The PE Crisis and How Superhuman Training Manual Can Improve It Immediately

Superhuman Training  Manual As PE Class





THE P.E. TRAGEDY


There is a health crisis in America, no one can deny that. It has grown over the last few decades, so it started with school age children. Lots went wrong, but our educational system needs to take a large portion of the blame. PE class is considered a throw away class and even has become an American joke. PE today is not only inadequate, but dangerous and even worse, kills the students motivation for future exercise. How many adults are utilizing their PE programs they learned in school today? Major fail, as this is one of the main goals of PE in schools.... they are achieving the exact opposite. This is almost criminal considering the consequences.

The answer? For this we must have a clear directive. Here is one all can agree on from the California Dept. of Education.

The California Department of Education indicates :
“…PE teaches students how their bodies move and how to perform a variety of physical activities. Students learn the health-related benefits of regular physical activity and the skills to adopt a physically active, healthy lifestyle.”

Let's break this down sentence by sentence then find and apply a solution. first:
. "...PE teaches students how their bodies move. "
This is the very definition of Kinesiology, to grasp kinesiology you need to know anatomy and some physiology(human biology). Therefore an effective PE curriculum will  have student become proficient in at least the basics of the above subjects. anatomy  followed by kinesiology. A basic to advanced version of this course would be developed  depending on students age and proficiency.
Superhuman Training Manual Volume 1 provides an example of  a basic anatomy, kinesiology and physiology. In a format that will draw in and engage school age children immediately.


Next
 "...and perform a variety of physical activities." This is where the anything goes attitude at PE comes from. Could not be more vague. Dodgeball, low back damaging sit ups and jogathons are PE staples. With the exception of a small percentage of students who excel at these activities, all other participants learn to hate "exercise" and anything related to it.  I can also tell you now from firsthand experience that millions of future chronic pain issues start in PE  classes and high school weight rooms.
     So the answer to achieving the goal of this sentence would be this: Have all students become proficient and efficient at the basic human moments(movement fundamentals), then this will translate directly over to any physical activity that the student chooses to participate in, complying completely with the vague "...and perform a variety of physical activities." 
Superhuman Training Manual Volume 1 Teaches the fundamentals of human movement that all of us take for granted and perform improperly everyday.   So that movement is more efficient and does not cause chronic injury (more done with less energy expenditure, wear an tear)

Next
"Students learn the health-related benefits of regular physical activity..."
In this setting(PE class) the ideal and only way to achieve this is to produce visible, tangible and measurable results in body composition (fat vs muscle), strength and endurance. The PE classes which produce results in the metrics above will be more successful than any book or video. Other metrics such as resting heart rate and blood pressure can be used also.

"and the skills to adopt a physically active, healthy lifestyle.”
This is the major objective of any PE class. If this objective was being met over the last few decades, the US would not be in the poor shape it is now, literally. It can be argued that the current PE system is achieving the opposite. To identify why this is occurring, while simultaneously designing an a PE program that meet this objective we can look to Psychology

Using the psychological ABC tool for behavior modification, every behavior (B) has an a cause or antecedent (A) and a consequence (C) that either encourages or discourages this behavior. *

The behavior we are looking for is a "physically active, healthy lifestyle." Just by looking at statistics we can see that the PE system is failing miserably fortunately using this well proven psychological tool (ABC) we can identify the problem and find a solution.

Problem: students are not "adopting a physically active, healthy lifestyle.

The statistics tell us that on average in America the consequence (C) of PE (B) is discouraging  students from adapting healthy lifestyle(A)  Compliance in exercise science is THE major issue. There have been studies as peoples lives and livelihoods are at stake, literally.
The main "keywords" that are directly related positively to compliance and the willingness to even start an exercise program are "doable", "quick" efficient.
That is, if an program is descried as tough or challenging, it will have a much smaller percentage of people even trying it.
So promising and delivering on easy, quick and doable will get a lot more participants initially.

This may get someone to start a program but sticking with it (compliance) is another matter. There are two undeniable factors that will almost guarantee compliance. 1. The exercise program or behavior(B) must be enjoyable and 2. It must produce tangible, measurable and visible results.

So by combining "doable and quick" with "fun and result producing" would not only be the way to get those who otherwise would not to start exercising, but also promote compliance with program even when school is out.

Measuring body fat % instead of weight or BMI is a more accurate daily measurement of health, as many diseases and bad habits also promote indiscriminate weight loss.  Besides health, a drop in body fat percentage comes improvement in appearance. Right or wrong, physical appearance in high school is crucial for self confidence and how others perceive student.

In conclusion, a short, simple, doable exercise program that produces weekly results and teaches physiology, anatomy, kinesiology, biology, nutrition up to molecular biology should be the mission of any PE class that seeks to truly embrace the meaning of the mission statement promoted by the Department of Education.





Superhuman Training Manual as PE/ Health and Wellness Course

Teaches cognitive concepts about motor skills;
Includes education as well as assessment;
Improves physical well-being and teaches skills that lead to a lifelong healthy lifestyle.
Enhances the physical, mental, and social/emotional development of every student.
Program is simple, doable and only 10-15 minutes a day.
Works every muscle and joint on body, each exercise can be assessed for progress and goals set. Consistent results can be documented weekly.

Below is a routine that will accomplish this with a 10-minute investment per day. It involves instruction on the above goals, measurable outcomes and assessments, and most importantly healthy and visible results. Setting goals and accomplishing visible and tangible results with short, convenient exercises creates a powerful motivational system. Changes in a child’s physique and performance and more importantly the knowledge of how and why the body will improve. This not only creates self-esteem but promotes the create the right environment for a lifelong healthy lifestyle.

The program starts with the basics of human anatomy and movement we were never taught and proceeds from there. We help students find their own body’s optional way to function. First year goals include how to stand, how to sit(squat), how to breathe and how to run. Superhuman Training Manual Volume 1 and 2 can easily be adapted into a structured 5-10 minute a day PE curriculum that can be used by any teacher with a few hours training.

This program is ideal for businesses and senior facilities and programs also. Brief description of class and exercises below, using images from Superhuman Training Manual Volume I: The Basics.

I will work closely with administrators and provide instruction to teachers and instructors so they can implement the program in their desired setting. I will also be available to work with students. I promise visible, testable progress by the 2nd week.

Please review the following pages that describe the method and reasoning behind the program, then contact me if you are interested in either hosting a class or investing in the program. References and documentation for program available upon request. Raising funds for:
Superhuman Training Manual Book 2: Level Up
State Certified PE and Certification Course
Superhuman Training Manual Volume 3: Mind Techniques

Text Message: Lankford Jackson at 619-857-9173
Email: LankfordICSP@gmail.com




Superhuman Training Manual as PE Class



INTRO



Page 1 lets them know there will be some effort involved, but it will be worth it at the end.

PE Version:
Compliance with the program during and after the school year is a major goal of PE. As we have learned above, the best chances of achieving this is to let the student know the exercise portion will be brief, doable and net visible results.
Student handout will read: Welcome To" PE. This will be the shortest and simplest PE Class you have eve taken. At the same time it will produce the most results and give you more knowledge than any other. Family and friends will notice the results within a month and more importantly you will have the knowledge to continue when school is out and even teach others.

HOW TO STAND

Proper posture is crucial for optimal health. Improper posture leads to:

muscular problems

 skeletal and joint problems, 

limits range of motion, 

hinders digestion

effects mood

effects energy levels 

negatively effects appearance 

       The basics on standing, including foot position, hand position, shoulder blade retraction.  

Teaching method: The verbal queues: 

1.head up

            2. shoulders back/ chest out

   3. bellybutton in

4. feet pointed forward 

5. weight even on both feet

 PRACTICE: as class goes on or throughout day, have student student check and assess themselves and each other. The goal is to spend more time in the proper position every week. Or the standing and breathing exercise below an be combined. 

Superhuman Training Manual 
How To Breathe
How to Stand

Name:                 

Date:

Breathing pre-test: pass/ fail    Navel measurement relaxed______  drawn in ______ mouth breather?
Bolt score: 

         

Date:

Test:

Breathing test (1-3):

Breathing pretest: Have student take deep breath, if chest rises-fail abdomen expands first-pass. 

Waist measurement at navel. Measure navel in relaxed state then with abs drawn in as far as possible. This test will have initial measurement  2nd measurement after exercises 1-3 have been mastered, then should be done once every 4 weeks The goal of this test is to 

a.) See a reduction in relaxed measurement 

b.) Increase the ratio of relaxed / drawn in measurements. 

The BOLT Test  

1. Take a small, silent breath in through your nose and allow a small, silent breath out through your nose.
2. Hold your nose with your fingers to prevent air from entering your lungs.
3. Count the number of seconds until you feel the first definite desire to breathe.
4. Release your nose and breathe in through it. (Your inhalation and exhalation at the end of the breath should be calm.)
5. The number of seconds you counted is your BOLT score.

0-10: Your breathing is likely to be noisy, irregular and heavy, with no natural pauses between breaths.
10-20: Your breathing is heavy but regular.
20-30: Your breathing is calm, gentle, soft and quiet.
40: Breathing is effortless, calm and minimal. With a BOLT score of 40 seconds, it is difficult to see breathing movements. 

The lower the student BOLT score the more likely the student will have the following

upper chest breathing
CHVS chronic hyperventilation syndrome
Increased bouts of breathlessness
increased bouts of panic and attacks

High Bolt Score means student is:

Breathing with diaphragm
Breathing lightly (little effort)
Good lung volume

These attributes means student has less breathing resistance during sleep. Sleeping and performance, both physically and academically are closely related studies have shown.

Studies have also shown that 50% of students breathe with open mouth.
Breathing with diaphragm keeps throat muscles open

Nose breathing

Breathing instruction

Exercise 1: PROPER RESTING INHALE

Have student look down at their chest and abdomen. Have them expand their belly by inhaling. Remember, this will be the first time most of these students have done it consciously. Some students will require extra time on this portion. 

Instructor should watch chest on inhale, if it does not move then student has learned technique. It is important that the instructor be able to perform the breathing properly for demonstration purposes. Once the student is able to inhale 5 breaths in a row proceed to step 2.

side view pic 1                                                            side view pic 2

looking down abs rested  side view                            same figure looking down, belly expanded

Exercise 2: LEARNING TO EXHALE WITH ABDOMEN in same position have student look down at abdomen, have student Inhale deeply into abdomen, this time have them exhale by quickly bringing their abs in,  a good cue is to have them focus on forcibly driving their navel towards their spine.  Once student has mastered this move to step 3. 

side view pic 3

Abs drawn in showing air going out

Exercise 3: Maximum lung capacity breath - have student take deep breath drawing air into belly, hold and have student then draw in air into ribcage by raising chest, then have student take one more inhale into throat using trachea. Exhale.

Test: a fun visual test is to have student first blow up a balloon inhaling with their chest. Measure balloon with measuring tape or calipers. empty balloon and repeat after maximum lung capacity breath. There will be a visible measurable difference in size when maximum lung capacity breath is used. Each student can practice with their own balloon once technique is learned. 

Exercise  4:  BREATHING FOR ENERGY/RECOVERY deep inhale with maximim capacity breath learned in exercise 2 and forceful exhale by rawing abdominals in quickly. There should be a audible exhalation as abs are drawn in.  

3 sets x as many proper repetitions as possible.
- student should be seated or lying in case of dizziness.  Have student do as many breaths as comfortably possible in this manner, making sure they are drawing in abdominals.  Some may be limited due to coughing, some abdominal soreness and some dizziness.

Exercise 5: Wim Hoff method: have student sit on floor or lie down. Have student take deep forceful inhale, pulling in as much air as possible, relax on exhale imagining only letting 50% of air out. Good verbal or mental cue is to imagine 100% in 50% out. 

Cue: Deep breath in, half breath  out.  On 30th breath have student expel air and hold breath with no air in lungs, as long as possible. document.

3 x 30 breaths in above technique and timed breath hold with no air in lungs, document each round in chart.

This is a Wim Hoff technique and an inspiring verbal walkthrough is available for free online and is highly suggested until the instructor feels comfortable with their own verbal cues.

There will be tingling sensations in different areas of body and light headedness for almost everyone so all should be lying or seated on floor with mat or cushioned floor. 

Exercise 6:  breathing for cool down/ relaxation- in lying or seated position have student have student inhale deeply into belly without chest rising  and exhale with no effort, letting air naturally escape from lungs.
Cue: have student student dwell" mentally in space between the inhale and exhale random trying to make it hard to distinguish when one starts and the other begins reminders- throughout day when opportunity presents itself. The goal is to breathe so slowly and queitly and slowly the

Nasal decongestion exercise 

Gently breathe out through nose
Pinch nose with fingers
hold breathe as long as possible
sway or nod head as distraction
release nose resume breathing
calm breathing as soon as possible
repeat 6 times

side view 

standing pretest

Name:                 

Date:

Breathing pre-test: pass/ fail         standing pretest    head shoulders:    hand position:      foot position:

head high/ shoulders back: have head resting square over shoulders.
cue: bring neck backwards and up. Resistance exercises should emphasize horizontal pulling exercises, specifically with elbows high.

hand position: have students try to have have palms facing hips in relaxed state. Remind students that cannot maintain this position comfortably to emphasize high horizontal rowing for resistance training and stretching pecs and front of shoulders.

foot position: feet should be pointed straight ahead and weight evenly displaced through both feet.



Exercise 1: Have student 

Date:

Test:

Breathing test (1-3):

Breathing pretest: Have student take deep breath, if chest rises-fail abdomen expands first = pass

forward/ neutral 

standing standing pretest    head shoulders:    hand position:      foot position:    hips: 

sitting

 Also included a brief description of power poses, which have been proven to have positive physiological benefits immediately. Helping with anxiety and depression,consequently anxiety and depression will increase if neglected. People who have been blind from birth will put their arms in the V position after winning, suggesting that postures are directly related to emotions. Power postures are fun, as each student will have their own variation. Remembering that fun is a major factor in compliance. 

A good time for students to do their power poses are after successful

10 seconds a mayor per class (3 reminders 3 seconds each) is a small price to pay especially when the  effects of regular practice stet to manifest. 

Nose breathing 

References

Posture and digestion 

https://www.avogel.ca/blog/improve-your-digestion-with-the-right-posture/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1773697/

Posture and Behavior/mood

https://www.fastcompany.com/3041688/the-surprising-and-powerful-links-between-posture-and-mood

posture and blood pressure:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1469-8986.1990.tb01972.x

backpacks and posture

https://www.journalofphysiotherapy.com/article/S0004-9514(14)60302-0/abstract

core stability and injury in athletes

https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/38580518/Leetun_2004.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1535405786&Signature=HfEZvSxfc8ao%2B0Dke9KlzoSeRpI%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DCore_Stability_Measures_as_Risk_Factors.pdf

HOW TO BREATH

 

Four amazing facts about this section. 

1.) The wide range of health problems that can be alleviated by proper conscious breathing. For instance anxiety and deep, slow breathing are incompatible. Panicked people are automatically told to breath deeply because symptoms alleviated immediately. The goal is to eliminate mouth breathing at rest which is directly responsible for a wide range of ailments: ADHD, daytime drowsiness, learning disabilities, frequency of illness, dental problems and even facial structure. There are studies that show that breathing through mouth rather than nose lowers IQ.

"Mouth breathing means difficult breathing, and this in turn means deficient oxygenation of the tissues, with resultant lowering of vital activities. " - 

breathing through mouth depletes co2, this reduces blood flow.

2.) The amount of positive benefits for healthy people (prevention). Conscious breathing covers all aspects of human health, vitality and performance. For instance, Ph levels are controlled through breathing and urination, not diet, as some would have you believe. If we had to wait for the digestion process to complete for ph to change we'd perish in the process. 

3.)the percentage of people who do not not know to breathe properly. which is surely above 90 percent. Teaching children how to deep breathe If you cannot consciously take a deep breath drawing air into the belly without chest rising

Including the reader, try to inhale and have your belly and not chest expand like a balloon. The  following graph shows the average breaths per minute of people in each decade and compares to normal (healthy) which is 6 breaths per minute. 

4.) How can any Physical Education Class NOT include this? This is a glaring indictment on the current model

Learning deep breathing through belly will also activate the TVA transverse abdobnimal muscle. The muscle resposible for drawing the belly in and the main muscle for activating the core. In very young children you can see

The implications and relation to disease and health can be seen in following graph. 

Practice: 

2-5 minutes per day of proper deep breathing technique. Cue students by having them inhale and imagine belly being a balloon and expanding. 

Once this technique has been mastered have them forcefully exhale by drawing in navel towards spine.  3 fast to start working way up as time progresses.  

For relaxing or calming student down have them take the deep breath properly but slowly and let the exhale happen naturally with no effort

Another benefit of breathing this way is top activate the transverse abdominal muscle (TVA). This is the muscle that draws in the belly and is a major core muscle. It is active in toddlers and young children, it automatically draws in when on hands and knees. As we spend more time sitting in chairs and sofas, it loses its strength to the point that some have trouble contracting it at all. The benefits of having this muscle being strong and functioning properly will be fewer lower back injuries and imroved performance in daily activities and athletics.In fact this muscle is so important that the bodybuilding "vacuum pose" should be taught as soon as possible and incorporated into breathing routine.

How To Sit Applied The sitting method described in the Superhuman Training Manual will activate all the muscles that become atrophied in modern society. Proper sitting is proper squatting, a movement all able humans perform but neglect everyday. 

Practice: Using the cues above this can be taught every time a student sits and is also applied on the lower body training portion of book. A good cue is to ask students to sit slowly under control and not just flop down at the speed of gravity. Have them be awre of their pelvic floor and core muscles. The benefits of this awareness will last a lifetime. This technique is used by world record holding weightlifters to strengthen core. The goal is to be able to perform full squats with belt line below the knees with ease.  

The the most important part of these cues is activating the pelvic floor muscles and entire core and coordinate smoothly and efficiently through trunk and torso. 

Resistance Training

Superhuman Training manual uses brief, infrequent resistance training workouts for three reasons 1. Effectiveness 2. efficiency and 3. compliance

Number of SetsACSM recommends at least 1 set per major muscle group. However, most studies with older adults have done 2 to 3 sets (Porter 2000). It is possible that multiple set programs show greater strength gains when conducted over a longer time span. However, for attaining the majority of the health benefits from RT, 1 set may be sufficient for most elderly client goals.FrequencyRT should be preformed up to 2x per week, separating workout sessions with at least a period of 48 hours. However, the optimal frequency for the mature and frail adult has not been definitively established. It should be noted that maintenance of strength in seniors has been achieved with as little as 1 workout day per week (Porter 2000).

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201610/study-identifies-no-1-source-motivation-exercise-more

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ973950.pdf