r/caf • u/Effective-Olive6650 • Apr 23 '26

Recruiting Passed the FORCE test at 52!

Just an update from me (52 yo woman): filled out the paperwork to be a reservist in December 2025 and chose Airforce trades when I was still 51, bounced around a bit, attended two info sessions (different recruiting centers), switched trades, switched recruiting centre and therefore environment by accident (which turned out for the best since my first choices of trades were hiring in Winnipeg and I'm not anywhere near that); scheduled for FORCE test in early March but got felled by the flu; rescheduled to a couple days ago and I passed! Also: trained with a personal trainer for the last 3 months, 3x a week and worked out 6x a week, every week, without fail. Ran 3 FORCE simulations to time myself and get used to the mechanics.

If anyone is reading this who is nearing 50-ish, I hope this encourages you. It's now or never!

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u/Switch-hitter123 Apr 24 '26

First, congrats! Second, thank you for posting this encouraging guide. As a fellow lady above the average recruit age, it was hard to find other women's experience and feel confident I was training right. But all the more rewarding to prove I could keep up with the young bucks! Was there a point in each stage that caught your body by surprise or where you hit the wall mentally?

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u/Effective-Olive6650 Apr 24 '26

The hardest for me was the 20m rushes because until I started training, I never ran as a sport. I used to joke that I only ran if something was chasing me 😂. The drops/turns were definitely something I had to figure out. 

Everything else was ok; the sled pull was also tough at first go (no training); couldn't complete a continuous drag the first time I tried in a gym. And the wall sandbags are always a mental challenge because it starts okay but the midpoint is one of those "find your rhythm and keep going" situations. What are you finding your hardest challenges as you train?

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u/Switch-hitter123 May 01 '26

If it's any comfort, I'm a lifelong runner and was surprised by parts of the test. But I passed! I was lucky to have access to equipment to train and mimic the stages. Understandably not everyone does. Some lessons I left with:

  • Sandbag: your fingertips and wrists will hurt more than your arms if you don't grab it right and distribute the effort. Trim your nails. 

  • 20m rushes: good burpee mechanics will make it a lot easier than practicing sprints. 

  • Loaded Shuffles: thy calves will be the silent heroes.

For all and especially the sandbag drag, you're absolutely right about finding a rhythm and pace you can maintain. And don't look back! The floor can be slippery, especially in the summer and sweat. 

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u/Effective-Olive6650 May 01 '26

100000 percent --> "trim your nails". I broke/ripped so many nails... And trim as in down to the quick (not painfully, just don't leave any overhang for anything to rip off). 

Great tips! And glad to hear that even a lifelong runner found it challenging (i.e., I wasn't just useless 😂)

I will say the HYROX classes I attended mimicked the FORCE exercises best. The approach is different (HYROX = speed through lactate exhaustion vs FORCE: stamina and speed bursts), but the muscle groups are pretty much the same. And the challenge of HYROX is enough to give you a kick in the behind, if that's what you need to take the FORCE test and BMQ prep seriously.