As a student athlete, I dread the one day a week I step into the girls’ locker room for P.E. and remember I have a cardio lab. Walking up the stairs and into the small room on the second floor, I already know I am going to struggle for the next 30 minutes to get my heart rate up. For 25 minutes, I run on the treadmill, my legs aching,  just to look up and see that I only have 15 minutes with my heart rate at the required level. Having to go to practice after this is always challenging, which is why I believe that cardio lab should not be mandatory for student athletes while in season.

When in season, many athletes have practice for 90 minutes or more, six days a week. Even though cardio lab only seems like 25 minutes of light cardio, for many it turns into 25 minutes of fast running or sprinting. This may seem like a small problem on days athletes only have practice. They could take it easy or not go full out at practice, but on game days, it’s a whole different problem. Many athletes who have a cardio lab mid-week also have a game or competition on the same day. Having to do that extra 25 minutes of intense aerobic activity can affect an athlete’s performance significantly.  This can lead to  injuries and poor performance during a game.

Instead of doing cardio lab, I think athletes that are in season should have the option to do different forms of exercise during PE. On days students have a cardio lab, athletes should be allowed to stretch, roll out or do yoga. Instead of students doing activities that could potentially harm their game performance, they should be allowed to do exercises that benefit their bodies. In addition to the physical benefits, there could also be mental benefits. Stretching and doing yoga can help calm athletes before their games. The concern of athletes performing poorly due to overworking their bodies during PE would be eliminated as well.

I believe it would be valuable to give student athletes the choice to participate in a cardio lab or to do something that is less physically demanding like a recovery day. By giving athletes this choice, I think it would improve performance on game days and prevent burnout during practice.