Vina students working on their abdominal strength during PE. | Melissa Cason/FCT

VINA –  Fitness has become a booming industry in America.
Every channel has a new infomercial on a fitness product from different types of equipment to an assortment of DVDs.
Every infomercial is about the same: They encourage consumers to ditch the gym and buy their product for an ‘at home’ alternative.
Vina physical education teacher Sonny Tibbs has implemented one of the fitness programs sweeping the nation in his elementary school classes.
Tibbs  put the P90X system to work with the elementary students this year to improve fitness and upper body strength.
“I started it by accident in the classroom,” Tibbs said.
“I was doing the program myself and didn’t have time to do the ab video so I put the DVD in and got the kids to do it with me, and they liked it.”
Since the students liked the workout, Tibbs quickly utilized it in the classroom to improve the students’ fitness.
“We needed work on our upper body strength,”  Tibbs said. “We really struggled with upper  body strength in the past.”
Tibbs used the P90X system to prepare the students for the President’s Physical Fitness Test, which is currently in progress.
Tibbs said he used the Ab Ripper workout, cardio and the chest videos with the kids two to three times per week.
He said he plans to bring P90X back to the classroom next year.

A student works on his core during PE in Vina. | Melissa Cason/FCT

“It’s a good program,” Tibbs said. “It helps with different areas of fitness including flexibility and strength.”
Tibbs said he would recommend the program to anyone who wants to get fit but warns that a doctor should be consulted.
“Not everybody is going to be able to do this stuff,” Tibbs said.
“So if you have back and other problems, see a doctor to make sure it’s okay for you to do the workouts.”
The kids said their favorite thing to do is the Wacky Jacks, a jumping jack that work  the oblique area.
Tibbs said he completed two 90-day rounds of the P90X program and is now working on the Insanity workout, both are available for purchase through the Internet or via telephone.