All of the Tigard High School P.E. teachers work hard to try and motivate their students and push their limits, but which classes bring out the sweat? According to students and teachers, the top two P.E. classes are Weight Training and Strength and Conditioning.
“In Weight Training I teach the fundamentals of weight lifting,” said P.E. teacher Doug Kuffel, “ Then I give students the opportunity to workout using the skills they have learned.”
Lifting weights helps increase student’s strength and helps reduce injuries as well as increasing their metabolism which will help improve their body composition.
“Out of all of the classes I have taught girl’s weight training has been my favorite because most of the girls in the class are excited to be there and want to work hard,” stated P.E. teacher Shawn Alderman.
Strength and Conditioning is designed for athletes and is an everyday class that includes 4 days of intense exercise and one light day of activity. Two of the days focus on explosive lifting exercises and the other two days focus on developing strength. The conditioning piece helps increase a person’s speed as well as their agility.
“Out of all the classes I have taught, strength and conditioning is my favorite because I enjoy helping athletes work toward their goals,” said Kuffel.
“If I could improve one anything about the P.E. program it would be to get more equipment and have a bigger space to workout. I would love to move the weight room under the stadium. The upstairs could be a weight room with double the size and the downstairs could be an indoor training facility that we could turf and do S.A.Q,” stated Kuffel.
Running will help improve a students cardiovascular system as well as their body composition.
“The best workout would be some kind of cardio for 20-30 minutes and some strength training,” said Alderman.
The class is made for an athlete who is really motivated to improve in their sport and it succeeds in helping the students push themselves to meet their goals as an athlete.
“The one thing that will make a workout successful is how much effort you put into it. Effort is the number one reason why a student will or will not get a good workout,” said Kuffel.
Whether students are major athletes, or just want to stay in shape, P.E. teachers agree: the amount of energy a student puts into a class determines their success.
“Like any class at THS, you will have some kids who work hard and some who slack. Everyone is different, as well as their motivations,” said Alderman. “Some kids are intimidated of P.E. classes and may not work as hard as they should.”