Top ‘Apps’ for PE Teachers – Part 9

TrainingLoad

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Another incredible app by Dr Grant Abt the guy behind TimeMotion and PLATO Sport. This app allows users to easily calculate a training sessions overall intensity or load. It does this by allowing the user to enter their resting heart rate, average heart rate during the session a long with the session duration and RPE (rate of perceived exertion). The app will be extremely useful in senior Phys Ed classes when students are developing and completing their own training programs. Will allow my students to see how modifying duration and other variables effects overload/tapering of a program. (See Pic Right)

Nexercise

This rewards based app allows users to earn points for the exercise they complete. Users can earn badges, take up exercise challenges all  within a socia networking style environment. The device tracks users activity using both the accelerometer and GPS, ensuring that points actually need to be earned. A useful tool to look at motivational strategies and objective methods of measuring physical activity.

Jog.fm

Recently discovered this app which matches the speed of your running/walking with songs in your music library. It does this by scanning your music library to determine the BPM of your songs, it then picks a song that matches the speed you are moving. Run faster and you can expect an up tempo song to get you moving, slow down and it will match something that suits. Brilliant.

RipDeck

An interesting exercise app shared by mrbridge204 on twitter that uses the deck of playing cards to generate workouts. Has the capacity to track your training history, providing an opportunity to learn about the development of training programs/training principles.

60beart Heart Rate

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By compiling this app with additional hardware you can use it to track your heart rate variability during exercise. I particularly like how the app breaks your workload up into intensities and then tracks how long you spend within this intensities. Great for discussing energy system usage, fatigue and recovery. (See Pic Right)

racquetTune

Use this amazing app to help you ensure that your tennis racquet is set to the appropriate tension. Simply place your device on the ground , hold the tennis racquet above the device and tap the strings with a screwdriver. The tension reading will be displayed for your use.  You can also track the bounce of a tennis ball to determine if it fits within the acceptable level of 53 – 57% of its drop height. Check out the demo video here. In a senior class, this app could be used to teach students about the coefficient of restitution and other biomechanics principles.

Isometrics

A simple app useful for teaching students about the different types of muscle contractions. The app contains exercises that can be performed in static classroom environments free of any required equipment. As the name suggests all of the exercises use isometric contractions, which are those that occur when a force is developed but the muscle length doesn’t change.

Check out the other top app lists here – Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4– Part 5 – Part 6 – Part 7 Part 8 – or grab the PE Apps app for a great one stop collection of the best PE apps.

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