How to Perform the Push/Pull Machine for the PARE and POPAT tests (push and pull instructions)

The push/pull machine, the bane of many.

It is a machine that requires strength, but above all else, it requires technique.

I have seen, and I have tested, plenty of strong guys who think they can just manhandle the machine. But with no experience, they still struggle on it. They attempt to muscle and power their way through it, but it doesn't work that way. Combine that with feeling gassed after 6 laps, and it looks anything but smooth.

This is why I've put together an in depth tutorial for the push/pull machine.

You must learn proper technique if you want a successful performance for your test. Especially if you want to stand out from the crowd, the push/pull machine can be a make or break on your overall performance.

Check out the two tutorial videos, for both the push and the pull, below:

PUSH TUTORIAL

PULL TUTORIAL

Saving time vs Saving Energy: Why running the course all out will fail you for the PARE/POPAT tests.

Lately I've had a few talks with clients. We've talked about having as much time on the push/pull machine in order to pass the test, and in particular running the 6 laps faster in order to have more time on the machine.

If we are simply talking about time, then yes, theoretically this makes sense. But in practice, it falls apart.

The thing people forget about is the cost of going faster on the laps. In order to go faster, we must use more energy. And when we use more energy, we don't have enough left for the machine (and the vault if doing the POPAT).

You go too fast, you gas yourself. And when you gas yourself, your strength goes to shits and you struggle mightily on the machine.

Yes, you have more time to get through the machine, but the time you may have saved is wasted because you've zapped your strength and spend all your time trying to recover. In the end, you lose time.

To illustrate my point, I have a couple stories.

The first comes from my early days of police training. My client at that time was running her PARE test. I knew she was more than capable of passing the PARE, but on her first official test, she failed it with a 5:00 time.

She was capable of running the 1.5 mi in under 11:00, deadlift 1.5x her bodyweight, and capable of performing pull-ups for reps. Her conditioning was there and her strength was there. What failed her was her over eagerness and lack of pacing. She ran the 6 laps much faster than she should've, and she gassed out. She could not take advantage of her strength to get through the push/pull machine.

Fast forward one month, and she runs her 2nd official PARE, this time passing in flying colours. Whereas her first PARE was 5:00, she ran her 2nd in 3:55.

What was the difference? She kept herself in check and did not go crazy on the laps. She paced herself within her abilities and still had energy to get through the push/pull machine effectively.

This is not to say she wasn't huffing and puffing by the end of 6 laps, but she wasn't feeling like she had to tap out before the machine. She still had the energy reserves to take advantage of her strength.

The second story is much more recent. In the winter of 2015, one of my clients ran two practice POPATs one week apart. In her first week, she tried running the course fast. She started with a 21 sec lap, but that gradually fell to 29 sec on her last lap. She finished the course in 2:32, but she was feeling bagged. She struggled on the machine, getting it done in 55 seconds.

One week later, she kept herself in check. She finished the course in 2:34, but her lap times were more even (24-28 seconds). She was slower on the course by 2 seconds, but because of better pacing, she finished the push/pull machine 11 seconds faster compared to the first week (44 seconds vs 55 in the prior week).

Don't fall under the impression that to give yourself a chance on the machine, you must run the course faster. That can't be further from the truth.

Leaving it all out on the course is the worst thing you can do. You end up gassing yourself and wasting more time.

Instead, leave something in the tank. And if you're gonna leave it all out, do at the end rather than the beginning.

Why Tracking Your Training Will Improve Success

I recently ran a small survey amongst my clients asking them if they track their workouts using a journal (physical or digital). The result? It was a resounding "NO".

This doesn't surprise me. Over the years I've learned few people (at least those who seek help with training) don't keep a journal log of their workouts. They rely on memory or go out and perform random workouts they picked up online or in a magazine.

I understand doing that if you have no particular goals and you're just wanting to stay active. But if you're reading this, you do have goals, performance driven goals that affect your process. And when you have performance goals, random workouts and lack of tracking will keep you spinning your wheels.

Why should you track your training? Why do I stress the importance? A few reasons:

·        You can see if you're progressing or plateauing, or heaven forbid, regressing

·        You don't have to rely on memory. Instead you have physical evidence of what exactly you've been doing.

·        It allows you to make tweaks to your training. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

·        You can make notes such as not sleeping enough before a workout, which is why the workout was subpar. Or maybe something you ate before the workout that affected performance.

·        Keeps you honest and accountable

·        Keeping a training log gives you structure, and structure (plus consistency), leads to progress

Wouldn't you like to know if what you're doing is right? Wouldn't you like to have structure to your program? I'm sure you do.

Keeping a training log doesn't have to be complicated. You just need to track the relevat data. Below is a chart of what you can log for strength training and cardio training, along with optional data points:

Strength Training - Exercise - Weight lifted - Number of reps - Number of sets	Cardio Training (intervals) - Exercise (ie running, biking, etc) - number of intervals - distance or time of intervals (ie 400m or 30s) - time it took to complete the interval (distance based) - rest between intervals	Cardio Training (steady state) - Exercise (ie running, biking, etc) - How long  (distance and/or time)
Optional Data - Rest - Length of workout (how long it took to complete) - Settings (on a machine, or equipment used) - How you felt before, during, and/or after the workout - time of day you trained	Optional Data - Length of workout (how long it took to complete) - How you felt before, during, and/or after the workout - time of day you trained	Optional Data - Pace (eg min/mi, or min/km, or km/h, etc.) - Heart Rate (ie average HR) - How you felt before, during, and/or after the workout - time of day you trained

To give you an example of what it can look like, below is a training a log from a friend I'm currently helping with her training:

And here's a look from my training log that's running based (pardon the very shitty looking writing):

Start tracking your workouts NOW. It can be pen and paper, or it can be a workout app. Doesn't matter what you use. It also doesn't matter if you don't have a program. Just start tracking everything that you do.

Persistence Pays Off

One of my clients has been having difficulties with the vault since we started training together months ago. We've been working on jumping over the bar versus simply trying to step and lunge over it. There was a few months though where we didn't even touch the vault, as I wanted to focus on improving her strength and her cardio.

Recently I reintroduced the vault into training. One of the ways I get clients to gain confidence with the vault is I use a step and a couple risers to jump off of. I'm effectively making the vault a lower height to jump over when using the step. As they gain confidence, the step goes lower.

It's been a few months but yesterday we were working on the vault and her first few approaches weren't bad; she was getting over the bar, albeit awkwardly. In the early days when we tried this method, she played mind games with herself and had trouble going over the bar, even with the steps.

Then finally she had that "Aha!" moment.

She had that pop off the step and sailed over the bar like a pro, no awkwardness at all. And she was able to replicate it several more times.

It was amazing to see, especially the confidence it instilled in her.

What seemed impossible became possible.

If you've been having trouble with your training and not seeing results, don't give up. It just means you have to try different strategies to reach your goals. If one method doesn't work, try another method. Keep trying until something clicks.

All else fails, hire someone to help. They can come in with a fresh perspective and see things you don't see.

How To Simulate The Push (PARE/POPAT Test, Push/Pull Simulation)

Without a doubt, the push is a very difficult thing to simulate. It is so specific, you can only truly practice on the push/pull machine itself. Still, I've found way to simulate it as closely as possible. Check out the video:

This simulation does require a partner though, preferably a strong partner. You'll also need some free space by a wall. And although optional, I suggest holding onto an implement between partners, something like a small bar. Otherwise clasping hands works too.

Here's how to set up:

- One partner ("partner 1") sets up against the wall. This partner will act as the machine.

- The other partner ("partner 2")  will set up in front of Partner 1 and both will hold onto the bar (or clasp hands).

- Partner 1 will provide resistance and push back. Partner 2 should be pushing Partner 1 into the wall.

- Partner 2 will work on the rotations, while continuing pushing Partner 1. Partner 1 will continue providing strong resistance, and try not to get pinned against the wall

The simulation doesn't give a true representation of the read deal, but it's pretty damn close. If anything, it gets you to focus on footwork and to continually be aggressive and push into the machine.

Got any questions? You can email me at redline.conditioning@gmail.com, or leave a comment below.