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President's Challenge

The President's Challenge was a fitness award program for school age children in the United States. The original Presidential Physical Fitness Award began in 1966. Over the years the program has recognized the fitness activities of millions of youth. Now called the President's Challenge, it includes four separate programs, which are detailed below. The awards program was terminated on June 30, 2018.

New Fitness Test (2013-2018)

From 2013, the Presidential Physical Fitness Test is to be gradually phased out and replaced by the Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP). The PYFP makes use of the FITNESSGRAM® assessment program, which focuses on health and lifelong physical activity. This new test still includes sprints, push-ups and pull-ups, but now also includes body fat and body mass measurements. There is also a change in the focus of results - certificates and other awards recognize personal gains, instead of focusing on competition. For details of the new test, see the FitnessGram program.



The Old Program

Original Test

The initial version of the Presidents Test from 1957 included pull-ups, sit-ups, the standing broad jump, the shuttle run, the 50-yard dash, the softball throw, and the 600-yard run. This was the foundation of the test for many years, though small changes to the program were made over time.



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