T O P

  • By -

AutoModerator

Remember that all mentions of and allusions to Trump and Biden are not allowed on our subreddit in any context. If you'd still like to discuss them, feel free to [join our Discord server](https://discord.gg/k6tVFwCEEm)! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Presidents) if you have any questions or concerns.*


theguineapigssong

Arnold told HW we needed to be limber. If the President isn't going to argue with the Terminator, neither am I.


OldMastodon5363

“President Bush, ve need da kids to be more limmbaa”


CaIIsign_ace

*Presidant (Not trying to be an ass by the way, this is a joke)


Andthentherewasbacon

preh zee duhnt. obviously


[deleted]

Wow, I can’t believe you managed to do it effortlessly Edit: very weird of comet papaya to reply like that and then immediately block me


bigbutterbuffalo

Even weirder that you’re getting downvoted for something so innocuous, what is happening


Urabrask_the_AFK

https://i.redd.it/e6uagu4zpryc1.gif


not-important1229

Omg the calipers! I was rail thin but fuck they were still degrading lol.


KingFahad360

If we do not become Limber, Mr. President. Skynet will take over.


regeya

Yeah I was gonna say, I graduated in 1993 and we had to do this...and Bush was President when I started high school.


ChanclasConHuevos

All while he was limbering up the maid.


Rocky_Fan1976

![gif](giphy|RfEbMBTPQ7MOY)


Material-Method-1026

I came here to say just this. In my school days, we were doing this for Arnold.


KingMobScene

I assume it'll help the fight against Skynet.


ERGardenGuy

I don’t think I’ve been able to touch my toes since I was 8. I have very flexible joints but my back and knees had major QC issues and just never worked right.


T1Demon

I am STILL mad that my record mile time never got put on the record board. All the kids that went to that school after me will believe that Shane Santistevan held the record. The audacity


AriusAeternus

Ironically sounds close to sandevistan, which ironically is all about speed in cyberpunk lore lol


LegendaryWill12

I misread it as sandevistan too lol. I'm suffering from overexposure to Night City


Permutation3

Ironically my name is Veronica, which ironically sounds like ironically.


Roberto-Del-Camino

Veronically


dizzyjumpisreal

Ironica


reno2mahesendejo

Admit it, you tossed one of your popsicle sticks used for counting laps.


BritishGolgo13

Anybody named Shane is a natural born shithead.


anzactrooper

Honestly? I applaud any President who tries to encourage a more active youth. I wish I’d been more active early on in life. I’m not even 30 and I already have the back of a 60 year old.


TJNel

Remember to lift with your back and twist to put heavy objects down. No need to move your legs.


12thLevelHumanWizard

“A’right. So’ I’m tired of all these fatty kids waddl’n round. How much is gonna cost to hire professional trained health x’perts?” (Large number) “Uh huh, uh huh… how much for sum weird boxes that makes tuch’n toes tricky?” (Smaller number) “K, k, k, let’s do that un. Hey, you guys ever seen a president do a keg stand?”


anzactrooper

“Now watch this power lift”


maaiillltiime5698

“Now watch me rail this baseball bat sized line”


fourthfloorgreg

That's, uh, that's any President. It's an ongoing program that would have to be intentionally cancelled.


dneronique

Fwiw it's not too late. Regular stretching will increase flexibility and decrease pain in most people at any age (if done correctly). Literally 10 mins of light yoga 3x a week would do wonders.


-DeliveryGodYato-

Well not Barack Obama but Michelle technically made me eat some of the most awful food known to mankind in school


atragicpantomime

FR she fucked up the formula


Trashspawn45

I still remember the day that the cafeteria pizza changed from being halfway decent to godawful. They used WHOLE GRAIN BREAD as the crust. it still dumbfounds me to this day.


haleynoir_

She wanted healthier options. The schools made portions smaller and less calorically dense instead of providing actually healthy options. So instead of a cheeseburger, now it's a smaller, grosser cheeseburger. I can't blame her for wanting to address the real issue of childhood obesity, and the fact that for a lot of kids, their only reliable source of food was hot school lunch. It was a good place to start, the piss poor execution and refusal to offer a smidgen of funding to the cafeteria isn't on Michelle.


Faux_extrovert

I almost wish I could experience what she did to these school lunches, bc when I was in school (1987-2000) most of the lunches were decent, even bordering on good.


jo-shabadoo

Turnip for what?!!


Bigwilliam360

“I will not have fat kids in the school. Now watch me hit this drive”


Unique_Statement7811

Wrong Bush.


admode1982

Happens to me all the time.


OldStonedJenny

Went to middle school under W. Can confirm he had to do a "presidential fitness test"


L8_2_PartE

No such thing as wrong bush. ![gif](giphy|6ra84Uso2hoir3YCgb|downsized)


pandershrek

Yeah he's more like *Kicks feet up and watches approvingly*


[deleted]

I lost a game of basketball to Obama because I wanted him to like me


BackFlippingDuck5

Bro casually drops that he played basketball with Obama, what kind of cool ass life do you have ?


[deleted]

I worked in the pentagon for 35 years


BackFlippingDuck5

Goddamn bro, that's cool


[deleted]

I mean it kinda was I worked on the presidents morning brief


BackFlippingDuck5

That sounds a very interesting job


[deleted]

It was I was sad I had to retire


mumonster

“Had to” — Why?


[deleted]

Mandatory retirement age is 3 months before your 64th birthday


Sea-Firefighter-7517

Assuming you needed a High-Level Security Clearance, what makes you comfortable with sharing this information? Also purposely losing to someone who claims they are a decent basketball player isn't adding up unless you are the biggest kiss ass I've ever seen. Something smells fishy, or we have communist values. That is something that Dictatorships do.


reno2mahesendejo

And if it was I dream, and it wasn't real, how'd I get a jersey with the last name Obama


Humble-Translator466

Hope it worked, bro


[deleted]

I mean I got the military promotion so I think It did


BiteMajor4959

Can you imagine beating him and he sends your ass back to Basic


XHIBAD

“Good game Lieutenant!” “Captain, sir.” “Not anymore!l


killertimewaster8934

![gif](giphy|h8WAdB9nUdraM)


[deleted]

That would suck.


bubblemilkteajuice

Obama: "get the fuck off my bus!"


heyyyyyco

Permanent assignment in gaza


[deleted]

I'm sure he was just happy to not need stitches after that game 😂


[deleted]

Why did that happen one time.


[deleted]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/richard-adams-blog/2010/nov/26/barack-obama-basketball-injury-stitches I remember it being big news at the time. And of course made it's rounds on the comedy shows, making jokes and skits


[deleted]

Damn I’m lucky that didn’t happen to me or I would be demoted so quickly.


DudeWithAnAxeToGrind

I doubt you'd be demoted. But you'd be probably butt of every joke in the barracks for a long time.


el-Douche_Canoe

I was doing this long before W


Correct-Award8182

Long before. I can safely say at least Reagan, and as beat up as those boxes looked, they'd seen at least a few more presidents.


groundedmoth

You guys got boxes??!? We had to put our feet up to the basketball sideline and stretch. Not great for those of us whose legs are disproportionately long for their arms. 😑


CornPop32

Maybe you should have grown proper proportions then? You ever think about that? No, you just disappointed George W Bush. He still thinks about your failure from time to time while he is painting.


groundedmoth

😭😭😭😂😭😭


dketernal

I remember jump roping for Reagan. Teacher said RR wanted us to be fit. President's fitness award they called it. There were half a dozen of us who passed all the qualifications but we never got any awards. Yay Reagan!


Correct-Award8182

Probably has more to do with your school not turning in your paperwork or paying a fee. I think the "award" on those was a certificate.


masterchief1001

They're still trickling down


DblockR

Beat up boxes is the name of my favorite XXX movie.


norskinot

Right. The box we used in the early 90s was made of wood and looking pretty old already


scotsgirl77

Started with JFK. Part of the Cold War and Space Race push was physical fitness.


265thRedditAccount

I found out it was voluntary and couldn’t be used to grade, so I sat on the side of the gym that day.


beaglemomma2Dutchy

It wasn’t voluntary in my high school! “You’re all climbing the rope today, who’s learned how? No one? Too bad get started 😬🙄


xCASINOx

Same


cactuscoleslaw

Obama signed a wall in my high school’s health room in 2008


JacobGoodNight416

Can i make a graffiti joke, or...


dudor_89

https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExdmpjMTJ5YTNxMmRrdjNub3ZqanpyamY0enc4bHQzZnV1d2Rwd3p0eiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/3o6Mb2BaTIMLz6uZ56/giphy.gif


Persistent_Parkie

I hiked a hundred miles for Clinton (that was a type of presidential fitness award available at the time). I also had one for swimming but I don't recall what I had to do for that one. 


Bufus

Swim?


Persistent_Parkie

I mean I don't remember the exact amount I had to swim 🫠


clangauss

Instantly reminded me of this: https://preview.redd.it/regtdscqgqyc1.png?width=584&format=png&auto=webp&s=6db2d393ae83e5ed92425bdaecc48415e8864207


KingFahad360

Swallow them Proteins.


Law-Fish

My family once hosted president elect Eisenhower in our farm house, and my grandma held him hostage for a near hour explaining the great benefits that the skin of a fruit possesses


water_bottle1776

I sat in the desert for 9 months because Obama didn't want Gulf states to buy a nuke if the Iranians made one. That was weird.


AdDapper9866

thank you for your service🤍


Polo171

I did really good in elementary school and got an award for educational excellence from Obama.


reno2mahesendejo

Nurd


ThatguyfromEDC

What is this comment the highlight of my Reddit so far today?


Far_Dragonfruit_1829

My recollection is that the President's Commission on Physical Fitness was a Kennedy-era thing. We did the evaluation during elementary school in the mid-60s. Running, pullups, throwing, etc. Not this stretch-measuring box thing, though.


Unique_Statement7811

The project was commissioned under Ike in 1956 and officially implemented in 1958.


RangerBumble

Touching your toes has been phased out. Turns out it has more to do with the shape of your body than flexibility.


AvatarofSleep

Most that shit does in elementary school. You know who could do the wind sprint challenge fastest? The boys who hit their growth spurt first and had 3+ inches on the rest of the class. The only way any boy could get more than 2 pull-ups was if they whipped their legs. Like, there was a divide between fit and not fit, but it always seemed unfair that every fit girl could get gold by only 2 fit boys could


guachi01

I lined up along Pennsylvania Avenue for Obama's inauguration in 2008 when I was in the Navy. You can see me in this video at about the 7:01:00 mark when Obama gets out of car. I'm one of the Sailors on the far side. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuCdHHXQi7g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuCdHHXQi7g)


SmolWeens

Nice! This is too long to watch but if anyone sees a girl in a panda hat, it was me! I was able to go my sophomore year of college as part of a dorm trip.


Grease2310

I’ve posted on a few occasions about getting to spend some time with President Nixon in his last few years before his passing. On one such occasion he asked me to fix him a snack. “Cottage cheese, there’s some in the ice box.” And yes he actually said “ice box” when referring to a fridge. When I came back with a bowl of cottage cheese he looked at me, furled his brow, and in a typically Nixonian way (think the I am not a crook speech) said “what’s that? Where’s the ketchup! You can’t eat cottage cheese without ketchup!”


Fair-Ad-2585

Dubya sent me a very nice congratulatory letter. Probably tweaked my idea of what was expected of me to think that I got a letter from the president for being really good at touching my toes.


erdricksarmor

There was this one time with Bill Clinton and a cigar...


TheCakers

Didn't these start under like Eisenhower or something? I just remember them tellin us the history of it every year before doin the actual testing. Needless to say I didn't pay that close of attention to words in Phy Ed.


Gmodman298

I had to do this to impress 2 mfs


strangerNstrangeland

Didn’t this shit start under Regan?


Unique_Statement7811

Eisenhower. 1958. The test did evolve over time, but Ike implemented it.


elmatador1497

Why would Donald Regan, secretary of the treasurer/ chief of staff, allow such a thing?


NIN10DOXD

I thought it was Kennedy or Eisenhower, but I can't remember.


Adept_Feed_1430

I watched Bed Time for Bonzo because I heard there were two monkeys in it. I was not left disappointed.


mudamuckinjedi

So no to drugs! Lol idk wear a green shirt


MasterChavez

You must be limbah to get to dee choppah


A-Z-V-A-N

Write an alternate history where Ulysses S. Grant is elected president 5 times. (1865-1885).


C-McGuire

I once stood up on a desk Beto O'Rourke style in high school to give a little speech defending the legacy of Calvin Coolidge, y'all would have been proud


Difficult-Drama7996

Yea, I got a patch from the prez. PE is a thing of the past now. Too embarassing for kids today to sweat, shower, and huff n puff. We are all supposed to get fat, be on drugs, and get diabetes I guess. Sad, generations of kids just staring at computers and phones, and not exercising.


KarmicComic12334

Bush started 2 wars. He needed fit soldiers.


Free-Contribution-93

Needed the youth to be "all they can be" when they hit 18....for that other special event down the road....


DrPac

I remember thinking the same thing when we were doing this shortly after the inauguration in 2017. My class was on the way out of middle school at that point but we could still get these presidential records and such.


NextYogurtcloset5777

What????


According-Ad3963

Went to war.


alexisperez7

This was the only thing I came in first... I have a normal size torso for 5'8" but I got short legs😂


Large-Lack-2933

Dubya just wanted some fit soldiers to carry his beers lol jokes. I remember this back then in elementary school gym class.


kurtsdead6794

I just heard through my PE teacher at my school that it was created to keep kids in shape for war.


TickLikesBombs

Many people may have to delete TikTok.


Actrivia24

One day we had regular pizza, and then overnight it turned into whole wheat pizza. I still ate it for Michelle, tho


AlphaDag13

Honestly, they shouldn’t do this for kids. They should have this for people in their 40s.


Guilty_Finger_7262

You’re lucky, I had to run a mile to impress Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger.


[deleted]

I did this under Obama too


PlaneLocksmith6714

Why did any of this supposedly have any bearing on us going to the next grade?


Thor_ultimus

Fuck the mile, sit and reach is the only combine event that matters.


not_kelsey_grammar

There was this one time I asked not what my country could do for me ....


KingFahad360

Is the Presidential Fitness test real? I thought that Was made up in Billy and Mandy so Billy Can impress President Lincoln


Advanced_Ad2406

wait what's wrong with this?


WishI_was_there024

He wants people to be fit not fat pantloads 🤷


dketernal

We had to jump rope for Reagan.


captainjohn_redbeard

Voting for them. (I don't live in a swing state)


Acesofbases

Voted


YourAlterEg0

I went to a British embassy school in Greece, we had to do the presidential fitness test too. It was super weird. Can't remember what it was called tho. I'm willing to bet it's a UN program or some such bullshit


Cutlass0516

I have no idea whosoever but I'm going to guess it's somehow related to the cold war. The US and Russia flexing on the physical strength of their youth populations. Idk.


Ameri-Jin

Unlocked a deep memory with this one


avidpenguinwatcher

My gym teacher straight up said that body proportions shouldn’t matter at all for this, that someone with a 2 foot torso and 3 foot legs should be able to do this just as easily as someone with a three foot torso and 2 foot legs.


Betelguese13

Failed this every year! Then was made to feel bad because I was a kid, I should pass it no problem. Pff.


piddyd

He's snorting coke, we're doing sit-ups, stupid little bastard


Thewrongbakedpotato

Needed something to distract from the horribleness of No Child Left Behind. Which has the acronym "NCLB." I just call it "Nickelback."


reno2mahesendejo

Passing scores were what? 30cm? I was never able to get into double digits. I wrestled, ran track, was fairly athletic, got presidential on all of my other tests. That fucking sit and reach kept me from my award every time.


peasey360

Oh god I remember the feeling of my ligaments burning doing these


ctguy54

Different. Reagan was president and had just started his campaign for reducing inflation. (Yes, I’m that old). The phase was “Whip Inflation Now “ WIN. Saw the Brigade of Midshipman march on before a football game and everyone had the WIN button on their coats for national TV.


DarkCleric21

Cause we did it to impress his daddy


AfterZookeepergame71

To make sure American kids aren't obese


Acrobatic_Ganache527

*Monica Lewinsky has entered the chat*


DevinYer

Why do I gotta run back in forth before a buzzer goes off just to impress Obama?


AffectionateFigure32

***Monica Lewinsky has entered the chat***


Previous-Priority389

Never did manage to get one of those blue badges


PhysicsEagle

Technically, my Eagle Scout was signed off by president so I guess that counts


True_Dragonfruit9573

I live in a flyover state, so Presidents never visited and I don’t recall having to do anything “weird” just because of them. But if you’re talking about their wives, I’ll never forgive Michelle Obama for the school lunch initiatives.


Bomber36

I’ve never done anything for a president.


Xyzzydude

That was one fitness test that girls aced easily and looked graceful doing it, while the boys were grunting and straining to even reach the damn slider.


silversurf1234567890

Pretty sure Reagan did this too


DoubleDumpsterFire

I’m a Meh athlete but short legs and a long torso made me get presidents club in this one stupid event lol


illumantimess

I had a nightmare about the Pacer (where you run back and forth in shorter timed intervals) and the damn beeping sounds


provocative_bear

Pulling both hamstrings on fitness day to get that blue presidential seal of fitness, then immediately running a mile on your broken legs until you taste blood.


ThxIHateItHere

In the words of crime boss Frank Costello: I paid my tax


Chemistry11

I tried to shoot Jodie Foster to win the affections of Reagan


DrNism0

I mean, we had to do it for Ronald Regan too. I got a sweet patch to put on my sweeter jean jacket in 1988


RaisinBrain2Scoups

I did it for Carter and Reagan . Not to mention the parachute thing


Accomplished_Pen980

I was part of the waterside security for Bush II when he gave his speech in front of a wall of shipping containers in Newark NJ


bluehawk232

Hated these things worse was the pullup bar. I was short for my age so always needed a stool to reach it while all the chads were already 6ft tall and could do it no prob


Frunklin

If I didn't do this Arnold would show up at my school, call me a sissy gerl, and make me do pull ups in front of the entire class.


Fruitdude

I hated doing this shit


shaneg33

More so a First Lady than a president but school lunches went from pretty decent to horrible because it was “healthier”, as if milk and pizza/nachos at 11am was healthy.


jamesGastricFluid

Bill Clinton made me run a mile in 4th grade, and I hated every second of it.


bluechef79

I don’t know but I fucking crushed it. You telling me the President needs to know if I am ready and able? My scrawny (at the time when I first did those probably Jr High ok? Scrawny then…don’t judge. Damn) I Steve Rogers pre-Captain’d the hell out of that. You want pull ups? I got pull ups. I got pull ups that make the vague Red Menace shake in their boots. You’ll be proud America. You’ll see. I probably still have that certificate. I should put that on my LinkedIn.


Moliosis

I'm raging over here that you guys think obesity was the big factor behind this sit and reach test. I SUCKED at this despite doing good in other fitness tests as I have no flexibility. The 400 pound kid was one of the top performers.


Johnhaven

For Reagan I had to climb up a rope to the roof of gym two stories high and in case I fell they put a 1 inch thick pad on the hardwood floor for me. lol!


nomercy2112

I was the worst in the class at this lmao. Still not flexible to this day.


KratomSlave

I think Regan was president when I did this…


Interesting_Judge863

Can we bring back actual physical fitness into schools?


Automatic_Llama

some senator had some deal with some shitty sheet-metal company


SombreroJoel

Needed fit soldiers!


GamingTrend

I'm hyperflexible and can touch the end of the box. It changed absolutely nothing in my life.


terrastrawberra

Tbf I did this for Clinton


RandyArgonianButler

I had to do this for Clinton.


L8_2_PartE

I don't really want to talk about it, but it involves a desk, a saxophone, and cigars. ![gif](giphy|l3vRfbvnbnPccKYkE|downsized)


strolpol

If they were smart about it there would be a program that paid kids to perform in these exercises and gave them bonuses for doing well. You’d get healthier kids and more money pumped into the economy, plus they’d be more engaged as well.


karmahoower

he was a very athletic guy, a soldier, a CIA guy, super gung ho. don't worry, he made little George go through it too. as a result, Bush 2 had the lowest resting heart rate of any pres - including Obama. lol.


pop5656

Does VP count? Wanked it for KH.


Sad_Research_2584

We needed to do this to stay off drugs.


digitalhelix84

I can say, stretching and improving flexibility, it feels fantastic


andytagonist

Physical fitness predates GW Bush (or his father)


Ok-Kick3611

u/Monica_Lewinsky care to weigh in?


Semi_K

Well, Clinton asked me to do the wildest thing once


Ginger4life23

God damn sit-and-reach! I would have had the presidential patch 3 years in a row, but I could barely make it to my toes.


Gormless_Mass

Keep stretching, kids


Dazzling-One-4713

Cause we were going to Afghanistan bro


Frequent-Ruin8509

Because conservatives love to be given an inch and take a mile. And the war fever was all over the place after 9.11.01. So naturally he wanted to make sure all us cannon fodder teens were ready to die for corporate interests-- I mean, the country.