Let’s take a
trip down memory lane and go back to your high school days. It’s your last year and you’re in the home
stretch, getting ready for finals and studying your ass off. The grades you get
will determine if you get into the school you’ve always wanted. You study all
the facts and figures, all the stats and tidbits.
Test day arrives and you know
you’re ready. You prepared for so long, written practice tests, and nothing
that’s thrown your way will deter you. You got this. Because of your
preparation, you got the grades, and you got into your dream school, and it set
you up for the right path in life.
What does this have to do with
the PARE, POPAT, COPAT, or SOPAT? Everything. Just like high school when you prepared
for finals, you need to prepare for your physical test. But I’ve received so
many clients who went into their test under prepared or totally underestimating
the difficulty of the test. Their idea of preparation is running 3x/week at a
moderate pace for a few months. No practice test. No strength training. No high
intensity training for that matter. They figure by watching a few Youtube
videos they should be good to pass. Then they do their test and reality bites
them in the ass, grabs them by the throat, and slams them down to the ground
like the Undertaker.
When I used to run PARE tests
for the RCMP, I would always ask applicants if they practiced the test before.
If they said no, I knew they were in for a world of hurt. But it doesn’t have
to be that way. There are places where you can practice. For those of you who
live in Metro Vancouver or the Fraser Valley, I highly recommend going to LEPAT (Law Enforcement
Physical Abilities Testing). Located in Abbotsford, they do a very thorough job
of explaining the test, breaking it down into its components, and giving you
feedback on your performance.
Like a written exam, you studied
and you practiced. Getting ready for your physical test is no different. In
this case training is your studying, and LEPAT is your place to practice.
If you need help with your
“studying”, you can email (redline.conditioning@gmail.com) and I’ll help you study the right way.
