In Iowa, all students are required to attend a physical education class at least every other day. At Pleasant Valley both a physical education class and a weight lifting class are offered, and students can choose which one they want to participate in.
Some would argue PE class is more beneficial than weight lifting. Although weight lifting may require more work than gym, some argue students learn more in physical education in a different way. PVHS PE teacher Angie Musal agrees with these claims. “In terms of physicality, weight lifting is more beneficial. However, students will keep the activities and games that they learn in physical education for a lifetime.”
Although this is true, students at Pleasant Valley have been doing the same activities since Elementary School. True long term benefit is the benefit of the body, which weight lifting provides more than physical education.
Also, freshmen in weight lifting class are glad they chose weight lifting and say they will use what they have learned for weight lifting outside of school.
Jeremiah Rodgers chose weight lifting instead of gym for the higher benefits. “From weight lifting, I am learning to accelerate my fitness, stamina, and muscle gain. I wouldn’t have learned this much from gym class.”
A reason why students choose weight lifting instead of gym is because it helps with sports. In fact, studies show that weight lifting can improve an athlete’s performance across most sports. Although no studies have been done on the difference between weight lifting and gym class, it may be obvious to say that weight lifting will provide more of a physical long term benefit.
Besides those who lift out of school or play a sport, a reason why some students may choose physical education instead of weight lifting is because of their unwillingness to step outside of their comfort zone. They may have decided to take physical education instead of weight lifting for the ease of the class. If instead they decided to take weight lifting, they would accelerate their physical strength by a large amount.
Although benefits can be derived from both weight lifting and physical education, weight lifting has a more lasting impact on a student’s physical health and therefore should be the class students choose. “Our weight lifting program is underappreciated,” Rogers continued. “I hope everyone at least considers taking weight lifting for one year.”
