Physical Literacy - Session 15
Strength is developed over time as you gently and gradually increase the difficulty of each exercise to keep the body adapting. This is traditionally done by adding resistance (weight), although there are ways to make it harder even without. The challenge for this session is to find a way to complete the desired number of repetitions, whereby the last few reps are a struggle to finish. If you feel like you can do 5-10 more reps of an exercise when you stop, then it is not difficult enough for you to build strength.
Progress, do more, find a way that challenges you to grow – this is what it means to Go Forward. You might surprise yourself by what you can achieve when you set a goal and work towards it with sheer determination.
- Call your life play - on a scale of 1-5 how are you feeling today?
- What are some ways we can change an exercise to find the right intensity level for you?
- We are 3/4 of the way through our fitness program, what changes have you noticed about yourself so far? Mentally and/or physically?
This warm-up is great to prepare for sessions focused on strength or endurance. View in the Warm-Up Library.
Demonstrate each exercise, noting which muscle groups they target. Students should then complete 3 sets of each exercise on their own before moving on to the next exercise. Students should rest for no more than 1min in between each set.
The goal is to reach the target number of reps for each exercise, but it should be difficult, with the last few reps pushing students to the higher end of the RPE scale. If it’s too easy for the first set, encourage them to alter the exercise to make it more difficult.
Encourage students to use resistance by adding weight if they can do so. If no weight is available, reducing rest between sets or adapting the exercise to change the leverage can make it harder, as can doing it one arm or leg at a time. Reps and/or sets can be increased too.
Students should utilize their fitness journal to document success and RPE.
- Full Body – Burpee with a push up and jump – 5 reps
- Chest and Shoulders – Push up variation of choice: hands or feet raised, wide or narrow grip - 10 reps
- Back – Reverse Angels - 12 reps
- Quads – Bodyweight Squat - 15 reps
- Hamstrings/Glutes – Glute Bridges – 15 reps
- Calves – Calf Raises – 25 reps
This is a walking cool down. While walking around the outside of the gym or marching in place, complete the following stretches and breathing routine. View in the Cool Down Library.
- Call your life play - on a scale of 1-5 how are you feeling after this session?
- In what way did you change any of the exercises from today to make them more difficult?
- If you could be stronger in one exercise, what would it be and why?
- What do you think Go Forward looks like outside of these sessions?