They used to require a minimum level of fitness but that dropped a few years ago. Now if a CO wants to he or she can do a PT test once a year that pays them $500. The test is comprised of a 1 mile and 1/4 run (timed), pushups and situps based on age, bench press and stretch test from a sitting position.

Heart goes a LONG way. One thing I’ll give the DI’s from me service days credit with was the hard lesson sometimes a little dog with big fight can really hand out an ass whoopin.

Great advice again DT. You have to do something even if it is just walking a few miles a day. If you have the heart, you will find a way to hold on until help gets there. Remember, whatever force is necessary to control or subdue an unruly inmate. Even if that means hitting him with a phone, ink pen, rolled up magazine, whatever. It is your survival or someone else’s that matters. Deal with the paper work later.

When I first joined the department, the academy wasn’t that great, but the department did pay you an extra $100 a month if you could pass a physical fitness exam each year. Now it is the opposite. The Academy is very good at physical fitness, hand to hand combat, and use of lethal and non- lethal weapons. The academy is much longer now than when I went through. The physical fitness exam has gone away though, but we still get the $100 dollars if we go to our doctor each year and get a physical. I have to admit, now that I am into my later 40s, and spending more time behind my desk than out on the yard, I’m not what I used to be. Still better than many though.

As my moniker states I’m a Defensive Tactics instructor, in our Dept we’re called Unarmed self defense instructors. My thing is and always will be you don’t have to be in the best shape, but you’ve gotta be able to defend yourself for what could be the rest of your life. If you’re comfortable be 20-100 lbs overweight then it’s on you. Most Officers have the Alpha Dog mentality and an overinflated self image, myself included, but just because you wear a badge doesn’t mean you can fight.

Crossfit, Insanity or P90X are all programs geared for strength and cardio conditioning. Just good old fashioned blood sweat and tears in the gym is tried and true. Find a boxing gym or martial arts dojo or mma school and learn the truth of combat, even a black belt can become a white belt when you punch him in the face. Get hit and kicked and find out it hurts, but damnit you can fight thru it. Cultivate and nurture a true warrior spirit so you can best help your fellow staff and get yourself home to your loved ones after shift.

Excellent advice DT.

Best thing to do is build your endurance, both muscular and aerobic. I’ve seen too mant powerlifters get injured and become disgusting fatbodies and not be able to recover. Have good muscle tone and strength, but you also need the endurance to grapple/control an inmate until help arrives. Or to simply defend yourself until help arrives.

I read somewhere that Zumba was a good program to do, which I’ve been wanting to try anyways.

Doing some kind of exercise outside of work is really good for you both mentally and physically. I do agree that upper body strength is very useful in corrections because almost all takedowns require officers to hold the inmates arms and legs before they are cuffed/shackled. When you have an inmate who is 6 ft 6 and 300 pounds it takes quite a few officers to take them to the floor when there is no CERT team available. Of course using OC is an option but one of the last encounters I had before retirement the man was in a barney suit (suicide gown) talking to the psychiatrist then took off down the hall. It took 10 of us to get him secured, he was huge plus being mentally gone.

Cardio and strength training are important but so are calestenics. Lots of injuries can be avoided if your body has enough joint movement and flexability.

So just cardio and strength training, pretty sure I can handle that, thanks!

Good point Mick, good mental and verbal skills do help a great deal. I prefer to change my patterns up usually every week or so. One week I focus on cardio and conditioning, the next upper body then lower body, etc… Keeps things from getting to boring in the gym.

Not being funny but the best muscle you can exercise is your tongue. That is what is going to get you out of confrontations 99% of the time. As for the other times upper body. As you are going to be using arm locks etc.

Sorry to bring up an old topic, but I’ve been wondering what training regimen I should start to get myself into better shape before I officially start ‘working’. When I did the physical assessment I was worried, but it was impossible to fail which relieved me but I don’t want to go in with inmates not being in very good shape (which I’m not right now). I know there are thousands of workouts out there but I was just looking for what is going to best benefit our line of work, thanks!

Great topic, in WA they have lowered the physical standards so that more people could qualifie and hire on. Unless you are ERT or SERT Team members there isn’t any requirements in place. My personal view point is that it is up to each individual to take the responsability of keeping in shape. Where we work and where our co-workers live makes poor off duty time gathering. Our work force is spread out in a 60 mile radius. What would be ideal is to form small groups (2 – 6) who share in working out together. Someone to spar with and practice take-downs and control tactics. This once a year training in DT’s is lacking in proficancey and technical development. Now that I think about it, I need to put that out there to our facility.

Physicall conditioning to the CO is as important as PT to the soilder, but unless our organizations are going to start implemeting PT into our work day it isn’t going to really happen across the board. We are busy people, often trying to squeeze in as much overtime as possible into our work week. PT is the last thing on most of our minds.

Good post, centella. Where have you been?

Taking About Physical Conditioning, how much empathized corrections on physical training.
In the academy and how poor is the appearance of some officers after the training,
I think corrections have to implement some kind of policy concerning to the physical
conditioning and keep certain kind of training to keep a good physical condition to all
Correctional staff.

I agree with SgtMajor…I myself have fell victom to laziness..I’ve gotton out of shape and complacent..however I am rectefying that..it is kinda hard when you have a family life and don’t have 24/7 to work out..but with a little bit of dicipline it can be done. I remember going through the academy and it seemed that not only the physical part but the thought of taking this stuff serious was frowned up on by my other class mates.

Coming out of the Army and into Corrections I thought that the Physical Training Test was at best very limited. The DTs were interesting in the Academy as well. I was told many times to “tone it down this ain’t the Army.” mmmmmmm…. ok.. As a few COs have said before my post, many are out of shape. I’m in much agreement on this, and also that each department should have physical fitness standards. But, where I’m at those with any type of “seniority” would balk at the idea. I watched one “Senior Officer” waddle down the hallway on the way to a Code. I just shook my head as I passed him by (apparently the roll that he was eating was more interesting). Unfortunately this will get someone killed one day.
I agree wholeheartedly that defusing a situation without use of force is the way to go. Keeps the paperwork down, and things are settled right then and there(for the most part). But if the situation arises that the only way to go is use of force, I want to know in the back of my mind that some roll doesn’t take precedence over my or another COs life.

Physical conditioning and a good defensive tactics program is one of the most important things that can be taught at the academy. Learning how to deal with offenders is for the FTO program. Most officers after leaving POST receive little DT or physical conditioning due to many reasons given them a solid base to work from will save their lives some day.

Physical conditioning and DT are all good, but do the recruits get any practice in managing inmates face to face, learning how to defuse a situation, use tactical communication and be able to avoid unnecessary uses of force and staff injuries?
It may not be macho, but it’s better then being injured and its a lot less paperwork.

Same thing for Ohio, except it’s a case of PBR you would be draging to the truck.

In Wyoming if you can drag the elk you shot back to your pickup, then you’re considered good to go!

It should be mandatory really. Many of the officers are so out of shape, it’s a joke.
How do you expect to run to a code and not have a heart attack??
Coming out of school they are like this!!
It paints a poor image for the Dept. really.