level 5-4 fitness
- Thread starter gaygus91
- Start date
8th sep
im not skinny have got a belly im 14 stones
Being honest, you are a long way off there. Wish you well but you will need a miracle to pass it this season, perhaps focus on working hard for the next 12 months and go for it next season? People that fail it once can sometimes make up 100m that they were short at the next attempt, sometimes 200m, but I've never seen anyone recover more than than. As Justylove has said you are effectively 300 to 400m short at the moment.
i agree with u but i did stop 5 times 15-20 seconds at a time
Justylove
RefChat Addict
Between now and the next date try and get down to the track and do some intervals (and in a group of you if you can).
2 laps each @ 2.30 per lap pace as a warm up.
Follow up with doing a 1 minute 40 lap followed by a 90 second rest and repeat 4 times.
Then do 200m run in 50 seconds followed by a 100m walk and repeat 4 times.
Then do 100m run in 20 seconds, followed by a 100m walk and repeat 4 times.
Warm down with another 2 slow laps.
You need to get your body used to running on the track at or faster than the pace you need which is 1m 50 second laps.
2 laps each @ 2.30 per lap pace as a warm up.
Follow up with doing a 1 minute 40 lap followed by a 90 second rest and repeat 4 times.
Then do 200m run in 50 seconds followed by a 100m walk and repeat 4 times.
Then do 100m run in 20 seconds, followed by a 100m walk and repeat 4 times.
Warm down with another 2 slow laps.
You need to get your body used to running on the track at or faster than the pace you need which is 1m 50 second laps.
For alot of people access to a running track just isn't there. I'm 38 and I've never run on a track until my fitness test last month. Obviously I completely agree with you if you can get to a track. I actually found it far easier on a track.
The way I trained for it was to get a watch which told me how fast I was running and then do 12 min runs without ever going slower than then required average speed to complete the test (13 km/hr). Once you can do that then the test is simple.
ChasObserverRefDeveloper
Regular Contributor
That may have also resulted in a fail, as the run should be continuous.
I think with 4 weeks solid training you can be OK. Don't overdo it but go out every other day. Find a 2600m route near you that's flat(ish) and run that. Each timd push a little harder and go a little further.
In a month's time You'll be there or thereabouts. Obviously you can't stop though
just looking back through my runs. after a period of covid isolation my first run on the 15th July in preparation for the test on the 8th august was 230m short. i didnt end up taking the test due to my BP being high but over the course of the next 3 weeks training i gradually managed to get almost to fitness test pace / distance (70m short). a lot of this test is in the mind, push hard for 12 mins and with the adrenalin on the day you'll probably go further than you think
In a month's time You'll be there or thereabouts. Obviously you can't stop though
just looking back through my runs. after a period of covid isolation my first run on the 15th July in preparation for the test on the 8th august was 230m short. i didnt end up taking the test due to my BP being high but over the course of the next 3 weeks training i gradually managed to get almost to fitness test pace / distance (70m short). a lot of this test is in the mind, push hard for 12 mins and with the adrenalin on the day you'll probably go further than you think
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Anubis
RefChat Addict
The Cooper test is a fair ( but clearly not million per cent accurate) measurement of someones fitness with regards to officiating a football match.
Of course with no nastiness intended, there has to be a train of thought that if you cannot pass this test, then, there is a very high chance you are not fit enough to officiate.
The teams, players, league, deserve at the very least someone with understanding of the lotg and a level of fitness suitable fot the match.
And the " am not fit but am better than having no referee" excuse is just that, an excuse.
And one that looks bad on refereeing as a whole.
Of course with no nastiness intended, there has to be a train of thought that if you cannot pass this test, then, there is a very high chance you are not fit enough to officiate.
The teams, players, league, deserve at the very least someone with understanding of the lotg and a level of fitness suitable fot the match.
And the " am not fit but am better than having no referee" excuse is just that, an excuse.
And one that looks bad on refereeing as a whole.
Justylove
RefChat Addict
Agree that track access is not easy everywhere, it's not for me either, but I deliberately made the effort to go a handful of times, even though it meant it took me out for the whole evening for a single training session.
Part of the test is about pacing yourself and getting the right cadence on the track. Generally the pack goes off way too fast and it's easy to get sucked into trying to keep with them as opposed to running your own test, it's amazing how many people that have gone out fast come back to you rapidly in the second half of the test.
Setting your watch at a speed and running at that pace for 12 minutes is fine in principle, but you do need to be fit enough to do that in the first place, if you are not, then that approach simply doesn't work.
Most of my training was on a loop near my house, 3 3/4 laps gives me 2.6k. Each lap has one 200m gentle incline and 2 90 degree blind right turns (meaning I have to slow down into taking them).
I know that if I can do that route in <13:15 I'm on track to be able to do the test on the track in 12:00. Obviously the faster I am on my home route run, the more I'm under on test day.
Justylove
RefChat Addict
Yep agree and let's be clear. 5-4 is where referees transition from being "it's better than no referee" to taking charge of matches in a semi professional environment.
I don't think anyone truly appreciates the jump until they've experienced it. Expectations are significantly higher, margins for error are much smaller and the merit table tends to be quite congested, so a matter of a few 1/10's of a mark on average can make a huge difference to your season.
is this based on your gut feel/experience or something more scientific? my home route is similar with hills, turns and roads to cross
Hills are very good for improving fitness. Whilst very gruelling incorporating hills into your routes will definitely get you running quicker.
On my normal 5k route there is about a 60m descent over about 500m and then straight into about a 90m climb over about a kilometre.
If I need quick fitness bump I'll just do hill sprints up and down these two hills, with a 1.5k warm up to get there and 1.5k warm down to get home which will be a very slow jog or walk.
On my normal 5k route there is about a 60m descent over about 500m and then straight into about a 90m climb over about a kilometre.
If I need quick fitness bump I'll just do hill sprints up and down these two hills, with a 1.5k warm up to get there and 1.5k warm down to get home which will be a very slow jog or walk.
Justylove
RefChat Addict
More science than gut feel.
Running the route in about this time has translated to doing it in 12:00 on the track when I've gone down there and tried it. Over the years I've been doing the various fitness tests I've managed to work out roughly the % gain on track versus my home route and whilst it's not 100% accurate it's a fair indicator.
Up until recently I had never managed to hit the test outside of test environment, with slight inclines, stops to cross roads etc adding a few seconds on here and there always pushing me over the 12 min but have never failed the test (yet).
The track is optimum environment to do it because 1)it (should be) flat and 2) the track is very springy vs usual road/pavement so you get a little bit of help off it.
i'm the same, 7 years of fitness tests and i've only ever made the distance in training once, when i went down to a track to do it!
no matter which route i run at home i'm always finishing uphill which is a right killer
Perfect. I am the same and I always go hell for leather up the hill because if I do struggle and I have to dig deep with a big last lap then I know I have trained to do it and should have it in me. Never needed it though. Daresay I'll start to in a few years mind. Not as young as I used to be.
tell me about it! today is a running day for me and my legs still hurt from my last one on tuesday!