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Journal article
Physical fitness of Police Academy cadets: Baseline characteristics and changes during a 16-week academy
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol.30, pp.1416-1424
30
2016
PMCID: PMC4854178
PMID: 26466133
Web of Science ID: WOS:000375868200031
Abstract
Police academies traditionally emphasize the importance of being physically fit. The purpose of this research was to determine cadet baseline physical fitness characteristics and assess effectiveness of a 16-week training program. Sixty-eight cadets (61 males, 7 females)
volunteered to have baseline physical fitness characteristics assessed, and fifty-five cadets (49 males, 6 females) completed further testing at weeks 8 and 16. The testing comprised of hand grip (strength), arm crank (upper body power), 30 sec Wingate (lower body power), sum of skinfolds and percentage body fat (body composition), 40-yard dash (sprint speed), 1-RM bench press (strength), T-test (agility), and sit-and-reach (flexibility). Additionally, cadets completed standardized state testing (push-ups, sit-ups, vertical jump, and half-mile shuttle run). The training program consisted of 1 hour sessions, 3 days/week including aerobic, plyometrics, body weight and resistance exercise. Significant changes were found in agility (p<0.01), upper body and lower body peak power (p<0.05), sit-ups (p<0.01), push-ups (p<0.05) across the first 8-weeks, and in agility (p<0.05), lower body peak power (p<0.05), sit-ups (p<0.01), push-ups (p<0.05), half mile shuttle run (p<0.01) across the full 16-weeks. However, none of the variables showed significant change across the second half of the program (weeks 8 to 16). A number of individual parameters of physical fitness showed evidence of improvement in the first 8-weeks, whereas none of the variables showed significant improvement in the second 8-weeks. This suggests modifications could be made to increase overall effectiveness of cadet physical training specifically after the 8-week mark.
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Details
- Title
- Physical fitness of Police Academy cadets
- Publication Details
- Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol.30, pp.1416-1424
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Philadelphia, PA
- Series
- 30
- Copyright
- © 2015 National Strength and Conditioning Association
- Identifiers
- WOS:000375868200031; 99380090629906600
- Academic Unit
- Movement Sciences and Health; Usha Kundu, MD College of Health
- Language
- English