The President's Physical Fitness Test
The shuttle run! The flexed arm hang! The v-sit reach! These terms are seared into the memories of an entire generation of American schoolchildren. But did the President's Physical Fitness Test actually make us fitter? (Spoiler: lol no)
Thanks to Ashley Smith for editing assistance and Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song!
Support us:
- Subscribe on Patreon
- Donate on PayPal
- Get Maintenance Phase shirts, stickers and more
Links!
- The Report That Shocked The President
- JFK’s Sports Illustrated article, “The Soft American”
- 1958–2008: 50 Years of Youth Fitness Tests in the United States
- The President's Council on Physical Fitness and the Systematisation of Children's Play in America
- Why is there so little critical physical education scholarship in the United States? The case of Fitnessgram
- The Modern Era: Blossoming of the Olympic Movement and the Conquest of Acute Disease
- The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: The First 50 Years
- Do Fitness Test Performances Predict Students’ Attitudes And Emotions Toward Physical Education?