Police training includes physical fitness exams covering flexibility, upper body and core strength, and stamina. Exercises such as the sit-and-reach test, sit-ups, bench press, and timed runs are used to improve a trainee’s competencies in these areas. Stretching routines, resistance exercises, and sprinting are incorporated into police workouts to prepare trainees for the physical demands of the job.
Police training is a general phrase that covers all training for physical fitness exams conducted by police departments. Every police aptitude test tests a prospective officer’s flexibility with the sit-and-reach test. A trainee must also display her upper body and core strength to pass the physical fitness exams. Each police department tests a trainee’s stamina and speed with a timed run. Police training focuses on raising a student’s competencies in all of these fields.
Police academies often start with a flexibility exercise called the sit and reach test. This test requires a student to sit up and extend both arms as far as possible towards the feet. Police training uses extensive stretching routines to improve scores on the sit-and-reach test. This routine can include standing and sitting hamstring stretches along with external hip stretches. A trainee should also incorporate groin and lower back exercises to prevent injury during the sit and reach test.
Another element of the physical fitness test is a timed sit-up or sit-up test. The test proctor allows each student to perform as many squats or crunches as possible in one minute. The core training section of a police workout focuses on improving abdominal strength. Police training pushes a trainee to develop abdominal strength with crunches and alternate crunches. Another element of core training is leg raises, which require a trainee to lie down and slowly raise their legs.
Many police departments use a max bench test to assess a student’s upper body strength. This test asks students to lift barbells with predetermined weights based on body weight. Each police workout incorporates multiple resistance exercises to ensure completion of the max bench press test. A trainee builds strength with multiple repetitions of the bench press completed three times per week. A police workout also uses triceps, biceps, and shoulder exercises to increase the upper body strength required for the bench press all-out test.
The final element of a police fitness test is a timed run that lasts between 1 and 2 miles (1.6 to 3.2 km). A police department requires trainees to complete timed runs without delay to demonstrate stamina. Typical police training combines sprinting with distance running to develop the cardiovascular capacity of a young officer. A combination of track sprints and hill sprints allows a learner to gain enough speed for the timed run. A police workout also asks a trainee to complete at least 0.5 miles (0.8 km) more than the test requires, thus avoiding stretch burnout.
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