The Presidential Physical Fitness Test PRs

That stupid test was biased against distance runners. I reached the "Presidential" level in every category except for the "try and touch your toes" activity. There, I couldn't even meet the minimum requirement and therefore became ineligible to receive any award. What does flexibility have to do with fitness anyway? Stupid test!

[quote]Ronald Reagan wrote:

My PRs that I remember:

50 yard dash: 6.0 hand-timed

That's funny. I'd like to get a FinishLynx into my PE budget.

well, you didn't see me knock out 153 straight later on, the 31 was a warmup

A little different for us.

6'8" standing broadjump

44 chair pushups

63 sit-ups in a minute

16 pull-ups palms out

5:54 mile

I'm with you, Jilted. I was pretty bitter about the flex-test to as I won the award every year I was tested until they introduced that in the 9th grade and I scored a..... negative 14inches! (passing was plus 2inches, I think - so I was pretty close.

Times for the distance run were:

5th grade 1:58 for 600yds (thought I was the stuff then)

6th-8th grade - 6:06-6:30

FreshmanHS - 5:45

Sophomore - 5:37

Jr - Sr yrs - ran track

Always barely made it in the shuttle run and 50yd dash (even had a PE teacher give me have a "do over").

Used to do 10-15 palms out pull-ups. I attempted it a year or so and struggled to get 5 (even had to do "the centipede" on the last one, so it probably wouldn't count).

That flexibility part WAS stupid.

The emphasis is on total fitness. Not running. Flexability is just as important. In fact neglecting flexabiltiy is leaving out a a key component to your training. Form improvement and injury prevention primarily. So long story short...stop bitching about your lack of total fitness you skinny punks.

I don't remember the exact measurement, but my standing broadjump freshman year was what finally convinced my coach to let me longjump.

All through indoor and most of outdoor I kept at him and he'd tell me middistance runners don't jump. I went on to win the league in long and get the school record in long and triple by senior year.

5th Grade:

Shuttle Run- No idea, but pretty quick

Mile- 6:05

Pull ups- 12

Sit ups- 75

V Sit and Reach- Negative 14 (I'm not kidding. I dominated everyone in every event but could not get "Presidential" because I couldn't get on the + side on this meaningless test).

Same for me. I dominated every event but couldn't get the award because I couldn't spring fast enough.

Pissed me off to no end.

Years later, and I still can't sprint worth a damn.

Jilted wrote:

That stupid test was biased against distance runners. I reached the "Presidential" level in every category except for the "try and touch your toes" activity. There, I couldn't even meet the minimum requirement and therefore became ineligible to receive any award. What does flexibility have to do with fitness anyway? Stupid test!

i wasn't able to touch my toes until i was 22 years old. that was the worst part of the test for me too, the sit and reach. but the bottom line, is that flexibility is the 3rd component of physical fitness. someone who is physically fit has good cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility.

p.s. the more flexible you are, the better runner you will be. guaranteed.