Starting in Garnerville soon? Read this:

Thats right, you go home on friday. But the time depends on if you get a show parade. Also, I think a lot of the guys/gals go in on Sunday night to get their stuff ready for the next morning. Probably makes good sense to do this.

Wanalaugh

folks

I didn't pass the PCA on the first try (tho - passed it at the midcourse assessment). They gave me a sprinting programme that you can do in any gym. It's as so:
warm up and stretch etc etc
treadmill at 1.0 incline (might depend on treadmill tho)
2 mins @ 11kph
2 mins rest
2mins @ 12kph
2mins rest
1min @ 12, then 1min rest (do this 3 times)
30 secs @ 13, then 30 secs rest (do this 3 times)
then warm down adn stretch holding stretches for 30 secs or so.

I found this was good for getting up anaerobic fitness. Sounds easy, but for a few weeks getting the two mins @ 12kph was tough, but you get it eventually :-)

Lis...nearly at finish line!

lisnsooz wrote: »

surfrunner - you may still have 8 am starts for drill, show parades etc. The last squad that went in got heaps of 8 am starts - depends on who you get for drill and whether or not the squad is doing ok for drill/uniforms etc etc etc

You see when you failed the fitness first time were they really tough on you or helpful?

PapaYankeeGirl wrote: »

You see when you failed the fitness first time were they really tough on you or helpful?

ultimately - you should have some level of fitness going in, and ideally it's good to be passing the PCA initially cos the PE classes are tough and if you're not fit, you'll find them even tougher, so do try and get out there and improve your fitness levels.

If you fail teh PCA (altho - if you spectacularly fail, not sure what they do - I missed it by a few sece) they give you a training programme to work on, and either you do it (I did and find it good), or do your own thing - but they do expect improvements a few weeks later at the next assessment and if not, they will ask questions as to what you're doing in your spare time regarding training, and if you pass it, it just means one less thing to be worrying about for your final exams/assessments.

The way I looked at it was, if they were doing to come down on you like a tonne of bricks for failing it initially, then they would have the PCA as part of the medical (like the Gardai do). Once I passed the PCA, I felt a lot better and less demoralised about PE classes, cos whilst I'm slower than the rest, at least I felt that teh PSNI thought I was fit enough to pass the PCA so I was still doing ok.

Make no mistake - fitness is taken very seriously in there - not just for simply running after suspects - even from maintaining your body to withstand the physical rigours of long shifts etc etc etc. If you're a complete couch potato, you'll need to start getting out and getting up and about or else you'll be in for a major land when you get to G-ville!!!

Hope that helps!
Lis