I was wondering how many (if any) cops were out there lurking in the the T-Nation. I would be interested in the training styles/programs you’ve found to be most effective as it relates to the job. I am a cop in California. I am 6’2" 250 at around 18% bf. I am currently doing Joel Marion’s New Ripped Rigged and Dense because I’m a fat ass. But I mostly like to do the compound movements, not a lot of isolation. I figure core strength and explosive power are gonna be most important for law enforcement purposes. So I do a lot of squats, deads, clean and jerks, rows, presses, etc. Anyone else?
While developing strength, power and nicely defined large muscles are all great things…our local officers are all now taking Aikido and are having great fun inflicting their control over the “bad guys”.
Looking intimidating is nice, but being in control of someone will make your job much easier.
I would imagine more often than not that being intimidating is being in control.
Akheron: try explaining that to a druggie that is tripping or a mean drunk that just doesn’t give a shit.
Using brute force can get an officer into hot water. Being able to control someone and not be accused of brutality is essential.
Kudos to you. COre strength is of irreplaceable value in the law enforcement profession. For the same reason a Martial Artist can’t afford to lose his balance in a fight, for the same reason a surfer has to control his balance precisely, and for the same reason a football player must have strong stability in the face of opposing team members trying to tackle him - As a cop, in a worst case scenario you will be dealing with a jackass who will try to do something stupid. Simple isolation exercises will not teach you how to use your body as a whole, certainly will not give you core strength for the most part.
I think Joel Marion’s protocol was geared towards those whose bf% are 12% or less, but in your case, I certainly dont see it being a problem, as strength is something you want to develop.
TWO VERY IMPORTANT THINGS I would STRONGLY recommend you (although most will ignore it):
- Do a good stretching routine. This will increase your range of motion and decrease your risk of injury. Also, it’ll increase your performance (allow you to use more weight or do more reps) - If you don’t stretch your muscles will shorten. Now say, f.ex. that you’re doing bb rows. Not only will your range of motion possibly be shortened, but if your chest is shortening and is tight, thats another force your back will have to pull against. This will translate to you being forced to pick up a lighter weight to compensate for the pull your chest is exerting on your back. And while this may not be a problem in the weight room, if you’re trying to catch someone or tackle someone, you certainly dont want an antagonist muscle to decrease your performance…
2)Endurance work: Don’t go running marathons if you’re strength training as per Marion’s protocol. In fact i think he urges against any form of cardio in his program. However, as Police officer you may need to occasionally run after a criminal. I know huge strong guys who could run a block without falling down. As such, running even 2 miles twice a week would seem to fit your functional needs very well.
Anyhow, GOOD LUCK!
I would look into Renegade training if I were a cop or fireman.
Correction: “I know huge strong guys who could run a block without falling down.”
It should READ: “I know huge strong guys who could NOT run a block without falling down.”
My point was that some endurance work, such as running for 20-30 minutes a couple times a week will prepare you to meet the challenge of having to run after a jackass. Core strength will add to this, especially if you have to run in the woods and make quick changes of speed/direction to avoid hitting trees/obstacles.
Anyhow, good luck!
I’m a police officer here in Florida.I keep my upper body big for control and my legs lean so I can chase these mo-fo’s down.We are also offered advanced training in grappling which is most effective since most fights are on the ground when the suspect is trying to grab your gun
I’m a cop in Georgia (home of nightstickin’)…Just using the programs that Coach Davies has posted here have increased my balance and agility.
Coach Davies rules when it comes to functional strength and core strength. He knows his stuff, and he rightly compares a good athlete to a good soldier - Just as a soldier trains hard in peace so he bleeds less in war, so do his athletes puch themselves harder during trainig and practice, so their team doesnt get left behind, and so injuries are less frequent.
I would strongly recommend you check out Renegade training. His latest book will make you feel like a weakling when you try to do some of the exercises he recommends. Heck, I have yet to balance myself on top of a swiss ball, and Coach D SQUATS with full range of motion on top of a swiss ball, power snatches on top of a swiss ball, and military presses on top of a swiss ball, among other ‘fun’ stuff. Its beautiful training for core strength, and something Im determined to be able to do.
Being 150lbs and knowing Aikido isn’t going to help you much going up against someone who is 250lbs and drunk or tripping and doesn’t feel much pain if any at all. (I’m not trying to sound like bigconan.)
I’m not saying knowing Aikido won’t be benefical, it obviously will. But we’ve all seen an episode or two of Cops where a smaller cop simply wasn’t enough to take down a suspect.
I will preface this by saying that I am NOT in law enforcement, so keep that in mind.
Everyone that I have known in law enforcement has seen size has a huge deterrent. So most sane people will back down pretty quickly. The insane ones may or may not, but that’s when you need some serious strength and knowledge of restraint. I’m sure a lot of emergency room workers can give you stories backing this up.
As far as the ability to pursue on foot goes, I don’t know if straight cardio is what you need. You won’t be jogging at 7mph on a flat road to catch somebody; you will be hauling ass over or around whatever is in your way. Running 2 miles is good, but running 2 miles as fast as you can is what should be developed. HIT would be very effective for developing this skill while not being counterproductive to your size goals.
Thanks for all the replies/suggestions. I also train in shootfighting as I mentioned in another thread. Although I’ve taken a few months off from it due to moving, having a baby and all that. I would do meltdown training or renegade but my gym is more of a health club and it is damn near impossible to superset. OVT was a challenge. Hopefully after a few more years on the job and a lot more overtime I can afford to set up my own home gym.