On the surface, the PARE and POPAT tests look easy. When
you watch it, most people look like they're jogging through it and the
obstacles don't look difficult. That's why many people underestimate it. That's
why when they train, they don't train the right way.
When test day arrives, they figure they got it in the
bag. Before they hit the halfway point, reality bitch slaps them.
Now they realize what they were doing wasn't enough, so
they go the other extreme: balls to the wall don't stop til you drop
conditioning. It helps to a point, but soon they discover their body is broken
from so much intensity.
Conditioning training is a funny thing sometimes. And
conditioning training for the physical tests is often done wrong.
Below are 3 common conditioning mistakes people make when
preparing for the PARE or POPAT tests.
#1 Not Enough Intensity
Lack of intensity will bite you in the ass when you test
the first time. You'll soon learn the error of your ways for always training at
low to moderate intensity. Don't let the simplicity of the tests fool you.
Remember, simple does not mean easy.
If you go in underestimating the test, which many do, you
will pay the price. Jogging 3, 4, 5, or even 6 times a week isn't going to cut
it, especially if they're all the same intensity.
Typically by lap 3 or 4, you'll be sucking wind because
you failed to infuse intensity into your conditioning training. Don't fall into
this trap.
#2 Too Much Intensity
On the flipside, too much intensity in your training can
be detrimental, in another sense. It will boost your fitness, but if you rely
on it exclusively, you will hit a plateau very quickly.
What's the typical response when this happens? Train
harder of course!
But again, that gets you nowhere fast, and you end up
spinning your wheels feeling like you have to go hard or go home. I'll give you
an example where this commonly occurs.
The 1.5 mi run is a popular assessment police agencies
use to measure one's aerobic fitness. The most common benchmark is to hit 12:00
or faster. So for those who can't hit 12:00, they will run 1.5 mi once or twice
a week, and they will run it as fast as they can each time.
They will see progress within weeks, and they continue
with the same strategy: run faster each 1.5 mi. But by week 4, maybe 5, they
hit a ceiling. They're no longer improving, or heaven forbid, they're getting
slower.
Why would that be?
It's because they're always going hard, always making
their training high intensity and neglecting the other aspects of conditioning
training (ie aerobic training).
#3 Not Learning How to Pace
I find this point is related to mistake #2. People tend
to go too fast too soon when they do conditioning training, and they end up
gasping for air much faster than they should be. They make it hard on
themselves from the get go vs building up to a certain pace.
Pacing is a skill, and like any other skill you have to
practice it often and in different conditions. Learn to pace for long
distances, learn to pace for short distances, and learn to pace everything in
between. The more you learn to pace in different conditions, the quicker you
can adapt to changing environments.
Most people will typically run the 6 laps between
2:20-2:45. That may not sound long, but to try and "sprint" for that
long is a very difficult thing to do. If you blast out of the gates like a
greyhound chasing the mechanical bunny, you will be in for a world of hurt.
Be conservative, realize there is more after the 6 laps,
and don't gas yourself before the push/pull machine.
