Train for|6 training days a week by default
P Company training plan.
All Arms Pre-Parachute Selection: loaded marches and runs with 35 lb plus rifle, log race, steeplechase, milling, trainasium.
What the test is
P Company is the week of tests run by Pegasus Company at Catterick that gates entry to airborne forces. Eight events over five days: the 10 mile march, the trainasium, the log race, the 2 mile march, the steeplechase, milling, the 20 mile endurance march and the stretcher race.
The timed marches are carried with 35 lb plus rifle and have hard cut-offs. The figures below are the commonly published standards at the time of writing; confirm them against current Pegasus Company guidance, which is the authority.
The standards
Published figures at the time of writing. Confirm the current standard with the recruiting office before you set a target; you can edit every target on the goal screen.
| Target | Test |
|---|---|
| 1:50:00h:mm:ss | 10 mile march (35 lb + rifle) |
| 18:00min:sec | 2 mile march (35 lb + rifle) |
| 4:10:00h:mm:ss | 20 mile endurance march (35 lb + rifle) |
| 19:00min:sec | SteeplechaseCourse-specific; 19 minutes is the commonly quoted pass time. |
How the plan is built for it
- 1Loaded marching is the spine of the plan: distance one week, weight the next, never both, from about 10 kg and 8 km up to 16 kg and 16 km plus, with one session a week at or near test pace.
- 2Three runs a week around the marching, most of them easy, with one interval session so the steeplechase and the back half of the marches have an engine behind them.
- 3Two strength sessions built on the deadlift, step-ups, loaded carries, pull-ups and high-rep calf work to protect shins and Achilles on the descents.
- 4Every third or fourth week the volume drops. The two weeks before you report are a taper so you arrive hungry rather than worn.
- 5Every morning the plan reads your HRV, sleep and resting heart rate from your watch and proposes one change when you are not recovered: scale the loads, swap with an easier day, or rest. You accept it or keep the plan.
Questions
What is the P Company 10 miler time?
The commonly published standard is 1 hour 50 minutes with 35 lb plus rifle, about 11 minutes per mile. Confirm the current figure with the course staff.
How much weight should I tab with in training?
Build to the test weight of about 16 kg plus a rifle. Start at 10 to 12 kg and add weight only when the current load is comfortable over the full distance.
How long before P Company should I start?
Twelve weeks of structured loaded marching is a sensible minimum. Six is not enough for most people.