Work-Time Pyramid Station Circuit

A five-station circuit where work time climbs and drops in a pyramid (20, 30, 40, 30 and 20 seconds) with a fixed 20-second rest. Students build aerobic and anaerobic endurance and analyze how effort changes with interval length.

How to play

1. Set up five stations: jump rope, squats, mountain climbers, side shuffles between cones 15 feet apart and plank; groups of five (3 min).
2. Practice lap (3 min): 20 s per station at an easy pace to learn the route.
3. Pyramid (12 min): each group does every station at 20 s, then 30 s, 40 s, 30 s and 20 s, with 20 s to rest and rotate.
4. Active rest (3 min): walk, drink water and rate effort from 1 to 10 on the exertion scale.
5. Discussion (3 min): at which step was quality hardest to hold? Why did your pace change?

Rules

• Walk between stations and always rotate the same direction.
• At jump rope, keep six feet of clear space.
• Movement quality beats rep count.
• If you need a break, walk at your station without leaving the circuit.

Variations

Adaptations

• For limited mobility, each station has a seated version (arm circles, light throws, raises).
• For students with autism, post the current step on a visible whiteboard.
• Advanced students count reps and try to match them on equal steps.

Learning goals

• Maintain exercise quality across intervals of different lengths.
• Recognize the relationship between duration and intensity.
• Use a perceived exertion scale.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cones: 4
• individual jump ropes: 5
• yoga mats: 10
• stopwatch: 1

Teacher tip

An interval timer with audio cues prevents confusion with so many changes. Make sure everyone understands that rest never changes, only work time.

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