Police fitness tips

[Cat_Doc]

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!

[Switchback]

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

[Cat_Doc]

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

Now you're talking!

[Cat_Doc]

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

http://pinalcountyaz.gov/Departments...-Statement.jpg

[Switchback]

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

[1depd]

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.

[Switchback]

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.

[retdetsgt]

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.

[1depd]

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.

[patchcop]

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 :-(

[1depd]

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.

[patchcop]

Getting old sucks.

Hey, we don't become older, we become better

You only have to believe in that!