Gym teacher makes 9th Graders do Insanity Workout

fbmandy55

Honestly, I would probably prefer this to team sports. I was always picked last.

Most humiliating gym class in my life is when we played wiffleball inside. There was no 3 strike rule, you swung until you HIT the ball. I missed the first three and all the guys in my class started yelling and complaining that they had to wait until I hit it. It wasn't that I am not good, but I got panicked, and the anxiety of everyone yelling and just humiliating me made me miss more and more.... I think I finally hit it after 12 swings. The teacher was a little old lady, and she didn't say a word while 20 guys yelled and screamed at me.

Lupercalia

We did (yes I'm dating myself) things like sweating to the oldies during gym...which is no where near on that level. If the program is for 18 + years then I do think they need parent permission unless they aren't pushing the kids as hard as the video's due. I do think child hood obesity is a problem but pushing them to the point of getting sick is not the answer.

I seriously doubt any PE teacher is pushing the kids until they are vomiting. :noway:

rduhlir

We did (yes I'm dating myself) things like sweating to the oldies during gym...which is no where near on that level. If the program is for 18 + years then I do think they need parent permission unless they aren't pushing the kids as hard as the video's due. I do think child hood obesity is a problem but pushing them to the point of getting sick is not the answer.

Who said they were pushing to the point of getting sick. Insanity is a go at your pace work out system. If you have done it to the point where you are making yourself sick then you are going TOO hard.

tabinmaine

Oh yes, lets "save" the children from any physical exercise that is demanding !!

While we are at it.... let's give them all medals for PARTICIPATION...cause there are NO losers in life anymore....

EVERYONE"S A WINNER !! Let's build up that self confidence so children have no idea that you actually have to work hard for something or to be rewarded..... let's give them everything on a platter...... and bless those children, they should NEVER be expected to work their A$$E$ off in gym class !!

*eye rolling*

Dragonwolf

To the person who said that the kids got fat by playing volleyball...

They didn't get fat playing sports. I hope you are kidding. People, children included, become fat when their hormones get out of wack, when their body's fat cells start grabbing too many fatty acids from the bloodstream, etc. Did the normal weighted children of 50 years ago do insanity or p90x? Maybe JUST maybe it is the low quality of our standard diet that's causing the weight gain....granted we aren't as active as 50 years ago, that can't be denied, but there are better solutions than making kids do p90x. It could be an option for the really athletic ones, but I think the point of gym class is to introduce children to lifelong habits, activities that they can enjoy doing regularly.

Really?!?!?!

Kids do NOT get fat from playing basketball, floor hockey, soccer, volleyball, etc. Kids get fat from overeating, unhealthy eating and LACK of exercise. My son plays basketball, hockey and baseball and my daughter plays volleyball and neither are fat by any stretch of the imagination. (*says the wife of a PE teacher)

Teaching these kids how to play sports is a great way to help them find an exercise that they want to continue outside of school gain coordination and work in a team environment.



<<<--- steps off of soap box.

***Whooosh***

rduhlir

Oh yes, lets "save" the children from any physical exercise that is demanding !!

While we are at it.... let's give them all medals for PARTICIPATION...cause there are NO losers in life anymore....

EVERYONE"S A WINNER !! Let's build up that self confidence so children have no idea that you actually have to work hard for something or to be rewarded..... let's give them everything on a platter...... and bless those children, they should NEVER be expected to work their A$$E$ off in gym class !!

*eye rolling*

And let's not forget, we can't mark anything in red. Because red is a negative color. It has to be purple, because purple is reassuring.

cjlorigan

I have 2 children (16 and 19) and teach in a middle school. I teach what used to be called Home Economics. Our focus now is on healthy food preparation and financial literacy. No more sewing or making unhealthy foods with shortening and sugar. My students actually embrace healthy eating. They love to make stir frys with vegetables and homemade pita chips and whole wheat pizza. It's all about informing them and giving exposure.

Our PE department won an award from the county. They do P90X, Zumba, Wii Fit and have recently started training the kids to do a duathlon. Last year they had them participate in a triathlon. They have a small rock climbing wall and weight room. They also do traditional team sports. The key is to get the kids moving and expose them to something that they might like. One kid may love one unit of PE and hate another. At least now he/she knows. Maybe they would have never tried Zumba and love it. I get plenty of high school age girls at my gym when I take the class.

In high school my kids had to participate in ONE semester of PE for their entire 4 year career. That's it. The course is titled Lifetime Fitness. It is trying to get kids to find something that they can do for the rest of their lives. There was a walking/running unit, a cycling unit, and lots of other things. Luckily for my kids they participated in sports on their own and like to exercise. Some kids are not as lucky. They do their one semester of PE in 9th grade and then settle in with their bags of chips in front of the tv.

Not to try and make trouble, but did your friend call/email the PE teacher first to ask his/her motivation for teaching the Insanity unit? As a teacher I really wish more parents would just ask me instead of having the first response be to "tattle" to my Principal. Again, I'm lucky because that is exactly what he tells them to do first before he will speak with them. Many problems could be solved at that level if parents would just go to the source.

We don't know the teacher's motivation for teaching the unit, but then again no one has asked. My guess is the simple answer is to expose the kids to something that they might like and maybe make a difference for a few kids that may not have been able to try the program otherwise. Teachers are supposed to inspire and push their students to try new things and be a little uncomfortable (not to the point of pain or injury). If my kids had done Insanity at school I would be fine with it.

THIS!!!!!! x 100000000000000%

TheEffort

Guess I don't see this as a big issue...kids are often playing intramural sports and some are even doing triathlon events. I think as long as the gym coach allows the kids to do modified versions of the workouts, where applicable, it should be fine.

RllyGudTweetr

They had us doing Gilad's "Bodies in Motion" and the "Basic Training Workout" with a VHS back when I was in Junior High. As with most exercise types, the kids who didn't choose to put a whole lot of effort into it didn't find it especially taxing, while those who did either were already in good shape, or had a bit more of a struggle.

I'm not seeing the problem.

EDIT: Oh, and for those who are concerned because the program in question is called "Insanity?" The reason behind the name is much more marketing gimmick than "this workout is more intense than Power Thirst."

contingencyplan

I'm going to play the devil's advocate here and say that I feel Insanity is even MORE appropriate for teenagers than for adults. It is a natural progression of the things they were already doing in PE class since elementary school (circuit training bodyweight based drills as part of generic sports conditioning based fitness programs), and plus these schools don't have the kids doing it 6 days a week as the schedule says to, so they get more rest days in between the rigorous workouts.

In fact, I would say that most elementary school aged kids would probably get through an Insanity workout easier than adults. Make sure they rest every other day and don't follow that ridiculous 6 day a week schedule and I think the program can be adapted to any age, and I feel is even MORE appropriate for teens and kids than for adults. Because, as I said, it is a natural progression of what kids have already been doing in PE class for ages. It seems harder for us adults because we're sedentary by nature compared to kids.

HeatherOberholtzer

Hmm, my daughter plays on the HS field hockey team and part of the conditioning was doing Insanity...while I don't see a problem with her( and the rest of the sports team doing it - they all did...we parents signed a wavier stating that they will do physically demanding activities)...I do think I would have a problem with doing it in a gym class, not all the kids there are built for this extreme of an activity (plus you have the kids with limits, for instance my son has severe asthma I wouldn't want him to do it without a Dr present) I would suggest to the school that they may want to consider an alternate activity for the kids that cannot handle it (I would have been one of those kids in HS!!)

Eyesblu

Although I see nothing wrong with kids participating in the exercise, my daughter attempts to do it right along side of me at home. I think it is just the point of getting parents permission before even introducing a program such as this to young kids. I would think that the school would see the warning at the beginning of the video and want to get parents permission. What if a child did push theirself hard and something happened..

LilynEdensmom

We did (yes I'm dating myself) things like sweating to the oldies during gym...which is no where near on that level. If the program is for 18 + years then I do think they need parent permission unless they aren't pushing the kids as hard as the video's due. I do think child hood obesity is a problem but pushing them to the point of getting sick is not the answer.

I seriously doubt any PE teacher is pushing the kids until they are vomiting. :noway:

Who said they were pushing to the point of getting sick. Insanity is a go at your pace work out system. If you have done it to the point where you are making yourself sick then you are going TOO hard.

I added that in b/c my oldest has gotten sick in PE from running (thats her schools exercise of choice) she said they were forced to run two miles and not allowed to walk, and she got sick from it... Some schools get stupid with things

Zomoniac

THIS. IS. CRAZY!!! Kids muscles aren't developed enough to do intense workouts like this.

They also don't weigh anything. I'm fitter and stronger now than at any point in my life, but when I was 17 I was, as most teens who aren't obese seem to be, a lanky stick. I could do countless push ups and run indefinitely until I got bored, because I was a good 35lbs lighter then than I am now (and I'm in reasonably good shape now, but I don't have a huge load of muscle mass I didn't have back then, I just got bigger). So despite being stronger and fitter now, I reckon a 14-17 year old me would've found Insanity much easier than I'm currently finding it.

KimberlyDCZ

THIS. IS. CRAZY!!! Kids muscles aren't developed enough to do intense workouts like this. I hear this can cause serious permanent damage. My teen sister is my best workout partner. We do Zumba, SHORT sessions of Insanity, and Rockin' Body but this is one or two times/wk, not every day and we switch up the workouts. I would never make her do a full Insanity session as I can't do it myself, yet. Being required to do this without the parent's consent is WRONG. When I was in high school, we did Sweatin To The Oldies. I think that, or Tae Bo, maybe a good option, but Insanity is WAY TOO MUCH. Also, what is the gym teacher doing while the kids are watching a video. How lazy is that?!

Are you kidding me? This is the perfect time to get them started on programs such as this, when their muscles are developing. Why? Because exercising causes blood to be pumped to that part of the body which means more nutrients and oxygen to build stronger better bodies. You yourself said your sister is DOING Insanity. And notice the OP did not say the teacher had them doing it EVERY DAY. Also, just because YOU can't do the full DVD that doesn't mean your sister isn't capable of it. Never judge your capabilities to that of others.

Besides, the PARENTS DO GIVE CONCENT. They do it when for one they have to sign wavers (permission slips) at the begining of the year, and two when the child is sent home with the next year's schedule of classes and you have to approve of it before you turn it in. What part of physical education do you think wouldn't be physical? What? You think they would stand around twiddling their thumbs the whole class period?

Finally, Insanity is a DVD program that you go at YOUR pace. Same as Zumba, same as Sweating to the Oldies. You go at YOUR pace. So it doesn't matter if the teacher put the DVD in, if the kids only put forth a 25% effort they won't hardly be getting any of the intensity anway.

I did some research and found that there are new studies showing that strength training can be beneficial and not harmful to children. Again, this is new evidence. People used to think that it could be harmful. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. and YES, they can go at their own pace, but if you're amongst peers, you may push yourself harder, maybe too hard... and oftentimes, in my own experience, gym teachers push you even harder.

seena511

I think this is probably more of an exposure to different types of workouts and less an exercise program. I am really hard on teens because they are are hardy bunch. You should definitely complain if they are doing something dangerous not if it a lesson in exposure or as part of series. Most kids are NOT going to push themselves like adult will. They will compete with each other but not really push themselves unless they really have to.

To be honest most 14 year old youths are going to protest most forms of exercise. Most don't even like to change for gym.


To them, sports and normal games may seem childish. Also, student themselves are curious about are different types of alternative workout out there and its the PE teacher job to expose them to wellness they can take with them outside of school.

What if the teacher taught them zumba next week or did swimming after that and your youth hated dancing and did not want to mess up their blowout and so told you how "hard" this class was? I think flag football is quite violent but I am not going to pull my kids out of PE class. It's good to expose them. Fitness and being physically active is something that is NOT normal for today's kids. It's not like it was when I was younger.

I think being exposed to different types of exercise is not bad thing and will not hurt your youth. I am pretty sure that that PE teacher was likely just exposing youth. Usually doing something 3-5 times is really the only way to find out if it works for you.

Jumping to complain right away might only teach your youth that if they wine enough...mommy and daddy will get them out of them pushing themselves. I would make the suggestion to speak to the PE teacher about the rational of doing this type of work out and I also follow up with your youth about why they did not participate or their feelings on it.

If you truly feel you understand the situation and rational and still feel the teacher is truly doing something uncalled for then DEFINITELY take it to principal.

I hope this makes sense....:flowerforyou:

this makes a lot of sense and is really well laid out. i kind of balked at the idea too when i read the OP, but this is a good argument for why it's probably not as bad as we'd think.

kklotay

I am at the last week of Insanity. It is hard, but not dangerous in any way even for teens. I wish that my teenager would do it. Not all kids like traditional sports, and it great to see that the PE teachers are offering different choices.

vim_n_vigor

I do believe for one semester my freshman year, we did a selection of different workouts that were on (well, not yet on DVD at that point!) VHS. At the end of the semester, we had to pair up and present another workout that we didn't do during the semester, lead a sample of the workout and say what we liked/disliked about that given program. Some of them were very hard, some were very simple, but we did learn how to evaluate different programs that were available to do at home. I don't really see this as any different.

conniemaxwell5

I think this is probably more of an exposure to different types of workouts and less an exercise program. I am really hard on teens because they are are hardy bunch. You should definitely complain if they are doing something dangerous not if it a lesson in exposure or as part of series. Most kids are NOT going to push themselves like adult will. They will compete with each other but not really push themselves unless they really have to.

To be honest most 14 year old youths are going to protest most forms of exercise. Most don't even like to change for gym.


To them, sports and normal games may seem childish. Also, student themselves are curious about are different types of alternative workout out there and its the PE teacher job to expose them to wellness they can take with them outside of school.

What if the teacher taught them zumba next week or did swimming after that and your youth hated dancing and did not want to mess up their blowout and so told you how "hard" this class was? I think flag football is quite violent but I am not going to pull my kids out of PE class. It's good to expose them. Fitness and being physically active is something that is NOT normal for today's kids. It's not like it was when I was younger.

I think being exposed to different types of exercise is not bad thing and will not hurt your youth. I am pretty sure that that PE teacher was likely just exposing youth. Usually doing something 3-5 times is really the only way to find out if it works for you.

Jumping to complain right away might only teach your youth that if they wine enough...mommy and daddy will get them out of them pushing themselves. I would make the suggestion to speak to the PE teacher about the rational of doing this type of work out and I also follow up with your youth about why they did not participate or their feelings on it.

If you truly feel you understand the situation and rational and still feel the teacher is truly doing something uncalled for then DEFINITELY take it to principal.

I hope this makes sense....:flowerforyou:

I agree with this poster. 35 years ago I hated PE because it was all about sports. My freshman year of college I had to take a PE class and was dreading it. To my surprise it was focused on wellness, not sports, and I actually enjoyed it. We did cardio and strength and learned why they were both important as well as how to customize workouts for ourselves. I wish my PE teacher in middle school and high school had done more workout type activities and less sports. Maybe I would have gotten a B or an A and it wouldn't have pulled down my GPA so much!

KimberlyDCZ

From the beachbody website:

INSANITY is an extreme and physically demanding workout. This is NOT for beginners or individuals with any medical condition that may be compromised by extreme cardio and strength exercise. Consult your physician and read the enclosed materials before beginning the program.