IMPROVING UPPER BODY STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL

Abstract

921 Law enforcement agencies are interested in the physical fitness of their officers primarily because of the physical demands that the job places on them. These demands can include running, pushing and pulling, jumping and climbing, bending and reaching, and subduing suspects. To assess physical fitness levels, many agencies use a physical fitness test battery. Closely associated with physical fitness testing is the use of physical fitness standards. A standard is a score that an agency validates as a performance criterion. Often, however, agencies express concerns that using upper body strength and endurance standards will adversely affect female and older members of the force. The goal of this study was to apply a structured push-up improvement program to successfully enhance the upper body strength and endurance for law enforcement personnel. Twenty-eight subjects completed a thrice weekly, six-week program. Training intensity and duration were progressively increased during the program. Subjects were tested on the number of correct push-ups they could perform before and following the program. Push-up performance improved significantly (p<0.001) for all subjects (19.4 to 34.6 reps), and for both males (33.8 to 49.7 reps) and females (10.1 to 24.8 reps). In addition, 16 of the 28 subjects were re-tested seven weeks later with a second posttest. No significant decrease in push-up performance was observed. These results indicate that significant strength and endurance gains can be obtained and maintained for law enforcement personnel with a structured push-up improvement program.