By Martin Zeilig
When it comes to achieving a platinum award in the Force Fitness testing, it’s a matter of being consistent in your regular training regime, according to Sergeant Dylan Weller, a Search and Rescue Technician at 435 Training & Rescue Squadron.
The other recent platinum winners were Second Lieutenant Nicole Strickland, Sergeant Jeremy Poitras, Master Warrant Officer Samantha Dean, Sgt Marie-Pier LaFlamme, and Major Nathan Mercier.
“I’ve managed to receive Platinum every year the program has been in place,” said Sgt Weller, a 14-year member of the CAF.
The Fitness for Operational Requirements of Canadian Armed Forces Employment (FORCE) Evaluation reflects the minimum physical employment standard related to common defence and security duties known as the Universality of Service principle, says the CFMWS website.
CAF members are tested annually to demonstrate their capabilities in four FORCE components: 20-metre rushes - Starting from the prone position, complete two shuttle sprints (1 shuttle = 20 m there, 20 m back) dropping to the prone position every 10 m for a total of 80 m. To be completed in 51 seconds or less.
Sandbag lift - 30 consecutive lifts of a 20 kg sandbag from the floor above a height of 1.0 m. The member alternates between left and right sandbags separated by 1.25 m. To be completed in 3 minutes and 30 seconds or less.
Intermittent loaded shuttles - 10 consecutive shuttles (1 shuttle = 20 m there, 20 m back), alternating between loaded shuttles with a 20 kg sandbag and unloaded shuttles, totaling 400 m. To be completed in 5 minutes and 21 seconds or less.
Sandbag drag - Carry one 20 kg sandbag and pull a minimum of four on the floor over 20 m without stopping. Number of sandbags being dragged depends on the type of floor.
The FORCE rewards program consists of bronze, silver, gold, platinum.
Those Canadian Armed Forces members who achieve exceptional scores on their FORCE Evaluation and earn the Platinum level are eligible to receive a Platinum reward as part of the FORCE Rewards Program, says the CFMWS website.
“I follow an online program called ‘everyday operator.’ It’s essentially a mix between CrossFit, aerobic training and bodybuilding,” Sgt Weller said in an email to the Voxair.
“To get platinum you have to learn little efficiencies in each of the tested movements and truly go max out. In terms of training the true secret is consistency in training; over days, weeks, months, years. Secondly, maintain your nutrition, and how you fuel. Again, this is 100% about consistency. A few weeks of training leading up to the test won’t cut it to get platinum.”
2Lt Strickland, who is on course at Barker College until the end of June, gained her platinum status at CFB Shearwater this past February.
“I trained for it,” she said during an in-person interview on May 21.
Achieving the platinum status always been her goal.
“I’ve been weightlifting for the past couple of years,” said the 5’2” 125 pound native of Ottawa, who’s a graduate in aeronautical engineering from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario.
“I actually went to PSP, and they helped to rework my program to help strengthen some muscles and parts of my body that would be beneficial to the test.”
She also mentioned that the award is a pin that you wear on your dress uniform.
“I found out right away that I achieved platinum,” 2Lt Strickland said.
“I was ecstatic. I jumped around and shouted.”
This was the fourth time in a row that Sgt Poitras, an instructor at 402 “City of Winnipeg” Squadron, has achieved platinum status.
“I compete in triathlons, which keeps my cardio vascular system strong, and I weightlift twice a week for injury prevention and to maintain strength,” Sgt Poitras commented during a telephone interview.
“Discipline is much more important than motivation. Long-term consistency will out-perform short stints of high performance. To me, the forces test is nothing stressful, because I maintain a high level of fitness year round.”
Year round fitness is a good plan for everyone.
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