Actually IPPT is Good and Easy Money
I've been telling my friends it's good and easy money and it's worth it to keep fit and go try and clear it, get a silver and bam, S$200, even an incentive isn't too bad at S$100. The whole session probably takes less than 3 hours, if I include the travel time, probably no more than 4 hours, it's easy money, of course provided I can pass.
Let's say the whole thing takes 4 hours, and if I get a silver, that's like S$50 per hour, I don't even earn that kind of rate with my current job, even for an incentive pass, that's S$25 per hour, still higher than my job. But the problem is, I can only get the money once a year, well, better than nothing, can't run away from it anyway.
And let's not just talk about the money, keeping fit is for our own good, you feel lighter, you breathe easier, you feel faster, you probably might just live longer and be able to spend more time with your loved ones, so why not.
Training for IPPT is also not very difficult, I can't say for guys with kids, I'm sure they are very busy, but for guys like me, married with no children yet, I think finding some time for training is very possible, it's just a matter of dragging yourself out of the laziness and just do it. I know the feeling of getting off work, once you reach home you probably have no energy left, but you just have to force yourself to do it and once you get the routine started, it may just become a habit and you get stuck to it, which is a good thing. All you need is 30 minutes a day, focusing on exercises aimed to pass each station, and if you can complete your routine faster, then good, I currently spend about 20 minutes a day, finish fast so I can rest earlier.
Chin-up/pull-up
I have a bar installed at my room's doorway, so I really have no excuse not to do it. Currently I'm doing 3 sets of a mix of pull-ups and chin-ups, 10 pull-ups first, then followed by 6-7 chin-ups, then followed by 6-7 pull-ups. I'm aiming for 11:8:8 though, actually I just need 6 to get 3 points for silver, but no harm trying to achieve more.
Sit-up
This is not a problem for me, I can easily do 40, but for people who need training on this, best bet is find out how many you need to get the award that you are aiming for, and then do that amount. You just need to do it once a day, for example you need 40, then just do 40 every day.
Standing broad jump
This is a killer for a lot of people including me, I used to have no problem with this when I was in my early 20s, I got fatter after that so it makes things a lot harder. But no worries, some people say it's all about the technique, that's mostly true but you still need strong thighs to jump far.
How I train is by doing squats, currently I do 15 a day, keep my back straight, arms by my side, squat until my fingers can touch my ankle, that's 1, so I do 15 of such squats a day. Last Sunday I tried jumping at home, I think I got about 7.5 feet, which is roughly about 2.28 meters, more than enough for me to get 3 points for silver. I'm CAT Y1 by the way.
But I really think the best way to train is to jump far, but I can't keep doing it because my legs will hurt from all the jumping.
Shuttle run
Seriously, this is all about the technique, I've seen people who run slow but with very clean movements, they can get 10 seconds flat, or even 9+, yes I am serious, seen it many times, and some people run fast but they waste too much time with turning, picking up the block, in the end they come out slower. If you really want to train for this, just place an object in front, run to it, make sure you focus on running STRAIGHT to it, not zigzag or any other pattern, grab the block and come back, the crucial part is when grabbing the block, if you can find the fastest, easiest way to do it, you will have no problem, the rest is just sprint with everything you have.
2.4KM run
I used to run 9.30+ in my army days, now I'm just struggling to run under 12.20 minutes. The best way to train for this is to run, aim for 2.4KM without stopping, then aim for 3KM, once you can run 3KM without stopping, keep doing it, eventually you will find that you have a lot of energy left, that's when you should start to force yourself to run faster, just make sure after every run you feel totally shagged out, or else you won't improve. I didn't really time myself, but I think I can run below 12.20 now, I'm currently able to complete 3KM without stopping.
And I'm taking my IPPT this Saturday, wish me power!
Let's say the whole thing takes 4 hours, and if I get a silver, that's like S$50 per hour, I don't even earn that kind of rate with my current job, even for an incentive pass, that's S$25 per hour, still higher than my job. But the problem is, I can only get the money once a year, well, better than nothing, can't run away from it anyway.
And let's not just talk about the money, keeping fit is for our own good, you feel lighter, you breathe easier, you feel faster, you probably might just live longer and be able to spend more time with your loved ones, so why not.
Training for IPPT is also not very difficult, I can't say for guys with kids, I'm sure they are very busy, but for guys like me, married with no children yet, I think finding some time for training is very possible, it's just a matter of dragging yourself out of the laziness and just do it. I know the feeling of getting off work, once you reach home you probably have no energy left, but you just have to force yourself to do it and once you get the routine started, it may just become a habit and you get stuck to it, which is a good thing. All you need is 30 minutes a day, focusing on exercises aimed to pass each station, and if you can complete your routine faster, then good, I currently spend about 20 minutes a day, finish fast so I can rest earlier.
Chin-up/pull-up
I have a bar installed at my room's doorway, so I really have no excuse not to do it. Currently I'm doing 3 sets of a mix of pull-ups and chin-ups, 10 pull-ups first, then followed by 6-7 chin-ups, then followed by 6-7 pull-ups. I'm aiming for 11:8:8 though, actually I just need 6 to get 3 points for silver, but no harm trying to achieve more.
Sit-up
This is not a problem for me, I can easily do 40, but for people who need training on this, best bet is find out how many you need to get the award that you are aiming for, and then do that amount. You just need to do it once a day, for example you need 40, then just do 40 every day.
Standing broad jump
This is a killer for a lot of people including me, I used to have no problem with this when I was in my early 20s, I got fatter after that so it makes things a lot harder. But no worries, some people say it's all about the technique, that's mostly true but you still need strong thighs to jump far.
How I train is by doing squats, currently I do 15 a day, keep my back straight, arms by my side, squat until my fingers can touch my ankle, that's 1, so I do 15 of such squats a day. Last Sunday I tried jumping at home, I think I got about 7.5 feet, which is roughly about 2.28 meters, more than enough for me to get 3 points for silver. I'm CAT Y1 by the way.
But I really think the best way to train is to jump far, but I can't keep doing it because my legs will hurt from all the jumping.
Shuttle run
Seriously, this is all about the technique, I've seen people who run slow but with very clean movements, they can get 10 seconds flat, or even 9+, yes I am serious, seen it many times, and some people run fast but they waste too much time with turning, picking up the block, in the end they come out slower. If you really want to train for this, just place an object in front, run to it, make sure you focus on running STRAIGHT to it, not zigzag or any other pattern, grab the block and come back, the crucial part is when grabbing the block, if you can find the fastest, easiest way to do it, you will have no problem, the rest is just sprint with everything you have.
2.4KM run
I used to run 9.30+ in my army days, now I'm just struggling to run under 12.20 minutes. The best way to train for this is to run, aim for 2.4KM without stopping, then aim for 3KM, once you can run 3KM without stopping, keep doing it, eventually you will find that you have a lot of energy left, that's when you should start to force yourself to run faster, just make sure after every run you feel totally shagged out, or else you won't improve. I didn't really time myself, but I think I can run below 12.20 now, I'm currently able to complete 3KM without stopping.
And I'm taking my IPPT this Saturday, wish me power!
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