Schools around the nation are attempting to increase the amount of physical activity (PA) students receive through a variety of creative means. Recently, organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) have sounded an alarm about the lack of time children spend in PA participation. The purpose…

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during physical education class time started to be measured and questioned (Bar-Or, 1987; Lacey & LaMaster, 1990; McGing, 1989; Simons-Morton, Taylor, Snider, & Huang, 1993). Researchers suggested that the amount of time students spent in…

Secondary students frequently disengage from participating in physical education and physical activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 60 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per day, as well as muscle and bone strengthening activities on three or more days a week for children (CDC, n.d.). Physical education may be…

Because children and adolescents are not just miniature adults, it is important to know that children might be vulnerable to injury and may not respond positively to certain types or intensities of training. It is also important to recognize how training can positively affect growth and development, so it can be judiciously applied at critical…