Students at Cesar Chavez Junior High School will have new fitness equipment to work out on during P.E. classes thanks to the Oakdale Road, Modesto Planet Fitness gym.
Every two years the gym turns out old equipment and, in some cases, donates it to schools, even though it’s all in great working order, said school Learning Director Nathan Diamantine.
The offer of the free equipment was made through a coach who is friends with the Planet Fitness owner who is remodeling the gym. The school staff were quick to say yes.
The equipment consists of full on machines, including machines to work out legs and upper body, dumb bells, bar bells and cable machines. The store delivered the equipment on Wednesday afternoon and unloaded it into the school weight room cleared of old equipment that was donated over the years.
Diamantine said the donation is worth between $26,000 and $27,000 and very much appreciated.
P.E. teacher Kelly Wheelock said the equipment previously available to the kids was old school free weights that had been donated.
“It’s going to impact students a lot because we try to push weight training, especially for the eighth-graders, as part of the lessons we do but we were always limited to what we could do because of lack of equipment,” said Wheelock. “It’s going to give us a chance to introduce them to a lot of stuff. A lot of the kids, you hear they talk about going with parents or brothers and sisters to Planet Fitness, In Shape – stuff like that – but this will give them a perfect avenue … to know how stuff works and do it the right way.”
Up to 48 students could be working out in the room at any given moment in the 40-minute PE class.
“For the 30-minute workout they’re giving us there’s 10 stations with 10 stairsteps that go with it, so that’s two people per station,” he added.
If there are too many students for the equipment, they will do circuit training outside using jump ropes and wall sits.
Wheelock said staff members will be able to use the equipment as well before they go home. He pointed to Wheelock, saying “this guy gets up at 3 a.m. every morning.”
