Heart Rate Training in PE

 

For my Genius Hour project, I decided to focus on how heart rate training can improve performance and effort in high school PE. This is something I’m already interested in because I use heart rate monitors in my classes, but I’ve never really taken the time to fully explore how to use that data in a more meaningful way.

To start, I thought about a few different ideas that connect to what I enjoy and what I do every day. My top three were strength training for athletes, increasing student motivation through choice, and heart rate training. All three are important in PE, but heart rate training stood out to me the most because it combines fitness, data, and real-time feedback for students.

One thing that really helped me decide was thinking about when I get into a “flow” state. I notice that when I’m looking at heart rate data or trying to figure out if students are actually working at the right intensity, I get really into it. It doesn’t feel like extra work—it actually makes the class more interesting and gives me a better idea of what students are getting out of the workout.

Week 2: I’ve made heart rate training part of my daily routine by having students wear monitors during workouts and check their data throughout class. At the start, I tell them their target heart rate zone so they know how hard they should be working. During activities, we pause so they can check their heart rate and think about if they’re meeting that goal. At the end, we sometimes look at the data to talk about effort and performance. This helps make heart rate tracking a regular part of class instead of something we only do once in a while.

I’ve noticed that setting up the routine has become smoother over time. At first, it took longer to distribute monitors and explain how to use them, but now students are more familiar with the process and can get started quickly. I’ve also noticed that I am more intentional when planning workouts because I think about what heart rate zone I want students to reach. Overall, the routine feels more efficient, and students seem to understand expectations better, which helps the class run more smoothly.

Week 3: I’m focusing on how to use heart rate training to improve student effort and performance in high school PE. I chose this because I already use heart rate monitors in my classes, but I feel like I could be using the data in a more meaningful way instead of just collecting it.

My goal is to help students better understand how hard they’re actually working and get them more involved in their own fitness. Right now, I’ve been building routines where students check their heart rate during workouts and see if they’re in the right zone.

I’m hoping that by doing this, students will start to make the connection between effort and results, and overall just be more engaged in class. Ideally, this is something they can carry with them outside of PE too.