Training differences between LEOs and military soldiers
Providing strength and conditioning for Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) and members of the United States Military are very similar in one respect. On the other hand, however, the training provided and required can be extremely different. This author has been fortunate enough to be exposed to both sides of these amazing careers and can add a unique and realistic perspective based on my lifelong experience. Serving our country on the law enforcement side for over 27 years and aside from providing training for my fellow brothers and sisters in blue, I have administered several Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Physical Task Training Assessment tests for aspiring applicants.
Additionally, I have served as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) for the United States Army and its Holistic Health and Fitness program, more commonly referred to as H2F fitness domain for the well-being of our nation’s service men and women.
Between both of these life experiences there are some similarities and differences, so what are they? Let’s take a deeper look and dive right into this topic.
Both LEOs and the military start their careers at a boot camp or training academy and go through rigorous physical training, with no nationally required standard for LEOs. Therefore, academies can last from as little as four months to upwards of six to eight months depending on the training mandated by each respective state.
Furthermore, some of the curricula mandated by these states can assign how strict or quasi-militaristic they choose to be. With the five branches of the United States Military — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard — their basic boot camps can last anywhere from eight weeks to approximately 13 weeks. However, some of these timeframes may not account for in-processing, and more importantly, depending on an individual’s chosen “MOS,” additional schooling and advanced training can and may be required depending on their chosen career path.
Similarly Needed Physical Characteristics
When it comes to the demands of LEOs and military service members, they share very similar needed physical characteristics. Both need to be physically fit, so we will first describe the “on-the-job” physical test requirements. As mentioned previously above, with thousands of police agencies and departments across the nation, the curriculum varies in individual states and the same is true for the annual or semi-annual PT tests. Some require mainly cardiovascular and muscular endurance physiological adaptations which would be measured generally through events such as the 1.5-mile runs, sit-ups, push-ups, and a sprint. Therefore, testing here requires energy expenditure through two of the body’s three energy systems — the glycolytic and oxidative energy systems. When training LEOs for this type of test, training them for power and explosiveness found in the initial energy system, the phosphagen energy system would not be critically important and training would be more directed on the glycolytic and oxidative from an exercise science standpoint. This example is indicative of the DEA PT test. To glean more on this test click here.
Other LEO PT tests can be more of a physical agility course type of test which can involve sprinting, maneuvering front/backward, and side to side. Additionally, these tests may require feats of strength and power. An example is a 150-pound dummy that will need to be dragged for a set amount of distance such as 50 feet. In testing such as this, physical adaptations measured would be once again the glycolytic energy system and training would be prescribed between the 30-second to 2-minute timeframe. Lastly, some police departments utilize a one-repetition maximum bench press or squat as a measurement of strength. In training someone for this test, the energy system called the phosphagen system is utilized as the time taken is between 1-10 seconds. Therefore, training someone in a higher repetition scheme higher than six repetitions does not translate appropriately to a one-rep max test or utilization of the phosphagen energy system.
The United States Army utilizes the Army Combat Fitness Test or ACFT which must be taken semi-annually. In this test, they must do the: three rep max deadlift, power throw, plank, hand release push-ups, sprint drag carry, and the 2-mile run. There are alternate events for the 2-mile run which can be deferred to either the rowing or bike ergometer for a set amount of mileage completed in a certain amount of time. In my opinion, this is realistically an excellent measurement of all three energy systems the phosphagen, slow and fast glycolytic, and the oxidative energy system. This test measures maximal strength, power, muscular endurance, anaerobic and aerobic activity. Therefore, this test gives an accurate depiction of a soldier’s fitness for duty based on the utilization of all three energy systems. Other branches of the military have different physical test requirements that may or may not be similar to the Army’s ACFT.
Differing Physical Characteristics
Between training the military and LEOs, the examples above illustrate that tactical athletes need agility, flexibility, strength/power, muscular endurance (anaerobic training), and cardiovascular capacity (aerobic training). The one physiological adaptation that is not necessarily critical for optimal and sustained job performance would be that of a hypertrophy or muscle-building routine. Hypertrophy, or the increase in muscle size is not necessarily measured directly in most LEO PT tests, although it is indirectly measured in the US Army height and weight requirement testing. Therefore, hypertrophy training, where a resistance training repetition count generally falls between 8-12 reps will develop muscle size and can give LEOs the added confidence that he or she may deem appropriate for command presence while in uniform.
» ALSO SEE: The Recovery Standard Project
Another example of increased strength, muscular endurance, and cardiovascular capacity for the US soldier would be whether or not they were in a Special Forces group and on an operation. If it was a multi-day operation, the service member may have a load carriage anywhere from 60-100 pounds and dropped off at a certain distance from the objective then previous training for strength, muscular endurance, and cardiovascular capacity would be critical. If the mission was much shorter and the operator was loaded with less weight perhaps such as 25-35 pounds then once again, previous muscular endurance and cardiovascular capacity training would be critical.
Daniel J. Borowick, MS, CSCS, and founder of DOMEX Strength & Fitness is a former DEA Special Agent who has over 27 years of tactical experience in federal (DEA) and state (New Jersey State Police). Currently, he is a strength and conditioning specialist serving in the U.S. Army’s (H2F) Holistic Health and Fitness Program. You reach him through their website of www.Domexstrengthandfitness.com, via Instagram and Facebook @Domexstrengthandfitness, or Domexstrengthandfitness@gmail.com.
