Fitness on POLC

[flynavy]

Just wondering what the kind of level of fitness is expected at HMS Collingwood for polc courses nowadays as i have heard many different rumuors.

Being a bit of a fat knacker and years of married life plus being a wafu things have expanded round the waist and thus having a detrimental effect on fitness.

i have heard that when you turn up if you fail any of the fitness aspects they give you a warning and that some people are passing through with like 8 warnings when they leave, so is this true because if it is then i will go straight back to double duffing!

Must add i always pass my fitness test each year by doing a week of running before the due date!

POLC may now be called senior rates command course (sorry old school coming thru)

 

[PompeySailor]

Not true. We see in excess of 10 signals a week for people being taken off course for various reasons. You need to be passing your Annual Fitness Test with a fair bit to spare. Also seeing a lot taken off for plagiarism and general inability to meet standards. Which is no bad thing.

 

[flynavy]

many thanks for that info will try harder

 

[clanky]

An aquaintance of mine failed recently for plagiarism. The consequences for him where so not funny. Strangely enough, the fitness advice laid down in the joining instructions helped me get through mine quite well, and trust me, I aint no fitty.

 

[hookyh]

Does anyone know if the standard for the new RNFT are applicable to the LRCC and SRCC. Are the over 40's able to opt for the Rockport Walk on course instead of the 1.5 mile run? The dit we heard was that the Rockport was brought in due to the modern belief that over 40's were doing more damage to their health running than was good for them, hence the walk.

Can anyone from Collingrad confirm this? There's contradictory info. coming from different sources!

If there are any 'Admiralty Clowns' online, or staff from Command school it would be great to hear the real word!

 

[Bernoulli]

Make sure you can pass the RNFT- 1.5 mile and bleep test- comfortably, have a 15 minute lecture prepared and accept and even embrace the fact that 95% of the staff are sphincters.

 

[clanky]

I found investing in some pukka hiking socks paid dividends as well.

 

[geoffrey]

Are the over 40's able to opt for the Rockport Walk on course instead of the 1.5 mile run? ....
If there are any 'Admiralty Clowns' online, or staff from Command school it would be great to hear the real word!

Hooky - I'm neither of the above, but an old fart CPO of my acquaintance said he was told that he could do the Rockport bimble on his SRCC RNFT if he wanted, but it would "reflect badly" on him if he chose that over a run.

Personally, I think the whole RNFT thing is a joke. But that's for another thread.

 

[TheCommunicator]

As far as I'm aware, if you're over 40 you can do the Rockport walk (which is only an RNFT option for over 40's) for your RNFT and the 2K4 run or MSFT are optional.

If you are over 40 and want to do SRCC then you must do a SRCC(MD) (or whatever it's called nowadays) with all the spackers and fat barstewards.

Over 40's wanting to do a normal SRCC must be in date for RNFT (Whatever method) and complete the 2K4 run on day 1

 

[Father_Famine]

Twas at Royal Arthur about 15 years ago, and if its anything like that you will need more than an extra weeks training.

I must admit I scraped through fitness wise, it was kin hard slog, lots of running, assault courses, log runs, then hiking into the Beacons up and down hills, stress levels up in the himalayas.

Go for it, work hard, follow the prep they want you to do, and when you get there do what they want. Easy really ain't it.

Ohh I've still got the hole in my right Knee from my LRLC at Excellent in 1984, came off the death slide, still completed the assault course, spent lunch time in sick bay then on to finish the last two days

 

[hookyh]

Cheers for the heads up guys! I'm so looking forward to it!

My bezzie oppo. did it last year and (bearing in mind he's super-fit and got a degree) told me "Recommend it to someone you hate". Apparently the staff are all old school and seem to take personal satisfaction from being a real pain in the rear. Guess we'll see! Nothing would surprise me.

If you can't take a joke.......

 

[GuzzScribes]

The true dit.

You will have to complete the RNFT run on day one and will be required to do all of the other aspects of the course involving fitness.

No allowances are made for age.

Scribes

 

[finknottle]

An oppo of mine informs me that if you are over 40 you go round in a luxury coach!

 

[nobby_stokes]

the best bit of advice for polc is! just go out every night! hang one on and you dont feel or hear any off the bullshit the next day..... Nobby's law !

 

[hookyh]

That's the best bit of advice i've heard yet!

When you get to fourty you really can't be arsed with some loser giving you stick all day long. If you're still in at that age then you must have proved you're capable of more than running until you blow out of your arse! Doesn't prove how much leadership potential you have does it? Or am i being a little over-cynical?

 

[sparks]

having completed polc nearly 18 months ago at collingwood i can tell you what i saw...

firstly it pretty much saw that it depended who your instructors are as to what the guide lines are. i saw people being kicked off course for failing their mile and hald the first day by less than 15 secs and others staying on course as long as they passed two out of the three. ie either mile and a half/bleep test/3 mile run.... i swear they take on face value which just goes to prove the whole polc scenario is a complete farce. i recommend being able to do all three cos it gives you something less to worry about compared with all the other c%$& that they throw at you to make you a "better leader" yeah exactly!

 

[Sea_Dodger]

If you are semi fit before POLC it is a breeze.

Call me sad but I enjoyed POLC! It's 4 weeks of phys and a chance to get away from real work.

Did I learn anything? Probably not but it's a tick in the box and a doddle if you can run a mile and half in your allotted time, and if you can't manage that small feat stop eating so many pies and have a word with yourself.

 

[buffer01]

Did mine at Collinggrad a couple of years ago. Previous posters have mentioned the passing two out of three big tests. Mile and a half day one, Bleep test, 1st week and then the three miler. Did see a couple not make the grade and be RTU'd.
I'm a comfortably upholstered WAFU and didn't find it too difficult. And for all you Lead swinggers out there, I had a certain Sean G***ey on my course. He was the Man of Air who lost a leg at the the tournament, and that fine man managed to pass the able rates course. Not the Salt Water Activated Bad Back course that they run for "malingerer's."
As for learning anything. Not really. Your either born a leader or a follower. You can't be taught it. But they do teach you loads of zippy civvy buzz words.
Your best bet is to go in a an empty vessel. Keep your trap shut and your ears open and let them fill you with the twaddle they preach. If some of it sticks, it may be of use to you. Most of it covered on other course, Staff writing, DO's course etc.
And always remember, there's always some poor bugger worse than you. And he's usually the instructor that the got the draft to Collinggrad! (Only joking Staff!)

 

[hookyh]

This thread just keeps getting better and better. What started as a genuine enquiry has become one of the funiest threads on the site.

I know we drip a lot in the mob, but Jack's sense of humour is what keeps me proud to be in the Navy.

 

[DerbyshireTiff]

I found that the mile and half was easier to do at POLC. I did my run in 11:03 in Jan 05 then in March 05 at Collingrad I got 10:11, I couldn't figure that out, presumably the course is shorter and its all on concrete, as opposed to soft astroturf, and less tight corners than a footy pitch. Those that marginally failed in their time brackets were given a talking to, and were pushed v hard in other physical aspects. The run along Lee on Solent beach front was harder to be honest, but even that only a few people dropped out and a lot ( me included) came in behind the main group but this didn't matter. It was the effort and encouragement that meant more to the staff than times. For me the hardest physical aspect was the shuttle runs, non stop lasting 20 mins (?). As for Earlsoke and Brecon, take plenty of nutty to munch on and don't cram your burgen with pointless stuff. Take a razor, a few spare socks, warm clothing and the essentials (sleeping bag/mat, emergency pack and rat pack. but break your rat pack down first) I'd also recommend a flask of energy drink! Plagerism was the one that got a few on our course, specially in wk 3 (ouch!) You've been warned!

P.S. - If your due on course soon remember not to be the first to turn up on the sunday, you'll get lumbered with being in charge of Accom, so will be the last to leave on the friday after the Accom musters etc :wink: