Partner Workout: 30 Station Cards for Circuit Training in Physical Education

These circuit training station cards contain fitness exercises for physical education classes that are always performed in pairs. Students can hold their partner's legs in place during trunk bends, pass a medicine ball back-to-back, high-five each other in a side plank, or pull their partner across the gym on a carpet tile.

What is included

• Station cards with one partner exercise each: task, image, required equipment, and a progression under "Too easy?"
• Guidance on lesson planning regarding the selection, setup, and organization of the circuit training
• Blank station card to add your own exercise if needed

Tips for using the material

• Select cards suitable for your gym: The stations can be organized according to the equipment available in your school gym.
• Introduce the stations: After setting up, the teacher can explain the stations again and demonstrate them if necessary.
• Keep students moving: Students can work in small groups; some stations can also be set up twice for this purpose.
• Set up the circuit: The circuit training can be organized with about 6 to 8 stations, as this proved effective when testing the cards—with 30 to 45 seconds of exercise per station and three rounds of each exercise.
• Increase the difficulty of the exercises: If an exercise is too easy, the variation on the card can make it more difficult, for example by performing it more slowly or quickly, holding the end position briefly, or throwing over a greater distance.
• Also suitable for younger students: In particularly athletic groups, most exercises can be used as early as primary school or at the beginning of secondary school.

These skills are developed

• Core strength through trunk bends, back extensions, sit-ups, and plank exercises
• Strength in the arms and legs through push-ups, triceps dips, squats, and squat jumps
• Balance and coordination, for example when throwing the medicine ball to a partner on a wobble board or high-fiving in a plank
• Working together in pairs, because in every exercise one person holds, stabilizes, or pulls the other, or both perform the exercise at the same time

Organizational notes

Depending on the station, small mats, four-piece boxes, medicine balls, wobble boards, cones, carpet tiles, or jump ropes are needed; some stations require no equipment at all.

Additional station cards are available for circuit training with gymnastics equipment and for endurance; these pair well with fitness exercises using a box, chair, and bench and stretching exercises for the arms, shoulders, back, chest, and legs.