PCA/Fitness test

mreilley

aeternus wrote: »

One of the trainers yesterday said 'if you jog you will fail.' a lot if people have said pace yourself and go full pelt on the straights. I'm still trying to glean what she meant by that.

Yeah i would say u would need to be going at a good pace throughout. Alot of the exercises are quite close together though so maybe people jogged the bit at the end?

Jb12345

mreilley wrote: »

I have no idea i just heard a few people discussing it. How did u find going from the course straight to the push/pull? The pti's said that was how people who had failed were failing as they weren't fit enough to recover in time for the push/pull straight after.

It was OK. You walk to it so I walked slow enough lol and just took deep breath then give it my all as it's the last bit.

hopeful34

The 60% figure was told to us as well by one if the pti's. But it was 60% of the last recruitment when it was done week 2 of the 22 and not as a preselection criteria. When if you failed it you had another chance

Babybuns

hopeful34 wrote: »

The 60% figure was told to us as well by one if the pti's. But it was 60% of the last recruitment when it was done week 2 of the 22 and not as a preselection criteria. When if you failed it you had another chance

Is the Pca that tough that it's likely quite a few people could fail it?

hopeful34

Babybuns wrote: »

Is the Pca that tough that it's likely quite a few people could fail it?

Its tough. But you'll get through. We know we have to be fit before GV starts whereas previous selection with the big fail level people turned up at GV with a low level of fitness so failed.
But as I said the 60% rate is not from this selection process.

mreilley

hopeful34 wrote: »

The 60% figure was told to us as well by one if the pti's. But it was 60% of the last recruitment when it was done week 2 of the 22 and not as a preselection criteria. When if you failed it you had another chance

Now u only get one chance to do it though? isnt it if u fail ur out?

bburnfan

Hey folks

probably already been asked and answered but any tips for push/pull machine? or how the passmark equates to normal weights etc?

whatinthe

bburnfan wrote: »

Hey folks

probably already been asked and answered but any tips for push/pull machine? or how the passmark equates to normal weights etc?

Bench press and bent over rows, as well as extensive core work, will help. It's a total body movement so you'll need to train lower body too i.e. single leg squats, deadlifts would be good. But if you don't have much weightlifting experience, play it safe. Circuit training will be a massive benefit to the PCA overall, but doing something is good so don't sweat the small stuff!

As for technique.. the way the PTI's show you to do it is important. You need to push uhard until you hear the beep, and pull back hard until another beep. Listen to what the PTI's say and you will be fine.


No idea on the second question, as the passmark is not and will not be known. Strength and conditioning work are important for the PCA so don't neglect one over the other. The PCA is not difficult if you prepare.

bburnfan

Cheers for that. Just have to keep going i suppose!

aeternus

Good luck all, knee isn't getting better so must be ligament injury. Have tried to do workouts twice but end up worse off so think that's me done for. Just going to have to rest it and give it my all on the day.

From what I see and hear here yous will all be fine!

bburnfan

aeternus wrote: »

Good luck all, knee isn't getting better so must be ligament injury. Have tried to do workouts twice but end up worse off so think that's me done for. Just going to have to rest it and give it my all on the day.

From what I see and hear here yous will all be fine!

Been there with ligament injuries. Get plenty of alternating hot and cold treatments on it. It might help. Unless its torn badly...

Mr.Peanut

bburnfan wrote: »

Hey folks

probably already been asked and answered but any tips for push/pull machine? or how the passmark equates to normal weights etc?

I think the pass mark is something like 26kg of force , so basically pushing 26kg then pulling it . I could be wrong

bburnfan

On another topic am i right in saying that even if you have passed AC and then pass these next 5 stages you could sill miss out on a place? I think i am right (prob just refusing to believe it). It just sounds a bit dis-heartening to have gone through the entire process successfully and still nothing, or maybe i am just being naive!

Mr.Peanut

bburnfan wrote: »

On another topic am i right in saying that even if you have passed AC and then pass these next 5 stages you could sill miss out on a place? I think i am right (prob just refusing to believe it). It just sounds a bit dis-heartening to have gone through the entire process successfully and still nothing, or maybe i am just being naive!

Yes absolutely, I go with im not in until I am in garnerville with my bum on a seat. I've done everything before medical vetting passed and not got a place

bburnfan

Cheers Mr Peanut. Very bizarre setup i think, but you have to roll with it i suppose. Frustrating knowing you have passed AC but possibly not passed it enough!

Mr.Peanut

Once this ac results come out with a break down of scores we will have a better indication of our chances

Bob Law

Ahh shams, did another one of them "runs" tonight. Heart was busting, but feeling like one of them wild antelopes after a good chasin' from a lion!

19087

Bob Law wrote: »

Ahh shams, did another one of them "runs" tonight. Heart was busting, but feeling like one of them wild antelopes after a good chasin' from a lion!

I'm back to the gym tonight after pretty much two weeks off (ill again!! Just hope I don't manage to pick any more illness up in the next week!!) so I'm sure the legs will be hanging off me. I could actually puke at the thought of a couple of mistakes in the PCA meaning I don't get in after all this! Bring back the days where you didn't have to do it till GV ;-)

aeternus

Hope you feel better. Been off just over a week and knee still not good. Unable to run on it. Going to do weights tonight but can't do squats etc. not feeling too good for pcA. Disappointed.

19087

aeternus wrote: »

Hope you feel better. Been off just over a week and knee still not good. Unable to run on it. Going to do weights tonight but can't do squats etc. not feeling too good for pcA. Disappointed.

I'm no PTI but to be honest I'd give yourself (or your legs at least) a good rest between now and your PCA to give yourself the best possible chance. I personally don't think anyone can make a massive difference in their fitness in the space of a week (some phys freak will no doubt correct me soon). I'm going to do 2/3 good workouts this week at the most and then take several days off totally before the actual event. Fresh, rested legs are a great thing to have before a fitness test I find! At the end of the day you've put in all the effort you could preparing for it in your own circumstances and no one can ask for more than that!

aeternus

I guess you are right, just not had much luck. Don't think weights will hurt though but I don't think I'll be able to do any running or cycling beforehand. Just know I'm not fit enough. At least I know I can do the course, it's just stamina. I'll give it my best shot. No point damaging myself further now I guess. Wish I'd have done this year's ago!!

19087

And don't forget to bring your Positive Mental Attitude along on the day - believe in yourself :-)

aeternus

Definitely. 4 minutes of my life. Fastest test ever. At the session I tried the course 4 times and the push pull 4 times. Fair enough I wasn't belting it round but it's still doable providing I don't hit anything or knock anything.

Ill stop being a pessimist now - having a rough day in work not helping! Good luck

CDizzle

Would a knee support or light brace help? Or would these not be allowed in the PCA?

hopeful34

CDizzle wrote: »

Would a knee support or light brace help? Or would these not be allowed in the PCA?

I asked about a support at my familiarisation and was told they were ok to wear. Youhave to sign a medical declaration before hand that asks about joint pain.

Sapphire101

aeternus wrote: »

I guess you are right, just not had much luck. Don't think weights will hurt though but I don't think I'll be able to do any running or cycling beforehand. Just know I'm not fit enough. At least I know I can do the course, it's just stamina. I'll give it my best shot. No point damaging myself further now I guess. Wish I'd have done this year's ago!!

I'm a qualified PT and the best advice I can give it to go swimming!! Non weight bearing for your knee, excellent for getting the heart rate up increasing your fitness, and it works all muscles in your legs, arms, back, core, everything, if you feel like you need to be doing Something, I would definitely recommend you go swimming, lifting weights will only increase your chances of further injury!

Good luck, and I hope it doesn't cause you too much trouble on the day! Use an ibuprofen gel on the knee and take 2 ibuprofen tablets an hour before it if you're comfortable taking painkillers, it'll help A LOT!

19087

What opportunity do you have before your PCA to warm up? Ideally I would do a little bit of a jog to get myself warmed up but I'm guessing you might be limited to stretching etc?

picture987

19087 wrote: »

What opportunity do you have before your PCA to warm up? Ideally I would do a little bit of a jog to get myself warmed up but I'm guessing you might be limited to stretching etc?

None! Before they start the PCA they do a quick run through of the course, just in case someone didn't attend the familiarisation session. People are then given approximately 5 minutes to try a few obstacles. I used that 5 minutes in the hall to warm up, jogging back and forward (then running) similar to if I was performing a beep test.

Once the 5 minutes is up they start candidates immediately in alphabetical order. So if you're far down the list it could be a while. The hall were you wait doesn't have much space for warming up. The best you can get doing in there is jumping jacks, high knees etc!

LA1919

when you have completed your PCA are you free to go or do you have to wait until everyone has completed?

hopeful34

LA1919 wrote: »

when you have completed your PCA are you free to go or do you have to wait until everyone has completed?

At mine we had to wait for a group to leave. 17 in total were there and we left in 6 or 7s