Recently a new participant joined my Police Fitness Training
class to prep for his fitness test. He had only recently applied (no more than
two weeks ago) when he got a call from the department, saying that he has to
run the POPAT within 3 weeks.
This came as a surprise. He hasn't been training for the
last year and thought he had another 4
months to the fitness test. So he came to my push/pull and vault class to get as
prepped as possible.
It was a rough outing.
Due to lack of training, he was getting light headed, and
ended up seeing his dinner by the end of class.
Reality smacked him in the face, and it's something you
should all be aware of.
If you haven't applied to an agency, and if you haven't
been training, I would seriously reconsider handing in your application.
Make sure you're ready to tackle the test at the time of
submission. You never know when you'll be called to it.
Preparing for the physical is not like preparing for a
written exam. You can't cram last minute fitness training, that's not how the
body operates.
You need to give your body time (at least 2-3 months of
solid training, possibly more) to adapt to the stresses of training.
Make sure to run a practice test before applying. Set a
benchmark for yourself and see where your weaknesses lie. If there are no
practice facilities in your area, you can set up your own course.
Don't get caught with your pants down. Be ready before
you apply. Avoid the discouragement that comes from failing the test.
