As a physical education teacher, you are always looking for new and innovative ways to keep your students active and engaged in class. AMRAP fitness workouts offer a fun and effective way to do just that. AMRAP, which stands for As Many Rounds As Possible, is a type of high-intensity workout that can be done with any exercise or combination of exercises. It is a great workout for students of all ages and fitness levels and can be adapted to fit any time frame or space constraint.
In this blog post, I will explore what AMRAP is and how it might be useful in a physical education class. I will discuss AMRAP's benefits and examine why it is an effective workout for PE. Methods for performing AMRAP, as well as suggestions on how to make it more fun and useful, will be covered. I will also provide a sample AMRAP instant activity visual and outline how to make it work for you and your students.
What is AMRAP and how can it be used in physical education classes?
AMRAP stands for As Many Rounds As Possible. It is a type of workout where you try to complete as many rounds of a specific exercise or set of exercises as possible within a specified period of time. AMRAP can be used in physical education classes as a way to get students moving and active. It is also a great way to motivate students to push themselves and see how many rounds they can complete. AMRAP workouts can be tailored to any fitness level and can be made as challenging or as easy as you need them to be.
The beauty of AMRAP workouts is that they can be done anywhere, with no equipment necessary. This makes them ideal for physical education classes, where space and time are often limited. AMRAP fitness may be used by a physical education teacher as a fun and challenging way to help meet SHAPE America's Standard 3 which states: The physically literate individual demonstrates the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness*.
Why is AMRAP an effective workout activity for PE students?
There are several reasons why AMRAP is such an effective workout. First, it is very efficient. Because you are constantly moving from one exercise to the next, you can get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. Second, AMRAP is very adaptable. You can make it as easy or as difficult as you want, depending on your fitness level. This makes them ideal for both beginners and experienced athletes alike.
As Many Reps as Possible (AMRAP) is an excellent way to burn calories, increase flexibility, develop endurance, and strengthen muscle. And finally, they're simply more fun than doing traditional sets and reps. There's nothing quite like the feeling of pushing yourself to your limits and seeing how far you can go.
Ways to implement AMRAP workouts in your PE class
There are many ways you can use AMRAP in your physical education class. One way is to create a circuit of exercises for your students to complete on their own. Another way is to have students work in pairs or groups and see how many rounds they can complete together. You can also use AMRAP as a way to assess your student's fitness levels. By timing how long it takes them to complete a set number of rounds, you can get an idea of their cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility.
The following steps can be taken to get your students to do an AMRAP
as a great warm-up activity, assessment, or as a dedicated portion of your PE lesson.
1. Choose a few exercises that can be done in quick succession without rest, such as standing squats, push-ups, curl-ups, and jumping jacks.
2. Set a timer for one to 5 minutes and have your students perform as many rounds of the exercises as possible within that time frame.
3. After the set time is up, give your students a short break to catch their breath before starting the next round.
4. Repeat the process for a total of 10-15 minutes. Modify the time to suit your student's abilities and fitness levels.
Tips for making AMRAP more fun and engaging for students
As anyone who has tried it knows, AMRAP can be a tough workout. But it doesn't have to be all pain and no gain. There are a few simple things you can do to make your AMRAP more fun and engaging for students. First, make sure the music is upbeat and motivating. Second, vary the exercises each time so that students don't get bored. And third, focus on form and technique - this will help students get the most out of each rep. By following these tips, you can turn your AMRAP from a chore into a fun and challenging workout that everyone will enjoy.
Classroom teachers can also incorporate AMRAP as a brain-boosting activity they can utilize during recess throughout the school year. They can use it as a part of an active fitness collection of movement experiences to help students perform better in the classroom.
Sample AMRAP Instant Activity
AMRAP works great as an Instant Activity at the beginning of a physical education lesson. Instant Activities are activities that can be implemented as soon as a student walks into your learning area. This works great when you have multiple classes or you just want to get your kids moving quickly and maximize their PE learning time.
Set-Up
First, write some fitness exercises such as jumping jacks, straight jumps, and wall-sits on a whiteboard or poster paper. Include rep counts on the signs (I have included some AMRAP visuals in the freebie at the end of the article to help get you started)
Place cones with AMRAP signs/posters attached to them in select places in your gym
Activity Movement
When students arrive through the learning area doors, they immediately move to one of the AMPAP posters/signs and begin to go through the exercise/movement cycle
Students work at their own pace at the same station area and then move to the next AMRAP workout after completing an entire round at each poster/sign
They continue with this "looping" movement experience
The process continues for a teacher-designated, set time such as 10 to 12 minutes
In Summary
AMRAP is a great way to get your students moving and working their muscles in quick succession. Not only does this help increase their fitness levels, but it's also an enjoyable and challenging workout for them. You can use AMRAP as a warm-up activity, assessment tool, or even as a dedicated portion of your PE lesson. It can also be used as a brain-boosting activity that helps students perform better in the classroom. By following these tips, you can turn your fitness curriculum from a chore into a fun and challenging workout that everyone will enjoy. So get out there and get them moving!
Do you use AMRAP in your physical education classes? Let me know in the comments below!
*SHAPE America. (2013). National Standards for K-12 Physical Education. Reston, VA: Author
Need Resources?
Do you need some Fitness Activities that can help you keep your students active and engaged? Would it help to have easy-to-implement visuals that include detailed instructions and state-of-the-art graphics? Cap'n Pete's Power PE has you covered!
Fill in the form below to download a FREE PE Fitness Fun Activity Packet with 10 fun and active fitness visuals with a variety of fitness-based concepts and movements to use in your physical education classes.
Cap’n Pete’s Fitness Fun PE Activity Packet provides 10 different visuals from 5 different activity sets. This valuable resource includes 2 workout visuals from each of the following resources: 1. AMRAP Workout Visuals (As Many Rounds as Possible), 2. TABATA Workout Visuals, 3. PE Boot Camp Fitness Blasts, 4. Fidget Spinner Spin Boards. And 5. Dice Fitness Task Cards. These fitness-based activities can be used as a warm-up or for a dedicated physical education fitness lesson. It can also be utilized by a classroom teacher for a brain boost during a scheduled break or during recess.
If you are looking for more AMRAP workout visuals to add to your physical education arsenal, check out Cap'n Pete's PE Instant Activity Set: AMRAP (As Many Rounds as Possible).
You can download them from either of the following platforms: Cap'n Pete's Power PE Website or Teachers Pay Teachers- Cap'n Pete's TPT Store
The AMRAP (As Many Rounds as Possible) Instant Activity is a FUN and ACTIVE fitness collection of workout visuals (with corresponding incentive tickets) that can easily be utilized by a physical education or classroom teacher to provide students with a quality, fitness-based, high intensity workout that they will absolutely LOVE! This valuable resource is made up of 12 distinct color-coded AMRAP (As Many Rounds as Possible) workout visuals that provide an energetic, looping movement experience for the students to participate in.
