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Q:
Is the IPPT a good gauge of my fitness?

If you're thinking about petitioning to do away with IPPT, bad news – its actually a useful tool to test your overall fitness. The IPPT looks for your ability to sprint, jump, pull your own body weight and run across a distance. The most important part of the IPPT, in my opinion, is the 2.4km run, which tests for stamina and requires months of training. The most common reason why people fail the IPPT is because of the 2.4km station. Another weak area are the chin-ups. The most popular excuse given by people who fail this station is that their upper-body strength is poor. But, as an instructor, I would recommend that they just lose weight. The IPPT needs at least eight to 12 weeks of preparation. This gives you enough time to progressively improve on each station. Good luck!

 

READER COMMENTS
(Comments may take up to 15minutes to appear)
Is there any statistics on how many people pass SBJ without any form of training and how many people actually pass SBJ with training? I am beginning to suspect that SBJ is a poor indicator of fitness as I witness many pass without any training and those who fail continue to fail for life! I just have not seen enough cases to convince me that one can train for SBJ!

Submitted by Heng Liang on 7. June 2009 - 10:09.

I just got my ippt GOLD last tue. My sbj has improved from 225cm to 243cm :) It's all in techniques and also requires alot of ur calf and thigh muscles. Techniques would be leg slightly bend, look forward swing your arms for momentum and tip your toes and lift up your heels a little. Try to bounce a bit on your toes before u jump and as u jump tuck in your legs and dont look down.

Submitted by bodyforlife on 20. June 2009 - 22:17.

Sounds like good advice. Especially the "don't look down" bit. I have a nagging suspicion a big part of the problem is always the fear of falling on our butt.

Submitted by raygoh on 21. June 2009 - 13:01.

Thanks for the reply but tips from someone who merely improve simply is not good enough. We need to hear from someone who fail for a long time and somehow finds a way to pass and then having a statistically significantly large number of people benefiting from his technique to conclude that SBJ can be trained. I have heard all sorts of advice from people who passed SBJ easily making remarks like "look far", "its in technique", ...etc.... Well if "looking far" and using the proper technique help, are we testing fitness? Get real.

Submitted by hengliang on 12. July 2009 - 11:53.

It has been proven that SBJ is very much about 2 things - Conditioning and Technique. While you have noticed that there are those who pass "without training", these people probably have been physically conditioned to allow them to jump further. For example, a regular basketball player would find it easier to pass the SBJ as compared to those who do not exercise. This is also attributable to the second reason - Technique, which basically explains how the SBJ is done. You may wish to approach an experienced Fitness Spec for assistance on how to do the SBJ right and maximise your jumping distance.

Submitted by Pass on 21. September 2009 - 19:46.

I have met many, if not countless, people who weren't active physically and were able to pass SBJ with no training. I don't see how they are conditioned to jump. I really think a statistical scientific study needs to be convene on SBJ to determine if one can really train to pass SBJ and what is the best way to do it. I have gone from zero points for most stations to 4/5 pointers for most other stations except SBJ. I am not giving up yet and I am trying whatever new technique i come across but its really frustrating.

Submitted by hengliang on 22. September 2009 - 22:38.

Bro its all in the technique. I know it sounds cliche but its true. Of course if you can't even get at least 2 points for this station its a sign technique isn't your problem. But if you're constantly getting 3 points for this station, then technique is your problem. What I did to get my Gold was to swing my arms forward/out as hard as I can just before I make my leap. It helped me jump from 225 to a 243 almost instanteneously. Try it and good luck bro. And to tell you the truth, the're no point arguing whether SBJ is an ideal measure of your fitness/agility whatsoever. Its here to stay, and if you're fit enough, you'll clear it.

Submitted by ismailov on 18. December 2009 - 22:49.

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