Loaded carries are an excellent way to develop total-body strength and conditioning and are a very “functional” way to build strength for everyday tasks. If you’ve only ever done traditional weight training in the gym, you’ll be surprised at how difficult these will be at first. You’ll strengthen your hands and shoulders along with your core, hips, and legs. If done for longer distances or with short rest periods, you’ll jack your heart rate up and build your conditioning as well.

If you have a physical job or are a first responder, training loaded carries is mandatory.

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Note: this is an excerpt from my 10-8 Police Academy training program. This is a two phase 12-week program designed to prepare you for whatever your academy throws at you.

These tips will help you prepare for and test well in most agencies’ PT tests. If you’ve got a unique situation or something I don’t cover here, send me a message and I’ll help you out.

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This week is National Police Week, a time to remember those that have fallen in the line of duty and acknowledge the sacrifices that officers and their families make to maintain our society. ⠀

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Improving your physical health and fitness isn’t just about looking good.

During my time as a police officer, I developed severe anxiety. I had multiple panic attacks per week. I barely slept. I hated pretty much everyone I encountered and my social life was non-existent. I lived on caffeine and fast food. I gained weight and had severe back pain from sitting in a car all day wearing forty pounds of gear, all at the ripe old age of 27.

At work, I was on top of the world. Outside of work, my life was a disaster.

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No later than October 2020, the new Army ACFT will become the fitness standard for the US Army. It’s substantially different than the previous PT test, and in my opinion is a much better test of all-around readiness. It’s also not a bad way to assess your fitness if you’re a police officer or firefighter.

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Putting together a home gym is one of the best moves ANYONE can make. First responders will benefit even more. You can train 24/7/365 with no distractions. You can even get your family involved and use your gym time to spend time with your kids or significant other. It’s a win/win.

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Tactical athletes need to be proficient in a variety of physical skills and abilities. They can’t just be strong, or fast, or have endurance for days. So should we strive for balance across all these abilities, or do some need to be emphasized more than others?

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I read somewhere that while you’re walking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, you don’t think of yourself as resilient. Only when you come out on the other side do you realize how you kept going when everyone else quit.

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How much running training does a police officer on the street need? Not much, that’s for sure.

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.

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Gone are the days of training for a tactical job using a bodybuilding bro-split or endless calisthenics. Bodybuilding is its own sport, with its own needs and training methods. And calisthenics make you good at calisthenics, but don’t have much application to job tasks. To be a strong, conditioned, and resilient police officer, you need a radically different workout program.

Barbell training has stood the test of time as the most efficient way to develop total-body strength. A simple barbell-based strength program, with bodyweight and odd object training sprinkled in, is the foundation of the best workout program for most police officers.

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A.M. is a detective with my former department who approached me for some ways to change up his training routine. In 8 weeks, he added 50lbs to his bench press and almost 50lbs to his front squat, all while losing weight. Here’s what he did.

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“Tactical fitness” is a term that can mean everything or nothing, depending on who you ask.

The problem with labels is that you can slap them on anything. I’ve seen all kinds of training labeled as “tactical,” but sometimes it leaves a lot to be desired.

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Strongman is both brutal and awesome. Crossfit has done a huge service to the fitness community by popularizing strongman implements and lifts.

If you’re a cop or other first responder, here are my top three strongman events that you should train. And you can make the implements yourself.

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If you’ve ever tried to get someone into custody that didn’t want to go, you know how hard it is to hold on. Don’t neglect training your grip. Luckily, it doesn’t usually require you to do any special exercises.

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Training with a weight vest or rucksack is a great way to prepare for your job duties. Here are a few tips for conditioning yourself to perform optimally

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This post is going to be more personal than others.

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Over the years I’ve gone from 0 pullups to my PR of 27 strict reps. I’ve taken female clients, completely new to training, from 0 pullups to 3-5 reps in only a couple of months.

Increasing your pull-ups doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s how you do it.

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