Free time & RT preparation

[Soap_TNDO]

Evening all,

Just hoping to pick the brains of some of the experienced members of the forum...

Due to covid, I am on furlough leave and therefore have a lot of free time on my hands and because getting to rt and passing out has become somewhat an obsession, preparation is at the forefront of my mind.

Being on furlough has meant I can utilise the free time, so I find myself training twice a day (conscious of not over training), practicing my map reading, bought myself pcs shirt & trousers to practice ironing and I’m also brushing up on corps knowledge when I’m sitting about.

does anyone have any ideas of what else would prove valuable to prepare for RT?

Thanks in advance.

 

[mason17]

Alright mate, I’m in a similar boat to you just waiting to start training for the Paras. Ive been trying to get on with anything that will be valuable to know before getting there such as ironing and map reading like yourself.

I’ve been researching the SA80, the different parts of the weapon and how it works and also NSP drills. Thought it would be a good idea to have a bit of knowledge rather than starting from scratch on day 1 when I get there, just an idea if you haven’t thought of that yet.

 

[Sniper11!]

Practice polishing and buffing black boots, get your head around household chores e.g. clean the bathroom to within and inch of its life. Brasso anything metal in your house including all the cutlery... No dont do that but on a serious note what you're doing sounds great. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to prepare, remembering that the course is designed to take you from zero to hero, and teach you everything from scratch (including how to wash your nads). Being fit and injury free on day 1 of RT I'd say is most important. Oh and a good sense of humour!

 

[Soap_TNDO]

Alright mate, I’m in a similar boat to you just waiting to start training for the Paras. Ive been trying to get on with anything that will be valuable to know before getting there such as ironing and map reading like yourself.

I’ve been researching the SA80, the different parts of the weapon and how it works and also NSP drills. Thought it would be a good idea to have a bit of knowledge rather than starting from scratch on day 1 when I get there, just an idea if you haven’t thought of that yet.

Practice polishing and buffing black boots, get your head around household chores e.g. clean the bathroom to within and inch of its life. Brasso anything metal in your house including all the cutlery... No dont do that but on a serious note what you're doing sounds great. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to prepare, remembering that the course is designed to take you from zero to hero, and teach you everything from scratch (including how to wash your nads). Being fit and injury free on day 1 of RT I'd say is most important. Oh and a good sense of humour!

Thanks chaps. Both given good shouts that I hadn’t put much thought into. I was thinking about the polishing of boots, but wondering if the corps had a certain way of bulling boots, I know the spit and polish technique which my old man taught me a few years back, but he was a guardsman so may be different.

@Sniper11! the most difficult part for me is staying injury free

cheers lads.

 

[Sniper11!]

Thanks chaps. Both given good shouts that I hadn’t put much thought into. I was thinking about the polishing of boots, but wondering if the corps had a certain way of bulling boots, I know the spit and polish technique which my old man taught me a few years back, but he was a guardsman so may be different.

@Sniper11! the most difficult part for me is staying injury free

cheers lads.

Train less? Train smart not hard as they say, and stretch stretch stretch. From an "oldie"

 

[Soap_TNDO]

Train less? Train smart not hard as they say, and stretch stretch stretch. From an "oldie"

To be honest mate, I wouldn’t say I over train. I have always been fairly conscious of training smart not hard. I think my biggest let down has been the absence of stretching, warming up and mobility and I have unfortunately learnt the hard way. All of which I have started recently with great desperation and hope.

 

[Charlemagne]

I'm not exactly an experienced member of the forum, but I find one valuable bit of advice given by those with the experience, is that mental fortitude is one of the most important factors in getting through RT. It's great being able to smash 2 workouts a day and read up on the Corps when you have all this free time, but maybe you should try putting yourself into situations outside of your comfort zone to try and strengthen that mental resilience. Just something I've tried incorporating into my own life to prepare myself.

 

[Soap_TNDO]

I'm not exactly an experienced member of the forum, but I find one valuable bit of advice given by those with the experience, is that mental fortitude is one of the most important factors in getting through RT. It's great being able to smash 2 workouts a day and read up on the Corps when you have all this free time, but maybe you should try putting yourself into situations outside of your comfort zone to try and strengthen that mental resilience. Just something I've tried incorporating into my own life to prepare myself.

A very valuable bit of advice indeed — Becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. A great book on this is ‘can’t hurt me - David Goggins’, Ex SEAL/ultra runner.

Something which I have been doing to ‘callous my mind’ since late last year is sea swimming. I have considered recommending it on here but was unsure on the health and safety implications.

A relative is an enthusiast, but I absolutely hate it. Not only because of the initial cold water shock, but the anxiety in the back of the mind of the possible risks. The first 5 minutes is the real mental battle, but once I have done the swim, got out of the water and the body temp has stopped dropping, it’s one of the best feelings I get - even better than completing a good workout that I actually enjoy.

What sort of things do you do to go out of your comfort zone? Any recommendations? @Charlemagne

 

[Sniper11!]

A very valuable bit of advice indeed — Becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. A great book on this is ‘can’t hurt me - David Goggins’, Ex SEAL/ultra runner.

Something which I have been doing to ‘callous my mind’ since late last year is sea swimming. I have considered recommending it on here but was unsure on the health and safety implications.

A relative is an enthusiast, but I absolutely hate it. Not only because of the initial cold water shock, but the anxiety in the back of the mind of the possible risks. The first 5 minutes is the real mental battle, but once I have done the swim, got out of the water and the body temp has stopped dropping, it’s one of the best feelings I get - even better than completing a good workout that I actually enjoy.

What sort of things do you do to go out of your comfort zone? Any recommendations? @Charlemagne

Good advice from @Charlemagne and a good response! Constantly stepping outside that comfort zone is 100% a good thing. Callousing the mind can mean even the smallest of acts, like when a footpath turns at a right angle and you really want to cut the corner but instead you follow the path. It's such a small thing but I find it gives me a little boost knowing I didn't choose to make it easier for myself and those little decisions eventually add up. Every time your feet start getting sore or you feel a blister coming on, instead of thinking negatively try and train yourself to think "yes! Good! The more pain the better, I'll get more out of this run if it's harder". Having said that obviously don't make a genuine Injury worse by ploughing on...

 

[Charlemagne]

A very valuable bit of advice indeed — Becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. A great book on this is ‘can’t hurt me - David Goggins’, Ex SEAL/ultra runner.

Something which I have been doing to ‘callous my mind’ since late last year is sea swimming. I have considered recommending it on here but was unsure on the health and safety implications.

A relative is an enthusiast, but I absolutely hate it. Not only because of the initial cold water shock, but the anxiety in the back of the mind of the possible risks. The first 5 minutes is the real mental battle, but once I have done the swim, got out of the water and the body temp has stopped dropping, it’s one of the best feelings I get - even better than completing a good workout that I actually enjoy.

What sort of things do you do to go out of your comfort zone? Any recommendations? @Charlemagne

I see we've been reading the same material!

I suppose it's down to what your weaknesses are. I know for me - much like Goggins - I hated running, mostly due to how it was taught in school. So I try and run as much as I can now, usually when I'm at my most tired or when I know it would be easy to put my feet up and watch Netflix. Now that running is something of a hobby, I try and do more hill sprints which are definitely not enjoyable!

I volunteer where I can, usually bringing food to the local food bank, especially with current events going on when it can be tempting to sit inside and get warm. But this applies to work too. I don't consider myself a 'natural leader', so I volunteer for leadership roles at work to try and push past any deep anxieties I might have about it. Suppose it's just all about not getting complacent, even when everyone else around you seems to be.