Richardson Students Prepare For Fitness Test

RICHARDSON (CBSDFW.COM) - As the Dallas Cowboys prepare for a winning season, sixth-grade students at Richardson's Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet School are busy preparing for their annual fitness assessment test. "Fitness Gram is a battery of tests designed to test the fitness levels of our students," said physical education instructor Adam Mahaney. "We've used it in Texas for quite a long time. It is mandatory for students grade three to sixth, to take that test at least once a year."

Fitness Gram was developed by the Cooper Institute, right here in Dallas.

The students move from one cone to the next about every 90 seconds. Each cone, or station, features an exercise that works out a different part of the body: upper body strength, abdominal strength, flexibility and cardio-respiratory endurance.

Before starting a new routine, the students run for 30 seconds and check their heart rate.

For the kids, this is more than just physical education. It is fun, and it helps to prepare them for other sports in the future. "I play a lot of sports like basketball, football and baseball," said student Keaton Wallace. "So, I get a lot of conditioning."

Plus, Mahaney encourages his students to exercise outside of school, and to develop healthy habits. "We want to teach them their healthy habits that they can take into adulthood," Mahaney said. "That has been the problem with a lot of adults, when we look at obesity in adults. They don't have those healthy habits that have been instilled in them. So, here, starting at this age, is where they need to develop those healthy habits."

The students will take their fitness test sometime in January.