test yourself with this presidential physical fitness award workout
The Presidential Physical Fitness Test: we all remember it. It was either the best time of the year or the worst time of the year. For some, the sit-and-reach was their time to shine. For others, it was the worst 3 minutes of their life. But regardless of where you landed, today is your day to either revisit your glory days or make today a day of glory. In honor of President's Day, we've dug up one of the original Presidential Physical Fitness Tests from the archives (because in case you didn't know, it was revised in 2012) for a little twist to your daily workout.
Complete the following 6 exercises. For added intensity, do the circuit multiple times.
Sit and Reach (We'll just get it out of the way first.)
Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you. Clasp your hands together and slowly reach forward towards your toes as far as possible. Hold this stretch for three full seconds. During those seconds, it is important that you keep your hands together and your legs down.
Shuttle Run
Before you complete the Shuttle Run, place two blocks (or weights for adding intensity) 30 feet from your starting point. To complete the challenge, run thirty feet, pick up a block (or weight), sprint back to the starting line, deposit the block (or weight), and then repeat.
Endurance Run
This one is pretty straightforward. Run for a distance of one mile. Added challenge: Make that mile mostly uphill.
Pull-Ups
Hang from a horizontal bar with your arms fully extended and feet free from the floor. Feel free to use either an overhand grasp or an underhand grip. Raise your body until your chin clears the bar and then slowly (keyword slowly) lower your body to the full-hang starting position. Do as many as possible.
**If you're doing it true Presidential Physical Fitness style, there is no jerking or swinging your body for momentum. Just good old body-weight pull-ups.
Push-Ups
Yes, it's push-ups, but there is an added challenge: The push-ups are done to a metronome with one complete push-up every three seconds. You must remain in motion the entire 3 seconds. Do the push-ups until you no longer can.
Here's how to do a correct push-up, just in case. Start in a standard push up position, with your hands beneath your shoulders and your fingers slightly spread.
Engage your core to support your back as you lower your chest towards the floor. Make sure you maintain a straight line from head to toe during the movement. Reverse your motion by pushing hard through the palms, rising upward until arms are extended. Repeat.
Curl-Ups
Lie on a clean, cushioned surface (a yoga mat will do) with your knees bent and your feet shoulder-width apart. Cross your arms and raise your trunk (like you would in a sit-up, because that is basically what this is), attempting to touch your elbows to your thighs. Do as many as possible.
