The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) is a consolidated training center operated by the Department of Treasury and trains all of the United States Federal law enforcement personnel. The FLETC mission is to provide quality, cost effective training for law enforcement professionals. The Center accomplishes this mission by utilizing law enforcement and training experts; providing quality facilities, support services, and technical assistance; conducting law enforcement research and development; and sharing law enforcement technology. The FLETC now provides quality training in a consolidated training environment to more than 70 agencies, most of which would otherwise have been unable to adequately train their personnel.

Naturally, there are physical standards. Though each agency has its own standards and testing criteria, FLETC graduates are required to pass the Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB ). FLETC is similar to a military bootcamp as far as passing basic standards. As in bootcamp you have to pass the standard military PFT which is usually a run, pushups, and situps test. If you are advancing to Navy SEAL training or RECON Marine School - you will have to achieve higher scores on the basic PFT and have to perform more exercises like swimming, obstacles courses, and pullups. The same hold true for the FLETC student. If a FLETC student is seeking a specialized profession, he/she must pass the PEB and pass another physical test that involves other advanced training skills such as body drags, shuttle runs, and rope climbs for example.

For this program, all FLETC graduates need to pass the PEB. Here is what I recommend to do to pass such a test:

1. The Fitness PEB consists of five physical fitness items performed during a single physical fitness evaluation session. A passing score (75% or higher) is required for each test item. The PEB measures the following:

Flexibility (sit and reach test)
Body fat assessment
Speed and agility (Illinois Agility test)
Aerobic capacity (1.5 mile run), and
Upper body strength (bench press)

Click here for PEB scoring charts (age group / sex)

2. Possess a valid CPR certification. Participants must bring their current CPR card (American Heart Association or American Red Cross).

CPR class will be offered after hours for students without a CPR certification.

3. Attend all class sessions. Students who arrive late or leave early and are absent from either instructional or practical sessions will not graduate from the program.

4. Successfully pass (minimum score of 70%) the written examinations. A comprehensive multiple choice examination and a case study examination is given at the end of the program.

5. Successfully pass the practical examination. This evaluation will be conducted to assess the individual's skill in conducting all phases of the PEB. A minimum score of 80% is required.

Here are some examples of what you can do to ace the FLETC PEB:

1 - Flexibility - To increase flexibility it is recommended to stretch at least two times a day. In one week you will see a big difference. Your lowerback and hamstrings are the two muscles that get tested in the flexibility test, but it is recommended to stretch all muscles, not just a few muscles groups. Buy a comprehensive fitness book or join a yoga class.

2 - Body Fat Test - To pass a body fat test, it is recommended to lose excess body fat by increasing your cardio-vascular exercise. You may have to add 30-60 minutes of walking, jogging, biking, swimming, or other activity that increases your heart rate EVERYDAY. Check out the article on weight loss and dieting (fat loss) on this website.

3 - Agility Test - The Illinois Agility Test is a challenging 15-20 seconds test that requires the students to run fast, stop quickly, change directions, and move the body from a laying position to a running stride as quickly as possible. The course is 30 feet long and 15 feet wide. Place four cones 10 feet apart at the 7.5 ft. line and the first and fourth cone at the zero and 30 ft line. A picture is worth a 1000 words.                                

A great scores is 15 seconds or less. A not so good or failing scores is 18-20 seconds. The best way to prepare for this test is do it over and over again. Do 5-10 times every other day at the end of a regular workout is recommended.

4 - Endurance Test - (1.5 mile run) - The 1.5 mile run is a standard endurance test by military and law enforcement alike. The best way to prepare for this test is to create a goal, divide that goal by 6. This will equal your 1/4 mile pace you should set for yourself. If that goal is 9:00, your 1/4 mile pace is a 1:30, or 3:00 1/2 mile or 6:00 mile pace. To reach this pace for 1.5 miles, try 1/4 mile repeats, 1/2 mile repeats, and mile repeats 3-5 days a week. The three mile track workout is a good option too. See Running Faster article.

5 - Upperbody Strength Test - (Bench Press) This very common exercise is done on a Universal type machine - not free weights, but some jurisdictions do use free weights. At FLETC, this is done on machine. Simply push up from laying on a bench as much weight as you can. You get as many tries as you like to work up to a maximum effort. Achieving your body weight is a good goal, but pushing your body weight and more will receive more points in your PEB. Bench press, pushups, and triceps exercises are great exercises to do to assist in a better bench press on the PEB.

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