The V in MVPA: Vigorous Physical Activity in Physical Education

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increase in the popularity of high-intensity exercise programs and physical activities such as CrossFit, Spartan races, and P90X. This article discusses whether such activities have a place in middle and high school physical education, and how they could be safely and appropriately incorporated.

In recent years there has been an increase in the popularity of high-intensity exercise programs and physical activities. CrossFit, Spartan races and other obstacle course runs, home workout programs such as P90X, and a host of other high-intensity interval training (HIIT) programs have gained a major foothold in the fitness industry. Should these high-intensity activities have a place in middle and high school physical education? And if so, how can they be safely and appropriately incorporated? Or will vigorous activities such as these have a negative effect on students, discouraging them from future physical activity participation?

Moderate Versus Vigorous Physical Activity

The physical activity guidelines for Americans have evolved over the years. Initial guidelines from the 1970s focused on vigorous exercise aimed at increasing aerobic fitness. However, in the 1990s, it was recognized that (1) very few adults were meeting the guidelines, with a large segment of the population being sedentary or totally inactive, and (2) engaging in lower levels of physical activity may reduce the risk of certain chronic degenerative diseases (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2007). This led to the current recommendations that adults engage in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least 5 days per week and 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise at least 3 days per week, or some combination thereof. The guidelines for children are to engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate- or vigorous-intensity exercise on all or most days of the week, including vigorous activity on at least three of those days (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). This recommendation emphasizing moderate physical activity is commonly seen in physical education via the Physical Activity Pyramid (Corbin & Le Masurier, 2014), with moderate physical activity forming the base (Step 1) of the pyramid, vigorous aerobics at Step 2, and vigorous sports and recreation at Step 3.

It has been well established that engaging in moderate-intensity physical activity is associated with numerous health benefits (Blair & Connelly, 1996). However, research also consistently shows that more intense exercise, especially that which leads to increased levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, produces extra health benefits (Swain & Franklin, 2006). Therefore, from a health standpoint, there is certainly good reason to include more intense exercise in physical education. Another benefit of engaging in vigorous activity has to do with time. One of the most commonly cited barriers to physical activity is lack of time (Allison, Dwyer, & Makin, 1999). Having the option of engaging in a type of exercise that takes less time but still has health benefits may help individuals overcome that barrier.

What about exercise adherence, though? Will engaging students in vigorous exercise discourage them from future participation? I frequently encounter recommendations in professional literature and forums discouraging the inclusion of vigorous efforts and deliberate fitness activities in physical education for this reason, in particular when working with overweight or obese students. There is concern that one exposure to a distressing bout of exercise will forever turn students away from physical activity.

The limited research comparing vigorous- to moderate-intensity exercise does not support this theory of avoidance of high-intensity activity. In a study of overweight and obese adults, Heinrich, Patel, O'Neal and Heinrich (2014) found that participants assigned to a high-intensity functional training program were able to maintain exercise enjoyment and were more likely to intend to continue participating than individuals assigned to a moderate-intensity program. Jung, Bourne, Beauchamp, Robinson and Little (2015) also found that inactive individuals with prediabetes assigned to do HIIT had better adherence when exercising on their own than did individuals assigned to do continuous moderate-intensity exercise. It is important to note that both of these studies were with overweight/obese or prediabetic participants — the very populations for which there is the most concern.

From a motivational standpoint, we know that people are more likely to persist in an activity if they feel competent when doing it. However, successfully completing a task that is perceived to be easy does little to build up feelings of competence. It is the mastery of challenging tasks that makes one feel competent; therefore, successfully completing a challenging workout is more likely to enhance motivation in this sense than would engaging in an easier form of activity. The keys are to clearly define what “success” means and to provide an optimal challenge for every student.

Guidelines for Vigorous Workouts in Physical Education

First, the definition of success when engaging in vigorous exercise is: try hard and complete the workout to the best of your ability. It is not about who has the fastest time, who does the most repetitions, who lifts the most weight, or who scores the most points. The goal is to expose the body to an exercise stressor, and if the student is breathing hard, has an elevated heart rate, and has tired muscles after a workout, then that was a successful exercise session. Teachers must emphasize this self-referenced and mastery-oriented definition of success with all students in their physical education classes (Alderman, Beighle, & Pangrazi, 2006).

It is also essential that teachers and students understand that exercise intensity is highly individualized and subjective. Students are going to have varying fitness and skill levels, different experiences doing physical activities, and a wide range of psychological tolerances for high-intensity exercise. Therefore, different students are going to need to do different versions of the activity to achieve high intensity. There are many variables that can be modified in a vigorous activity, including but not limited to: exercise duration, number of repetitions or sets, weights or loads used, and movement variations. The goal should be for everyone to work for about the same amount of time, and to feel about the same level of intensity both during the workout and after it is over. Teachers must make sure workouts are tailored to each student's level and that everyone understands the definition of a successful workout. Failure to address these two issues adequately could very well lead to that negative experience that discourages students from future participation.

Exercise intensity has both a physiological and a psychological component, and one of the benefits of doing vigorous-intensity exercise in physical education is that students can learn how to monitor the physiological symptoms of exercise and to adjust their exercise intensity appropriately. With positive exercise experiences, they will be less likely to interpret these feelings as distressing in future exercise bouts. Due to this subjective aspect of exercise intensity, a rating of perceived exertion scale is a good way for students to evaluate and adjust how hard they are working. Scales that use a 1–10 range, with scores of 5–7 corresponding to moderate activity and scores of 8–10 to vigorous activity, are easy for students to interpret and provide a reference for judging intensity.

What about safety concerns with high-intensity exercise? Teachers should be aware that overweight or obese students will be doing a lot more work when performing any bodyweight exercise; therefore, it may be necessary to modify these activities. Less intense alternatives should be offered for bodyweight activities, and substitutions may be necessary for high-impact and agility activities. Also, any student who reports feeling lightheaded, nauseous or unable to catch their breath should be allowed to decrease their intensity or take a break from the activity.

The point of this article is not to argue that physical educators should stop or decrease the offering of moderate physical activities in class, nor is it to suggest that all students will love doing high-intensity activities. Vigorous activities should be on the menu, though. By structuring and modifying workouts appropriately and creating a mastery- and effort-oriented definition of success, teachers can maximize the likelihood that students will have positive experiences with vigorous fitness activities in class.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Benjamin A. Sibley

Benjamin A. Sibley ([email protected]) is an associate professor in the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.