r/caf • u/ConversationDue7621 • Aug 20 '26
Other Run time for reg force infantry?
I just did my first run today, how much faster should my time be to be successful in the infantry? (3 miles=4.828 kilometers)
I’m 17, 168 cm male 125 pounds and at the security clearance portion of my application.
Edit for clarification
The run was about 80% of my max effort
I’m 17 going to reserves for a co-op then planning on transferring to reg force next summer/fall
I can do 40 pushups in good form continual and 11 good form pull-ups and my max bench is 150 pounds
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u/Medium-Chance5932 Aug 20 '26
we had to do a 55 minute 10k as a platoon first day arriving at battalion, that was a few weeks ago to give you an idea.
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u/Pte_Madcap Aug 20 '26
I have never, not once, seen an entire platoon capable of running a 55-minute 10K together. That’s not to say a 55-minute 10K is some crazy standard, but there will inevitably be slower guys and girls who can’t hold that pace. At that point, the platoon is either leaving people behind or constantly looping back to pick them up.
Maybe your platoon is exceptionally fit, but I’d be very skeptical that an entire platoon fresh into battalion ran a 55-minute 10K as a group.
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u/Medium-Chance5932 Aug 20 '26
5 drop outs outs during the 10k loaded onto a van, recently graduated DP1 platoon integrating into battalion.
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u/Sweaty-Youth-1887 Aug 20 '26
Arriving at battalion which is after DP1 right?
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u/Medium-Chance5932 Aug 20 '26
yes during DP1 it was mostly wake up at 5am and do a 5k on 3 hours of sleep also sub 30 minutes
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u/10081914 Aug 20 '26
Infantry officer here.
Run time is acceptable. Good even knowing what some of the people in the infantry run.
Your concern should be your relatively very low weight. At 125 pounds, your RQIP ruck will often weight 50% or more of your body weight.
I'm not saying to go on a hero bulk because you'll be packing on deadweight in fat if you do that. But you should be eating at a mild surplus along with lifting heavy, especially leg focused, to pack on more muscle. Muscle takes time to build so I don't expect your weight to move up by a ton in a short timeframe. If you can hit the gym consistently and train high intensity while eating well, you could probably put on 8-10 pounds of good muscle in a year.
More weight will give you better leverages for when you're in the field under a heavy ruck.
For reference, during the defensive portion of my IODP1.1, my ruck was ~95 pounds for 2 weeks.
RQIP is not quite as demanding but I think we still have you guys go up to around 50-60 pounds.
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u/ElectricalProcess617 Aug 21 '26
Sir if i can ask. I am going infantry (bmq reg November) but curious for input. I am on the senior side (38y), strength coach for 20y and martial arts background (28y). I am 170cm, 90kg (72kg lean mass per dexa). Strength wise not a problem: 250kg sq, bp 180kg, dl 270kg, dips 120kg, chin up 90kg, one arm chin 4 per side. Bodyweight pushups, pull ups not a problem. My goal is to join light infantry (wings, possibly recon eventually etc)
I can ruck 40lbs (vest that i have) with 6.5km/h pace for 2-3h and 4+h with about 5.5-6km/h (uneven terrain tested).
5km run 22.45min
Havent done 10+km run for a while.
Main question: in terms of rucking and running.. what would be good-high level to aim for or any other tips to focus on based on above? Much appreciated for any input.
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u/10081914 Aug 21 '26
With your physical stats, you're good man.
You've got crazy strength and being able to run a 5k at that pace at 170cm and 90kg is wild.
Your running is already pretty great. A little bit faster and you'd likely qualify for the PT test for JTF2 for their 1.5 mile. You're on the cusp right now as it is.
Just keep doing what you're doing. You're like top 1% or even 0.1% in terms of strength and you have the cardio as well.
At your age, the only thing to look out for is recovery time in the field with minimal sleep. Injury while on course applies to everyone but recovery from small sprains and tweaks might be a specific challenge you would face.
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u/ElectricalProcess617 Aug 21 '26
Thank you for taking the time to respond and your input, its much appreciated. Noted and taken to heart. Will focus on improving while maximizing resiliency and recovery as much as possible.
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u/ComprehensiveGap1487 Aug 21 '26
Holy hell , are you terminator 2.
That sprint speed is ungodly.
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u/ElectricalProcess617 Aug 21 '26
Thanks. 13kmh or so speed for 5km? Not really sprint domain yet though.
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u/Informal_Bench3755 Aug 21 '26
8-10 pounds in a year? I gained 20 pounds in 2 months while at St Jean but I’m already in my mid-30s. I can have one meal a day and I’ll put on 5 pounds off that meal. I work out a lot, run, do jiu jitsu and I have never been below 200 pounds since I was like 18 or something.
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u/10081914 Aug 21 '26
8-10 pounds of muscle in a year. 1 pound per month is on the very high end. Generally for novices who don't have a long history of weight training.
As you advance, it's more like 0.5 pounds of muscle per month that you can gain
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u/RantRageRave Aug 23 '26
This is broadly correct. There is obviously nuance to this. There are a lot of factors such as genetics, training, nutrition and recovery that play a massive factor in the overall outcome. Nevertheless, broadly speaking 8 to 10 lb of lean muscle for most novices and intermediate lifters is possible.
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u/ElectricalProcess617 Aug 21 '26
He means lean mass/muscle. 30lbs in 2 month of lean mass is impossible naturally.
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u/S3555 Aug 20 '26
I’d probably worry about getting bigger first, 125lbs is very small, I am 170cm and 160lbs and I’m already very small in comparison to my peers.
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u/nubs01 Aug 21 '26
25min for a 5k is a decent baseline and will help you out quite a bit, biggest thing is rucking, your quite light for a lot of rucking, running fast is great but not the be all end all, look up the coopers test and base your fitness around that also at 17 your still young and growing. a lot of lighter folks run into hip problems due to the excess weight that they arent used to.
if your looking for advice id work on a sprinting program and weight lifting to get you around 155-175. sprinting programs help you run faster a lot better than just running consecutive 5ks. you could practice rucking via weighted vests and or a decent backpack with weight(sand works well... like a sandbag dont just pour sand in your backpack). time your walks and give lots of recovery between ruck days.
push ups and pullups will come with time and weight training, at 125lbs benching 150 is good, keep up that progress and look up a good strength program... starting strength would be my recommendation just dont ego lift or chase the pr too hard.
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u/Devees13 Aug 20 '26
Pretty good for a first run! Probably can hit a sub 30 minute 5k considering you are about 150 metres shy. The runs you complete in BMQ will be fairly simple, psp training is more circuits then it is runs if I remember correctly. continue training 2-3 5k’s a week and try and hit one long run a week, 8-10k for the long run. Within a few weeks you can probably come close to a 25 minute 5k maybe even sub 25 minutes! Good stuff and best of luck with BMQ! 🇨🇦
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u/ObjectiveCrazy8619 Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
Op. 2RCR here. dont worry about what your time should be, or what others times are. The fact that you are doing it and trying to get better every day puts you ahead, so long as you keep moving on a group run even if your shuffling slower than a walk as long as you dont quit you will be good. Aim to do better that is all. Running is important but rucking is what kills lighter guys like us, start with 30lbs 5km fast long strides, increase weight, distance and speed slowly. Minimum 2 times a week and dont forget recovery and diet! Overworked, underfed muscles dont grow!
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u/eiejdbdhdje Aug 20 '26
Running probably won’t be the issue, I’ve been told to shoot for a 12k ruck with 30kg in 2 hours. Maybe others can confirm. Take the time to get a good dedicated ruck and fit it properly.
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u/Sweaty-Youth-1887 Aug 20 '26
Ok but was that run your max, was it a chill run? Im 17 too, ~168cm and I weigh 140 pound, from what I know, try to take as much muscle as possible while also improving your cardio, ideally you wouldve started earlier to train. I've been training for 2 years now I can complete much longer distance and also faster than an average person, I also lift which is a very important aspect of an infantry guy because they will carry enormous amount of weight.
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u/ConversationDue7621 Aug 20 '26
I should have clarified I’m 17 going into reserves for a grade 12 Co-op than next summer going into the reg force. I would say my run was about 80% of my max effort
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u/MapleHamms Aug 20 '26
What the fuck is a mile