Military Preparation with British Military Fitness

Gavin Wiseman wanted to join the Army but was worried about not meeting the requirements for the fitness tests. Through the support of British Military Fitness (BMF) he was able to lean on our instructors' military knowledge and expertise to sail through his assessment. 

Here he tells us more about his BMF experience: 

"I originally took notice of BMF in Heaton Park whilst training for my Army Officer application. I remember being extremely apprehensive about whether I could pass the strict bleep test requirement for that part of the selection process to become an Officer (especially as I had been sat in an office and hadn’t partaken in much cardio related exercises for the past 3-4 years prior to that).

Before actually joining, I waited for the BMF session to end and I approached one of the Instructors after the class. I told him my situation and he was extremely helpful. I explained that I only had a month until my assessment and that I had to complete a bleep test and obtain a minimal score of 10.2 (at the time I could barely score an 8). He advised me to come to a free BMF session to see how I found it, and following on from that he recommended that I come as regularly as I could.

Over the next month, on average I completed around 4 sessions a week with BMF. When it finally came to my assessment, much to my surprise I passed the bleep test with ease and with gas still left in the tank! I also noticed that I was able to complete the obstacle course with a decent time and the press up and sit up tests ended up feeling like a stroll in the park compared to some of the sessions I’ve done with the green team at BMF!

Not only has BMF increased my ability to run longer distances and sprint faster, but it’s also improved on my weaknesses that I have always avoided, such as training legs (squats, lunges, etc.).

The Instructors rotate so you can usually expect to have a different person taking each session. This means the session layout, style of motivation and banter is different every time. Combine this with different weather, different areas of the park and you can guarantee absolutely no session is the same as the last! 

The majority of the Instructors have been in the Armed Forces so if you have any interest in joining the military, BMF is also good for picking their brains and finding out more information They are always happy to talk to you at the end of the session. 

I would honestly recommend BMF to anybody who is interested in improving their physical capabilities. People attend these sessions of all ages, shapes and sizes. There are three categories depending on where your fitness levels are and the Instructors make sure you are looked after - if you have any injuries or can't do a certain exercise they'll include alternative exercises where appropriate so you never feel like you've been left out or left behind.

So get on down to your nearest BMF (especially if it’s Heaton Park!), get fit and make some friends along the way.

FREE FITNESS FOR VETERANS

If you're already in the military (or have been in the past) then there's really no excuse British Military Fitness has launched a new initiative to offer free fitness classes to ex-serving or current serving members of the Armed Forces. Find out more here