Flashbacks to The Presidential Fitness Test
I’m having flashbacks to the Presidential Fitness Test.
And it’s painful.
Really painful.
You remember the test, right?
Sit-ups....running...sit-and-reach...pull-ups or the flexed arm hang.
I asked some of my friends what they remember. Here are some of their responses:
“Ugh.”
“You want me to sit and reach my toes...and past them? Seriously?”
Dread.”
“Shame. Pure shame of a fat kid who couldn’t do a pull-up... But it also spurred me on to work harder and start running.”
“Yuck.”
“I farted once during the sit-up portion while my friend was holding my feet. We laughed so hard I never did another sit-up & I failed the test.”
“Humiliation.”
“Sit n reach on that damn box? .... omg, my hamstrings are going to pop. Pull ups or the hang.... shit, my shoulders are now going rip out. I mean crap, I am healthy and can do things.... but that shit made me feel like a failure and did nothing to boost self esteem.”
I second all of these sentiments.
I’ve never been a runner and push-ups have never been my forte, but nothing caused me as much humiliation as the flexed arm hang.
I’d watch in awe and envy as some of my classmates would hang from that bar for what seemed like forever. By contrast, as soon as I stepped off the box my arms would start shaking and my sweaty palms would quickly lose their grip. I don’t think I ever stayed up there long enough for our PE teacher Miss Marshall to start counting. Maybe she got to, “...two one thousand...” MAYBE.
I wanted to crawl under the wrestling mats and disappear.
This experience is one reason I decided to become a group fitness instructor and personal trainer. I wanted to encourage people and help them find exercise they enjoy. I wanted participants to feel empowered, not humiliated.
It’s also why pull-ups are on my list of goals. Doing the work has been humbling to say the least. Last week I tried jumping up to attempt the dreaded flexed arm hang and cracked my head on the bar. Mortified, I quickly looked around to see if anyone had witnessed it. Thankfully, my gym is empty over the noon hour so I took another approach with a resistance band. The first time I tried this the band slipped off my foot and slapped me in the face. Have I ever mentioned how graceful I am? It was at this point I realized I was missing out on some great material by not recording this. I didn’t capture causing myself injuries but this isn’t pretty.
You’re welcome.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do the flexed arm hang or pull ups,but at this point in my life I’d rather keep trying and failing than not try at all.
Who’s with me?!?