How To Set Up Your Own PARE/POPAT Course

This post has been moved to its current home at www.rlconditioning.ca

You can find it here: http://rlconditioning.ca/blog/59919/How-To-Set-Up-Your-Own-PARE-POPAT-Course

My Continuing Lesson in Fatherhood

Last year I wrote a piece about the lessons I’ve learned as a dad. Feel free to check it out here. One year later and those lessons hold true now as they did then. And one year later, I’ve learned a few more things about myself. 

Becoming a Parent 

 

“What do you mean becoming a parent? You’re already a parent.”

Sure, I became a parent as soon as he was born, but now my parenting skills are being put to use.

- Teaching him right and wrong

- Playing games with him

- Disciplining him

- Taking him out and exploring the world around him

It’s no longer just feed him, burp him, change him, and put him to sleep.

It’s about teaching him to be a young man, making sure he does the right thing, and not be a selfish little a-hole.

Loving Your Child More

I may call my boy an a-hole sometimes, but it’s true (parents, you know what I’m talking about). But I still love the little guy. And the love for him grows stronger and stronger each day.

I find myself missing my son more and more when I’m away. Every time I see other toddlers, I can’t help but think about my little boy running around like a crazed monkey. He’s in his terrible twos, but I don’t see it that way (mainly because he entered that stage before he even turned two).

I see a little boy learning and growing at an exponential rate. He’s constantly pushing his boundaries, and testing mine and wifey’s patience. But even when he does, I can’t help but love him.

His innocence is so precious, and I want him to hold onto that for as long as possible.

Developing the look

Ever had your mom give you that look? Or the stare down your dad had? I’m starting to develop mine.

 

Each time he throws a temper tantrum or whiny fit, I look at him. He’ll try to hit me, but I’ll grab his arms and stare him down. And I’ll say as few words as possible. Because I know the more I say something, the more he fights back.

Stare him down, and say nothing; he won’t know what to do.

Being a role model

He may be 2, but he’s aware of the world around him. He sees everything I do, even when I think he’s not paying attention.

We may think kids at this age are, for lack of a better word, dumb, but they’re smarter than you think. They know what’s going on around them and are understanding the world by the minute. What they see you do, they will copy. And with Jonathan I can see the thought processes that occur in his wee little mind.

I have to watch out what I say. I freely swear around him, but one day I can see him dropping an F bomb, or saying something that rhymes with “it” and starts with “sh”. I don’t want those being his first words.

I also have to watch my actions and emotions. I can have a temper, and I don’t want my boy picking one up too. He’s beginning to develop one, but so far I’ve done enough to keep it in check.

I Observe Him, a Lot

It’s fascinating to watch my boy. I watch him play with his toys. I watch him watching TV. I watch him observe a simple blade of grass as he twirls it in his tiny fingers.

I watch him because I can see him trying to learn. He wants to know how things work and so everything intrigues him. Sometimes he has this look of deep concentration, like “ok, so this is what this does, and that’s what that does...”

How’s this a lesson? In today’s world where everything seems to move so fast and be complex, we forget how simple life can be, and how there can be joy in just watching the natural world around you.

Being Hands Off

I let my boy be. I give him the freedom to run around and fall so he can learn to pick himself up. As long as he doesn’t get into anything that will hurt him (or get into something he’ll destroy), I let him do what he wants to do.

He needs to learn his limitations, and he can’t learn that if I’m constantly on him.

The worst thing you can do to a child is restrict them.

Console When You Have To

Even though I want to be hands off, I will still be there when he falls. Maybe not to pick him up, but to let him know that it’s ok.

Falling is not a bad thing, and it doesn’t hurt as bad as he makes it out to be.

Kids will fall, and they will hurt themselves, and they will cry. But don’t baby them. Console them, and let them know that falling isn’t a big deal.

Fatherhood is an ever changing process. What used to work before doesn’t now. I’m always learning what it means to be a dad. In all of life’s challenges, this is my greatest. But it’s also the one I look forward to the most.

Strength First? Or Cardio First?

I received a question yesterday on the Redline Facebook page, asking me the following:

When doing aerobic training and weight training how do you recommend splitting them up? One in the morning / one in the evening? Aerobic one day, weight the other? Both at the same time? Would your answer change based on what I want as an end result? I currently do a fast 5-6 mile run (6-6:30 minute miles) Then I go directly into my weight training. I typically lift and do all my exercising in about 45 minutes. I then stretch and call it an evening. Would you recommend something different?

Many people have this question, it's really quite common. They want to make sure that what they're doing is right and that they're not screwing anything up. 

Here's how I answered:

"The answer does depend on your goal, as well as the amount of time you have available to train. You can also factor in what you like to do too. If someone has more of a strength focus, then that should take priority and be done first. If cardio is important to you, then perform cardio training first.

If it doesn't matter, then it comes down to personal preference and time availability.

I should note, the intensity of the training can also play a factor. So if you do a hard run first then go straight into weight training, you may not lift as heavy as you'd like. But that matters if getting stronger is the goal.

The flipside is true too. If you go hard and heavy with the weights, then don't expect performance to be optimal if you run right after. Although I find heavy lifting affects run performance more than a hard run affecting heavy lifting. But that comes from personal experience."

In short, it depends.

 

How to Jump the 3 Foot PARE Test Vault

This post is for everyone who fears or has trouble with the 3 foot vault. Or both.  If you can clear it, this article ain’t for you.

Jumping over a 3 foot wall, barrier, fence, or 3 foot anything gives many people trouble. I’ve even seen those who can clearly jump it still have anxiety issues with it.

Why is that?

It’s part psychological and part physical. But it is largely psychological.

Here’s a little overview of the vault if you’re not familiar with it:

- The vault is the last obstacle on each lap of the course

- You can clear the vault any way you can: jump over it, climb over it, crawl over it, it doesn’t matter as long as you get over it

- What does matter is you land in control on the other side

- Once over, you must perform either a front fall or a back fall, which is barked out by the PARE test administrator as you approach the vault

As I mentioned, you can get over the vault however way you can. Here are some examples:

But considering time is of the essence, doing whatever it takes may not always be the best course of action. You need to be as fast as you can. And some jumps are faster than others. Learning how to get over it quickly and efficiently is key.

Before you can learn the most efficient way of getting over, you have to build a solid foundation. And that foundation starts in your head.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE

You need to conquer your fears, or your fears will conquer you. Being scared is not going to get you anywhere.

But of course, that’s easier said than done. I could tell you til I’m blue in the face that there’s nothing to fear. And there really isn’t, but in your mind there will be.

So what’s the first step in building confidence? Let me lay out for you:

1) Strength Training

There’s no greater confidence builder than getting stronger. When you feel like The Hulk, you feel like you can take on the world

To get stronger, you have to drop those light weights. You are training for STRENGTH, which means lifting heavy weights and pushing them around like it’s nobody’s business.

No more high rep, low weight strength routines, you have to lift appreciably heavy weights for less reps. When strength training, you are doing it to increase performance, not to look good (although you can still look good aesthetically when training for performance). It doesn’t matter what you look like for the test, all that matters is that you can perform.

(As a quick aside, I was at a training session for applicants and I saw a lady who was about 5’ in height, and probably 20-30 lbs overweight. And yet when she ran the course she blew everyone away, even the people half her size. She was running the laps with ease and tackling the vault like it was nothing. Appearances can be deceiving.)

Heavy lifting will develop stronger and more powerful legs, ingredients necessary for a better vault jump.

Two very important strength exercises are the deadlift and squats. Now, before you start lifting heavy, do make sure you have very good technique for both the deadlift and squat (but really, you should have good technique in everything you do). These two lifts are more technical than people realize, especially the deadlift. If you’re not doing them right, you’re in for a world of hurt, like this guy will be if he continues deadlifting with that form:

In terms of reps and sets for both, you’re generally looking at 3-6 sets of 4-8 reps. And because you’re lifting heavy, you want to make sure you get good rest time between sets, about 2-3 min of rest.

2) Practice Practice Practice

You know what they say, practice makes perfect. And practicing the vault jump as often as you can will help you in the end. When doing this in concurrence with strength training, you will see improvements.

I mentioned that, for the most part, it doesn’t matter how you jump over the vault, as long as you get over it. Watch the video above to see the different ways again. There are some better than others, and typically the one foot method or both feet swinging over are the fastest ways of jumping. But of course not many can do the one foot method or both feet swinging. If you did you wouldn’t be reading this right now.

Find the fastest way possible for you at your current abilities. Continue to learn the best methods, but practice those methods at a lower height first. As strength improves, and your proficiency improves at the lower heights, you can try practicing them at higher heights.

If you know someone who can build you a vault, great! Ask them (politely of course) to help build you a vault, preferably one that is adjustable. If not, ask anyway as it will be handy to have.

If you’re not fortunate to know a handyman, the next best thing is having access to an aerobic step and risers. 

You can set them up at the adjustable heights: 2’6’, 2’8”, 2’10”, all the way to 3’. The step adds 2-4", and each riser is 2". Do measure the height with a measuring tape to get the rough height. 

As you improve at one height and are able to clear it with ease using whatever method you deem comfortable, then move on to the next height. Keep moving up until you hit 3 feet.

If you’re out of luck and can’t have a vault built nor have access to steps and risers, then you find whatever you can to help simulate the vault. You can go to a playground and try to find something there. Concrete medium barriers may be good examples to use (at least for lower heights). Construction barriers may be another alternative, just make sure to use it when there’s no construction happening.

Do whatever it takes to practice on a vault. If that means using the scissor method, then use the scissor method. Build yourself up to the point where you can at least arc over the vault.

Bonus: Jump Training

Jump training (better known as plyometrics), takes the strength gained from the heavy lifting and allows you to better utilize it for quick and powerful movements. And the vault requires a quick and powerful movement in order to jump over well.

Here are some jump training exercises to help you bounce around like a kangaroo:

BOX JUMPS

JUMP SQUATS

SPLIT JUMPS

HURDLE JUMPS

TUCK JUMPS

Not all have to be incorporated. Choose one, two max, to perform in a training session. And not very many sets and reps need to be done. Two to three sets of 5-8 jumps is sufficient. A good time to perform jump training is after the warm-up and before the first main set.

These jumps are meant to be done explosively and with the intent of getting up as high as you can. This is the same intent you want with the vault.

Yes, the vault can be scary. But what’s scarier: an inanimate object that doesn’t fight back, or a dude twice your size ready to pummel you into a bloody pulp? In the end, there’s nothing to be afraid of.

It may take you 2 weeks to become comfortable and proficient with the vault, it may take you 2 months. However long it takes you, make sure to get yourself strong and practice lots. Don’t let fear deter you from becoming an officer. If you truly want it, you will do whatever it takes to reach your dreams.