Is the POPAT Hard?

A few weeks ago, I posted "Is the PAREhard?" And in a nutshell I said it depends.

What's my take on the POPAT? You likely guessed right, it depends.

I will say this though: if you've done the PARE already and thought that was hard, wait til you try the POPAT. Depending on your fitness level, the POPAT can be twice as hard as the PARE, or 10 times harder if you're really lacking in fitness.

What makes it so damn hard for many? Off the top of my head:

- less time to beat (4:15 instead of 4:45)

- a longer mat (6 ft vs 5 ft)

- an extra step on the stairs

- 10 lbs heavier on the push/pull machine (80 lbs vs 70 lbs)

- no time penalties but you have to repeat the obstacle if you make a mistake, therefore slowing you down more than a time penalty, plus you have three chances on the obstacle

- you can only shuffle the feet on the push/pull

- vault is at the very end

- you can only use hands to touch the bar, no crawling over the bar, no using legs for assistance

- heavier bag carry at the very end (100 lbs vs 80 lbs), and you can't cradle it either

Reading all the above, you can see you can't get away with mediocre fitness on the POPAT. You have to be much more fit to be successful, along with having more strength to tackle the push/pull machine (and to certain extent the mat jump and vault). You also need to have a clean run through the test. A single mistake can cost you. Trust me, I've had a few clients go through this already.

Is the POPAT hard? Yes and no.

Yes if you lack strength and/or have below average cardio fitness. No if you're athletically inclined, especially if you've played high level competition in sports like soccer, running, basketball, hockey, etc. Although, if you have characteristics of a high level athlete, it doesn't always guarantee success. There's still the matter of practicing the course and obstacles, and the dreaded push/pull machine. That thing is as much technique as it is strength.