Thursday, April 18, 2013

Practice Practice Practice: Why you need to for the PARE and POPAT


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.

2 comments:

  1. Is there anywhere that does training for the PARE that is not practicing the test itself; a cardio boot-camp or something like this designed specifically for HIIT training in preparation for taking the PARE?

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    1. I offer police fitness training classes at my studio in South Surrey, specifically for the PARE and the POPAT. Two classes are dedicated to conditioning training through obstacle course training and circuit training. These would be your HIIT type classes. If I have the opportunity, I will set up my own mock course to practice on during the class.

      I also have two classes dedicated to the push/pull machine and the vault. Although not HIIT in nature, you're still working hard. Finally I have one class that is interval based running at the track.

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