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If you grew up in the U.S. before 2013, you probably remember the Presidential Fitness Test.
Whether it was racing classmates in the shuttle run, wheezing through a mile in the heat or trying to touch your toes during the sit-and-reach, it was a rite of passage in American schools — and for many, an annual mix of dread, sweat and sticker-based validation.
Now, more than a decade after it was phased out, the test is coming back. President Donald Trump officially reinstated it earlier this month, framing the move as a return to national strength and discipline.
The announcement came alongside a rebooted Presidential Fitness Council stacked with athletes and sports celebrities — all part of a promise to get American kids moving again. The council includes pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau, along with others who’ve attracted controversy such as former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, a registered sex offender.
“As a fitness professional with over eight years of experience, my first reaction to the news was: ‘Wow, read the room, Mr. President,’” Bianca Russo, a movement coach and Level 2 GOATA Recode Specialist, said.
“From what I’ve seen and heard over the years, the Presidential Fitness Test has rarely, if ever, benefited the majority,” she said. “Sure, a small group of kids who enjoy competition and have natural physical ability may have liked it. But for most, it was damaging.”
But even in its heyday, the program had critics. Many pointed out that it focused more on elite performance than on participation or progress. The rigid benchmarks didn’t account for students with disabilities or those who struggled with coordination, speed or strength. And over time, educators began to question whether the test actually encouraged fitness or just made kids feel bad about their bodies.
“Children thrive when they’re raised to love movement in environments that meet them where they’re at: spaces rooted in joy, curiosity and play,” Russo said. “But this kind of testing promotes shame, low self-esteem and a lifelong avoidance of physical activity when they inevitably fail.”
By 2012, under the Obama administration, the test was quietly phased out, and was replaced by the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, a more inclusive and evidence-based model that emphasized personal progress instead of ranking students by percentile.
“The update to the program was a step in the right direction,” Katie Gould, founder of KG Strong, a strength and movement studio, told HuffPost. “It emphasized personal progress and health over raw performance metrics. In my coaching practice, I’ve found that when people, especially kids, track their own improvements and feel celebrated for effort rather than perfection, they’re much more likely to stay engaged and build lifelong habits. That’s the kind of motivation we want to cultivate.”
Now, with the original test set to return, which includes a one-mile run, sit-ups, push-ups or pull-ups, a shuttle run and a sit-and-reach test, the question isn’t just whether kids can pass it, it’s whether the values it was built on — competition, uniformity and measurable toughness — still make sense in 2025.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-reviving-unpopular-american-school-110017073.html
Whether it was racing classmates in the shuttle run, wheezing through a mile in the heat or trying to touch your toes during the sit-and-reach, it was a rite of passage in American schools — and for many, an annual mix of dread, sweat and sticker-based validation.
Now, more than a decade after it was phased out, the test is coming back. President Donald Trump officially reinstated it earlier this month, framing the move as a return to national strength and discipline.
The announcement came alongside a rebooted Presidential Fitness Council stacked with athletes and sports celebrities — all part of a promise to get American kids moving again. The council includes pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau, along with others who’ve attracted controversy such as former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, a registered sex offender.
A Throwback Nobody Asked For
For some, the test brings back memories of being singled out, embarrassed or publicly compared to classmates. Experts are now asking whether this kind of one-size-fits-all testing actually promotes healthy habits or if it reinforces outdated ideas about performance, punishment and what it means to be “fit.”“As a fitness professional with over eight years of experience, my first reaction to the news was: ‘Wow, read the room, Mr. President,’” Bianca Russo, a movement coach and Level 2 GOATA Recode Specialist, said.
“From what I’ve seen and heard over the years, the Presidential Fitness Test has rarely, if ever, benefited the majority,” she said. “Sure, a small group of kids who enjoy competition and have natural physical ability may have liked it. But for most, it was damaging.”
But even in its heyday, the program had critics. Many pointed out that it focused more on elite performance than on participation or progress. The rigid benchmarks didn’t account for students with disabilities or those who struggled with coordination, speed or strength. And over time, educators began to question whether the test actually encouraged fitness or just made kids feel bad about their bodies.
“Children thrive when they’re raised to love movement in environments that meet them where they’re at: spaces rooted in joy, curiosity and play,” Russo said. “But this kind of testing promotes shame, low self-esteem and a lifelong avoidance of physical activity when they inevitably fail.”
By 2012, under the Obama administration, the test was quietly phased out, and was replaced by the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, a more inclusive and evidence-based model that emphasized personal progress instead of ranking students by percentile.
“The update to the program was a step in the right direction,” Katie Gould, founder of KG Strong, a strength and movement studio, told HuffPost. “It emphasized personal progress and health over raw performance metrics. In my coaching practice, I’ve found that when people, especially kids, track their own improvements and feel celebrated for effort rather than perfection, they’re much more likely to stay engaged and build lifelong habits. That’s the kind of motivation we want to cultivate.”
Now, with the original test set to return, which includes a one-mile run, sit-ups, push-ups or pull-ups, a shuttle run and a sit-and-reach test, the question isn’t just whether kids can pass it, it’s whether the values it was built on — competition, uniformity and measurable toughness — still make sense in 2025.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-reviving-unpopular-american-school-110017073.html