Credits: Social Media
Axed Presidential health test for kids could effectively assess your current fitness’
President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s throwback Presidential Physical Fitness might have been designed in 1956, but its science-based approach can still serve your health in 2024.
Considering the wait times for a mere doctor’s appointment, it’s not surprising that Google Trends reported an uptick in interest surrounding health tests at home. There seems to be one for everyone, from the Navy SEALs screening test to the IQ quiz that tests your brain health.
The Presidential Physical Fitness has changed over the years
While the origins of the test are said to be from the 1800s, it wasn’t properly implemented until the Presidency of John F. Kennedy who famously used Cold War paranoia to suggest a lazy population would cause America’s inevitable defeat.
The test underwent various name and content changes over the years until it was finally scrapped by Barack Obama’s office in 2010. It was replaced by the Let’s Move program.
“While the test was designed for young people and has changed over the years, older adults can still benefit from taking it,” Patricia Cordeiro, a certified athletic trainer with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Brigham, said in a Harvard article. “With some modifications, the test can be a valuable tool to assess their current fitness and identify where they need to improve.”
The first module in the Presidential Physical Fitness test is typically a one-mile run, which Harvard’s expert said should be used to measure intensity.
“A one-mile run or power walk using a heart rate monitor can help you maintain proper intensity and track your progress,” she said. “Ideally, most men want to be in the moderate-intensity range for most of their workout.”
To measure core strength, the age-old test calls for situps to be measured by time, though Patricia Cordeiro said that planking is a better exercise to test your core strength with.
Step 3 is push-ups – you’ve got this!
While earlier additions to the test called for either push-ups or pull-ups, the expert suggested choosing push-ups as they work “upper-body strength chest, shoulders, arms, and back.”
“A properly executed push-up means going low enough to fully engage your muscles,” she said. “Doing five good push-ups is better than doing 10 poor ones.”
If you’re not exhausted and ready for a nap, then it’s time to move on to the sit-and-reach exercises that measure the strength of your hamstring and lower back muscles. To correctly do this part, sit on the floor with your knees locked and your legs straight out.
Lean forward from the hips and extend your hand down to your legs without rounding your back. Repeat this exercise regularly and you should see an improvement in where your fingers reach.
The last step is arguably the hardest and entails moving back and forth as fast as possible between two points, also known as the dreaded shuttle run.
