Pull-ups, distance runs, and other challenges of strength, endurance, quickness, and agility are returning to a school near you.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the Presidential Fitness Test, established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1966 and canceled by President Barack Obama 48 years later, will be reinstated under executive order.
“This was a wonderful tradition,” Trump said during a signing ceremony at the White House, “and we’re bringing it back.”
Trump also expanded the Presidential Sports Council and was joined by new members pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau, NFL kicker Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs, NFL Hall of Fame linebacker and former New York Giant Lawrence Taylor, LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam, and WWE wrestler Paul Michael Levesque, also known as “Triple H.”
Levesque underscored the importance of teaching children about health, nutrition, and fitness.
“I think learning that at a young age sets you up for success in life,” he said.
While the program, which benefits students between the ages of 10 and 17, has changed over the years, a dedicated panel for youth fitness under presidential leadership has existed since 1956, beginning with President Dwight Eisenhower, according to the Department of Human Services (HHS) website.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan expanded the program to all states and initiated a data collection system to compare past results.
Under President George W. Bush, outreach efforts grew via the Fitness.gov website, the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award was created with a focus on health benefits, and sports participation was added to the program.
Obama further expanded it to include nutrition education and the inclusion of disabled students. The Presidential Fitness test, focused on performance, was then replaced with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, which removed the competitive elements from the original initiative and served as a national curriculum for health and the benefits of physical activity.
The last noted activity for the program, as noted on the HHS website, was in September. President Joe Biden and various national organizations held a “One Lacrosse Gathering Celebration” at the National Mall to recognize the Native American roots of lacrosse, a fringe sport that’s mainly popular in the eastern portion of the United States and parts of Canada. Professional players provided a skills clinic to youth participants who also learned about Native American culture and “indigenous foods and ingredients.”
The Presidential Fitness Test, though it was not endorsed by the executive branch until Trump’s revival, did not disappear completely.
In New York state, for example, schools still use an abbreviated or modified version of it to determine whether seventh- and eighth graders are eligible to compete on high school teams.
The test has timed runs to measure endurance, the sit and reach challenge to measure lower body flexibility, push-ups and pull-ups or curl-ups to measure upper body strength, and a timed shuttle run challenge that assesses quickness and agility as the participant sprints and pivots in different directions to pick up cones. The benchmarks vary based on age and sex.
Before Obama’s cancellation, the test endured some criticism that children who struggled with the feat felt humiliated or excluded.
Trump said existing council members include NHL great Wayne Gretzky, golfer Gary Player, NFL quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and several others affiliated with pro sports. The panel is expected to reform the NIL (name, image, and likeliness) provisions in college sports, which allow athletes to profit from their name and brand, but the constant transfer of the top men’s basketball and football players has negatively impacted the other sports, especially women’s teams.
“What happened? It’s a mess,” Trump said. “Women’s sports are being totally decimated.”
Members of these presidential fitness councils have traditionally included pro athletes and celebrities such as legendary outfielder Stan Musial under Lyndon Johnson, movie star and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger under George H.W. Bush, Olympic track gold medalist Florence Griffith Joyner under Bill Clinton, NFL receiver Lynn Swann under George W. Bush, NFL quarterback Drew Brees under Obama, NFL running back Herschel Walker under Trump during his first administration, and WNBA player Elena Delle Donne under Biden, according to the HHS website.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated which president established the President’s Council on Youth Fitness in 1956. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
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