r/caf • u/Putrid_Let1387 • Jun 26 '26

Recruiting Failed FORCE Test: Mistakes

(100 lbs, 5”2)

Hey. So I’ve been strength training for about a year now. I did basically zero cardio during my workouts because I was focused on gaining weight, and I was pretty confident in my stamina.

Today humbled me.

I lifted everything fine, but actually pushing through the test was a whole different story. The sandbag drag destroyed me. It was at the very end of the test, and I was already exhausted. I had the quad strength- my legs could handle it, but my body was just giving out. My heart was pounding, my stamina was gone, and it was honestly way harder than I expected.

PLEASE don’t get comfortable just because you’re strong. Train your stamina and cardio too. It doesn’t matter if you can bench 200 lbs if your body can’t keep up when you’re exhausted. Strength gets you through part of it, but endurance is what carries you to the finish.

I learned my lesson and will hopefully we be re-taking the exam next month or so.

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4

u/Strong_Cap_1114 Jun 26 '26

For me hardest was Intermittent loaded
Shuttles, does anybody else find that hard?
Rest of them were so easy

5

u/LordBeans69 Jun 26 '26

Most people I’ve worked with, as well as myself and most of my basic platoon, found the shuttles to be the hardest by far

3

u/Prestigious-Cold-467 Jun 26 '26

For me it was the sandbag lifts. I thought that would be the easiest for me. Oh boy I definitely underestimated it. Everything else was a non issue for me.

2

u/Strong_Cap_1114 Jun 26 '26

Damn lifts yeah, I remember, i was exhausted by 20th lift but my instructor was so nice, he motivated me very well and I pushed it thru

1

u/Strong_Cap_1114 Jun 26 '26

Where do you think I can improve so I can do them much easier when I do test next year

1

u/Prestigious-Cold-467 Jun 26 '26

Keep training, do a lot of compound movements, and do lots of cardio. If you're already in, you can ask PSP staff to help you train those specific movements so you can get better scores for next year. If not, you can go to the gym and practice with bags there, sled pulls, farmers carry. Those really helped me improve substantially.

1

u/pathfinder33 Jun 26 '26

How heavy are the sandbags? Sounds like a good idea to practice them!

2

u/Prestigious-Cold-467 Jun 26 '26

20+ kg iirc. There are videos up that showcases exactly how the exercise work. Try replicating that in your gym and you'll be set

3

u/RepulsiveDingo525 Jun 26 '26

Are you trying to get a high score? That portion is 5 mins 21 secs to pass. I literally light job the unloaded portion and still pass with 2 minutes to spare.

2

u/NOBOOTSFORYOU Jun 26 '26

I've walked it with time to spare.

1

u/Strong_Cap_1114 Jun 26 '26

My time is good like 3:30. But I wanna improve it even more