pushup problems; PSP, warrior, PT test.

[Shrek1985]

sorry for not updating this.

My buddy finally passed his final fitness test and is graduating later in the month.

 

[UnwiseCritic]

So as most of us agree, potential recruits should have to pass a fitness test in the early stages of their application. So why isn't that happening? Is it a numbers game? Too keep more qualified recruits?

As it would save money, time and headaches like the one above.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

One thing I have not seen mentioned is that when I was there a few years ago, the practice was that you were tested during the initial week. There were, if I recall correctly, three things that could happen:

1. Fail to meet the standard so badly that you were sent to warrior platoon;

2. Fail to meet the standard, but only to a certain extent (for example, I think 9 push ups was the threshold). You were allowed to continue training with the platoon, and would be retested in week 8 (for BMOQ). It was expected that after an additional 8 weeks of training you would be able to meet the EXPRES standard. If you weren't able to, you were sent back to warrior platoon; or

3. Meet the standard.

It could be that this individual is in scenario #2, and is getting 9 or 10 push ups and being pushed forward with training, only to not meet the standard of 19 in the later test. That said, I *recall* if you were on the warrior platoon you had to meet the EXPRES standard before being loaded onto a course. This could have changed of course.



I've never had a problem getting push ups counted because I always bounced my chest off the ground to be safe, but the PSP are pretty inconsistent from what I've observed. I even had one PSP tell me to stop hitting my chest off the ground because it would constitute a "stop" and that would be it for me. And then again, maybe I'm biased because I've always had a bit of a gripe about some B. Kinesiology student who's never done a day of forced labour telling me about how to be physically fit for life in the Infantry.

Safe to say, all this hassel and griping could be saved if they just tested prior to enrolling. I know I know, radical thinking...

PSP seriously pisses me off and I am glad that although I don't think the new FORCE test is nearly hard enough, at least the evaluations are to be administered by the right people: Sr NCOs and Officers and not some person who has never done any work in the military in their life.

 

[ballz]

So as most of us agree, potential recruits should have to pass a fitness test in the early stages of their application. So why isn't that happening? Is it a numbers game? Too keep more qualified recruits?

As it would save money, time and headaches like the one above.

It changed during the big recruiting drive in the 2000s, I believe because they were turning away too many potential recruits at recruiting centres. To solve this, they created the "warrior" program, with the idea that if they could get these people to St. Jean, most of them could be put on "warrior" and brought up to the fitness standard.

Unfortunately, once you make a move like that I think it becomes very hard to reverse, even if there is no longer a huge recruiting drive...

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Actually, CF Snr Leadership made the decision to remove the PT test component for Reg Force applicants around 2006 sometime (would have to search CANFORGENs from that year for exact dates).  IIRC it was under Uncle Rick's tenure.

Because of that, CFLRS introduced the Warrior Program.  I was there when the first handful of "Warriors" were doing afternoon PT behind the 1/4 mile track at the Mega one fall Friday afternoon in October '06 and, being curious, went to talk to the PSP staff who were supervising.  That was the first time I heard the term Warrior Platooon.  We shared grins over the name as a recruit "jogged" by at a blistering 0.45km/hour pace.  ;D

By the time I showed up to clear in as an instr/staff in Jan '07 the platoon had grown quickly to an understrength  > company and kept on truckin' since.

 

[Robert0288]

So shift the PT test back to the recruiting phase, right after a medical.  Stop introducing new people into warrior, and have the program naturally draw down as people get in shape.  Those that unable to get in shape are clearly being an administrative burden.

/derail

 

[stealthylizard]

I'm grateful for the time I spent in RFT.  I don't know if I would have, or could have done what I accomplished without their help.  I managed to lose 70 lbs through RFT, BMQ, and DP1.......... but recruits should still be fit enough upon enlistment that such programs are not required to fill the ranks.  Hopefully with less of a demand for troopaloops, it can be phased out (but kept in the back pocket to fill the ranks again in the future if needed).

When I went through (2008), all the fitness activities were supervised by PSP, with the exception of remedial PT that was handed out due to substandard inspections and other platoon screwups.