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Kettlebell Q&D for mandated Physical Fitness Test at work?

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Freestayl

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Hi everybody, I am new here, so please be gentle:)

I am a 40-year-old police officer. Just a couple of weeks ago, I bought Pavel's book about Q&D training method and started training accordingly. I find it great for my needs due to its minimalism and simplicity. Besides crazy working hours as we work 12hour shifts, I have a big family so 30 min training in the basement suits me perfectly. At my work we have martial arts trainig every week so I thought this Q&D will be excellent supplement.

In a couple of months' time, I have a mandated Physical Fitness Test at work which, among other disciplines such as pullups etc., consists of running 1,5 mile under 11 minutes and jumping from static position when the minimal distance for two-legged landing must be at least 2,3m. The PFT is very important as it directly effect the grade we get for job performance. Therefore I must pass the test reasonably well .. I would kindly ask you for your opinion about the following questions that bother me:

1. Can I supplement Q&D training with aerobic running? Must this be done on separate days or should I combine it into one training session?

2. Would kettlebell swings improve my jumping? Afterall swings are supposed to develop explosive strength. If not, should I do some pliometric training besides it?

3. Is the Q&D method right for me or would I be better off with some S&S training combined with running?

Sidenote: In the past years I have been doing (mostly in my basement) lots of pushups, burpees, pullups and squads. It made me reasonably fit but I did not have any program or structure behind it so after some time, I did not progress anymore. I also found out that I can do 1000 pushups and 500 squads per session, but still have problems with the jump exercise ... Also, I had some problem with being tired and without energy after those training sessions and I could not afford to operate at such low energy level. So, the change of training plan was needed and came in the forum of Pavel book.

I hope I am not bothering you to much, but I would definitely be grateful for some advice which could help me pass PFT and also do my job better (regardless of what you hear, being strong is a big advantage when grappling with some big drunk dudes on the street).

Cheers,

David
 
I'd highly recommend training specifically for the test at least 8 weeks out. Don't depend on WTH effects to help you pass. So spend some time jumping and running and make sure you are maintaining your pushups. And don't forget to do them all in one day every once in a while.

There are certainly smarter programmers than me on here, but if I was doing this my training 8 weeks out would look like this:
Mon: MAF run 30-90 minutes
Tuesday S&S with pushups and pullups instead of GU, long jumps for 3-5x3 before swings stop adding sets when you start slowing down.
Wednesday: MAF run
Thurs: Same as Tues
Fri: rest
Sat: fast 1.5m run, jumps, pushup, etc. (Mock PT test)
Sun: rest

Repeat adding 5 minutes to MAF runs every week and a bit of extra volume to pushups and pullups as well.

If you run time and aerobic base is already pretty good, swap out the MAF runs with more specific 1.5m work.
 
Hi everybody, I am new here, so please be gentle:)

I am a 40-year-old police officer. Just a couple of weeks ago, I bought Pavel's book about Q&D training method and started training accordingly. I find it great for my needs due to its minimalism and simplicity. Besides crazy working hours as we work 12hour shifts, I have a big family so 30 min training in the basement suits me perfectly. At my work we have martial arts trainig every week so I thought this Q&D will be excellent supplement.

In a couple of months' time, I have a mandated Physical Fitness Test at work which, among other disciplines such as pullups etc., consists of running 1,5 mile under 11 minutes and jumping from static position when the minimal distance for two-legged landing must be at least 2,3m. The PFT is very important as it directly effect the grade we get for job performance. Therefore I must pass the test reasonably well .. I would kindly ask you for your opinion about the following questions that bother me:

1. Can I supplement Q&D training with aerobic running? Must this be done on separate days or should I combine it into one training session?

2. Would kettlebell swings improve my jumping? Afterall swings are supposed to develop explosive strength. If not, should I do some pliometric training besides it?

3. Is the Q&D method right for me or would I be better off with some S&S training combined with running?

Sidenote: In the past years I have been doing (mostly in my basement) lots of pushups, burpees, pullups and squads. It made me reasonably fit but I did not have any program or structure behind it so after some time, I did not progress anymore. I also found out that I can do 1000 pushups and 500 squads per session, but still have problems with the jump exercise ... Also, I had some problem with being tired and without energy after those training sessions and I could not afford to operate at such low energy level. So, the change of training plan was needed and came in the forum of Pavel book.

I hope I am not bothering you to much, but I would definitely be grateful for some advice which could help me pass PFT and also do my job better (regardless of what you hear, being strong is a big advantage when grappling with some big drunk dudes on the street).

Cheers,

David
I would also suggest training specifically for such an important test. I think Q&D can supplement that training, I think S&S can supplement the training, but I think specificity is important to not only pass but to excel.

First, when was the last time you took the test? What did you get then? When was the last time you've tested yourself on these tasks? How much are you trying to improve? In regards to running, how much running have you been doing? Depending on where you are currently will change answers - talking to someone who can easily pass but is looking to get a little better is different than talking to someone who might pass and is just trying to get over the edge.

To directly answer you questions:
1. Yes, you should definitely be running. It can be done in one training session, but you must remember how this will effect your performance, and whether or not it replicates your test. For instance, when I've had a run test in the past, it was usually AFTER I had done several other events. Training to run after I've lifted or done kettlebells was effective way to learn the feeling and the pacing and the effort similar to on the test. However, training the run fresh also helped as I could train to faster. So it is not an either or, but a both and.
2. Potentially. But I would still include broad jumps in your training. I would do these earlier in the session than not, and have plenty of rest between reps. When I trained broad jumps in the past, I would do 3 jumps followed by a longer rest, then repeat. I would usually do 9-18 jumps in total.
3. I don't know. I think it depends on where you currently fall on your testing, but again, I would probably use Q&D and/or S&S as a supplement to your specific training. If the test was a year from now, maybe the answer would be different, but it sounds like it is 8-12 weeks away, and for that ... specificity is your friend.
 
Hi everybody, I am new here, so please be gentle:)

I am a 40-year-old police officer. Just a couple of weeks ago, I bought Pavel's book about Q&D training method and started training accordingly. I find it great for my needs due to its minimalism and simplicity. Besides crazy working hours as we work 12hour shifts, I have a big family so 30 min training in the basement suits me perfectly. At my work we have martial arts trainig every week so I thought this Q&D will be excellent supplement.

In a couple of months' time, I have a mandated Physical Fitness Test at work which, among other disciplines such as pullups etc., consists of running 1,5 mile under 11 minutes and jumping from static position when the minimal distance for two-legged landing must be at least 2,3m. The PFT is very important as it directly effect the grade we get for job performance. Therefore I must pass the test reasonably well .. I would kindly ask you for your opinion about the following questions that bother me:

1. Can I supplement Q&D training with aerobic running? Must this be done on separate days or should I combine it into one training session?

2. Would kettlebell swings improve my jumping? Afterall swings are supposed to develop explosive strength. If not, should I do some pliometric training besides it?

3. Is the Q&D method right for me or would I be better off with some S&S training combined with running?

Sidenote: In the past years I have been doing (mostly in my basement) lots of pushups, burpees, pullups and squads. It made me reasonably fit but I did not have any program or structure behind it so after some time, I did not progress anymore. I also found out that I can do 1000 pushups and 500 squads per session, but still have problems with the jump exercise ... Also, I had some problem with being tired and without energy after those training sessions and I could not afford to operate at such low energy level. So, the change of training plan was needed and came in the forum of Pavel book.

I hope I am not bothering you to much, but I would definitely be grateful for some advice which could help me pass PFT and also do my job better (regardless of what you hear, being strong is a big advantage when grappling with some big drunk dudes on the street).

Cheers,

David
Checkout Military/Mountain Athlete. They have a bunch of programs just for what you need it for. Q&D is great but I don't think it will fill all the holes you need filled. It'll give you endurance and may help with the push-ups and pull-ups but I think you will find what you need on the site I mentioned.
 
HI. Thank you for your thoughts and advice. I got plenty of new info and had to do some googling

To summon up: Q&D is great as a supplement to training, but it cannot nor should not replace the specific training which must be focused on running, jumping, and other types of PFT tasks. I will now look more into MAF running and other types of exercises and training types you have suggested above, for which I truly am grateful.

Sidenote: I noticed in the past that the guys who usually do best on PFT are guys from Special forces and guys who do lots of CrossFit training. I talked with some of them and they use lots of kettlebells but I don't know about the specifics of their training.

Thank you again and I wish you all the best!
David
 
Lots of good advice above. I would also add to take a look at the Tactical Barbell material, perhaps starting with Tactical Barbell II: conditioning by Ken Black. You can pick up the ebook for super cheap.

In my less experienced opinion it gives great advice for first responders and military personnel. I am not a first responder or military operator myself, but I just completed the 8-weeks of base building from the referenced book and and am now working through the Black continuation protocol outlined there with great results. I believe it provides a nice flexible framework for programming your exercise which can be tailored to many different individual situations.
In a couple of months' time, I have a mandated Physical Fitness Test at work which, among other disciplines such as pullups etc., consists of running 1,5 mile under 11 minutes and jumping from static position when the minimal distance for two-legged landing must be at least 2,3m. The PFT is very important as it directly effect the grade we get for job performance.
If you did decide to go this route it seems like you could tailor the base building to your PFT in order to get that specificity. You could utilize jogging for your LISS (low intensity steady state) endurance sessions and program broad jumps, pushups, and pullups into the strength endurance sessions.

Side note, the continuation protocols in the book also provide a framework for using Q&D or incorporating any KB strength program later on. Also they include ideas on how to incorporate kettlebells into some of their conditioning routines.

I'm sure you will do great no matter which method of preparation you choose to follow. Wishing you the best of luck with your PFT!
 
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