Thought I'd give the VPJFT+ a crack today to see what its all about. I have to say I'm no phys ninja and I've probably done more gins than press ups on my summer leave, but despite this I thought it was pretty easy to be honest.
I dont buy into the whole "back in my day" etc etc but I'm certain that the old PJFT and PRMC was certainly a tougher entry route to Week 1 Day 1 than the new system. However, being given 4 weeks military instruction and being "eased" into life at CTC is certainly a benefit and I think should result in a better nod at that stage of training.
However, it seems there are alot of lads falling by the wayside in ROP and I do think that is a result of a slightly easier joining process. This is no fault of any applicant whatsoever, you can only pass the tests put infront of you although my advice, having given the VPJFT a go and knowing what training is like, would be:
- Ensure that when you test yourself you test in excess of the VPJFT. Aim to do the test with 4-5 sets comfortably.
- Use a mixture of sessions with and without the bleeps. Also when doing them individually, train to the old PRMC standards. Aim for 45+ press ups and 60+ sit ups as a bare minimum.
- Do not neglect pull ups. They are a big part of early training.
- Smash legs. Weighted, bodyweight, in combination with hill sprints etc.
- Running wise, keep practicing your 3 milers, 6-8 mile steady runs and hill sprints. A sub 9 1.5 miler is a good place to be.
These are all the points I thought when thinking back to old school PRMC, where your legs get an absolute beating and you will do alot of running, sprinting, crawling and carries. Aim to be as well rounded physically as possible before entering ROP. It certainly is not a free ride into training as so far it seems roughly half of lads are falling short. Respect the job you're aspiring to enough to turn up as best prepared as you can lads.
Keep working hard and im sure you'll all do well guys!
