Don’t be surprised if you start to see pieces of fitness equipment in the quad in the next few weeks and students cranking out repetitions.

In an effort to spur interest in November’s Fittest Athlete competition, an event that will determine the school’s fittest students, the physical education department will be holding fitness challenges during lunch on Fridays.

Athletics director Peter Jordan said the purpose of the session is promote a fitter lifestyle.

The revitalized PE department is entering its second year of a new fitness program called CrossFit, which consists of different workouts that target many areas of exercise such as weight-lifting and conditioning. The program is integrated in PE classes and in conditioning programs for student athletes. Students who are interested in getting a little more exercise also stop by the weight room after school to participate in CrossFit.

“We would like more people to know about the program [CrossFit] and participate in it, so we thought the fitness challenge would stimulate some interest in it,” Jordan said.

The lunchtime challenges will consist of activities such as pull-ups that will be done on portable pull-up bars in the quad.

“Each subsequent Friday we’ll build [the challenge] up a little more until everybody is talking about it; then we’ll hold the Fittest Athlete competition,” Jordan said.

The original date of the competition was scheduled on Nov. 6, but because of the addition of the lunch challenges, the date is still being decided upon.

Jordan said the competition is going to be a co-ed event, and two winners, a boy and a girl, will be chosen from each grade level as the fittest students.

“Anybody can participate,” Jordan said, “and the more, the better.”