Passing the police fitness test is no easy task. Around 40% of candidates fail the test, so if you are going to succeed, it is essential to understand what the test involves and ensure that you are adequately prepared for it.
What Does the Test Involve?
Police fitness tests vary slightly between departments, but are generally based around a similar format. Usually, you will have to complete several different forms of exercise with little recovery time between stations. A typical test may require a 300-meter sprint, followed by a minimum number of pushups, chin-ups, chest presses and sit-ups, sometimes within a time limit. Most tests end with a 1.5 mile run within a time limit (often around nine minutes), but some substitute this for an obstacle course or dummy drag. You should contact the police department you intend to apply for, or visit its website, to find out the exact requirements that you will be working towards. Bear in mind that some police departments also have body weight requirements, which you may want to investigate before planning your exercise routine.
How to Prepare
In order to pass the test, you will need to undertake an exercise routine which builds muscular strength, muscular endurance, stamina and anaerobic power. A suitable workout might involve 30 minutes of interval training, followed by a 30-minute total body workout aimed at improving strength and muscle endurance. The interval training might alternate two minutes of gentle jogging with two minutes of sprinting for 30 minutes. The total body workout might involve sets of weight-lifting, focusing on working your muscles to exhaustion.
You should aim to exercise three to four times a week. To enable your body to rebuild muscle effectively, it’s best to allow a recovery day between workouts, so aim to schedule your exercise sessions on non-consecutive days. It’s best to start preparing as far in advance as possible, but around three to six months of working out consistently should be enough for you to see substantial fitness gains.
How is Muscle Built?
When you put stress on your muscles by lifting a weight or exercising, you tear the muscle. Your body uses protein to repair that muscle, and if there is enough protein, the muscle will be rebuilt bigger than it was before.
To develop muscle quickly and how to gain muscle mass fast, you should therefore do two things: work your muscles to exhaustion, and ensure that your diet contains adequate amounts of protein. However, many experts argue that a diet which contains excessive amounts of protein can be harmful, putting you at increased risk of kidney problems and heart disease.
For maximum effect, you should aim to eat a high-protein snack within one hour of finishing a muscle-building workout. Following an aerobic workout, you should eat a snack rich in carbohydrates to replenish your energy. Opt for healthy choices such as whole grains, fruit and vegetables and lean meat or fish. For example, you could pack a turkey salad sandwich with your gym kit, or a high-protein yoghurt, a handful of nuts and a banana.
Last-Minute Preparation
In the week leading up to the test, you should be aiming to ensure that you are well-rested. In this time-scale, pushing yourself to further improve your physical condition is likely to be counterproductive, because any fitness gains at this stage will be minimal and exhaustion will have a detrimental effect on your performance. Cut back on the frequency and intensity of your workouts, and give yourself at least eight hours of sleep each night. Stay away from junk food and make sure you are well hydrated, especially on the day of the test.
