Crossfit: An Excellent Choice When Training for the P.R.E.P.

A fitness regimen in a Crossfit box is an ideal fit when choosing where and how to train to pass Canada’s P.R.E.P. test.

There are two portions of this fitness test that you will need to pass. Before you commit to a program, it is always a wise decision to see your doctor for a physical to determine whether you are in the necessary physical condition to handle an intense program such as Crossfit.

The Pursuit Restraint Portion

The Pursuit/Restraint Portion of the test is an obstacle course that will challenge your strength, endurance, and agility.

Walls

One portion of the test requires you to be able to pull your body weight to the top of a wall in order to look over said wall and onto the floor. There is another wall, which is four feet tall, that you will be required to jump over while ensuring your leg or foot touches the top of the wall. Pull-ups, a staple exercise in Crossfit gyms, will develop your upper body strength, tremendously. In addition to pull-ups, you will learn how to perform Olympic-style lifts, such as cleans and snatches, and muscle-ups, which are unmatched when it comes to exercises that teach you upper body strength and control.

Body Control Simulator

You will have to push and pull an apparatus called a Body Control Simulator. The simulator mimics movements and pressure that one would experience during an altercation with another person. You cannot rest your chest or elbows on the brace, at any point, as you perform this portion of the course. The skills you will need to master this portion of the test include range of motion and strength in your upper body, core strength, and endurance. In your Crossfit box, you will learn the proper form for push-ups, which will develop the upper body strength necessary to push the simulator during the test. Pull-ups, of course, will develop the strength you need to pull the simulator. On this part of the exam, you will need the agility to slide from side to side without crossing your feet. Crossfit teaches agility through repetitive drills. These drills will also help with the portion of the test where you have to run up and down a short ramp of stairs.

Arm Restraint Simulator

When you test with the Arm Restraint Simulator, you will need to make sure your grip strength is developed. As you know, Crossfit will take your upper body to new heights. Likewise, the skill needed to correctly perform Olympic lifts will make your grip strength skyrocket. Strength in your hands will help you conquer the Arm Restraint Simulator with even more ease.

Barrier

As part of the obstacle course, you will drop to the floor and crawl under a barrier. This requires appropriate timing, agility, and the ability to quickly get off the floor. The lifts and speed of Crossfit workouts will develop all of these skills.

Victim Drag

During the obstacle course, you will drag a human dummy on the floor. Your grip strength will need to be developed to perform this section. Also, you will need to have good upper body strength, as well as lower body strength. Crossfit develops lower body strength through lifts and plyometric exercises, such as box jumps.

The circuit will last for around two minutes, so aerobic endurance is a must. Aerobic endurance is also vital for the next part of the P.R.E.P., which is the Shuttle Run.

Shuttle Run

The Shuttle Run is reminiscent of suicide runs that you may have performed in high school athletics. You will need to be able to run, turn, run, and turn at the sound of a horn. You will need to be able to do this for minutes at a time, without failing to reach the marked line before you hear the horn. Your speed and endurance are sure to develop to new levels in Crossfit, thanks to the endurance training, running, and burpees that you will learn in the gym.