ltmaverick25 said:
The good news is on the reserve side of things you can do a decent portion of this on a weekend basis. That will certainly make it easier on the family side of things. It should also help the weight issue to as its not all at once. Once you are done your BMOQ on the reserve side you can always CT to the reg force AEC then. They wont make you redo BOMQ if you already have it done in the reserves.
I am keeping that in my back pocket for sure, but right now, being with family is a priority. The reserves should work out well for me. I already have completed a lot of the 'BMQ' part of the training, and know I could easily complete it on a part-time basis from home with few if any issues.
I am curious about the weight loss issue though. Its usually normal to lose some weight of course as you are working way harder physically then normal. Were you eating regularly, ie 3 per day ect... Were some people on the course skipping meals to gain more time for other tasks?
I was eating all my meals and eating plenty, as my former platoon mates could certainly attest. I have a smallish frame and was thin going to CFLRS (@ 122 lbs in January), and it didn't bode well for the physical tasks I needed to do, particularly ruck marches with full ruck sack (50 lbs or so), full fighting order, and holding our C7s 'at the ready' (at the shoulder) the entire time. My body started to give out, I got sick (chest cold) along with severe muscle aches, started passing out (once at 7.15k of a 7.2k ruck, lol...so close!), and just plain could not recover enough in between activities with days filled with PT, drill, stairs, rucking, etc., etc. to be strong enough to complete the course. At the end of it, I was eating 2 and 3 desserts some meals just to get some fat on my body. It didn't work. We burned far more calories than we could ever take in, especially when timings were tight (which was 95% of the time). Absolutely everyone was losing weight, but I hadn't much to spare to begin with so my body weakened quickly. I would now advise anyone with a body like mine to pack on a good 20-30 lbs and do some serious weight training/strengthening before going on this course...not just cardio and push-ups!
ruckmarch said:
It's a shame to read what happened to CG, we all know she was geared up for it. As mentioned, basic up is not like the real deal, for OCDTs anyway it's a lot tougher as she rightfully told you.
6hrs of sleep someone asks? Only on weekends would that happen. By 5am you are downstairs lined up waiting for the staff, so you could see why 6hrs is impossible.
CG...friends of mine that finished the AEC are on OJT still and are having to wait for training, so you would have been gone elsewhere for a while if that makes any difference.
For those that don't know, when you VR ( voluntary release ), you don't get to go home right away, you can be there for weeks, sometimes months living in the trailers.
If you are not mentally and physically fit, you are going to struggle badly, as this is going to have an impact on your class work. Fail 3 POs and you are done. All the exams are multiple choice except for 2 that are written.
There is also a 5mins speech that you have to give during BOTP
Actually, I was pretty physically fit for my gender, age, and size, if I do say so myself. I just didn't have the muscular strength I needed to do the tasks I needed to do there, and unlike the Expres test, there are not two standards in BMOQ - everyone does the same tasks, everyone carries the same amount of weight on their bodies, everyone keeps the same pace...or God help you.
The course is what I would call 'combat arms heavy', so although there is a theoretical component, it's the weapons handling, drill, PT, and rucking that take up a lot of your time and energy. If you are not proficient in all of these activities, you aren't going to make it, quite simply.
I honestly don't regret any of it. It was a fantastic experience, and through the pain, there is growth in spirit.
Also, as mentioned above, what I learned at CFLRS will help me in my training for the reserves. It will all balance out. Someday in the future, when the kids are older, I may give reg force another go, who knows? Que sera sera. I'm good with it all.
