Strong Solutions to a growing fitness crisis

to Get America’s Youth in Shape Strong solutions to a growing fitness crisis Physical education departments in middle schools are facing a twofold problem: Fighting widespread childhood obesity while dealing with a staggering increase in injuries in PE programs. BFS has the answer: the BFS Readiness Program and BFS Hydraulic Line. First let’s talk about physical education, looking at a research study published in the journal Pediatrics. From 1977 to 2007, injuries in physical education classes increased by 150 percent; the majority of these injuries were to middle school children.

When children are injured or have a history of injuries, one administrative response is to remove these children from physical education classes or place them in especially low-risk activities, such as walking. Unfortunately, a Band-Aid reaction like this may make the problem worse. One goal in physical education classes is to prepare children for more complex skills and sports competition. If the children are not prepared, they quickly become frustrated and quit – some even sustain serious injuries that could have been prevented with proper conditioning.

Although it’s difficult to obtain accurate statistics, one study sponsored by the Women’s Sports Foundation estimates that 27 percent of girls and 29 percent of boys quit playing sports due to a health problem or injury! This is unacceptable – let’s see what can be done. The first step is the BFS Readiness Program. At BFS we believe that the MARCH/APRIL 2014 when to change stations, have the entire class of students exercising at once.

As for circuit training’s effectiveness, in a study published in the September 2011 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research that compared circuit training to conventional strength training, researchers reported that the circuit training program was more effective in decreasing body fat even though circuit participants completed their workouts nearly twice as fast as the conventional group. Although machines with selectorized weight stacks can be used safely with young athletes who are properly supervised, the absolute safest circuit training machines use hydraulic fluid to create resistance.

Hydraulic resistance offers several important benefits for children that are not available when using free weights or selectorized equipment. One benefit is self-accommodating resistance (SAR), which is the concept that the amount of force that a trainee exerts on the lever is the amount of force the trainee receives in return. As such, trainees will not encounter a The Circuit Training Solution resistance beyond their strength level.

The concept of circuit trainMany of the BFS hydraulic resistance ing was introduced to the sports machines provide resistance in both science community in 1953 by flexion and extension, enabling physiologists at the University of trainees to perform more exercises Leeds in England as a way to integrate (and thus more total work) in several components of fitness. less time.

For example, when Rather than performing all sets of using the BFS biceps/ an exercise before moving to another, triceps unit, the trainee with circuit training the trainee perbends their arms and forms only one set of an exercise before Many hydraulic resistance machines, their biceps encounter moving on to the next exercise in the such as the BFS biceps/triceps unit, resistance; when they series, or “circuit.” For example, one circuit provide resistance in both flexion straighten their arms to could consist of performing 10 repetitions of and extension, allowing more work to be performed in less time.

return to the start, their bench presses, 10 repetitions of leg presses, then 10 triceps will get work. repetitions of chin-ups. Some years after circuit training came The advantage to instructors is that they do not have to on the scene, it became even more efficient with the developensure that the appropriate amount of weight is used for each ment of weight stacks that enable trainees to change resisstudent in each exercise, as would be necessary with selectortance by moving a pin rather than changing weight plates. ized equipment.

The instructor simply sets a goal number The BFS Selector Circuit is an example of such an arrangeof repetitions for each machine or a time limit, such as 30 ment of exercises. seconds per exercise. In the 1960s, circuit training hit it big as high schools One popular circuit design has the trainee begin with and colleges purchased the revolutionary jungle gyms that the hardest exercises/largest muscle groups, working down consisted of several workout stations. PE instructors could to the easier exercises and smaller muscle groups.

Using our hold a class and, usually with the help of a whistle to signal best time to start teaching proper techniques in weight training and spotting is in middle school. That way, when these young athletes enter high school and a coach determines on an individual basis that they are physically mature enough to lift heavy weights, heavy lifting can be performed safely. In addition to learning techniques of basic weight training exercises, such as squats and power cleans, kids should be involved in conditioning programs that include running, jumping, stretching and agility exercises.

BFS has established guidelines for this type of foundation training – they are the core of the BFS Readiness Program. While participating in the readiness program, students also can engage in circuit training exercises with machines. Machines enable them to work all major muscles safely, and work around injured areas. You might say that machines ensure that in physical education “no child will be left behind.”

TRAINING & EQUIPMENT complete line, here is how such a circuit could be arranged: 1. Squat Press 2. Leg Extension/Curl 3. Ab/Ad Hip 4. Abdominal/Low Back 5. Chest Press/Row 6. Vertical Row/Chest 7. Shoulder Press/Lat Pull 8. Upright Row/Triceps 9. Biceps/Triceps This arrangement is good, but with a class this means that only the first student would be using the exercises in the optimal order. Rather than having students wait in line, using the same nine machines an instructor could develop three “mini-circuits,” each starting with a lower body exercise followed by upper body exercises, as follows: Circuit #1 Circuit #2 Circuit #3 1. Squat Press 1. Leg Extension/Curl 1. Ab/Ad Hip 2.

Chest Press/Row 2. Vertical Row/Chest 2. Ab/Lower Back 3. Shoulder Press/ 3. Upright Row/ 3. Biceps/Trieps Lat Pull Triceps If your budget is tight, just start with a few machines and add additional machines as your budget permits. For example: 1st Purchase s 3QUAT 0RESS s #HEST 0RESS2OW s !B,OWER "ACK 2nd Purchase s ,EG %XTENSION,EG #URL s 3HOULDER 0RESS,AT 0ULL s 5PRIGHT 2OW4RICEPS 3rd Purchase s 6ERTICAL 2OW#HEST s !B!D s "ICEPS4RICEPS Rather than stand by as the physical fitness of America’s youth continues to decline, we need effective, proven alternatives in place to build strength and improve body composition. BFS can help.

We can help you teach young students proper lifting techniques so that when they are physically and emotionally mature enough to pump iron, they can do so safely.

Hydraulic machines offer a safe form of training because users will not encounter a resistance beyond their strength level.

Chest Press/Row $1295 l-48” w-46” h-53”

Bicep/Tricep $1295 l-48” w-40” h-49”

Vertical Row/Chest $1295 l-48” w-40” h-49” Shoulder Press Lat Pull $1295 l-48” w-40” h-55”

Leg Extension-Curl $1295 l-48” w-40” h-47” l-48” w-40” h-60”

Ab/Ad Hip $1295 l-54” w-48” h-48”

Squat Press $1295 l-84” w-46” h-60” l-84” w-46” h-60”

BFS HYDRAULIC LINE TRAIN SAFELY WITH THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CIRCUIT ALL 9 PIECES ONLY $10,995 DEDICATED TO HELPING ATHLETES SUCCEED SINCE 1976 LEARN MORE CALL 800-628-9737 WWWBIGGERFASTERSTRONGERCOM s INFO BFSMAILCOM 7EST 3OUTH 3ALT ,AKE #ITY 54 s &AX Varsity Half Rack $1,245 Versatile training station with FRPSDFWGHVLJQ‡%XLOWWRODVW 'XUDEOHJDXJHVWHHO %HQFKVROGVHSDUDWHO\ 7KH%)69DUVLW\line is the legendary weight room equipment used by 1,000s of schools across the country to turn ordinary student athletes into competitors! Every item in the

From BFS Magazine — March/April 2014. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).