The article reveals the peculiarities of forming students' motivation to exercise. It is established that the formation of motivation for exercise is a complex systemic process that includes many components. One of the indicators of students' health is their motivation to exercise. Exercise is an element that closely connects all aspects of personality in the process of development and formation. The main task of physical education in the educational process is to preserve the health of students, the development of skills necessary for the formation of a competitive specialist. The article focuses on the motivation to exercise not only during the educational process, but also in everyday life, and also substantiates the importance of physical activity for the normal functioning of the human body. Theoretical knowledge and practical experience gained during physical culture and sports practice form a personality's outlook in the field of physical culture and the need for it. The spectrum of these needs is quite wide: this is the need for movement and physical activity, for communication, contacts and spending free time with friends; in games, emotional relaxation, self-affirmation, strengthening the position of one's “I”, in cognition and in physical improvement. Mastering the knowledge system helps to form the need for physical exercises. It also allows students to independently use the means of physical culture, providing adequate self-esteem and self-control. The search for methods of increasing motivation for physical education, it is motivation that is an integral component of successful physical culture and sports activity. Preserving and strengthening the health of the student body will prepare competent specialists who are ready for productive and long-term professional activity.

The article reveals the peculiarities of the use of athletics to improve the physical fitness of students of higher education institutions. The influence of physical education on motivation for athletics is also revealed. It is established that the use of means and methods of athletics in physical education classes in higher education institutions leads to a significant increase in the level of physical fitness. It was found that one of the factors influencing the growth of student morbidity and low level of their physical development is the lack of physical activity. The combination of these factors determines the level of physical fitness and efficiency, which, in turn, are important indicators of professional training of students. However, the use of other methods of strength development, the method of unsatisfactory efforts with a normalized number of repetitions, the method of unsatisfactory efforts with the maximum number of repetitions, the method of dynamic efforts, the shock method, the method of static efforts, the static-dynamic method, the method of circular training, the game method has a beneficial effect on the development of all physical qualities. The decrease in the indicators of general physical fitness is facilitated by the fact that during the holidays, students practically do not go in for sports on their own. As the analysis of the survey has shown, only students of higher educational institutions are independently engaged in physical culture.

The article reveals the issues of athleticism as a means of physical education of student youth. The definitions of the concept of "athleticism" are analyzed. It was revealed that it is athleticism that is the most popular sport among college students. The article reveals the influence of athleticism on the level of physical fitness of students of higher educational institutions in the process of physical education classes. The analysis of literary sources showed a tendency towards a constant deterioration in the health of young people, a decrease in motivation for physical education classes. Therefore, the question arises about the need to improve the means of physical education, taking into account gender and age, individual characteristics, needs, motives and interests of students. Currently, there is an increase in interest in classes with strictly regulated exercises aimed at developing the figure and improving the functionality of the body. Athletics, as a direction of strength training, is currently especially popular among student youth. The main focus of these works is the desire of the authors to develop a method of training with weights, aimed at developing strength and strengthening the muscles involved, increasing their overall strength training. Theoretical analysis and generalization of literary sources, the results of their own pedagogical experience confirm the fact that the most acute problem facing higher education is a serious deterioration in the health of student youth. It is known that rational motor activity is a powerful factor that increases the adaptive capacity of the body.

The article reveals the features of power loads and their impact on the body of student youth. It was found that athletics is the most popular sport among student youth. The article reveals the influence of athletics on the body of students of higher education institutions in the process of physical education. The analysis of literature sources showed a tendency to the constant deterioration of the health of young people, reducing the motivation to engage in physical education. One of the ways to solve the problem of involvement in physical education is the free choice of forms of employment. That is, there is a need to introduce a system of attendance at a convenient time for students in the chosen specialization. The main popularity for girls is aerobics and fitness, and for boys athletic gymnastics. However, the introduction of this system leads to negative aspects of physical education classes for students in the curriculum, which affects the study of other disciplines. For example, after a physical education class, a student cannot quickly rebuild, get out of the excited state caused by emotions and physical stress of the class. Therefore, the task of physical training must be solved in the mandatory physical education classes held outside the university schedule in the afternoon. This is a direction of bodybuilding, based on the use of strength training complexes with different weights: barbells, dumbbells, dumbbells, exercise machines. It is a system of exercises that develops strength along with endurance, agility and some other physical qualities that promote good health. Over the last decade, studies have been conducted on the impact of recreational strength training.