Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

Here you go guys. This website will give you tips on how to workout and perform exercises properly. It will also give you guys a routine. {REMOVE LINK} Good luck and God Bless!

Here you go guys. This website will give you tips on how to workout and perform exercises properly. It will also give you guys a routine. {REMOVE LINK} Good luck and God Bless!

well, this sure does help us going into the academy in january

well, this sure does help us going into the academy in january

Take it from a guy whose fitness knowledge is minimal, but my advice is to run as much as possible. Though I was in the academy 7 years ago they stressed running/cardio more than anything else. In 4.5 months we probably only spent about 5 days total in the weight room, the rest was running bleachers, sprints, distance etc.

While cardio is important, a good overall physical fitness level is what matters. To concentrate on one aspect of your fitness level over another is a mistake. You need to train like an baseball player or UFC fighter and work everything. You don't need to be the strongest, fastest, or be able to run a marathon and some might argue that being any of these things is a hindrance. You need to be strong, fast, flexible, agile and have good cardio. Fortunately we have the tools to overcome short comings in one or two of these, but not much more. If your cardio is horrible jump in a car. If your not as strong as you should be grab your Taser, ASP, or OC. If your not as fast as you should be again jump in the car. If your not as agile as you should be slow down on corners and make up the lost time in your straight line speed.

I've been to several police academies and the overall theory I absorbed is if you can run about 5 miles two or three times per week you should be good to go with cardio, although that might be overkill at some academies. Too much more and you are probably concentrating too much in that area. Most of the strength training we did came from of body weight exercises like push ups, sit ups, burpees, lunges, and pull ups. We never did a lot of work in the weight room.

Most of the strength training we did came from of body weight exercises like push ups, sit ups, burpees, lunges, and pull ups. We never did a lot of work in the weight room.

The only time we ever do any testing in a weight room is if you're trying out for SWAT. I never had any interest in it, but I think I was told that one of the requirements was being able to bench your own weight three times, things like that. Otherwise, it's like 1depd says, general exercise routines. Unless things have changed, that's about all the military does for strength training.

I think cardio is important to maintain though not just so you can last chasing some guy. The adage that the job is hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror is true. You let yourself get out of shape and then suddenly you have to perform, you're a good candidate for a heart attack. I hate running, always have, but I also wanted to retire from this job and not on a medical regarding my heart or a stroke from high blood pressure. Diet is also important, IMO. Too many guys eat at McDonald's and the like.

And training like a baseball player works. I played baseball my freshman year in college and I learned most of what I know about physical fitness training from my pitching coach. The goal was never to build big muscles, but no one had much body fat by the time we played our first game.

Sorry,1depd. I have to disagree with your post. While you are dead on with the UFC part of your statement, I can't agree with the baseball player part. We may as well throw bowlers in that category! :)

As it has already been said, being great in 1 aspect is a lot less important than being good in all of them. :)

I was saying that is all that matters, I'm just saying that looking back that is something I wish I had concentrated more on to prepare. You can the hit the weights in your off time once the academy starts...

P.S. This is assuming you already don't have a routine, I didn't.

Edit: I better rephrase this even further. I'm not saying weight training is not importantby any means. This guy wants to know how to prepare for the academy so I told him that I suggest running. Doesn;t mean other things aren't important for your overall fitness, I'm just trying to help him get in the door.

I can't agree with the baseball player part.

Did you play college baseball? I did and to compare it with bowlers is asinine. As a baseball player, you don't have to bulk up, but you don't need to bulk up to be a cop either. But you need strength and endurance in both. Why else would MLB players get busted for using steroids if they had to be in the same physical condition as bowlers?

...Why else would MLB players get busted for using steroids if they had to be in the same physical condition as bowlers?

They want a fast pitch without losing their gut...and if they can round the bases without losing their dip, all the better! :) Sorry man, tremendous skill-set and coordination, but we'll just have to agree to disagree on their athleticism.

Lifting a good scotch and pulling on a great cigar is good exercise. No?

I had a very tasty Cuban with a fraternity buddy tonight. It was a great evening for it.

Trying to rub it in again, Brother?

I just had a really good Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970 with a couple of fingers of 18 year old Yamazaki.

Have to enjoy it now before it gets so hot it's unbearable.

By the way, I still have fond memories of when you were here and we were smoking some sticks during an Arizona monsoon. Good times!

I think we are due to come back there before too long... like in the next year or 2. If not, I need to find some way to get down there for a motorcycle ride with you... my poor little tush may be destroyed by the time i get down there if I were to ride it. Afterall, I am not that hard core! LOL

Just get here, Bro. We won't talk about your tush.

We really need to figure out a way to get you down to Tombstone. I know the owner of Big Nose Kate's and we can get get a discount on our favorite refreshments while getting access to the private back patio.

That sounds frickin' awesome! I think Tombstone would be VERY cool!

...and, you know, you can always come up north. Afterall, it is not unbearably hot here. I mean, in August we are onky in the high 90s with 95% humidity. :)

I'll get you a duster and cowboy hat to wear while you stand on the bar with a sawed off 12 gauge for a pic to take back home. The city slickers will be jealous!

Maybe I could get someone to loan me a Marshal badge. How cool would that be! :)

Maybe I could get someone to loan me a Marshal badge. How cool would that be! :)

Now you're talking!

Not quite as cool as the US Marshal's badge, but a lot closer than most!

http://pinalcountyaz.gov/Departments/Sheriff/AboutPCSO/PublishingImages/Mission-Statement.jpg

Not too shabby at all. I admit, I am a little biased, though. :)

Did you play college baseball? I did and to compare it with bowlers is asinine. As a baseball player, you don't have to bulk up, but you don't need to bulk up to be a cop either. But you need strength and endurance in both. Why else would MLB players get busted for using steroids if they had to be in the same physical condition as bowlers?

Not too mention it takes a bit of agility to get out of the way (or in front) of a missile going in excess of 150-200 mph with little notice. More importantly about the steroid use, is people use them AND see performance improvements, proving that the better shape and stronger a person is the better they perform. I will give Switchback the nod in that I was referring to the elite of the sports. While an average participant might not be in the best shape the elite are often in much better condition, similar to LE.

But imagine how good you could be at bowling and darts with a little roids!!!

In all seriousness, do you think baseball is any more athletic than golf? You would be a fool to think that you could not get better at golf with a little steroid use, yet you can still be a contender when you are 65 years old and having a pot-belly.

They want a fast pitch without losing their gut...and if they can round the bases without losing their dip, all the better! :) Sorry man, tremendous skill-set and coordination, but we'll just have to agree to disagree on their athleticism.

What would you define as an athlete? Would you consider NFL player athletes? Look at the gut on some of them. But like MLB, they have to be quick and they have to have strength. If you're going to make it in baseball, you better be able to run fast and you need to strong enough to hit and throw a baseball. It's skill set, yes, but about the only out of shape MLB players you see are old, over hill DH's in the American League and not many of them. But I've seen a lot of people who work out in the gym, bulk up, low body fat, etc. that aren't very good athletes.

I went to the St. Louis Cardinals training camp and it wasn't a lot different from the NFL combine. We ran 40 yard dashes, at one point had to field grounders in an infield where they had thrown a couple of hundred short pieces of 2X4's in it. Agility testing, same thing they want in the NFL. You not only have to have the eye to hit a curve ball or 90 mph fast ball, but you also have to have the power to get it out of the infield. That's where the McGuires, Sosas and Bonds' come into play. Strength, speed and agility, isn't that the definition of athleticism?

But we were talking about the training. Even in HS baseball, we ran wind sprints until we were ready to puke. And that was when I was introduced to weight training. And after college baseball, basic training PT was like 3rd grade recess. I don't know what your experience is, but mine was that practicing the skills was only a part of the training. A whole lot of it was strength and endurance enhancement.

But imagine how good you could be at bowling...with a little roids!!!

Wouldn't effect your bowling. Bowling is about technique and knowing how to roll the ball to hit particular pins, not strength. I used to bowl consistently in the low 200's and the wife qualified for the pro tour, as did my father-in-laws. She would have competed on the tour if our kid didn't show up.


In all seriousness, do you think baseball is any more athletic than golf? You would be a fool to think that you could not get better at golf with a little steroid use, yet you can still be a contender when you are 65 years old and having a pot-belly.

I can't speak to golf, I've never played at a level where I was concerned with anything more than wandering around the course to kill an afternoon.

Either way to get back on topic the general philosophy I've picked up from all of my academies and training is a LEO should be well rounded and not too focused on one particular athletic discipline, especially when in the academy. A good workout would contain exercises for speed, endurance, flexibility, and strength, but not so focused that one will overshadow the others. It is fine to have a specialty, but remember just because a person can run 26.2 miles doesn't mean they are going to be strong enough to complete the push-ups/sit-ups or other strength test. Personally my weak point has always been endurance, I can run a long time, but I won't be able to do it fast. Even when I was into running my fastest time was a 7:30 mile, which in my book was slow. Now some people walk faster than I run for distance. A short sprint (>100 yds) and a fight at the end is more my speed. Training for my last academy consisted of a 3 mile run once a week and two 2 mile speed runs (the longest run at the academy was 3 miles). Three days per week I loaded up on push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, and burpees. I only took one day off for recovery during the week.

Doing something for your body is important for us in the job. Im a member in the gymn in my village for long years and do cardio, light weight lifting and pushed down my colesterol under the dangerous limit with sport and eating. Well I'm the typical overweight short before hitting the 50 cop, my muscels aren't that bad but since three weeks I called out for sick leave with heavy back problems. The only "sport" I can do in the moment is walking through the country and nothing else :-(

The only "sport" I can do in the moment is walking through the country and nothing else :-(

I feel your pain. I injured my shoulder a few months ago, so anything heavy using that joint was out of the question. About the time I was feeling better I started my heavy bag work out and sprained my wrist after a couple weeks. Now anything not involving pulling is out of the question. That seems to be the way it has gone over the last year. I just recover from one injury to get another one. Getting old sucks. :)

Getting old sucks. :)

Hey, we don't become older, we become better :yesnod::wink5:

You only have to believe in that!