Physical Fitness Plan

Physical Fitness Plan Introduction A beneficial physical fitness plan involves engaging in regular activity that addresses strength, muscular enduranc...
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Physical Fitness Plan Introduction A beneficial physical fitness plan involves engaging in regular activity that addresses strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, and body composition. The activities in the fitness plan described here address all five of these components, with an emphasis on cardiovascular endurance, a key component in improving overall health and maintaining a healthful body composition. Before beginning a regular fitness regime, consider two important principles of exercise: preparation and progression.

Progression The body adapts best, and with least risk of injury, when the fitness plan involves a slow and steady progression in frequency and duration of exercise. Work up to the program goal (one activity per day for ten days) slowly. Initially, perform the activities three times per week, preferably every other day. This may include 5 minutes of warmup, followed by 5 minutes of physical activity. Increase the duration weekly. Depending on the activity, increase it 3–5 minutes per week, until you can exercise comfortably for 30 minutes. The more strenuous the activity, the slower you should progress. Increase the frequency as well, from three to five days per week, and so on, until you reach the goal of one activity per day for ten days. Repeat this cycle every two weeks. A sample progression chart is illustrated below.

Preparation Preparing to exercise involves performing a series of warm-up activities designed to raise body temperature. The warm-up should not be strenuous and should last 5–10 minutes. At that point the body will be ready for more rigorous activity. Easy warm-up activities include walking, marching, and jogging, as well as basic calisthenics. The Health & Wellness Workout Songs CD provides additional warm-up activities.

Sample Progression Chart (time in minutes) DAY

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

WEEK

Warm Up

Activity

Warm Up

Activity

Warm Up

Activity

Warm Up

Activity

Warm Up

Activity

1

5 min

5 min





5 min

5 min





5 min

5 min

2

5 min

7 min





5 min

7 min





5 min

7 min

3

5 min

10 min





5 min

10 min





5 min

10 min

4

5 min

12 min





5 min

12 min





5 min

12 min

5

7 min

15 min





7 min

15 min





7 min

15 min

6

7 min

17 min





7 min

17 min





7 min

17 min

7

10 min

20 min





10 min

20 min





10 min

20 min

8

10 min

20 min

10 min

20 min

10 min

20 min





10 min

20 min

9

10 min

20 min

10 min

20 min

10 min

20 min

10 min

20 min

10 min

20 min

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Five Components of Fitness Before you can implement an effective fitness plan, you should have a basic understanding of the five components of fitness. Cardiovascular endurance is the ability of the heart and lungs to function efficiently over time without fatigue. Activities that improve cardiovascular endurance involve continuous whole body or large muscle group movements. Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to work continuously without fatigue. Improvement in this area involves using a muscle in repetitive movements. Muscular strength is the ability of a muscle, or group of muscles, to produce force during one maximum contraction. Improvement in this area requires near maximum exertion, or use of a muscle or muscle group.

Flexibility is the ability to move a body part freely, without pain around an articulation of the body. Gentle stretching or taxing of one’s range of motion will result in improved performance in this area. Body composition is the amount of body fat compared with lean mass. Generally speaking, a healthy body is mostly made up of lean tissue. Body composition is a result of diet, exercise, and genetics. Changing the order in which you perform the activities will provide variations in the cycle.

CSHP

Promotes Coordinated School Health Program

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Fitness Activities Activity 1: Fitness Day Fitness Components Strength, flexibility, and muscular endurance Equipment Make exercise cards in advance. Each card should name and illustrate a different exercise. You can include some or all of the exercises shown below. (Some of these exercises are included on the Health & Wellness Workout Songs CD.) Formation Students form two lines and face each other; or they can form a circle. Description Decide on a formation. Choose a leader to pick a card, stand in the center of the formation, and lead the class in an exercise. You may have each leader choose more than one exercise to lead, depending on the size of the class.

Reach for the Sky

Plank

Leg Raise

Pointer

Donkey Kick

Open/Closed Pike

Sit-n-Stretch

Open

Start

Closed

Finish

Start

Finish

Table/Crab

Flyer (half)

Legs Up T36

Flyer (whole)

Arms and Legs Up

Planks Hop In Place

Activity 2: Fitness Circuit Fitness Components Strength, flexibility, and muscular endurance Equipment 2–4 jump ropes, posters, or cards naming each station spread throughout the playing area (see diagram) Formation Set up stations as illustrated. Pair students. Description Students have one minute at each station. Stations consist of pushups, sit-ups, jump rope, leg raises, planks, seated toe touches, jumps in place, hops in place, jumping jacks, arm circles. You may have one to two pairs of students per station. The teacher instructs students to perform as many of the exercises as possible for one minute. After a minute students rotate on command to the station on their right.

Jump Rope

Arm Circles

Seated Toe Touches

FITNESS CIRCUIT Jumping Jacks

Sit-Ups

Leg Raises

Push-Ups Jump In Place

Activity 3: Crab Soccer Fitness Components Muscular strength and endurance Equipment Crab soccer ball or other large ball Formation Students are divided into two teams. Two goal lines are marked on the playing area. Students are in the crab position and must remain so throughout the game. Description Place a crab soccer ball in the middle of the playing area. Instruct teams to kick the ball past the other team’s goal line to score. Students must stay in the crab position. The game continues until a designated number of goals are scored or a designated time limit is reached.

Activity 4: Modified Crab Relay Fitness Components Strength and muscular endurance Equipment 4–5 flying disks Formation Two lines are placed 15–25 feet apart depending on grade level. One is the starting line and one is the turnaround line. Four to five single-file lines consist of five to six students. The first student in each line is in crab position with the flying disk resting on his or her abdomen. Description Upon hearing the start command, the first student on each line should crab walk (i.e., traverse the floor staying in the crab position) to the turnaround line and then back to the starting line, balancing the flying disk on the abdomen. Once back at the starting line, the disk is handed to the next player. This process iterates until all team members in line have completed the task. If the flying disk falls off, the student must stop and place it back on the abdomen. The first team to have all team members complete the crab walk relay wins. The teacher can change teams and repeat the activity.

Activity 5: Piranha River Fitness Component Cardiovascular fitness Equipment None Formation Two end lines are placed on opposite ends of the playing area. Two lines are formed in the middle of the playing area parallel to the end lines and spaced about 10 feet apart. This is the “river.” Description Choose two students to act as “piranhas.” They must stay within the river. All remaining students start behind one end line. Upon command by the teacher they are to run across the river to the opposite end line. The piranhas try to tag them as they cross the river. If you are tagged, you become a piranha. T37

Fitness Activities (continued) Activity 6: Space Traders Fitness Component Cardiovascular fitness Equipment Soft playground ball Formation Circle with one child in the middle Description Students are given numbers from 1 to 3. The student in the middle has the ball placed on the ground to his/her side. He/She will call out a number and, all students with that number have to run across the circle to an open spot (i.e., trade spaces) in the circle perimeter. The person in the middle, after calling out a number picks up the ball and throws it in an attempt to hit one of the students below the waist as they run across the circle. It only counts if a student is hit below the waist. The one who is hit now becomes the student in the middle of the circle.

Activity 7: Obstacle Course Fitness Component Cardiovascular endurance Equipment None Formation Large circle with students facing toward the middle Description Students pair up with another student. They connect by locking arms. The teacher numbers the pairs 1–7 or greater, depending upon the size of the class. The teacher then calls out a number and those pairs of students run into the middle of the circle. They continue running inside the circle until the teacher yells “Freeze.” They then stop where they are and stand straight with the arms at their sides. The teacher then calls out a second number and those pairs must now run and cross the circle to a spot opposite of where they are standing, without touching any of the “frozen” obstacles. You can vary this and have them jump instead of run.

Activity 8: Alien Invaders Fitness Component Cardiovascular endurance Equipment None Formation Two teams stand behind lines at opposite ends of the playing area. Teams consist of pairs of students joined together by holding hands or locking arms. Description The “soldiers” stand behind one line and the “aliens” stand behind the other line. The aliens turn with their backs to the soldiers. The soldiers quietly walk toward the aliens. The teacher waits until the soldiers are close to the aliens and then calls out “There are soldiers in your galaxy!” The aliens turn around and chase the soldiers back to their line. Any soldiers who are tagged before reaching the line must become aliens. The roles now switch with the soldiers chasing the aliens.

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Activity 9: Par Cours Fitness Components Cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, strength, and flexibility Equipment Four jump ropes Formation A course is organized as illustrated with each station marked with a cone, and a diagram poster. Description Students line up in pairs or groups of four. Upon the start command, students jog to each station and complete the assigned tasks. The teacher can command the students jog one or more laps. A large class may be split in half, with each half completing one lap and then alternating with the other half.

Push-Ups 10

Sit-Ups 10

Activity 10: Intervals

Par Cours

Standing Toe Touches 10 Touches

Jump Ropes 10 Jumps

Fitness Component Cardiovascular endurance Equipment One whistle, several cones Formation Several single-file lines group together but spread slightly, as if beginning a race. Use a running track if available or mark cones on a field or gym to trace a large circle. Description At the sound of the whistle, students are to begin walking around the circle. When the teacher blows the whistle twice in succession, students are to jog until they hear the next whistle sounds. When the teacher blows the whistle three times in succession, students are to run until they hear the next whistle sound. The teacher varies the whistle commands, paying attention to student fatigue and temperature conditions.

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