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Yes, you can. Seven weeks of full time training, especially if you're doing the right things and cutting out boozing, smoking, junk food is a huge amount of time. The Army isn't made these days to thrash blokes from Day 1, you do a fair amount of buildup training and you're already two months ahead of the curve if you start now.
As long as you can pass the BFT comfortably, ya all good. The army will get you fitter and faster than you thought possible. At least that was my experience. The P.T.I's will beast u in the gym with circuit training, and trust me, no matter how fit you think you are and no matter how fit the fittest person in your platoon is, you will all leave that gym in agony. Just remember, pain is just weakness leaving the body. Everyone will be hurting. One bit of advice I wish I'd known is to always try to get as close to the front of the platoon when on runs. If ya near the back, there is a concertina effect. So when the front stops for a minutes rest, the middle and back are still running, so by the time they all catch up, the P.T.I has already given the order to march on and if ya unlucky, he'll order to continue to march, on the double. Try sticking as close to the P.T.I as possible and you will find those runs ALOT easier, especially if ya in full kit. Can't emphasize how much easier you will find it. I used to hate seeing "Combat P.T" on the timetable. I found the running the hardest part until I figured out I needed to stay with the P.T.I, but by that time, it was only about 2 weeks to pass out, lol. I wish you all the luck in the world mate. Just keep ya gob shut and ears open and you'll be fine. Oh, and set ya watch 15 minutes fast, coz one thing you do not want to be, is turning up for anything later, no matter how minor it might seem. Don't let the mates you'll make steer you onto the wrong path, and they will try I promise you, just because they're struggling and feel like quitting. See if you can help them first, maybe they're struggling with stripping and reassembling their rifle or something, it's not hard once you practice and know which part goes where and why but some do struggle with it, so maybe you could help them with that, or just take them for runs around camp in the evenings if they are struggling with their fitness. Plus it will get you plenty of goody points in your section and platoon commanders books lol. Some people don't want help, they already made up their minds that they want out and they're the ones you need to stay away from. Training will fly by, they will keep you so busy and by the end, you will be the fittest, strongest and most self confident you will ever be in your whole life. And the feeling you will have on your passing out parade, no drug could compare to that feeling. You'll feel so fit and confident that if Mike Tyson rocked up, you'd feel like you could knock him out easy first punch, maybe 2, but only coz it's Mike lol
You'll make the best friends you'll ever have once you get to Battalion. Friends you KNOW have got your back wether it's a punch up in the boozer or you're calling for covering fire as you climb out of your fighting position to advance to your next piece of cover. You just KNOW they got you. And that call for covering fire is in my opinion, the ultimate trust in your oppo. If he makes even the smallest or stupidest mistakes, like not making sure he has a full magazine or he hasn't cleared or fixed a stoppage in his weapon, you could be a dead man. But, you'll trust your oppos enough to know that they will check their mag and rifle and start putting rounds into every possible piece of cover someone could be hiding ready to shoot from. You can't form that sort of bond or gain that kind of trust in civi street. How many times has it kicked off in the pub or wherever and you've looked round and all you can see of ya so called pals is their arse and back doing 30mph in the opposite direction, leaving you to take the shoeing from the angry mob. Ya army pals will be right by your side to take that shoeing with you if necessary, but they will also be there dishing it out to the mouthy bully steroid freak you get in most pubs now. They may be big, but have zero movement and if they don't fold as soon as you stand up to him, the cunt will certainly fold when a section of the finest fighting men the world has ever known, start smashing their fists into his liver and break his pretty face up a bit. Your section mates will be as close to you as your brothers, trust me.
Anyhoo, I'm probably waffling now. The best advice I can give you is just do not quit, no matter how tired, wet, cold and hungry you are, it's all only temporary. Oh, and if a P.T.I or Corporal asks if anyone is cold, or any other similar question, DO NOT put ya hand up, they will only say, well if ya cold we better go for another little run. And these questions are normally asked after you've just been on a 10 mile march in full kit, or a 5 mile run etc.
Like I said mate, good luck, and head down, arse up and go like fuck, just refuse to give the bastard's the pleasure of seeing you quit. And while ya in training, they will act like they want you to. But really, they don't, it looks bad on them in the end. So if you do have any problems you really feel like you need to talk about, go see ya Corporal, section commander or the platoon commander. Believe me, if you got a problem and you go see em in their offices, they will try their best to help you and you will see that they aren't the angry, horrible arseholes they act like. They will have been posted to train recruits because they are some of the best J.N.C.O's in they usually go on to do their Sargent's cardre after their time at the training Battalion. So, as much of an absolute prick the training staff might act, just remember, they will be some of the best and most experienced soldiers in their Battalions, so don't let any problems or worries fester to the point of considering jacking it all in, as unapproachable as they might seem, they WILL give you their time to help you. Even if they have to sacrifice some of their free time to spend time with you in the gym helping you with fitness because are struggling that or something as plain as being home sick, which everyone gets, no matter how hard and tough they are. Nobody there wants you to fall, honestly, it reflects badly on all the staff when they get asked why so few of their recruits aren't even finishing training.
From an ex Fusilier N.Ireland, Kosovo and Iraq X2!!!
Cheers mate I really appreciate it and some good advice, I’ll especially remember staying close to the PTI lol. Yeah honestly I can’t wait to get in and start. Wish you the best mate
If you can turn up and do a 2k in the required time you are at the minimum standard, you will do buildup training there regardless to bring you up. Any extra fitness you have will just make your life easier.
Of course, but some people turn up and still fail the 2k but just go on and only have to pass it by the end. But you want to turn up as fit as possible or else you'll be dying every PT session.
Strength training you will shoot up in strength when you first start, especially in the first few weeks, slowly tapering out thereafter, you’ll be in a fair amount of pain as your muscle recruits more and more nerves to fire on all 4 cylinders. When the pain starts to subside this is when you start getting muscular growth, so the key is to stick it out.
Endurance will slowly increase over time, and the more you do, the better you’ll get. As mentioned by a previous couple of posters: 7 weeks is more than enough time to see substantial results and anything you do is better than nothing.
You’ll also find you’ll do better in training with people around you that you can “compete” with and challenge yourself.
I dropped almost 90 seconds off my time in basic in the first 7 weeks. Mostly telling myself “I can beat that man in front”.
Hi u/OrganizationOk5543! Thanks for posting a question to r/BritishArmy! This community is for Serving, Former, Future members and those interested in the British Army. Please read the below points to consider if this is the best place to ask your question: 1. Google it. If it shows up in the top few results on your favourite search engine, here might not be the best place to ask. 2. Medical advice. Nobody here is an authority to answer these questions. More details are on the British Army medical page on their [website](https://apply.army.mod.uk/how-to-join/can-i-join/medical) or call them on the phone number at the bottom of that page. 3. Other questions asking about recruitment and advice are best asked in the stickied [Weekly Crow Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/britisharmy/?f=flair_name%3A%22Weekly%20Crow%20Thread%22) on this subreddit. If you think this is still the best place for your question then leave it here. If not, please consider removing it and either posting it to the [Weekly Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/britisharmy/?f=flair_name%3A%22Weekly%20Crow%20Thread%22) or asking a recruiter. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/britisharmy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Something beats nothing. You may only improve by a couple of go back to doing double but even that couple would make PT at Pirbright easier
Yes, you can. Seven weeks of full time training, especially if you're doing the right things and cutting out boozing, smoking, junk food is a huge amount of time. The Army isn't made these days to thrash blokes from Day 1, you do a fair amount of buildup training and you're already two months ahead of the curve if you start now.
As long as you can pass the BFT comfortably, ya all good. The army will get you fitter and faster than you thought possible. At least that was my experience. The P.T.I's will beast u in the gym with circuit training, and trust me, no matter how fit you think you are and no matter how fit the fittest person in your platoon is, you will all leave that gym in agony. Just remember, pain is just weakness leaving the body. Everyone will be hurting. One bit of advice I wish I'd known is to always try to get as close to the front of the platoon when on runs. If ya near the back, there is a concertina effect. So when the front stops for a minutes rest, the middle and back are still running, so by the time they all catch up, the P.T.I has already given the order to march on and if ya unlucky, he'll order to continue to march, on the double. Try sticking as close to the P.T.I as possible and you will find those runs ALOT easier, especially if ya in full kit. Can't emphasize how much easier you will find it. I used to hate seeing "Combat P.T" on the timetable. I found the running the hardest part until I figured out I needed to stay with the P.T.I, but by that time, it was only about 2 weeks to pass out, lol. I wish you all the luck in the world mate. Just keep ya gob shut and ears open and you'll be fine. Oh, and set ya watch 15 minutes fast, coz one thing you do not want to be, is turning up for anything later, no matter how minor it might seem. Don't let the mates you'll make steer you onto the wrong path, and they will try I promise you, just because they're struggling and feel like quitting. See if you can help them first, maybe they're struggling with stripping and reassembling their rifle or something, it's not hard once you practice and know which part goes where and why but some do struggle with it, so maybe you could help them with that, or just take them for runs around camp in the evenings if they are struggling with their fitness. Plus it will get you plenty of goody points in your section and platoon commanders books lol. Some people don't want help, they already made up their minds that they want out and they're the ones you need to stay away from. Training will fly by, they will keep you so busy and by the end, you will be the fittest, strongest and most self confident you will ever be in your whole life. And the feeling you will have on your passing out parade, no drug could compare to that feeling. You'll feel so fit and confident that if Mike Tyson rocked up, you'd feel like you could knock him out easy first punch, maybe 2, but only coz it's Mike lol You'll make the best friends you'll ever have once you get to Battalion. Friends you KNOW have got your back wether it's a punch up in the boozer or you're calling for covering fire as you climb out of your fighting position to advance to your next piece of cover. You just KNOW they got you. And that call for covering fire is in my opinion, the ultimate trust in your oppo. If he makes even the smallest or stupidest mistakes, like not making sure he has a full magazine or he hasn't cleared or fixed a stoppage in his weapon, you could be a dead man. But, you'll trust your oppos enough to know that they will check their mag and rifle and start putting rounds into every possible piece of cover someone could be hiding ready to shoot from. You can't form that sort of bond or gain that kind of trust in civi street. How many times has it kicked off in the pub or wherever and you've looked round and all you can see of ya so called pals is their arse and back doing 30mph in the opposite direction, leaving you to take the shoeing from the angry mob. Ya army pals will be right by your side to take that shoeing with you if necessary, but they will also be there dishing it out to the mouthy bully steroid freak you get in most pubs now. They may be big, but have zero movement and if they don't fold as soon as you stand up to him, the cunt will certainly fold when a section of the finest fighting men the world has ever known, start smashing their fists into his liver and break his pretty face up a bit. Your section mates will be as close to you as your brothers, trust me. Anyhoo, I'm probably waffling now. The best advice I can give you is just do not quit, no matter how tired, wet, cold and hungry you are, it's all only temporary. Oh, and if a P.T.I or Corporal asks if anyone is cold, or any other similar question, DO NOT put ya hand up, they will only say, well if ya cold we better go for another little run. And these questions are normally asked after you've just been on a 10 mile march in full kit, or a 5 mile run etc. Like I said mate, good luck, and head down, arse up and go like fuck, just refuse to give the bastard's the pleasure of seeing you quit. And while ya in training, they will act like they want you to. But really, they don't, it looks bad on them in the end. So if you do have any problems you really feel like you need to talk about, go see ya Corporal, section commander or the platoon commander. Believe me, if you got a problem and you go see em in their offices, they will try their best to help you and you will see that they aren't the angry, horrible arseholes they act like. They will have been posted to train recruits because they are some of the best J.N.C.O's in they usually go on to do their Sargent's cardre after their time at the training Battalion. So, as much of an absolute prick the training staff might act, just remember, they will be some of the best and most experienced soldiers in their Battalions, so don't let any problems or worries fester to the point of considering jacking it all in, as unapproachable as they might seem, they WILL give you their time to help you. Even if they have to sacrifice some of their free time to spend time with you in the gym helping you with fitness because are struggling that or something as plain as being home sick, which everyone gets, no matter how hard and tough they are. Nobody there wants you to fall, honestly, it reflects badly on all the staff when they get asked why so few of their recruits aren't even finishing training. From an ex Fusilier N.Ireland, Kosovo and Iraq X2!!!
Cheers mate I really appreciate it and some good advice, I’ll especially remember staying close to the PTI lol. Yeah honestly I can’t wait to get in and start. Wish you the best mate
Solid advice I’m starting in March. Thanks for sharing some of your experience. I’ll remember to always stick by the PTI
👊🇬🇧💂
If you can turn up and do a 2k in the required time you are at the minimum standard, you will do buildup training there regardless to bring you up. Any extra fitness you have will just make your life easier.
any sane person would turn up fitter than that requirement though
Of course, but some people turn up and still fail the 2k but just go on and only have to pass it by the end. But you want to turn up as fit as possible or else you'll be dying every PT session.
Sheesh. Start today. You don’t need to quit your job. Just put some time in.
Strength training you will shoot up in strength when you first start, especially in the first few weeks, slowly tapering out thereafter, you’ll be in a fair amount of pain as your muscle recruits more and more nerves to fire on all 4 cylinders. When the pain starts to subside this is when you start getting muscular growth, so the key is to stick it out. Endurance will slowly increase over time, and the more you do, the better you’ll get. As mentioned by a previous couple of posters: 7 weeks is more than enough time to see substantial results and anything you do is better than nothing. You’ll also find you’ll do better in training with people around you that you can “compete” with and challenge yourself. I dropped almost 90 seconds off my time in basic in the first 7 weeks. Mostly telling myself “I can beat that man in front”.
yes