A week or so ago
, I mentioned doing a challenge for the month of November. The best part to me is that it only takes 1 day to do and then you do whatever you want for the month.
I decided, inspired by the fall air, all the kids going back to school, that it would be interesting to try and do the high school fitness test again now as an adult. I have no idea how I did back then. I remember being terrible at the flexed arm hang, but I just want to see how I do for myself. For this challenge, you perform each of the fitness tests. During the month, you can choose to pick one test to improve on or just workout and see how you do again at the end of the month, see how you’ve improved! Here are the tests:
- Cardio: 1 Mile walk/run (time)
- Upper Body Strength: 90 Degree Push Up (#) – arms to 90 degree angle, can choose modified or military
- Upper Body Strength: Pull Ups (#) or Flexed Arm Hang (time) – chin above bar (optional if you have no pull up bar)
- Abdominal Strength: Sit Ups (# in 1 minute) – chest to knees
- Trunk Strength: Trunk Lift (inches) – measure to chin (you’ll need an assistant!)
- Flexibility: Sit &Reach (inches) – Instructions at Top End Sports
That’s it! And in case you were wondering like I was, this is a trunk lift:
LoL, because I couldn’t remember at all! Thank you to the Virginia DoE for their informative PDF that I used for this also!
And just because I felt like it, I decided I would throw 2 more tests for anyone who wants to try them!
- Wall Squat (time) – knees at 90 degrees
- Plank (time) – you choose modified, bent arm, straight arm
So that’s it! Make time this weekend to do your test! Make sure you do the first set in order. That way, by the time you get to the sit and reach, your muscles are all warmed up. I would probably throw in the 2 extras sometime before the S&R. Remember that this test is for yourself only! Don’t worry about other people’s numbers. Work on improving your numbers, you don’t even have to share if you don’t want to!
My goals for this challenge will be overall improvement. I would really like to improve my mile time, push ups, and plank but then I want to get better at them all! I will post my numbers when I take the test this Sunday!
Who is going to join me?? Let me know when you take your test! Like I said, you don’t have to share your numbers, they are for you, but you can if you want to!!
I’ll do it! I hope I remember…I’ll test on Sunday too…way back in the dark ages, when I was in school, we did the Presidential Fitness Test every year – and every year there was one girl who was the “one to beat”…she was a fast runner (I think we had to do a 50 or 100 yard dash – I don’t remember it being a mile…it was a REALLY long time ago) so she’d beat me on that, so I’d have to beat her in the sit-ups…I always hoped she had gym class before me so I knew my goal count!!! HA! It will be nice to compete with myself over the course of the month! Less stressful!
Thanks for the challenge…and the walk (sprint? jog?) down memory lane!
Well, there was also the 200 meter sprint repeats as the other option for cardio but I figured telling people to go run a mile was easier than telling them to find a 200 meter length of ground and sprint it 10 times. LoL!
And we had one girl in my school who was this little tiny thing. She could hold the flexed arm hang for over 2 minutes. My teacher was nice to give me the 3 seconds to pass me because I think I just went up and right back down again. Ha!
~Ang
God bless you for trying this! I HATED (all caps) those fitness tests when I was in elementary school. I couldn’t do pull ups ever and the long-distance run left me sweaty and splotchy-faced. HATE is almost too weak a word! Hhahahahah
Best of luck to YOU though!!
I hated them too! Which is why I think I want to do them. To prove to myself that I can or something. LoL! I couldn’t do a single pull up either, probably no different now but I’m going to try like hell!
~Ang