The President's Physical Fitness Test
How fit are your children right now? Here's a standardized test and scorecard you can give them to see how they compare to kids their age across the country — that's your starting point on the road to improved fitness.
You know your children can run — but how far can they run? You've seen your kids hanging from the monkey bars at the park — should they be able to pull themselves up by their arms alone? And can your child do enough sit-ups in one minute? How many sit-ups are enough, anyway? vIf your answer to these questions is, "Who knows?" the President's Physical Fitness Test is for you. The test is the gold standard for measuring overall physical fitness in children and teens, and it used to be administered routinely in physical education classes. But odds are your child hasn't taken the President's Physical Fitness Test at school, given how PE classes have been cut out of the curriculum. If that's the case, you should consider giving it to your child yourself.
The President's Physical Fitness Test is made up of five activities:
-
Curl-ups: These moves test your child's abdominal strength and endurance. Strong abdominal muscles are important because they support the spine and help with posture.
-
1-Mile Run/Walk: Seeing how quickly your child can complete a mile (or a shorter distance for children nine and under) will clue you in to their cardiovascular endurance, or heart and lung fitness.
-
Pull-ups or Push-ups: These exercises measure a child's upper-body strength.
-
Shuttle Run: You'll need a wooden block or similar object for this test of leg strength, power, and agility.
-
V-Sit: This activity measures flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings. You'll need a tape measure and either tape or chalk for this one.
Note: The President's Physical Fitness Test is a great tool for getting your child on the road to better physical fitness — so take advantage of it! But before you use it on an overweight or obese child, your family doctor should do a health evaluation first. How do you know if your child is overweight? Members of the online Family Challenge can calculate a healthy weight for children of any age, then set target weights to help them get there.
Ready to get started? Print out the Instruction Sheet and Scorecard.
How Do Your Kids Measure Up?
You have the power to help your kids lose weight and break unhealthy habits. Shaq's team of experts can help you help your kids.
Sign Up Now!
Photograph © American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.