Recently, the British Army changed their entry standard fitness requirements. Out went the old 1.5 mile (2.4 km) run and in came a shorter version, the 2 km.
There has been no definitive answer as to why the change was affected but what effect has it had on the way that potential recruits train for the biggest hurdle in their quest to join the British Army? Lets look at how to pass the British Army fitness assessment.
In this article we are going to look at the significance of the change on how we approach training for this specific event and also cover tips and training drills for the old 1.5 mile run too (as this is still in use with the RAF, Royal Navy and Royal Marines).
Reasons For The Change
The new British Army fitness assessment tests were believed to be introduced to test candidate’s explosive fitness. The idea being that by reducing the distance needed to be covered, whilst lowering the target times. Candidates would be forced to run harder.
The theory is similar to the difference in running 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres. The current 100 m world record stands at 9.58 seconds. The 200 m record is 19.19 and the 400 m record is 43.03.
What this means…
The significance of these times is that even at these short (sprint) distances, we can see that the body slows down. The 200 m record is slightly slower than double the 100 m record which would be 19.16. The significance is even greater at 400 m where the record should be 38.32. It seems the human body can’t sustain that high-level performance for long.
I would point out that the above example is not fully accurate, merely an example. Different athletes hold the records for the 100 m and 400 m (at the time of writing – Usain Bolt and Wayde van Niekerk respectively). However, what it does show is that when we introduce a greater distance, we begin to bring in greater focus on endurance over explosiveness.
Do You Need To Change The Way You Train?
Well strangely, after having given the above example and making it sound like huge changes will be needed. It turns out that you don’t have to make any at all!
Indeed because of the distances being covered, they both involve some level of explosive running power. But as well as that, they also require a level of endurance. Neither is classed as an all-out sprint race, yet neither is classed as a long distance endurance race. Both distances are in that middle-distance ground. We could wonder for hours who would run it faster, Usain Bolt or Mo Farah?
Competition between top athletes aside, let’s look at a structured program for improving your 2 km run time.
I will also add the slight differences needed to improve your 2.4 km time at the end. If you are training for the RAF, Royal Navy or Royal Marines read through the program so that you understand the structure and then replace timings and/or distances with the corrections at the end.
Structured 5-day training plan for British Army 2 km running test
Day One: 2.2 km run best effort.
Day Two: Upper Body/Core Resistance (body weight only). Push-ups (standard push-ups with correct military technique). Sit-ups. Dips. Pull-ups.
All the above to be completed to failure, max effort. Repeat the circuit three times through and then end with plank to failure.
Day Three: MICT (moderate intensity continuous training). With around 70% effort, run for 30-40 minutes.
Day Four: Rest
Day Five: Lower Body Resistance. Air Squats. Lunges. Single Leg Squats. Calf Raises. Jumping Lunges.
Day Six: (Odd weeks): HIIT Training. In 2 minutes perform 10 burpees, then sprint 200 m, then continue with burpees, max effort until the 2 minutes has expired. Recover for 3 minutes and repeat six times.
(Even weeks): Run 1 km best effort (around 3-4 minutes). Recover for 2:30 – 3:00 minutes and repeat 4 times (4 km).
Day Seven: Rest.
Why Train Like This?
Lets break down the days and the significance of each day to your overall training goal
Day One
You may have noticed that you are going to run 2.2 km. The reason for this is that when you run 2 km you set your mind (and body) a level that it becomes used to.
This will mean that when you go to do your assessment for real, at around 1.8 km you will begin to drop off the pace. This is because your mind (and body) know you are reaching the end. What we want to do is effectively trick our minds into thinking we still have further to run. We are not upping the distance to the old 2.4 km though. It’s a slight increase of just 10%. This way, when you get to 1.8 km at assessment centre you will still feel fresh. You can then power through that last 200 m.
However, every third week of training I want you to just run 2 km! This is so that you can time yourself against your required time. It will also help you to learn to pace yourself for the required distance. Those 2 km runs should feel easy when you’re used to 2.2 km!
Day Two
This is a standard upper body day that will work toward your overall fitness and conditioning.
Day Three
On day three I want you to test your endurance and your ability to run distance. This will develop your legs differently, not engaging those fast twitch fibres as much. It will prepare your legs for continuous running and improve conditioning.
Day Five
Day five is designed to burn those leg muscles, increasing your overall lower body strength and power. Just what you need to push through on a 2 km run. It will also help with the static lift. More on that later.
Day Six
This will not only improve lower body power, but it will also engage those fast twitch fibers. This will improve your ability to run harder and faster. Not only that, it will increase your VO2 max. This is the amount of oxygen your body can utilise when performing to a high level. A higher VO2 max will increase your endurance. Remember to do the sprint circuit on the odd weeks (1,3,5 etc), and the 1km max effort runs on the even weeks (2,4,6 etc).
Rest Days (Day Four and Seven)
As well as the training days, the rest days (days four and seven) are vital to getting the most out of the plan, so don’t be tempted to skip them. Rest and recover fully!
Don’t Just Run Though!
Don’t be tempted to just focus on the running. The British Army fitness assessment tests will cover upper body explosive power too. They test this in the form of a medicine ball throw. With your back to the wall, you will be asked to launch a 4 kg ball. The technique used requires both hands on the ball. There is no way of building power by swinging your arms. It is a pure test of explosive power, but should cause no major problems.
The other major test is a static lift, where they measure the power you can create. This is similar to a dead lift but will measure how much force you produce. Neither tests should pose too much trouble, especially if you follow the resistance training plan above.
For the other services…
For those of you joining the other services and still working towards the old 2.4 km (1.5 mile) times, the following is the only major change to training. On day one run 2.64 km (again upping the distance by 10% only) and time yourself on the correct distance every third week.
Also, bear in mind the Royal Marines PRMC uses a 3 mile run. The first 1.5 miles is at an easy pace as a warm up. With this in mind, if you are attending PRMC, make sure you are comfortable running the full distance.
Now remember, only undertake in the above training plan if you are free from injury, you don’t want to damage your chances of passing Assessment Centre by further injuring yourself or causing longer term damage. Also be sure to eat well and limit the vices such as alcohol and sweets and if you smoke, I don’t think I even need to say it!
Good Luck!
So, for those of you preparing for selection with the British Armed Forces, good luck! Hopefully we will help you pass the British Army fitness assessment.
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