Most people are aware of the saying, “well rested — well tested,” which refers to getting a good night’s sleep before a big academic or physical fitness test. For some fitness tests, it may mean a “rest day” or a “taper week” before taking a physical fitness test of any importance. Here is a question from a candidate about taking his first Physical Screening Test (PST) with Navy recruiters:
Stew, I have done a few practice tests on my own, but I am about to take the official PST to earn a contract for Navy EOD/Diver. Any advice on what the next three days should look like? Do I have a rest day or a taper week, or should I treat it as a workout that day? Thanks, Noah.
Noah, there are many ways to do this. If you know your scores and are familiar with the testing standards, I would do an easy day the day before the test. Try a mobility day before testing, eat well, hydrate, and sleep well the night before, and that should be enough. We typically schedule a mobility day in the middle of the week and often do a practice fitness test the day after. This works for many who are doing well on the PST. No need to ruin a week of training to take a PST.
However, if you are borderline passing and worried about doing well for your first PST, you may want to taper a few days and take a rest day the day before the test. This will ensure you are fully recovered from your week of training and put you in the best spot for your testing day. As you improve your fitness, you will find you do not need this level of tapering to take a fitness test, as your testing abilities and training recovery will improve as you get in better shape.
The other option is to schedule your PST on a Monday if possible, train hard during the week, and take the weekend off, focusing on stretching, mobility, sleep and hydration. This option is helpful for a wider variety of fitness levels, and you do not miss a normal week of training.
Eventually, you will be able to do a regular workout, take and ace the PST and not have it interfere with your training week. That is when you know you are ready to ship out and go to boot camp. Being able to take this test and meet/exceed the standards, even on a bad day or after a typical workout day, is the true goal for any recruit heading to Naval Special Warfare/Special Operations.
The term “well rested — well tested” in the context of a military physical fitness test refers to being adequately rested before taking the test to assess physical capabilities best. Being well rested ensures that fatigue or lack of recovery does not negatively impact performance, allowing the test results to reflect an individual’s genuine fitness level rather than temporary exhaustion or overtraining. This short saying should be a mantra for any testing you do in the future to achieve the best results. For more information on preparing for military fitness standards, check out more articles at the Military.com Fitness Section on fitness testing, training, and other tactical fitness preparation discussions.
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