| LAW AND ORDER: THE MAGAZINE FOR POLICE MANAGEMENT May 2000 Departmental Gyms Become Fitness Rooms: Final Phase in a Holistic Fitness Approach by Richard B. Weinblatt (pp. ) |
The nation's interest in fitness has not gone unnoticed by law enforcement administrators.
Initially many managers focused on weightlifting, but the gym phase is the final step in a
holistic fitness program.
"Fitness makes sense for the officers, their employers and the public," said Elizabeth
Bondurant, a lieutenant with the Plainsboro (N.J.) Police Department who stressed the need
for a departmentally promulgated fitness push.
According to Roger D. Reynolds, associate director of the Cooper Institute for Aerobics
Research, "We are purists in our approach to law enforcement fitness."
Reynolds has been conducting fitness training for law enforcement and military personnel
since the early 1970s. "Our theory has been to get a good person in a leadership role, train
that person and have them bring the fitness philosophy back to the department," he said.
The failure rate hovers at 80 to 90 percent as officers lose interest when an agency does
little more than installing a gym, he said. "The 15 to 20 percent who stick with it after the
gym is put in are the same ones who worked out beforehand."
The Cooper Institute aims to get past what Reynolds described as the "ready, fire, aim"
fitness philosophy employed by some departmental gym aspirants. The gym becomes the
tangible symbol that the manager sets up without the seemingly invisible substance that
makes the fitness program a long-term success.
Benefits of Fitness
The benefits of implementing a fitness program in conjunction with the creation of a gym
are well known.
"Out of shape officers are prone to work related injuries, sick time and early retirement,"
Bondurant said. "The stresses of the job affect an officer's personal and professional life."
"We zeroed in on specific areas that are problems for officers such as back problems. The
inclusion of exercises and equipment geared towards those problems underscores our
proactive response," said South Brunswick Township's (NJ) Captain Frederick A. Thompson.
Tactically minded law enforcement executives and officers point to enhanced officer safety
benefits
accrued from having physically fit personnel.
Trainer Certification
Many departments report that the impetus for creating a departmental gym comes from
fitness oriented officers. The South Brunswick Township department sent two officers, Ed
George and Kevin Hughes, to a fitness and conditioning trainer certification course
presented by the Institute of Aerobics Research at the New Jersey State Police Academy at
Sea Girt, N.J.
"We pursued a holistic approach to fitness and health, and I advise other departments to
do the same," said Bondurant, who holds a B.S. degree in health and physical education
and a master's degree in criminal justice. She spearheaded the Plainsboro fitness push
and the department is now aligned with Fit Force's philosophies and standards.
The other end of the country is no different from the East Coast concerning its acquisition
of fitness trainer certifications en route to a departmental gym.
"Six or eight years ago, one of our deputies, Manuel Trujillo, researched the topic and went
for his physical fitness trainer certification. He helped design our departmental gym," Santa
Fe County Sheriff's Department Major Ron Madrid said.
Cooper Institute's Reynolds, who holds a master's degree in exercise physiology, said his
organization has a trainer certification course geared specifically to law enforcement.
Approximately 500 officers took the 40-hour "Physical Fitness Specialist" course last year.
Thousands of officers have garnered the established Coopers certification that is offered in
conjunction with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).
Reynolds said most of their trainer certification forays have been to state academy training
facilities, including those in Arizona, Florida and Idaho. A certification course is a necessary
component in creating a fitness leader and an environment conducive to physical fitness
training, he stressed.
Holistic Approach
Reynolds said many agencies are recognizing the need to expand beyond the "metal head"
gyms of yesteryear. He eschews the use of what he terms "pig metal" and proffers a
sophisticated integrated approach. The new name of the gym is fitness room.
"There is a movement towards functional fitness that can follow an officer throughout his
career. Departments have added more cardio-vascular stations such as treadmills,"
Reynolds said. It's a paradigm shift towards "lifestyle management."
Thompson spoke of changes to the gym on the department headquarters' second floor.
"Our original equipment was mostly free weights, benches and dumbbells. The gym has
evolved into a combination of the original with Universal equipment, abdomen and back
machine, Smith machine, life cycle, Stairmaster, Nordic Track and treadmill," he said.
Likewise, Major Madrid detailed Santa Fe County's addition of cardio equipment to its
impressive array of professional free weights and Paramount equipment. "We added
trackmasters and a lifecycle to address cardio-vascular workout needs," he said.
The Sheriff's Department has taken the inclusiveness philosophy a step further by sharing
its gym facilities with the district attorney's office, which helps the two organizations' working
relationship.
The Fitness Room
Fitness rooms are as varied as the agencies that house them. Departments need to first
figure out what the mission of the fitness program is and then make it consistent with the
philosophy of the department.
"Officers should have options in the fitness room. For example, he or she may want to opt
between free weights and gravity (push-ups and sit-ups). If they understand the principles
behind fitness training, then the route becomes clear," Reynolds said. He stressed that the
designated area should be referred to as the fitness room, not weight room.
Reynolds conducts training classes across the nation for officers who have many different
levels and types of fitness rooms at their disposal. The applicability of training principles
and testing standards are what all of them have in common.
Money for the Equipment
"We financed our gym with around $20,000 confiscated from defendants as a result of
proceeds from illicit activities," Thompson said of the South Brunswick Township fitness
room, which has a fairly impressive mixture of equipment. The room is adorned with fitness
charts on the walls, cable television and a CD player.
"In 1994 we got the attention of one of our county commissioners and $40,000 was
allocated in the budget," said Santa Fe County's Madrid. He said that the gym area is
approximately 50 feet long and 20 feet wide and has an AM/FM stereo CD player.
Plainsboro took a more modest approach. The department, with only 31 sworn officers, had
to compile resources from several sources to piece together its fitness room.
"A local gym went out of business and donated some padded floor mats and mirrors. The
PBA also kicked in multiple dumbbells from 20s up to 110 pounds," Bondurant said. The
department spent around $500 for additional mirrors.
Through such varied routes, the agency now has a respectable room outfitted with modified
Universal and stations for seated row, lat pulldown, flat and incline bench, triceps, seated
row and leg press machine.
Incentives
In the wake of legal challenges, some agencies have moved away from on-going mandatory
fitness testing to one that is incentive-based. This encourages use of the gym.
"Deputies are given time to work out during their meal break, at the shift commander's
discretion. Deputies assigned to SWAT are granted three hours per week on top
of their lunch hour," Madrid said.
In a similar vein, Thompson described South Brunswick's approach with the availability of a
45-minute meal break usable with the shift commander's approval. He said that the officer is
subject to recall although that rarely happens.
South Brunswick also has a voluntary test once a year; with higher results garnering as
much as 16 comp hours for fitness performance.
"Paramedics are present during the test and they assist by checking blood pressure,
resting pulse, pulse rate following the step test, and pulse rate recovery of each candidate.
The test includes mile and a half run or walk, bench press, sit-ups, and flexibility,"
Thompson said.
The Plainsboro department has had a testing program in place since 1978. Bondurant said
the township pays for an annual physical "worth a couple hundred dollars." Those who
score at a high percentile are given a bonus of $200 to $300.
"The test we use, from Fit Force and Dr. Thomas Collingwood, has four components. The
first is the mile and a half run or alternate one-mile walk during which we look at the volume
of oxygen. We also have timed sit-ups, timed pushups and sit and reach for flexibility," she
said.
Problems
As with any program, there are bound to be problems and challenges to overcome.
Thompson's advice to managers contemplating a fitness program and corresponding
fitness room is to have clear policies in place.
"Officers must follow manufacturers' instructions and have a training partner present at all
times. We also require them to notify communications when they start working out and when
they have completed using the room," he said.
Madrid said users of the Santa Fe gym have to sign in and out on a clipboard located on
the wall next to a list of simple gym rules.
"You have to watch for abuse of equipment. Our program has worked out well, although
in the beginning we lost a couple of bars," he said. He added that personnel using the room
are required to sign a liability waiver first. Liability is a recurring theme in police
management, and fitness rooms are no haven from that specter.
"The best approach is prevention. We tie the fitness program into an annual medical exam
offered by the Township's physician. We adhere to safety procedures for the use of the
equipment," Thompson said.
Plainsboro allows use of the room only when officers are off duty and they do so at their
own risk. The agency's concern is that an on duty injury will lead to a workman's comp
situation.
The Cooper Institute's Reynolds said that a bona fide fitness trainer certification alleviates a
bit of the liability concern. The knowledge that trainers take back to their respective
agencies prevents many of the problems and sets the officers on a path of holistic health.
Law enforcement administrators have realized the inherent value in having personnel that
are mentally and physically at their peak. Correspondingly, those drab rooms with a few
metal weight plates have found new life as centers for fitness and personal improvement.
Richard B. Weinblatt, a former officer, teaches criminal justice at South Piedmont
Community College in Polkton, NC.
Initially many managers focused on weightlifting, but the gym phase is the final step in a
holistic fitness program.
"Fitness makes sense for the officers, their employers and the public," said Elizabeth
Bondurant, a lieutenant with the Plainsboro (N.J.) Police Department who stressed the need
for a departmentally promulgated fitness push.
According to Roger D. Reynolds, associate director of the Cooper Institute for Aerobics
Research, "We are purists in our approach to law enforcement fitness."
Reynolds has been conducting fitness training for law enforcement and military personnel
since the early 1970s. "Our theory has been to get a good person in a leadership role, train
that person and have them bring the fitness philosophy back to the department," he said.
The failure rate hovers at 80 to 90 percent as officers lose interest when an agency does
little more than installing a gym, he said. "The 15 to 20 percent who stick with it after the
gym is put in are the same ones who worked out beforehand."
The Cooper Institute aims to get past what Reynolds described as the "ready, fire, aim"
fitness philosophy employed by some departmental gym aspirants. The gym becomes the
tangible symbol that the manager sets up without the seemingly invisible substance that
makes the fitness program a long-term success.
Benefits of Fitness
The benefits of implementing a fitness program in conjunction with the creation of a gym
are well known.
"Out of shape officers are prone to work related injuries, sick time and early retirement,"
Bondurant said. "The stresses of the job affect an officer's personal and professional life."
"We zeroed in on specific areas that are problems for officers such as back problems. The
inclusion of exercises and equipment geared towards those problems underscores our
proactive response," said South Brunswick Township's (NJ) Captain Frederick A. Thompson.
Tactically minded law enforcement executives and officers point to enhanced officer safety
benefits
accrued from having physically fit personnel.
Trainer Certification
Many departments report that the impetus for creating a departmental gym comes from
fitness oriented officers. The South Brunswick Township department sent two officers, Ed
George and Kevin Hughes, to a fitness and conditioning trainer certification course
presented by the Institute of Aerobics Research at the New Jersey State Police Academy at
Sea Girt, N.J.
"We pursued a holistic approach to fitness and health, and I advise other departments to
do the same," said Bondurant, who holds a B.S. degree in health and physical education
and a master's degree in criminal justice. She spearheaded the Plainsboro fitness push
and the department is now aligned with Fit Force's philosophies and standards.
The other end of the country is no different from the East Coast concerning its acquisition
of fitness trainer certifications en route to a departmental gym.
"Six or eight years ago, one of our deputies, Manuel Trujillo, researched the topic and went
for his physical fitness trainer certification. He helped design our departmental gym," Santa
Fe County Sheriff's Department Major Ron Madrid said.
Cooper Institute's Reynolds, who holds a master's degree in exercise physiology, said his
organization has a trainer certification course geared specifically to law enforcement.
Approximately 500 officers took the 40-hour "Physical Fitness Specialist" course last year.
Thousands of officers have garnered the established Coopers certification that is offered in
conjunction with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).
Reynolds said most of their trainer certification forays have been to state academy training
facilities, including those in Arizona, Florida and Idaho. A certification course is a necessary
component in creating a fitness leader and an environment conducive to physical fitness
training, he stressed.
Holistic Approach
Reynolds said many agencies are recognizing the need to expand beyond the "metal head"
gyms of yesteryear. He eschews the use of what he terms "pig metal" and proffers a
sophisticated integrated approach. The new name of the gym is fitness room.
"There is a movement towards functional fitness that can follow an officer throughout his
career. Departments have added more cardio-vascular stations such as treadmills,"
Reynolds said. It's a paradigm shift towards "lifestyle management."
Thompson spoke of changes to the gym on the department headquarters' second floor.
"Our original equipment was mostly free weights, benches and dumbbells. The gym has
evolved into a combination of the original with Universal equipment, abdomen and back
machine, Smith machine, life cycle, Stairmaster, Nordic Track and treadmill," he said.
Likewise, Major Madrid detailed Santa Fe County's addition of cardio equipment to its
impressive array of professional free weights and Paramount equipment. "We added
trackmasters and a lifecycle to address cardio-vascular workout needs," he said.
The Sheriff's Department has taken the inclusiveness philosophy a step further by sharing
its gym facilities with the district attorney's office, which helps the two organizations' working
relationship.
The Fitness Room
Fitness rooms are as varied as the agencies that house them. Departments need to first
figure out what the mission of the fitness program is and then make it consistent with the
philosophy of the department.
"Officers should have options in the fitness room. For example, he or she may want to opt
between free weights and gravity (push-ups and sit-ups). If they understand the principles
behind fitness training, then the route becomes clear," Reynolds said. He stressed that the
designated area should be referred to as the fitness room, not weight room.
Reynolds conducts training classes across the nation for officers who have many different
levels and types of fitness rooms at their disposal. The applicability of training principles
and testing standards are what all of them have in common.
Money for the Equipment
"We financed our gym with around $20,000 confiscated from defendants as a result of
proceeds from illicit activities," Thompson said of the South Brunswick Township fitness
room, which has a fairly impressive mixture of equipment. The room is adorned with fitness
charts on the walls, cable television and a CD player.
"In 1994 we got the attention of one of our county commissioners and $40,000 was
allocated in the budget," said Santa Fe County's Madrid. He said that the gym area is
approximately 50 feet long and 20 feet wide and has an AM/FM stereo CD player.
Plainsboro took a more modest approach. The department, with only 31 sworn officers, had
to compile resources from several sources to piece together its fitness room.
"A local gym went out of business and donated some padded floor mats and mirrors. The
PBA also kicked in multiple dumbbells from 20s up to 110 pounds," Bondurant said. The
department spent around $500 for additional mirrors.
Through such varied routes, the agency now has a respectable room outfitted with modified
Universal and stations for seated row, lat pulldown, flat and incline bench, triceps, seated
row and leg press machine.
Incentives
In the wake of legal challenges, some agencies have moved away from on-going mandatory
fitness testing to one that is incentive-based. This encourages use of the gym.
"Deputies are given time to work out during their meal break, at the shift commander's
discretion. Deputies assigned to SWAT are granted three hours per week on top
of their lunch hour," Madrid said.
In a similar vein, Thompson described South Brunswick's approach with the availability of a
45-minute meal break usable with the shift commander's approval. He said that the officer is
subject to recall although that rarely happens.
South Brunswick also has a voluntary test once a year; with higher results garnering as
much as 16 comp hours for fitness performance.
"Paramedics are present during the test and they assist by checking blood pressure,
resting pulse, pulse rate following the step test, and pulse rate recovery of each candidate.
The test includes mile and a half run or walk, bench press, sit-ups, and flexibility,"
Thompson said.
The Plainsboro department has had a testing program in place since 1978. Bondurant said
the township pays for an annual physical "worth a couple hundred dollars." Those who
score at a high percentile are given a bonus of $200 to $300.
"The test we use, from Fit Force and Dr. Thomas Collingwood, has four components. The
first is the mile and a half run or alternate one-mile walk during which we look at the volume
of oxygen. We also have timed sit-ups, timed pushups and sit and reach for flexibility," she
said.
Problems
As with any program, there are bound to be problems and challenges to overcome.
Thompson's advice to managers contemplating a fitness program and corresponding
fitness room is to have clear policies in place.
"Officers must follow manufacturers' instructions and have a training partner present at all
times. We also require them to notify communications when they start working out and when
they have completed using the room," he said.
Madrid said users of the Santa Fe gym have to sign in and out on a clipboard located on
the wall next to a list of simple gym rules.
"You have to watch for abuse of equipment. Our program has worked out well, although
in the beginning we lost a couple of bars," he said. He added that personnel using the room
are required to sign a liability waiver first. Liability is a recurring theme in police
management, and fitness rooms are no haven from that specter.
"The best approach is prevention. We tie the fitness program into an annual medical exam
offered by the Township's physician. We adhere to safety procedures for the use of the
equipment," Thompson said.
Plainsboro allows use of the room only when officers are off duty and they do so at their
own risk. The agency's concern is that an on duty injury will lead to a workman's comp
situation.
The Cooper Institute's Reynolds said that a bona fide fitness trainer certification alleviates a
bit of the liability concern. The knowledge that trainers take back to their respective
agencies prevents many of the problems and sets the officers on a path of holistic health.
Law enforcement administrators have realized the inherent value in having personnel that
are mentally and physically at their peak. Correspondingly, those drab rooms with a few
metal weight plates have found new life as centers for fitness and personal improvement.
Richard B. Weinblatt, a former officer, teaches criminal justice at South Piedmont
Community College in Polkton, NC.
| For contracting of articles, media commentary, or other matters, contact: richard@policearticles.com |
| policearticles.com home of published articles written by Richard B. Weinblatt |
Located just North of Orlando,
Florida, Richard B. Weinblatt
provides professional article
writing services and expert
commentary for the media on a
variety of criminal justice topics
Florida, Richard B. Weinblatt
provides professional article
writing services and expert
commentary for the media on a
variety of criminal justice topics
| FAST FACT "Reserve Reports" by Richard B. Weinblatt, a regular column in LAW AND ORDER: THE MAGAZINE FOR POLICE MANAGEMENT, ran for a decade (1991-2001). |
| FAST FACT Richard Weinblatt's March-April 1997 SHERIFF MAGAZINE article "Sheriffs Take on Rural Patrol Challenge" featured him on the cover. |
| FAST FACT The 250+ page book "Reserve Law Enforcement in the United States" by Richard B. Weinblatt, was published in 1993 |
This website contains criminal justice articles written by former Police Chief and Criminal Justice Professor/Police Academy Manager Richard B. Weinblatt |