Fitness Test Data and a Student Who Wants to Get Stronger
In a 10th-grade fitness unit, students complete a district pre-test. Jordan, age 16, is 5 feet 9 inches and 190 pounds. His results are 12 push-ups, 24 curl-ups, 20 cm sit-and-reach, and an 11:05 one-mile run. He tells the teacher he wants to 'get stronger and faster' and has started unsupervised bench pressing and sprinting after school. He has mild asthma and uses an inhaler before exercise. He reports general soreness and has been lifting heavy three days in a row. The class meets twice weekly for 45 minutes for three weeks and has dumbbells, resistance bands, jump ropes, and a small track. The teacher must interpret the data, set priorities, and design a safe plan that respects Jordan's goals and his asthma.
1. Interpret Jordan's fitness results using health-related and skill-related fitness categories. What should be prioritized, and why?
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Health-related fitness includes cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. Skill-related fitness includes speed, agility, power, balance, coordination, and reaction time.
Jordan's 12 push-ups and 24 curl-ups suggest low muscular endurance. His 11:05 mile indicates low cardiorespiratory fitness for a 16-year-old. His 20 cm sit-and-reach is adequate and does not suggest a flexibility priority. His goal of getting stronger and faster is reasonable, but speed and power depend on a base of strength, movement quality, and aerobic fitness.
The priority should be aerobic base and muscular endurance with safe technique, then low-volume power work. His unsupervised heavy lifting three days in a row is a recovery risk, especially with soreness. The teacher should not simply add more sprinting or max lifting. The plan should build work capacity, teach technique, and coordinate with his asthma action plan.
2. Design a FITT-VP plan for the three-week unit that is safe for Jordan and aligned with his goals. Include asthma and recovery considerations and a way to assess progress.
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FITT-VP plan:
- Frequency: 3-5 days per week, including the two PE classes plus short home sessions.
- Intensity: moderate, RPE 5-6/10 or 40-60% heart-rate reserve for aerobic work; resistance sets stopped 2-3 repetitions before failure.
- Time: 20-30 minutes of aerobic work and 20 minutes of resistance work per session.
- Type: walk-jog intervals, jump-rope intervals, circuit training with bands and dumbbells, and short acceleration drills.
- Progression: increase volume or intensity by about 5-10% per week, not both at once.
A 45-minute class could include a 5-minute warm-up, a 15-minute circuit (step-ups, band rows, wall push-ups, jump-rope intervals), 10 minutes of technique or short speed work, and a 5-minute cool-down. Asthma considerations include having the inhaler nearby, warming up gradually, avoiding cold dry air, using interval work, and stopping if wheezing occurs. For recovery, keep 48 hours between heavy resistance sessions and avoid max lifts. Progress can be assessed by retesting push-ups, curl-ups, and a timed run in 4-6 weeks and by having Jordan log sessions and soreness.