A daily dose of physical activity

During the home-based learning period, with Cocurricular sports and GPS competition suspended, BGS boys stayed active through the School’s new online fitness platform, GrammarFit.

Each weekday morning from 7.00am, boys, parents and staff logged on to the GrammarFit channel to get their heart rates up in a 30-minute body weight, strength and core workout session.

Run by the BGS Performance Development Team, the concept came from a collaboration with the Cocurricular Office. “I was looking for the best possible response to the lack of daily exercise facing our students, as they commenced home-based learning,” Deputy Head – Co-Curriculum Greg Thorne said.

Parent and BGS staff member Louise Evans, PA to Deputy Head – Co-Curriculum, brought her motivation and fitness industry background to the project. Like many Year 5 students, her son Bryce is a ‘handful’ if he doesn’t get enough physical activity.

“I knew providing the boys with a handout encouraging them to stay active wouldn’t be enough. I wanted the School to provide something for him every weekday that was challenging, would encourage exercise and was fun,” Ms Evans said.

The Cocurricular Office worked with the Performance Development Team on a plan to meet the brief. “To brainstorm ideas, we had a vision board and watched fitness video after fitness video to find the perfect balance of fun and structure to set our baseline,” Ms Evans said.

After the groundwork was set, the dedicated staff in the Performance Development Team, put the plan into action and continued to grow and develop it as a team.

The sessions proved popular, with the 27 initial episodes gaining over 4000 views. More than 2500 student workouts were logged in the first four weeks. Feedback was positive from students, and the program prompted a 7% increase in physical activity compared to normal.

BGS Coordinator of Performance Development Adam Bloch encourages boys to start the day with a workout. “GrammarFit provides a daily dose of physical activity,” he said. “We cater for all levels of ability through our session design. Boys simply need to bring one thing – a willingness to work hard!”

With students back on campus, GrammarFit will become a holiday program, with new episodes available to keep students active when they are away from campus.