About
American Strength Class. It probably sounds like an oxymoron. Most American physical education classes are full of arbitrary team sports units, random assignment of “cardio” exercises, and grades disproportionately based on whether teenagers are willing to change clothes at the start of class. Though we live in a time of unparalleled access to strength and conditioning knowledge, P.E. classes by and large neglect even the most basic principles of progressive overload, program design based on individual goals, or anything else that might result in kids actually developing into capable humans. P.E. has placed “engagement” -- that is, a students’ willingness to participate in a given activity -- above all else. Teachers are lauded not for students’ physical development but for their classes merely appearing organized. Since when was participation alone the measure of success in America? If all we do as teachers is chase engagement, we miss the deeper and more meaningful lessons that help turn children into adults. We are living amidst a public health crisis, in which more of our citizens than ever suffer from chronic and preventable ailments. But we know how to eat, train, and learn. It’s time we take that knowledge into public schools. It’s time to get rid of PE.
It's time for an American Strength Class.
American Strength Class is the only active resource for coaches that employs a team-of-rivals approach to collaboration. Conferences full of donuts and polo shirts are lame - access the thinking that makes others' programs elite is not. ASC brings teachers and coaches together to belong to a collective that is larger than our own schools or programs, just as we ask our students and athletes to become part of something larger than themselves.
We also believe in physical education in the broadest sense of that term. Physical education isn't something that exists only in schools. As powerful as organized sports can be, they often leave out the lessons on health and wellness that allow us to be healthy long after we've received our final diploma, and after our last coach has finished planning our movements and exercise.
So while we may reference scholastic P.E. classes as a jumping-off point, ultimately physical education -- and strength -- is for everyone.