How powerful are you? A fun investigation.

This activity guides students through an activity to make measurements of how quickly they can run up a flight of stairs / climb a gym rope. They then use their data to calculate how powerful their muscles are. An engaging, practical way to teach about the links between gravitational potential energy, work, and power. Students love a chance to be competitive, and learn about physics in the process. If carried out in small groups, there is always a keen volunteer who doesn't mind sharing their body weight, or alternatively they can give an estimate.