Increasing Muscular Endurance for Police Training

Q: Are all four workouts from the Wingspan article done on the same day or separate?

-C. Ayotte


My Answer: Four workouts means four separate days.
Q: I'm currently training to become a police officer for the Calgary Police Department in Alberta, Canada. I had just read your article at Bodybuilding.com for police training, and I was going to start using the workout as my workout routine.

However, being a motorcycle mechanic right now, I have invested very little time in fitness. I have always eaten healthy though and can lift a motorcycle motor (60-80 lbs.) if needed. I'm coming up on my last year of apprenticeship for motorcycle mechanics, after which I wish to try the police recruitment tests. 

Since I have not really worked out at all, do you still recommend the workout described in the article? I'm looking at some of the squat lifts labelled expert and the guys doing them in the pictures are using more weight than I could possibly handle right now. Should I use a lighter weight or should I do a different exercise until I am capable of doing that one (i.e. Front Squats)?

Do you recommend an entirely different workout for me, since I am just starting? I really have no cardio. I can jog for 6 minutes max before I am tired and have to rest by walking. What would be the best way to increase this? I would not be able to chase anyone down like that. I have also been doing weight training. Nothing too intensive, but I always try to workout all parts of my body in a given week. I also try to jog for 20 minutes every second day as well.

I am currently taking a protein supplement (Whey Protein Isolate), since I know I'm not getting enough protein in my diet. I'm 190 lbs. and 5'10", medium build. Are there any other supplements you would recommend?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm giving myself a year before I try the police tests, and I'd like to be in the best condition I can be in. I also plan to keep fitness in my life and never quit. Being a police officer is something I have always wanted to be and is a very intense goal of mine, and I'm willing to do everything I need to do in order to achieve it.

Thank you very much in advance,
-Brandon


P.S. I just found out you had written books, and I am currently purchasing them from Amazon.



My Answer: Well, first I commend you on pursuing law enforcement as career. When you're preparing for police physical conditioning, then you have to differentiate between training for the fitness tests and the academy and training for street patrol. The article Return to Copland is meant for the patrol officer who has some years of weight training under his belt. So I don't recommend using the workout, especially since you haven't kept up your workouts.

I would suggest you find out the requirements for Calgary PD's physical abilities exam. From what I understand, it is an obstacle course with a dummy drag: Calgary Police Physical Abilities Requirement. The only way to prepare for the course is to simulate the conditions of the course and practice, practice, practice. Some departments offer practice runs for applicants, so if Calgary PD offers those, then I suggest you take advantage of them.

Once you're in the academy, then you should find out what the physical abilities exam is to graduate. Academies usually require a lot of running, so I suggest you do a lot of running. Do sprint intervals and hill sprints, which will improve your conditioning.

As far as performance supplementation, I'm partial to beta-alanine, which increases muscular endurance.

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