Fitness and Conditioning Testing
One nice thing about the police academy is that you have trained your body to work out, and even though you may not have kept up the training, your body does have some memory. Your fitness and conditioning were top-notch! Therefore, you will be able to get back into shape more easily.
For those of you who have maintained a fitness routine I give you kudos!
If you have not done so, I would suggest you review the previous police fitness blogs. They are, Police Fitness 101, Energy Systems – Police Fitness, Exercise Selection – Police Fitness 3 and Training Zones – Police Fitness 4. Understanding these four blogs will give you a good base so you can plan your actual program. Prior to starting a fitness and conditioning program though, you need to know where you are presently.
Medically Fit
Before starting any fitness program you must ensure that you are medically fit. Are your heart and lungs healthy. Do you have heart issues? Is your blood pressure in a healthy range? Do you have muscular-skeletal issues that would prevent or interfere with with you undertaking a fitness and conditioning program.
My suggestion is that you consult with your caregiver prior to starting a program. This is especially true if you haven’t been working out for a period of time. When I was a personal trainer each client would fill out a questionnaire entitled Par-Q. I have attached a link to the Par-Q questionnaire here. You don’t have to contact the particular company, but if you answered the questions and hit the red warning area, then consult with your medical professional to see if you can start a fitness program or if you need to modify the program to meet your needs.
The fitness testing that will be outlined below and the exercise routines I will be suggesting in a later blog are for healthy individuals only.
Fitness Testing
The first thing you want to do is to evaluate where you are in regards to physical fitness and conditioning. There are a number of areas that should be included. These are: waist to hip girth ratio, % body fat, cardiovascular endurance or VO2 max, muscular strength and endurance and flexibility.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio
This is a pretty easy measurement to do. Take a cloth measuring tape and measure your waist, at the narrowest part. For women this is usually above the navel. For men it will be at or slightly below the navel. The measure you hips at the widest part. Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio TAble
Men
| Age | Low | Moderate | High | Very High |
| 30-39 | <0.84 | 0.84-0.91 | 0.92-0.94 | >0.96 |
| 40-49 | <0.88 | 0.88-0.95 | 0.96-1.00 | >1.00 |
| 50-59 | <0.90 | 0.90-0.96 | 0.97-1.00 | >1.02 |
| 60-69 | <0.91 | 0.91-0.98 | 0.99-1.03 | >1.03 |
Women
| Age | Low | Moderate | High | Very High |
| 30-39 | <0.72 | 0.72-0.78 | 0.79-0.84 | >0.84 |
| 40-49 | <0.73 | 0.73-0.79 | 0.80-0.87 | >0.87 |
| 50-59 | <0.74 | 0.74-0.82 | 0.83-0.88 | >0.88 |
| 60-69 | <0.76 | 0.76-0.83 | 0.84-0.90 | >0.90 |
From NSCA Essentials of Personal Training 2004, Table 11.15, page 247
Waist-to-Height Measurement
The Waist to Height measurement is another way to review your health. The more fat around your stomach then, the more at risk you are for metabolic diseases. The ratio when the waist is divided by the height should be less than 50%. I am six feet tall or 72 inches. My waist should be less than 36 inches.
Body Composition (% Body Fat)
If you have a set of body fat calipers then this would be the preferred method but if not, the Navy Method using you weight, neck and stomach at the navel for men. For women, your weight, neck, waist, at the narrowest point and hips at the widest point. You can then use this site to input your numbers and get your % body fat.
You will use these numbers to track you progress. If you are exercising, especially if lifting weights, your weight may stay the same but the % body fat should decrease, as muscle weighs more than fat.
VO2 Max
VO2 Max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise or work. It is a measure of your aerobic fitness.
There are a number of ways to estimate this. One of the easiest is to complete a 1.5 run (2.4 km).
Following are the 90th, 70th and 50th percentiles for the 1.5 mile by age. The approximate VO2 Max is indicated beside the time.
Male
| Percentile | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60+ |
| Time / V02 | Time / VO2 | Time / VO2 | Time / VO2 | |
| 90 | 9:52 / 50.4 | 10:09 / 48.2 | 11:09 / 45.3 | 12:10 / 42.2 |
| 70 | 12:09 / 44.6 | 11:52 / 41.8 | 12:53 / 38.6 | 14:32 / 35.3 |
| 50 | 12:25 / 41.0 | 13:05 / 38.1 | 14:34 / 35.2 | 16:19 / 31.8 |
Female
| Percentile | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60+ |
| Time / VO2 | Time / VO2 | Time / VO2 | Time / VO2 | |
| 90 | 11:43 / 41.0 | 12:25 / 39.5 | 13:58 / 35.2 | 15:32 / 35.2 |
| 70 | 13:41 / 36.7 | 14:33 / 33.8 | 16:26 / 30.9 | 18:05 / 29.4 |
| 50 | 15:14 / 33.8 | 16:13 / 30.9 | 18:05 / 28.2 | 20:08 / 25.8 |
https://www.humankinetics.com/acucustom/sitename/dam/082/cooper_walk_run_test.pdf and NCSA’s Essential of Personal Training 2004 Table 11.17, page 249
A mile and a half is six circuits of a track. If you haven’t run for awhile then spend time walking/jogging until you are able to complete a couple of miles in 30 minutes. Then try the above test and see where you are. In reality, you should be at the 90 percentile for your age if you are an officer.
The nation requirements for the Emergency Response Team was 11:00 minutes but our team had our standard at 10:00 minutes for the 1.5 mile run. This was for all ages. At 50, I was still able to maintain this.
Muscular Strength
Muscular Strength is needed while performing police work. This is either raw strength, the maximum amount you can lift at one time, or relative strength which is your strength relative to body weight. A minimum amount of strength is needed to prevent injuries in our day to day activities. There may be times when the minimum won’t work. You need a reserve so you can drag a person from a fire or lift your partner to get them to safety. Remember, they will have an extra 30 pounds of equipment you will also need to move.
This is normally tested by completing a one repetition maximum lift in the bench press and leg press. A one repetition maximum lift can be dangerous and normally requires trained spotters to help.
One REPETITION MAXIMUM
To get to the one rep max start by lifting a lighter weight to warm up that will allow you to lift the weight 5 – 10 times. Then take a 2 – 4 minutes rest and increase the weight 10 – 20 lbs and try lifting again. If you can lift more than a single time then increase the weight again, wait 2 – 4 minutes and try for the one rep max. If you can’t complete the lift then lower the weight, wait another 4 minutes and try again.
Once you know your one rep max, divide it by your body weight to determine your relative strength.
Leg Press
A similar procedure is used to determine the one rep max for the leg press using a leg press machine with the angle of the knee at approximately 120 degrees
A safer way to measure your maximum strength is to do sub-maximal lifts and convert that over to the one rep max.
For instance, if you bench a weight where you can lift it five times but not six then that is approximately 87% of your one rep max. To determine your one rep max, divide the weight you lifted by 87 and then multiply the answer by 100.
So, then if you lifted 150 lbs five times, which is 87% of your estimated one rep max the formula would be. (Weight/%)*100 = 1 rep max or (150/87)*100 =172.414 or 172 lbs
Here is a table to show the percentage of 1 rep max
% 1 rep max Estimated number of reps that can be done
| % of one Rep Max / # of Repetitions | % of one Rep Max / # of Repetitions |
| 100% 1 | 85% 6 |
| 95 % 2 | 83% 7 |
| 93% 3 | 77% 8 |
| 90% 4 | 75% 9 |
| 87% 5 | 70% 10 |
NCSA’s Essentials of Personal Training 2004 Table 15.3, page 371
Muscular Endurance
Muscular Endurance refers to the ability of a muscle or a muscle group to exert sub-maximal force for extended periods of time. As with muscular strength, endurance is needed for the activities of daily living. There also needs to be a reserve as well for those times where the activity is greater than normal. Ground fighting requires a lot of muscular endurance.
Normally the tests for muscular endurance test the chest and abdominal muscles through push ups or sit ups. Legs can also be tested with partial squats.
Chest Endurance Tests
YMCA Bench Press Test.
Weight: males 80 lbs. females 35 lbs
Equipment:
Barbell and plates, metronome set to 60 beat/ minute
From up position for the bench press with arms shoulder width apart. At a rate of 60 reps per minute, continue until you are unable to keep time with the metronome.
90, 70 and 50th Percentile Scores
| Percentile | 26-35 | 36-45 | 46-55 | 56-65 |
| M / F | M / F | M / F | M / F | |
| 90 | 41 / 40 | 36 / 33 | 28 / 29 | 24 / 24 |
| 70 | 29 / 28 | 25 / 24 | 20 / 18 | 14 / 14 |
| 50 | 22 / 21 | 20 / 17 | 13 / 12 | 10 / 9 |
NSCA’S Essentials of Personal Training 2004 Table 11.27, Page 257
Push-Up Test
Men are required to do the standard push up. The chest is lowered to touch a curled fist or rolled towel and the arms require full extension.
Women can use the modified push ups position with the knees touching the ground and a foam roller under the chest.
Do the maximum number of push up you can without stopping. Once you stop in either the down or up position the test is done.
On ERT the standard was 40 push ups in a minute but the team required 50. My max was 63 in one minute.
90, 70 and 50 percentiles
| Percentile | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 |
| M / F | M / F | M / F | M / F | |
| 90 | 41 / 31 | 32 / 27 | 25 / 25 | 24 / 19 |
| 70 | 30 / 21 | 24 / 20 | 19 / 17 | 14 / 13 |
| 50 | 24 / 18 | 19 / 16 | 13 / 14 | 10 / 12 |
NSCA’s Essential for Personal Trainers 2004 Table 11.30, Page 259
Abdominal Muscle Endurance Tests
The abdominals are tested for endurance through either the partial curl-up or the one minute sit-up tests
Partial Curl-up Test
You lie on your back with arms down by your side. A piece of tape is placed at your fingertips. A second piece of tape is placed 8 cm or 3 inches further along the floor for those 45 and older. For those under 45, the second piece of tape is placed 12 cm or 5 inches away.
A metronome is set for 40 beats per minute. You curl up at a rate of 20 curls a minute, lifting your shoulder blades off the floor as your fingers move from tape to tape. Your shoulder blades need to touch the floor on each return. Do as many as you can without pausing.
90, 70 and 50 percentile
| Percentile | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 |
| M / F | M / F | M / F | M / F | |
| 90 | 75 / 70 | 75 / 55 | 75 / 50 | 74 / 48 |
| 70 | 41 / 37 | 46 / 34 | 67 / 33 | 45 / 23 |
| 50 | 27 / 27 | 31 / 21 | 39 / 25 | 27 / 9 |
NSCA’s Essential for Personal Trainers 2004, Table 11.28, Page 257
One Minute sit-up test
This is a standard sit-up with the fingers touching the side of the head (not behind the head). The feet are held down at the ankles. When you sit up your elbows need to touch the top of your knees (both elbows). Do as many sit-ups as you can in one minute. Rest periods are allowed.
90, 70 and 50 percentiles
| Percentile | 26-35 | 36-45 | 46-55 | 56-65 |
| M / F | M / F | M / F | M / F | |
| 90 | 62 / 54 | 60 / 54 | 61 / 48 | 56 / 45 |
| 70 | 52 / 42 | 45 / 38 | 51 / 36 | 46 / 32 |
| 50 | 38 / 34 | 36 / 31 | 39 / 31 | 36 / 24 |
NSCA’s Essentials for Personal Trainers, 2004, Table 11.29, Page 258
squat test
This test requires you to do as many partial squat as you can without stopping. You need a chair so that your knees will be at approximately 90 degrees when you squat. Stand facing away from the chair. Place your hands either on you hips or cross them in front of your chest. Do as many squats as you can by squatting until you lightly touch the chair and return to a full upright position.
| Men | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60+ |
| Excellent | >32 | >29 | >26 | >23 |
| Good | 30-32 | 27-29 | 24-26 | 21-23 |
| Above Average | 27-29 | 24-26 | 21-23 | 18-20 |
| Average | 24-26 | 21-23 | 18-20 | 15-17 |
| Below Average | 21-24 | 18-20 | 15-17 | 12-14 |
https://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/home-squat.htm
| Women | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60+ |
| Excellent | >26 | >23 | >20 | >17 |
| Good | 24-26 | 21-23 | 18-20 | 15-17 |
| Above Average | 21-23 | 18-20 | 15-17 | 12-14 |
| Average | 18-20 | 15-17 | 12-14 | 9-11 |
| Below Average | 15-17 | 12-14 | 9-11 | 6-8 |
flexibility testing
Flexibility is an important part of fitness. Being flexible allows a greater range of motion (ROM) around your joints. This include your neck, shoulders, hips, and ankles and wrists. Each joint requires their own test as there is no one test to test the whole body. Usually the sit and reach test is used to determine the flexibility of the hips and low back.
Sit and Reach Test
Prior to doing this test take a few minutes to stretch.
Place a tape measure on the floor with a piece of tape across the 15-inch line. The tape measure will extend away from you with the zero end closer to your groin. Sit on the floor with your legs extended and heels against the tape. Your legs can be about 10-12 inches apart. Cross your hands and slowly reach forward with your hands on the tape measure. Record your furthest reach. You hands must stay together. Hold the end position for a couple of seconds. Do three tries and use the furthest reach as the measurement. To record your reach note the measurement. For instance, if your finger tips touched the 18 inch point the measurement would be 18 and not 3 (15” to 18” is 3”)
90, 70 and 50 percentiles
| Percentile | 26-35 | 36-45 | 46-55 | 56-65 |
| M / F | M / F | M / F | M / F | |
| 90 | 21 / 24 | 21 / 23 | 19 / 21 | 17 / 20 |
| 70 | 17 / 20 | 17 / 19 | 15 / 18 | 13 / 17 |
| 50 | 15 / 19 | 15 / 17 | 13 / 16 | 11 / 15 |
NSCA’s Essentials for Personal Trainers 2004, Table 11.31, Page 260
Pull-Ups
Another good test is the pull-up test. Here is a website that tells you how many pull-ups you should be able to do. One chart on the site allows you to go by your body weight or age. I used to be able to get 10 pull-ups at 200 lbs, but today, I barely squeezed out one! This tells me one area I need to work on!
Conclusion
Fitness testing should be done by healthy people. Complete the Par-Q form prior to starting and if there are issues consult with your medical care provider prior to starting an exercise program.
Knowing where you in regards to fitness helps you set goals and design an exercise program. After the initial testing, it is worthwhile to re-test yourself periodically so you can see your progression.
For all the tests you should be aiming for the 70th or 90th percentile for those in the 30-40 range even if you are older. You can initially work toward those percentiles within your age group but by pushing for the 30-39 age group, you will be sure to have the upper hand when the rubber meets the road.
I left ERT when I was fifty. I was still required to meet the standards and didn’t have the luxury of saying that my age group standard were lower. When “that” time comes, a team member needs someone who is fit enough to do the job. Being older and having lower fitness standards just put my teammates and myself in harms way. You need to understand this and maintain a standard that is usually greater than your age group standard.
My Fitness Test Results
I turn 71 in six days, so I thought I would test myself. Because my right knee is damaged, I was unable to do the sit-up test. I also couldn’t get down to 90 degrees with the squats, so I held a thirty-pound dumbbell in each hand to do the squats.
YMCA Bench press with 80 lbs – 36 Partial curl-ups – 80
Push-ups – 32 Pull-ups – 1 Modified squats with 30 lb dumbbells – 30
Finally, we have reached the point where on the next blog I will introduce some training schedules. These last five blogs should have given you a good understanding of what police fitness is.