Why Schools Need to Think about Investing in Gym Equipment for Students

LDP 2015.09.11 - Chelsea Rocks

Fitness and sports are integral parts of most high schools. Focusing on health and fitness promotes a healthy lifestyle for the future of our country.

Children, who engage in physical activities in the forms of sports, games and regular workout perform better in almost every sphere of life as compared to the children who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Athletics programmes are becoming popular in several private and public schools around the world. Successful athletics programmes depend upon the infrastructure available at these schools, the factors that involve coaching and the students’ enthusiasm in participation.

How have PE classes evolved in the last few years?

Today’s kids have significant exposure to the world of sports and games. Apart from the MMORPG games they play online with their buddies, they can view any sport from ice curling to skydiving any time by logging onto YouTube or flipping the channels. It is difficult to hold their interest in physical fitness especially when the only training equipment available at most schools involve dodgeballs, football and rope climbing. Earlier, simple morning runs and sessions of footballs were enough to inculcate the interest between the youngsters. However, these tactics have become somewhat trite, and children are demanding more out of their mandatory PE classes than they did before.
It has driven many school authorities to contemplate about the nature of the gym equipment necessary for progressive training of the children within a safe setting. In simple words, the fitness equipment in school gyms should foster good health, but they should also be safe for the use of kids of various ages. Children of different ages attend compulsory PE classes. Thus, investing in a whole set of equipment for older children and then purchasing equipment for the younger ones according to their physical abilities does not seem financially smart at all. The best fitness equipment should be flexible to a certain extent so that kids of certain ages (say between the ages of 12 and 16) can use them safely.

How do gym equipment needs vary according to children’s age?

The fitness requirement of the children varies considerably according to their age. Fun Factory Sensory Gym has the best gym equipment for children.The best gym equipment can pay attention to the evolving needs of these children as the generations progress. At a developing age, kids need to focus on their correct form. That facilitates the proper development of the muscles. Without training machinery of the right size and complication, there is always a high chance that the children can hurt themselves during practice. Some of the training equipment that expert trainers and fitness experts swear by include –

• Cable machines
• Leverage equipment
• Spin bikes
• Dumbbells
• Squat racks
• Olympic weights

While the last two are ubiquitous for most advanced student athletes, all of these demand expert guidance when a student is using them inside a school gym. A combination of the machinery for the younger students and the older ones create the perfect gym set up for the students.

How to overcome tight budget regulations?

Most school gyms require multiple units of the same fitness equipment. A PE class aims to familiarise all students with the concept of physical fitness and standing in a queue to use particular machine defeats that purpose. For most school gyms it makes more sense to lease multiple sets of fitness equipment for long periods, rather than buying brand new equipment in repetition. Moreover, children tend to be rough with the electronic and programmable machinery. Leasing them from reputable School Gym Equipment Specialists can give you the chance to get free maintenance and servicing. At the same time, you might get a free replacement guarantee and fixed warranty periods from your vendor.

Remember to pay attention to design

Designing the gym room is another big responsibility. To facilitate effective workout, an excellent layout of the gym is going to be imperative. The equipment should be able to utilise the maximum available space and provide enough workout space for each station. Apart from working with professional gym equipment rental agencies, you should speak with professional and experienced gym designers as well. The highly trained specialists should be able to develop at least one custom weight room cum school gym design layout that addresses the necessities of your PE classes. Apart from keeping the number of training stations in mind, the designers need to think about the number of students and their comfort levels during the development of these designs.

Why is renting the new buying?

Right now, your school gym might be in top working shape except for one treadmill or an exercise bike in the corner. Does that mean, you have to wait for a complete overhaul to get another station up and running? Of course not! You can rent single equipment for a fraction of its purchasing price. Renting has several advantages apart from saving money. You can always explore a wide range of equipment types and styles to find out which suit the children of growing ages the best. You can take equipment on a trial basis and exchange them for upgraded models one or two weeks later.

Renting is always the smart money option while setting up a new gym or upgrading an old one for children at a school. The school gyms have changed drastically in the last two decades. It has evolved from the inferno of running and throwing balls at unsuspecting observers to the opportunity of healthy growth. More number of schools are investing in fully functioning gyms for their kids every day. Physical fitness fosters mental health, and with the surmounting pressure of studies and extracurricular activities of the children, school gyms have evolved into a necessity from a luxury.

The only way to circumvent the strict budget limitations, limited accessibility and the high variation in the ages of the users is by thinking about renting the equipment from reliable equipment suppliers. Do not forget to invest some thought in the layout as well, since scattering gym equipment without any thought about accessibility has never made any workout space appealing or useful for anyone.

About tikichris

Chris Osburn is the founder, administrator and editor of tikichris. In addition to blogging, he works as a freelance journalist, photographer, consultant and curator.
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