New Fitness Test Levels

[chumpzilla]

My husband has been on remedial pt for the last 12 weeks, he goes 3 times a week for an hour of beasting, on a Thursday he goes to increments and then is expected to do three sessions in the fittness suite. On top of all that he has a 12 hour physical shift to get through.

At the moment we haven't got a life, i hardly see him and to top it all off his fitness test results are going backwards instead of forwards. He has to go for a meeting, taking his line manager on Tuesday with the PD Flt, and this will be put on his personal file.

He can't physically do any more but is being told he is not doing enough.

Ok, I'll try to be balanced and impartial as I don't know all the facts/background.

Nice: Why has he been on remedial? Obviously for not reaching the desired standard, but has he been injured prior to that? Maybe, say, he could try and tug the heart strings of his line manager and be put on a more favourable day shift to allow for a remedial in work time?

Do you think that his beasting sessions are not suited to your man? I find that, being a generally fit person, any kind of phys will give me the top up I need to cruise my fitness test. Maybe a variation of treadmill/bike/rower/road running/training to the fitness test. There are CD's out there and even downloadable tests to train too if he so desires!

Realistic: The new fitness test levels have been in place for over a year now, and everyone is well aware of this. I have to go to sandy places on quite a frequent occasion, and when i'm not there, there are numerous exercises to go on too. As you may tell, this doesn't leave scope for much phys time for me or my colleagues. Working long hours is a bummer, for sure. How many others work with your hubby? Do they struggle to maintain fitness?

Maybe your husband has become disillusioned at the constant thrashing that he gets? Has he given up drinking/smoking/bad habits? I find that this usually helps.

Don't mean to blast your guy, but it just amazes me how he seems to be getting worse WITH the extra sessions!

 

[GrimFandango]

Hmmmmmm

Hmmmmmm

I don't see the point in putting up the levels as frequently as they do anyway. I am currently on Ops in Basrah at the moment and have to wear osprey body armour as i work on the main ASP, if we have a busy night we can have it on upto 9 hours in total a night and it weighs 11kg. I personally go to the gym while i am here but some of our guys haven't been at all and they still manage to do their job wearing the excess weight and during the heat of the day. So whats the point in putting it up so high.

 

[POW]

Ok, I'll try to be balanced and impartial as I don't know all the facts/background.

Nice: Why has he been on remedial? Obviously for not reaching the desired standard, but has he been injured prior to that? Maybe, say, he could try and tug the heart strings of his line manager and be put on a more favourable day shift to allow for a remedial in work time?

Do you think that his beasting sessions are not suited to your man? I find that, being a generally fit person, any kind of phys will give me the top up I need to cruise my fitness test. Maybe a variation of treadmill/bike/rower/road running/training to the fitness test. There are CD's out there and even downloadable tests to train too if he so desires!

Realistic: The new fitness test levels have been in place for over a year now, and everyone is well aware of this. I have to go to sandy places on quite a frequent occasion, and when i'm not there, there are numerous exercises to go on too. As you may tell, this doesn't leave scope for much phys time for me or my colleagues. Working long hours is a bummer, for sure. How many others work with your hubby? Do they struggle to maintain fitness?

Maybe your husband has become disillusioned at the constant thrashing that he gets? Has he given up drinking/smoking/bad habits? I find that this usually helps.

Don't mean to blast your guy, but it just amazes me how he seems to be getting worse WITH the extra sessions!

Hubby unable to move as there are few of them around so no moving. Has just done a night shift and had to hand over to on coming, didn't leave until after 7am so missed remedial (starts at 7am).

Was also frowned upon when he was Guard Comander as he was unable to do all remedial as he was taking down ensign and looking after the whole of he guard room. (another Lyneham Spesh).

He and two others on his shift alone have failed which means they have to go to the Gym at the same time, but with leave and deployments that is leaving the desk very short.

He is on a balanced diet and hardly ever drinks now, the only thing he does is smoke and since this fitness thing he has uped his smoking.

The Staish as just put out on the Intranet that there are to be no more discussions on fitness on his forum, head in sand or what????!!!

He has got worse with the extra sessions because he is exhausted, he isn't huffing and puffing it is just that his legs can't take anymore.

 

[millie]

I have been watching this slating ref fitness levels for weeks. For fear of abuse I didn't post.

I have failed my fitness test, yes I am embarassed, I am disappointed in myself. I'm on remedial, it's great and you have to make the time around your work schedule and do it in your own time too (no big deal POW) in fact it's great to get a lunch hour!

I will get an informal warning, formally warned and eventually admin discharge all because I can't do a blokes press up!

If it really comes down to deleting my career, despite how hard I have worked, how many times I have been OOA in the past, the fact I am still going on Ops in Jul 09 all because of the introduction of blokes press up, then I strongly believe the RAF have their priorities slightly screwed. While I understand we should be fit fighting blah blah, there is nothing wrong with my bleep standard, or sit ups.

For those women that can do it, good on you, not all of us can. Await incoming!

 

[POW]

do it in your own time too (no big deal POW) Yes i understand Millie where you are coming from, but the remedial sessions are written in stone and are none flexiable, so on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday he has to go to the gym which means when he is on stand down, he still has to go, he is also meant to go to the fittness suite 3 times a week oh yes and do his 12 hour shift. He is not allowed leave until he has passed his fitness test. It is all just too much even top athletes don't do exercise every day.

 

[TrickyTree]

He is not allowed leave until he has passed his fitness test.

If true, that is about the most disgusting thing that I have heard in 23 years service.

 

[Downsizer]

He is not allowed leave until he has passed his fitness test.

Having several airmen on the same remedial programme I can say that is catagorically utter b0llox. If he has told you this he is lying or somebody is lying to him.

 

[Realist78]

do it in your own time too (no big deal POW) Yes i understand Millie where you are coming from, but the remedial sessions are written in stone and are none flexiable, so on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday he has to go to the gym which means when he is on stand down, he still has to go, he is also meant to go to the fittness suite 3 times a week oh yes and do his 12 hour shift. He is not allowed leave until he has passed his fitness test. It is all just too much even top athletes don't do exercise every day.

If that was the case, with the number of people across RAF who are on remedial, the sh1t would hit the fan!

 

[POW]

I can say hand on heart that the Groupie has told the station with Fat Alberts (no pun intended) that if personnal are on remedial then they are not to have leave!!!!! There are people having to come back from Wales to do remedial in 'their own time'. It is really getting out of hand here.

 

[Downsizer]

I can say hand on heart that the Groupie has told the station with Fat Alberts (no pun intended) that if personnal are on remedial then they are not to have leave!!!!!

No you are wrong. As I have already stated that is not station policy. The airmen I have on remedial have no problem going on leave or shift standown.

 

[POW]

No you are wrong. As I have already stated that is not station policy. The airmen I have on remedial have no problem going on leave or shift standown.

Are you the Staish at Fat Albert's station?

 

[wgaf]

As downsizer has stated there is not a problem getting leave when on remedial pt. It's simply a case of applying for leave and getting a line manager/jengo etc. to give permission. This is then forwarded to PEd flight where it is actioned and he will be taken off remedial pt for the time he is on leave.

 

[Downsizer]

Are you the Staish at Fat Albert's station?

No. However I am fully aware of station policy as I have people in the same position as your husband.

 

[POW]

As downsizer has stated there is not a problem getting leave when on remedial pt. It's simply a case of applying for leave and getting a line manager/jengo etc. to give permission. This is then forwarded to PEd flight where it is actioned and he will be taken off remedial pt for the time he is on leave.

MMMMMM I thought JPA was brought in to cancel out the need for leave passes. Another ton of money wasted on a system that doesn't work.

 

[chumpzilla]

Have you tried...

Have you tried...

POW,

Not all cardio exercise has to be all running. For example, (now note these down, cos you missed them last time!) swimming, bikes, rowing machine, sport of sorts.

We are all different. Some of us can run for England. Maybe, if your hubby grew a set and put them on the table and argued the fact that maybe getting beasted to death isn't necessarily the best form of physical activity the mirror techs might actually adjust his remedial package to suit! If they don't, then maybe he has grounds for complaint.

Hopefully they'll sit up and realise that they are failing in their duties to support your husband and get him to the required standard. However, before everyone leaps on that comment, it is also a big responsibility of the individual to maintain his level of fitness.

 

[The Loan Ranger]

It seems this particular discussion has turned to the fitness policy at a certain AT base in Wiltshire so thought I would jump back in, the lads in my section get to go on leave and get their allocated stand-down as per the units policy, as long as the PTI's are aware of said periods of absence in advance they are helpful and can accomodate genuine requests to move the odd session.

for example I have a young lad who is coming off a weeks duty at 0800hrs on a Friday and onto a 4 day standown period, his remedial is on a Friday at 1600hrs hence a polite request to out fitness freaks and he's moving to the early session that day so he can get away for his stand-down period, result on all parts as he does his fitness that is required and he gets his well earned time off



I for one will stand up for the Staish here and applaud his stance on fitness, there are others who I work with have been on remedial and have subsequently passed and are now doing phys to maintain the desired standard, and no I'm not the Staish or any of his close friends I'm just a normal everyday worker at a base where I think they've adopted the right policy for everyone, I struggle to get to the level required but I know what it is and I get to it so am free to do my own phys between tests.


and Millie I'm sorry you don't like the new press-ups but they are now classed as RAF press-ups and RAF sit-ups not Male/Female ones....

 

[Martin Blank]

As up until Monday this week I was one of the great untested/unfit, I quite happily griped about the levels going up even though all I do is get older, I'm almost 40 and doing higher now than when I was 20.
However with just 3 compulsory pt sessions under my belt since June 08 and 15stone straining behind it I passed Lvl 8.9.
I sit on my ass all day in front of a computer, I eat chips and lard in the Old Folks mess, I have a large lump of cartlidge missing from my left knee, a badly healed fractured left ankle caused by running. I still OOA for 4 months evey 24 without fail.
All I can say is its not that fcuking hard, grow some and go the extra mile.

 

[millie]

I don't re-call saying I didn't like the 'RAF Press Up'. What I did say is unfortunately I am simply unable to do them.

 

[POW]

POW,

Not all cardio exercise has to be all running. For example, (now note these down, cos you missed them last time!) swimming, bikes, rowing machine, sport of sorts.

We are all different. Some of us can run for England. Maybe, if your hubby grew a set and put them on the table and argued the fact that maybe getting beasted to death isn't necessarily the best form of physical activity the mirror techs might actually adjust his remedial package to suit! If they don't, then maybe he has grounds for complaint.

Hopefully they'll sit up and realise that they are failing in their duties to support your husband and get him to the required standard. However, before everyone leaps on that comment, it is also a big responsibility of the individual to maintain his level of fitness.

I can asure you that my husband has balls, he just doesn't get listened to. He makes sense, but they see it as bleeting. He has done everything he can but is so exhausted that he can do no more. He just retook his fitness test and failed again, the worrying thing is he has gone backwards with the standard and not forward.

Re swimming etc. We are members of a local private club but with the remedial, 3 sessions in the fitness suite and a try of the fitness test on Thursdays he doesn't have the time or energy to use the pool.

 

[Stax]

At the risk off sounding like Tashy Man, this subject has been done to death.

POW, I have to query your old mans conditioning regime, every other Unit is 3 sessions per week, either with PTI's or on some sort of "FitLinx" system, or a combination of both, not 6 sessions. As to the time to do it, IT IS IN THE FIRMS TIME, and line management MUST allow him to attend, if he fails again he can have recourse to redress his managment. As to leave, this must be the Staish at Lyneham's own thing and he is on dodgy ground. Under the new regs every serviceman has to take 28 days of his leave per year, again if he can't he can redress his line management. Bear in mind I am an old WO and a PTL who has never failed his fitness test and my policy is that of encouragement to those who fail fitness tests. Also, I am not Mr Slim fitty bloke ask those that know me! Methinks POW, that Mr POW should give up the weed and speak to his PEd Staff as to a programme that will get him fit enough to pass the discipline he failed, I assume its the running phase?

Millie, the male press up is easy. To train try starting with 2 male press ups then down on your knees to carry on doing another 10 to 15. Next time do 3, then 4 etc and so on, eventually you will be doing male press ups. This works I have seen some of my girls succeed with this.

Bottom line folks, the fitness levels and the associated penalties of failure are here to stay. Do something about it, only you can!