A Presidential Fitness Test For Grown-Ups

Adults Can Plug In Their Scores For Several Exercises To See How They Rank Nationally

(AP)  If you didn't get a Presidential Physical Fitness Award in school, the government is giving you another chance to prove you're in shape.

An adult fitness test is being introduced Wednesday by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. It will incorporate several of the exercises that millions of students undertake each year as they aim for a certificate signed by the president.

"What were trying to do is inspire and motivate Americans to move their bodies more," said Melissa Johnson, executive director of the council.

The test involves three basic components: aerobic fitness, muscular strength and flexibility. The test is for people 18 and older who are in good health. It was inspired by scores of baby boomers who kept asking council members whether there was a fitness test available today that was similar to the ones they took as students, Johnson said.

The aerobic component of the tests consists of a one-mile walk or 1.5-mile run. The run is not recommended for those who don't run for at least 20 minutes, three times a week.

Push-ups and half sit-ups make up the strength test. The push-ups are done until failure. The sit-ups are done for one minute.

A stretching exercise called the "sit-and-reach" is used to measure flexibility.

The scores from all four of the fitness tests can be entered online. Other information, such as age, gender, height and weight are also part of the equation.

You won't get a presidential certificate, but the results will then show where you rank among people of the same age. For example, if someone scores in the 75th percentile for push-ups, that means 75 percent of the scores fall below your score.

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See How Your Physical Fitness Rates

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The fitness test incorporates height and weight to give participants their body mass index. Generally, a BMI score above 25 equates to being overweight. However, for people who do exercise a lot, the BMI score can be high because of their extra muscle mass, not because they have too much fat.

The test will allow people to easily record a baseline that they can work from through their exercise routine.

"The point is to do consistent, regular physical activity and these are good check-in points to see how fit people are," Johnson said.

[dsperling3]

I am a PE teacher. I have had major concerns and questions concerning the PFT for school children for years. After many calls and conversations I am still getting the run around from the people in charge!

[beckajw]

What are your concerns? I can''t answer them, but I''m interested to know.

We took the test while I was in school. The year was basically geared toward training for it. I mean we did sports, but as it got closer to the time for the test we would start running more, and doing more pushups, situps. It always seemed like a good gauge of fitness. Those of us in sports did better than others. But just training for it got everyone more interested in fitness, at least for a few months.

[excoachken]

Present physical education programs have been so "watered down" in terms of physical demands that they hardly can be called Physical Education. They are often less envigorating than when the kids gooff to play by themselves. Physical Education, to be effective needs to be 30 minutes of vigorous activity (not badminton, square dance, or table tennis) including activities to increased strength, flexibility and cardiovascular condition, and needs to be required every day. Our children would be less fat and more happy with such a change.

[navychief8]

am a PE teacher. I have had major concerns and questions concerning the PFT for school children for years. After many calls and conversations I am still getting the run around from the people in charge!


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Posted by dsperling3 at 09:36 AM : May 14, 2008


Your concern being what? you are kind of vague in your post.

[navychief8]

In the navy, we are required to meet hight and body weight standards as well as pass a semi-anual PFT. I used to love doing the Presidents Fitness Test. As a swimmer and later bake racer, growing up in North Georgia in the early 80''s I was often made fun of by the mainstream atheletes (Football, baseball, basketball). Nothing was better for gaining negative attention than comming to school with a shaved head and legs, arms and chest. The PFT was my chance to get even. I could do push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and run until the cows came home.

[sistatee-2009]

Put Cheney on one of these things and see if he''s fit to be president.

[dsperling3]

Some readers will remember when the only awards to be won were the Presidential and National awards. Theywere very hard to achieve. To the credit of the PPF board they did develope a Healthy Fitness award which acknowledges healty but, not highly athetic, scores. My problem is with qualifying scores. T achieve the National award a 11 year old girl must run the mile in 11.05 minutes or less. To achieve the "Health Fitness" award the same girl must run the mile in less than 10:30. No one I have talked to can seem to explain these qualifying times. This may seem picky on my part but, it''s important to the student(s) who are running the mile. If Washington blows off this type of concern what else could be flawed about the test?

[jerr11]

Is there a mental health component in this test?

How come we still ended up with the loony Bush in the White House?

[davidbthelen]

Here is a suggestion that can get people into shape while saving our environment at the same time.
Our neighborhoods were designed on the theory of there being cheap gas. We drive everywhere we go. We should redesign neighborhoods to include smaller pharmacy stores, doctors%u2019 offices, and grocery stores within smaller residential neighborhoods. We should build more residences closer to businesses. If people were encouraged to bike or walk more to work, to the pharmacy store, to the doctors%u2019 offices, etc. We could get adults more into shape.
We could at the same time save on gas, the environment, and traffic congestion. We could create jobs for architecture and construction redesigning and building these new neighborhoods.
I hope the next president will use his/her first 100 days of their presidency to advocate such changes. This may be one of several ways to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. And at the same time get our fellow Americans into shape living in such neighborhoods.

[greatday6]

Denise Austin looked terrific! You should have her all the time! Wow!

[jupiterssun]

Personally i was thrilled two have won two PFFA And had started for my third one but got involved in other things in school, I didnt give a *** what i had to do, I remember it was hard but quite a good feeling when i was done and had met the challenge. And the concern as he had stated was the standard for age groups. Now if i remember right when i was in fourth grade i had to do 100 sit ups in a minute that was the hardest the rest was a breeze and the next year more sit ups and faster on the track again a breeze. I''m now 47 so that was a million years ago. but very much still in shape , well a little out winter is hell on me. Anyways thanks for the story very cool LOVE THIS SHOW.