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Grant-funded tech helps students get the most out of workouts

Tablets save time in the weight room

Sparta — Though it’s summer and the halls are empty, Sparta High School’s weight room is filled with student-athletes putting in off-season training time in preparation for the school year ahead. And they’re doing it with the help of some brand-new equipment, courtesy of the Sparta Education Foundation.

This spring, the foundation awarded the high school with a roughly $3,000 grant that paid for the purchase of 15 new Samsung Galaxy tablets to help with students’ strength and conditioning work.

In combination with the PLT4M data tracking program for physical education and health classes, the tablets allow students to sidestep some of the inconveniences of tracking their workouts, fitness goals and weight-lifting progress with a pen and paper, said Michael Graham, PE teacher and strength and performance coach.

“This houses all the data and information,” Graham said, gesturing to the tablets mounted to the training stations in the weight room. 

“It saves a ton of time,” he said, noting that prior to the installation of the tablets he and the students relied on weekly paper printouts of fitness information, which were easy to lose or misplace. 

‘It’s just really convenient, and it’s an easy way to stay organized.’

— Michael Graham, Sparta High School strength and performance coach

The more streamlined approach aided by the tablets eliminates the need for those more antiquated practices, Graham said.

It also removes some of the guesswork that was part of the pen-and-paper method. The tablets can offer workout suggestions based on students’ maximum weight amounts for the bench press, squats and more.

“They can see the weights that are appropriate for them so they’re not guessing on what to use,” Graham said. “Instead of printing out a sheet, or them guessing, or them looking at a piece of paper to see which percentages they should be working with for each set, this does it for them.” 

Soon-to-be seniors Ila Antor, left, and Elle Fonnesbeck appreciate the new technology

Seeing the Progress

With the tablets and the PLT4M program, students can also monitor their progress over time and see the gains they’ve made.

“If I have a kid from freshman year, sophomore year, junior year, I have all their fitness data from freshman year to senior year,” Graham said. “It’s kind of cool to see all the data — to look back and see, ‘Oh, I wasn’t very strong when I was a little freshman, and now I’m strong and potentially going to play college sports or something like that.”

The tablets haven’t been available long enough to offer such data ranges just yet, but they soon will be. Starting in the fall, PE students will make use of them in their day-to-day classes. 

Until then, off-season athletes like Ila Antor and Elle Fonnesbeck, both soon-to-be seniors, are already finding the new equipment helpful during the summer.

“The tablets help me because it shows how much weight to do for each set,” said Ila, a three-sport athlete who participates in volleyball, basketball and softball. “Before, I would just guess, and I probably wouldn’t have been doing the right weights for my body, and this helps me figure it out.”

Strength and performance coach Michael Graham talks about how the new tablets benefit students

She added that it’s nice to see the progress she’s made since the start of the summer. 

“I’m just thankful for them,” Elle said of the tablets. “I love being able to see what weight I have to do, but also being able to closely use the PLT4M app.”

Elle, who plays rugby and runs track, said it’s handy to have access to PLT4M on the tablets. While the program is also accessible on students’ phones, the district has a no-cell-phone policy. The tablets make it easy to use the program while staying focused in the weight room.

The tablets also allow students to watch video examples of various workouts, which both Ila and Elle said they find helpful.

Graham said the response so far has been positive, and he can’t wait to make more use of the tablets in PE classes during the school year.

“The kids seem to enjoy them so far,” he said. “It’s just really convenient, and it’s an easy way to stay organized.”

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Riley Kelley
Riley Kelley
Riley Kelley is a reporter covering Cedar Springs, Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Rockford and Sparta school districts. An award-winning journalist, Riley spent eight years with the Ludington Daily News, reporting, copy editing, paginating and acting as editor for its weekly entertainment section. He also contributed to LDN’s sister publications, Oceana’s Herald-Journal and the White Lake Beacon. His reporting on issues in education and government has earned accolades from the Michigan Press Association and Michigan Associated Press Media Editors.

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