat #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1)

12. Running steps/stairs (last student leader adds on then repeat #11, #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1)

Assessment Ideas:

Have students choose the exercise to do (may want to have a large list available for them to look at)

After activity is over have students write down the exercises and have them write which fitness component each exercise was stressing or was most closely related to. Have them turn this in so you can check for understanding.

If a big class you may want to post the exercises on a poster board for those in the back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name of Activity / Task: Interval Workout

Concept being Taught: Cardiovascular Fitness and Muscular Endurance

Purpose of Activity: To learn how interval training works by having students perform activities that involve alternating short bursts of high intensity with lower intensity activities.

Suggested Grade Level: 9-12

Materials Needed: To learn how interval training works by having students perform activities that involve alternating short bursts of high intensity with lower intensity activities.

Description of the Activity

After warming up your class adequately (move them first to get muscles warm, then lead through appropriate exercise), lead your students through the interval workout. The number of seconds for each activity may be varied depending on the fitness level of the group. After students complete the activity make a task card for them so they can work with a partner of similar fitness level and work independently. This will help develop student self responsibility. The workout proceeds as follows:

1. Sprint 30 seconds, Walk briskly 60 secs. to recover
2. Tuck Jumps for height for 30 seconds (tuck knees to chest, land with bend in knees), Walk briskly 60 secs. to recover
3. Push-ups for 30 seconds, Walk briskly 60 secs.
4. High Knee Sprint for 30 seconds, Walk briskly 60 secs.
5. Wall Push-up 30 seconds (bend elbows, keep body straight), Walk briskly 60 secs.
6. Sprint 30 seconds, Walk briskly 60 secs. to recover
7. Grapevine sprint 30 seconds (keep shoulder pointing forward), Walk briskly 60 secs.
8. Alternating Lunges 30 seconds (make sure knees do not go past toes), Walk briskly 60 secs.
9. High Knee Skipping 30 seconds, Walk briskly 60 secs.
10. Crunches for 30 seconds, WALK to cool down
11. Stretch all muscle groups

Variations:

If you have some students who are injured or who are unable to do some of these due to previous injuries you may consider having a station for jump roping.

 

 

 

 

Name of Activity / Task: Fitness Race Track

Concept being Taught: Cardiovascular endurance

Purpose of Activity: To teach proper exercise techniques and to increase cardiovascular endurance

Suggested Grade Level: 6th and Up

Materials Needed: Large open area that can be made into a square measuring approximately 40 X 40 feet, Cones to be placed in the corners of the square, Signs that have a list of 7-10 different exercises, that will be attached to the cones, high energy music.

Description of the Activity

Have each student get a partner and go to one of the corners of the square where the exercises are listed. (Limit the number of groups per corner, i.e. no more than 4 groups per corner.) The students need to decide which one will be the runnner and which will be the exerciser.

Have all students take their resting heart rate and record that. Then have them estimate and record what they think their heart rate will be when they are done with the activity.

When the music starts (or on the teachers signal) the student who chose running will run around the square while their partner does the first exercise on the list. When the runner gets back to the corner in which he/she started he/she does the first exercise on the list and the partner that was doing the exercise will run around the square. When the second runner gets back to his corner he does the second exercise on the list and the other partner runs, etc. Continue until all exercises on the list have been completed by each partner. After the partners have completed the tasks have them students take their heart rate again and record it. See if they were close to their estimation at the beginning of the activity. Have the students walk around inside the square until their classmates have finished the activity. This is a good time for them to stretch their warmed up muscles on the inside of the track

Variations:

Make sure that the students doing the exercises are completely inside of the square and the runners run around the outside of the square.

If inside make sure runners aren't running too close to walls and outside equipment on the ground.

Possible Station Activities

You do not need to do all of these. Choose 4-5.

 

 

 

 

Name of Activity / Task: Pushin' Through The Maze

Concept being Taught: Cooperation and muscular endurance

Purpose of Activity:

·  Psychomotor: Develop cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength

·  Cognitive: Enhance problem solving and negotiation skills

·  Affective: Use positive interactions to encourage and support efforts directed at collective mat pushing

Suggested Grade Level: 4th and Up

Materials Needed: One to three folded tumbling mats per group of three students, cones to mark the pathway borders

Description of the Activity

Students in groups of three/four attempt to push one to three stacked tumbling mats through various pathways in a predetermined time and course. The pathways should include curved as well as straight lines and use narrow and wide borders.

The pushing position is with the head up, hands on the long edge of the mat, and knees off the ground while pushing.