Starting this November 2016, the Bronx Science Wellness Center implemented a new program for students called The 500 Club. Students who wish to participate are encouraged to come and perform a series of exercises to join a list of members of the 500 Club. Their reward? A 500 Club t-shirt along with bragging rights that they were able to perform exercises using weights that cumulatively add up to 500 pounds.

This contest gives an incentive to students to put the school’s Wellness Center to good use. It is located in Room 008 and is open Monday through Thursday, from 3:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. and on Fridays from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“Students can try to become members of the 500 Club during the Wellness Center unit of their Physical Education classes. It’s really simple, but we advise that all students train a little before going straight for the heavy weights,” said Mr. Dahlem, a Physical Education and Health teacher.

“You have to put in the work. It’s something that students should be proud of having accomplished,” Dahlem said.

The objective is complete a series of exercises, each of which uses weights that cumulatively add up to a total of 500 pounds. From the seven exercise choices that are available, boys can choose three of the exercises and girls can choose five of them. The options include: bench press, squat, deadlift, shoulder press, power clean, or pull-ups/dips. Because it is difficult to add weight to a pull-up/dip, each one is automatically worth 10 pounds.

Once students have obtained a membership to the 500 club through meeting the weight minimum, they are given the opportunity to purchase a $5.00 t-shirt and to have their name added to an Honor Roll, which lists all students who have completed the challenge. “You have to put in the work. It’s something that students should be proud of having accomplished,” Dahlem said.

Many Bronx Science students have already taken advantage of this opportunity to test their strength. Jian Wu ’18 and Kevin Lu ’19 are two of the members of the 500 Club who recently met the criteria for membership. Going forward, this new Bronx Science initiative will provide an incentive for our students to get in shape, and it will promote a healthier lifestyle for the student body.