How Much Running Do Cops Really Need?
I had a discussion about running the other day with a trainee that’s preparing to go through the same academy I went through. Distance running is the foundation of this academy’s training program. Unfortunately, that’s the case for a lot of departments, and is a poor use of valuable training time at best, and dangerous at worst.
Let’s think about this logically for a minute. What’s the goal of the academy? To prepare future police officers for the job. So why is distance running important for a police officer? When will an officer EVER be in a foot pursuit longer than 400-800 meters?
You can argue general health, aerobic fitness, etc. But is distance running the best way to accomplish these goals? And is dedicating hours and hours of valuable training time to mindless running the best use of those hours?
To me, it’s a perfect example of doing things a certain way because it’s always been done that way. I certainly believe some early-academy long “fun runs” are great for weeding out people who don’t want to be there. But beyond that, why beat the hell out of the trainees? Ankles and knees were constantly beat up. 2-5 people were always hurt. We lost a classmate to a broken leg when he slipped and fell on a run. Obviously, not all these issues can be prevented. But surely we can do better.
When you’re training for an academy, you MUST train for the demands of the academy, not the demands of the job. It won’t do you any good to be the fastest 300m sprinter if you can’t keep up with the group on a 6 mile run. But once you’re out of the academy, train for the real world.
How much running training does a police officer on the street need? Not much, that’s for sure, but some is still essential. One or two sessions per week of 200-800m intervals is more than enough. Save your joints, but still train to end foot pursuits quickly and safely.
This will free up a ton of time for other priorities, like strength training, martial arts, or just plain rest. It’ll save your ankles, knees, hips, and back for other training. “No pain, no gain” is a lie. Beat yourself into the ground an you’ll pay the price eventually.
If you do any sort of intense strength training or martial arts, your aerobic fitness is more than likely above average. If that’s still a weakness or you have excess fat to lose, pick lower impact modes of exercise like cycling or rowing.
Let’s think logically about our training and not just do what’s always been done.
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