WARMUP:   50 Jumping Jacks followed by 400m slow jog 

STATIC STRETCH:                  Trunk bending fore and aft                          10
                                                Side bending                                                 10
                                                Swimmer’s Stretch                                       (::10)
                                                Cross-leg toe touches                                   (::10 each leg)          
                                                Thigh Stretch                                                (::10 each leg)
                                                Shoulder Rotation                                         5
                                                Arm Shoulder Stretch                                   (::10 each arm)
                                                Tricep Stretch                                               (::10 each arm)                        

UPPERBODY:  (Monday / Thursday PT)           

                                                Repeat ten times – non-stop
                                                Jumping jacks                                                     10
                                                 Pushups                                                            10

                                    (OK to do knee pushups but try regular, wide, close pushups too)

                                               ABS:            Rest with Crunches            (No rest : 2-3 cycles)
                                                Regular Crunches                                            25
                                                Reverse Crunches                                           25
                                                Double Crunches                                             25
                                                Left Crunches                                                 25
                                                Right Crunches                                                25
                                                Bicycle Crunches                                             25
                                                Pushups                                   max pushups in 1:00
                        More advanced abs exercises – do not do if previous lower back injury

                                                Leg levers                                           10-15
                                                Reverse Pushups                                    25
                                                Flutterkicks                                           10-15
                                                Arm haulers                                              25           
                                                ½ situps                                                    25
                                                Birds                                                       25
                                                Stomach stretch (Cobra stretch)             ::30

                       

RUNNING WORKOUTS:

                                    Monday / Thursday                             Easy 1-2 mile run/walk
                                    Wednesday                                         Long Run / Walk – 5 miles
                                    Tuesday / Friday                                  Leg Day – Sprints / intervals
                                    Monday – ONCE a MONTH              NAVY PFT for practice

 WARMUP:   50 Jumping Jacks followed by 400m slow jog

 STATIC STRETCH:                 Trunk bending fore and aft                          10
                                                Side bending                                                10
                                                Swimmer’s Stretch                                       (::10)
                                                Cross-leg toe touches                                   (::10 each leg)          
                                                Thigh Stretch                                                (::10 each leg)
                                                Shoulder Rotation                                         5
                                                Arm Shoulder Stretch                                   (::10 each arm) 

LOWERBODY:  (Tuesday / Friday PT) 

                                    Repeat ten times – non-stop
                                    Jumping jacks                                            10
                                    ½ Squats                                                   10
                                    *stretch hams and thighs as needed

                                    Repeat 4-5 times

                                    Run choice of short fast paced runs –400yd or 800yd
                                    Squats                                                          20
                                    ½ squats                                                       20
                                    lunges                                                           10 / leg
                                    Rest with crunches or abs of choice               50

 Pushup/Crunch Superset:

 This is what I refer to as a foundation-training workout.  If you can barely do the minimum standards in pushups and situps, this workout will help you over the top and beyond.   This is a great way to achieve extraordinary repetitions of pushups and crunches!  When you fail doing pushups on your toes, resort to knee pushups until you fail.  Then rest with a variety of crunches.  Repeat until you can no longer do successful regular or knee pushups OR until you reached the goal number of sets listed in the workout.  The pushup / crunch superset is a time saver workout if you are too busy to take 30-45 minutes to exercise.   Each set of six exercises should be completed within a two-minute period.  For example,  

                        Set #1:       10 regular pushups 
                                                10 regular crunches 
                                                10 wide pushups 
                                                10 reverse crunches 
                                                10 triceps pushups 
                                                10 -1/2 sit-ups

If you are training to go fast during your sets, you should finish this with at least 30-45 seconds remaining.  Use this time to stretch, drink some water, etc.  You will repeat this particular workout 5-10 times.  Total time should only be 10 –20 minutes, BUT you will achieve 150 pushups and 150 abdominal exercises in that time if you do five sets!

Rest:  There is no rest time while on the two-minute clock.  Do your set as quickly as possible, but watch your form. Do not jeopardize your form for a faster superset time.   

Circuit Workouts - You will see several different circuit routines in this workout program.  Basically, a circuit workout is designed to move you as quickly through a workout as possible.  There are no rest periods in a circuit until the end.  Moving from one exercise to the other is the only rest you will get, but you will rarely be using the same muscle group two times in a row.  So there is actually rest built into the workout

 PT with the clock - This type of workout is designed to help students ace a physical fitness test of pullups, pushups, and situps.  By performing as many reps as you can of each exercise in a certain time limit, you will be learning the pace to reach your pushup and situps goals.  By using the clock as your training guide, you will become accustomed to doing maximum reps in a time period which will further increase your scores as you continue to practice this type of training.

Tips on Passing Fitness Tests:

Understanding PFT Anxiety - Channel the Nervous Energy Prior to Physical Fitness Tests

Anxiety is prevalent in our world. It occurs at home, work, social situations, playing sports, and test-taking. Academic testing anxiety is very similar to physical test-taking anxiety.  Those symptoms are: headaches, nausea, feeling too hot or too cold, etc. The adrenaline flows through your body prior to any of these events and can adversely affect your performance.

In regards to the physical fitness test, the ways to combat anxiety are similar to those of academic testing-taking anxiety. The PFT anxiety-removing techniques are as follows:

Be well prepared for the test. Do not start "studying" (exercising) for the PFT a week or two before the test. Fitness is a daily habit that needs to be developed 4-6 times a week for several months prior to the fitness test.

1. Test yourself. Take the PFT once a week for a month. It is the stopwatch that causes most of your anxiety, so train with the stopwatch when doing pushups, situps, running etc.
2. Maintain healthy lifestyle. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and lean meats than fast foods, sleep regular hours, drink more water, and exercise 4-6 times per week.
3. PFT taking meals. On the evening prior to the PFT, drink water, eat more fruits and vegetables as in salad, and lean forms of protein like fish and chicken. Pasta is a pre-race favorite among runners and swimmers also. On the morning of the test, eat fruits like apples, bananas, or baby carrots - all high on the glycemic index and provide blood sugar for immediate energy.
   
4. Test the way you train. Do not do something for the first time on test taking day like eat a protein bar or energy drink. Find out what works for you during your practice tests.
5. Relax. Take deep breaths before the stop watch starts and think positively.
6. Treat yourself. Give yourself a reward IF you reach your training goals.

Once you arrive to your test well prepared, the PFT becomes "just another workout" and the only anxiety you will get is a healthy dose of adrenaline that enables you to compete with your counterparts.

During the Month of the PFT 

The PFT is a year round training event and should be taken seriously as it is an indicator of how well you can perform many areas of your profession.  You cannot do it by diet alone of course, BUT if you mix in the following, this month of PFT training could work for you in the long run too:

Drink water – 1 gallon a day for men / 3 quarts for women – if you are not drinking enough water, your body cannot burn fat as efficiently and you will also have unnecessary weight gains due to water retention.  It may not make a lot of sense, but you need to drink more water to allow your body to stop retaining water.  Limit salty food intake as well.

Cardio (swim, bike or run/walk) - 4 times a week 30-45 minutes – I would spend this time running obviously since you will be tested in a month. 

PT or weights - 2 upper body workouts / 2 lower body workouts and abdominal workouts a week at least.  These workouts will cause you to build muscle at the same time as losing fat and inches. This should place your body fat within standard therefore your inches around your waist can be 2-4 inches smaller. Some people gain weight in this month due to muscle gains over fat loss BUT will still lose inches.  Muscle weighs more than fat so do not expect a huge weight loss. Inches lost will be much more noticeable in the first month.  Permanent weight loss tends to really pick up after the six-week mark, once your muscle growth has stabled.  Weight loss will be slight, maybe 8-10 lbs in one month.  This is the healthiest way to lose weight - limiting it to 1-3 lbs per week.

By combining all forms of exercise:  strength building, cardio vascular activity, and flexibility as well as food intake prior to the PFT, you will be better prepared for the EVENT. 

 One Week Before the PFT

A week before the physical fitness test is an easier week than your normal workouts should be. This is called a TAPER WEEK.  It is best to take the last week prior to the PFT and rest the following methods:

1. PFT Strategy - Practice the way you test. Do not try anything you have not done before this week or the day of the test that you have not done during the several months of your workouts. The PFT should be accomplished by dividing the events into smaller sub-goals. Take the Standard Police Academy PFT for instance:
   
   Pushups. 1:00 - 2:00 of pushups is challenging. It is recommended to do the pushups as fast as possible while adhering to proper form of course. Try to let gravity push you in the down position so you do not waste muscle stamina by controlling the movement in the down position. When you move slow in the down position, you will waste energy and reduce your pushup score. Only use your muscles to push in the up position. This is a sprinting style exercise. Resting may help you catch your breath, but it will reduce your pushups when resting in the "up" position.
   
   Situps. 1:00 - 2:00 of situps should be paced. Many people err in testing by starting off too fast. Usually people will get 30-35 situps in 30 seconds but they will not be able to match the 30-35 reps in the next 30 – 90 seconds. This happens because you burn out too fast. Just as with running, the goal is to start slower at a pace that will help you attain your goal. For instance, if your goal is 80 situps in 2:00, your pace should be 20 situps in 30 seconds. You will have a much easier time reaching your goal if you pace the situps.
   
   1.5 mile run. The run is a pacing drill as well. During your daily workouts you should know what your pace is to run a 1.5 mile run. For instance, if your goal is to run a 10:30 run, you should pace your ¼ mile at 1:45 or your ½ mile at 3:30. This will insure a 7:00 mile pace or 10;30 – 1.5 mile run.
2. Four days away from the PFT, your workouts should start tapering. This means you should take it easy and do not push yourself to failure. Easier runs at 7-8:00 mile pace if your goal is 10:30 run, pushups and situps should be limited to 30-60 seconds of timed events so you do not hit muscle failure. Do knee pushups or crunches just to keep the joints lose and stretch well to remain limber.
3. Three days away from the PFT should be a day off of exercise. Eat foods that are low in fat, higher in protein, and high in complex carbohydrates. Personally, green leafy salad or spinach with lean chicken or tuna are examples of the types of food to help you have more energy. Of course, these foods should be part of your normal weekly diet anyway for best physical results. Consult the nutritional tips for more ideas. Drinking water to stay super-hydrated will help you regulate your body temperature during the PFT as well as other muscular-skeletal benefits.
   
   
4. Two days from the PFT should be a light 1-2 mile run. This should be followed by twenty minutes of stretching from head to toe. Pushups and situps should be performed at goal pace for 1-2 sets of 30-60 seconds. Learn your pace and know it for the test. Knowing your pace will help you get rid of the anxiety prior to PFT.
5. One day prior to the PFT should be a day off. Take a light walk, run or bike for 15-20 minutes with an equal amount of time spent of stretching. The night prior to the test should be spent relaxing and eating foods high in protein and carbohydrates such as pastas, green leafy lettuce, spinach, fish, chicken, lean meats. Lay off high fat foods. Drink water all day long.
6. Have a breakfast of normal foods such as water, cereals, yogurt, fruit, and juice. Foods higher in carbohydrates like apples, bananas, and carrots are great snacks to add glycogen to your muscles and give you that extra kick in the PFT. When you push yourself to muscle failure and maximum effort you will expend the glucose you consumed, so make sure you eat something one – two hours prior to the PFT.

These tips will help you but they will not be fully beneficial if you do not practice these pre-workout methods during the weeks prior to your PFT.

How to Run Faster

I have been working on some training regimens for speed building and have discussed many different ways to accomplish this goal with collegiate and Olympic runners in the 800m, 1500m, and 5km events.   It seems from my trial and error and recent research that the way to tackle this speedy goal is twofold:

 1)     Be an avid runner before building your speed.  Building a foundation of 20-25 miles a week of running is considered to be foundation enough to start pushing your own envelope of speed.  Check out the six-week running plan to see how to build your foundation if you are not up to that mileage yet. 

Running Plan I - Beginning Runners

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
Week 1	1-2 miles	Bike or swim 30:00	1-2 miles	Bike or swim 30:00	1-2 miles
Week 2	2-3 miles	Bike or swim 30:00	2-3 miles	Bike or swim 30:00	2-3 miles
*Week 3 no running	Bike or swim 30:00	Bike or swim 30:00	Bike or swim 30:00	Bike or swim 30:00	Bike or swim 30:00
Week 4	3 miles	Bike or swim 30:00	3 miles	Bike or swim 30:00	3 miles
Week 5	2 miles	3 miles	Off	4 miles	2 miles
Week 6	2-3 miles	3-4 miles	Off	4-5 miles	3 miles

*Do not run during Week 3--bike or swim everyday. There is a high risk of injury to beginners.

 2)     Interval Training – It seems that interval training will help you increase your foot speed, build your VO2 Max, and makes your PFT distance running at faster paces more comfortable – meaning you are getting in better shape. 

 3)     You will see interval workouts listed in the workout columns – refer to this page and you can select a running workout to help increase your speed from the ones listed below:

 Here are some intense intervals to help you with your training for crushing the PFT run:

 

Workout #1:
Run 1 mile easy / stretch
Repeat 8-10 times
Run ¼ mile at 10-20 seconds under current mile pace.
Jog slow or walk 1:00

• Say you are running a 9:00 1.5 mile run = 6:00 mile pace = 90 seconds ¼ mile run.  Try to hit these ¼ mile intervals at 70-80 seconds.  Benefits – increase foot speed, and build VO2 Max.

 

Workout #2
Run 1 mile easy / stretch
Repeat 5 times
Run ½ miles at 10 seconds under current mile pace
Jog slow or walk 2:00

Workout #3
 Run 1 mile easy / stretch
 Run 1 mile at 10 seconds above current mile pace
 Jog 2:00 slow
 Run 1 mile at current mile pace
 Jog 2:00 slow
 Run 1 mile at 10 seconds faster than current mile pace
 Cool down jog 5:00
 Stretch                       


 Workout #4
 Run 5:00 / Warm-up / stretch
 Run for 30:00 total BUT
 Run 1:00 sprint / followed by 1:00 slow jog for 30:00

Interval and Pacing Goal Mile Time chart

	Goal mile pace 8:00 mile	Goal mile pace 7:00 mile	Goal mile pace 6:00 mile
Intervals
½ mile intervals	4:00	3:30	3:00
¼ mile intervals	2:00	1:45	1:30
1/8 mile intervals	1:00	52 seconds	45 seconds

Intervals will help you build your VO2 max and foot speed to better learn your goal pace.  On a few of the interval runs, try to run 1-2 at a faster than goal pace just to push your limit.  After each interval run, walk or slow jog for a recovery for 1-2:00. 

To ace the running portion of any PFT, it is most important to learn your pace. Recognize breathing, arm swing, leg stride, foot strikes and create muscle memory of exactly how you should feel when you are running at your goal pace.  As you get into better shape, you should feel better throughout the running event. 

NOTE - one day a week - you should push the speed limit and do a series of faster than pace runs.

But to Prevent Running Injuries…

…you should always start off slowly and limit your mileage.  Typically, if you take off for more than 2-3 months or longer from a regular running routine, chances are when you start again you will start off “where you left off” and actually over-train.  Basically, you are running too far, too soon.  It takes time to build up to a rigorous amount of running (4-6 miles day – 4-5 times a week), even if you used to run this far last year. 

There is a link I refer many people to who complain of leg injuries.  I have had many of these injuries BUT since I am not a doctor, I like for people to be better informed through the likes of www.drpribut.com - Dr. Steven Pribut is a doctor who enjoys running and has a site designed to help describe, prevent, and self-treat the most common running injuries. More importantly, if that does not work, go to see your doctor.  The types of injures most common to new runners and I receive questions on are the following:

Shin Spints

Heel Injuries – Plantar Fasciitis -

ITB Syndrome-

Runner’s Knee – PFS

Achilles Tendonitis

 If you are an avid runner, chances are you have experienced at least one of these injuries.  In fact, according to Runner’s World, over 50% of all runners get injured every year.

 Now, in the spring, after a winter layoff, OR if you are wishing to start running for the first time, I would recommend the following “step up program”.

 

1)     Stretch for a week first to loosen up stiff joints and connective tissue.

2)     Choose non-impact aerobic activity like biking, elliptical gliding, rowing or swimming to do when injuries are first felt.  It is never a bad idea to cross-train in any of these activities every other day in place a running.

3)     Warm up properly and then stretch.  Run nice and easy for about 5-10 minutes then stretch once you are warm and the muscles and joints a more pliable.  Never stretch “cold”. 

4)     Replace running shoes often.  I go through shoes about every 2-3 months and ONLY run in my running shoes.  Do not walk in your running shoes since you walk differently than you run.  You do get what you pay for too.  There are a number of types of shoes out there that range from $80-$120 for the better brands, however, you can save $20-30 by going online.

 I hope these links can help you prevent some of the common injuries, however, it is always recommended to see a doctor if you are in pain.  Two of the running rules I use is:  “If it hurts to run – stop running” and “If it hurts to walk – DO NOT run and go to a doctor.”