CASE STUDY
Increasing Recruit Capability with a Pre-Academy Physical Fitness Program
Whether you’re an individual looking to get hired or the organization that’s doing the recruiting, there’s no denying that if recruits haven’t physically prepared for the academy, they’re not likely to make it through.
Over 75% of the adult population in America is not getting getting enough exercise. If we do the math, that means that 3 out of 4 recruits are showing up to their training academy without a solid physical fitness foundation. That means that the money organizations spend on recruiting them is at risk because they are likely to get injured and prematurely dropout of the training academy.
If you’re a recruit: Don’t be that guy or gal! Get your physical fitness up to par before you go to the academy!
If you’re an organization: You’re wasting a ton of money! Next time you recruit new folks, set them up for success by providing them with a pre-academy physical fitness plan.
Officers who are physically fit are more confident about their ability to handle a job, make better decisions about which level of force is appropriate to a situation, and it helps them relax and suffer less stress (Moore, 2006).
The Problem
Mutiple departments (law enforcement and fire) were experiencing a recruit shortage due to individuals’ inability to pass initial physical fitness tests. Of those recruits that were able to pass and make it into the training academy, they were physically unfit and unable to perform the duties of the job, which was leading to quality candidates with good character and high trainability to wash out of training.
- A general lack of knowledge related to hiring requirements and effective fitness program within the recruiting pool was causing fewer individuals to apply.
- Low physical fitness capabilities upon entering the academy was causing high injury rates (multiple instances of rhabdo; muscle strains and sprains).
- High dropout and recycle rates during the academy due to injuries.
A study exploring the relationship between physical fitness and firefighter ability showed that cardiovascular and muscular endurance were the strongest predictors for better performance on fire-ground activities while wearing heavy, cubersome personal protective equipment. (Chizewski et al., 2021).
Our Solution
The implementation of a pre-academy physical fitness and mental training program for prospective law enforcement and firefighter recruits. Recruits accessed their 8-week personalized training program from their mobile device and met with their dedicated Precision Edge Performance Coach once time per week
The Outcome
Recruits safely built a strong physical fitness foundation prior to attending their training academy, which enabled them to keep up with the physical fitness training demands without risking overtraining or overuse injuries. Because individuals engaged in mental training purposefully layered into their physical workouts, recruits entered the academy with increased confidence, mental toughness, and increased determination compared to their peers.
The Takeaways
Here are three key things you need to know when it comes to implementing a pre-academy physical fitness and mental training program:
Be intentially comprehensive. There are many facets of physical fitness that must be developed for success in the academy: strength, endurance, stamina, and mobility/flexibility. These are all equally important and must be equally trained. Many personal training programs have “cookie cutter” programming and leave out the functional aspects of law enforcement and firefighter occupational requirements, which leaves recruits without the foundational skills they need to perform the duties of the job.
Build a foundation first. It is totally okay to push recruits and trainees to their physical and mental limits. In fact, we encourage it! But do it safely. Don’t risk losing quality recruits to injury. Help them build a solid physical fitness foundation prior to high physical training loads in the academy.
Individually tailored. Every individual recruit needs a unique combination of physical and mental training components. Design training that is tailored to the individual while simultaneously alleviating burden on the instructor cadre. This will give the instructors a pool of recruits with a reliable fitness foundation from the start so they can spend more time mentoring them into high-quality professionals.
DO IT!
Interested in Precision Edge’s pre-academy physical fitness and mental training program?