NSCA TSAC REPORT ISSUE 04

JANUARY 2008

Training Ideas for

Group Physical Training
Kevin T. Chimento, MEd CSCS

he Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has made changes to

its strength and conditioning program. The changes emphasize training that not only is effective for passing a physical training test, but also effective in handling the physical and mental
stresses a special agent may encounter. In a climate and culture
that is resistant to change, we have succeeded in implementing an
innovative approach to group physical training.
During the 22 week new agent program, there are three physical
training assessments. If a new agent fails any one of these tests,
they are required to attend remedial physical training sessions
three times per week. These workouts are termed Power PT to
emphasize the type of exercise and intensity level that is expected
during these workouts. The Power PT program is also open to all
new agent trainees and FBI academy staff. The class size ranges
between 25 and 100 participants.
The old Power PT program consisted of performing push-ups,
pull-ups, sit-ups followed by a distance run. We believed that
this traditional type of training was not the best program that we
could offer to maximize tactical job-related performance as well as
maximize performance on our physical training test.
Since this is a large group exercise program, it is difficult to utilize
our weight room during these Power PT sessions. We are fortunate to have a large gymnasium to where the Power PT program is
conducted. Since the Power PT class lasts approximately one hour,
we incorporate power, strength, speed, agility, aerobic and anaerobic exercises in a circuit format. This enables us to perform a large
amount of physical training in a short time period. We believe that
this program effectively trains the same energy systems that the special agent will utilize during their career in law enforcement.
From our experience, we have found that adding a power exercise
into a series of exercises quickly improves the work capacity of
the anaerobic energy system. Some power exercises that we utilize
are jump squats, split jumps, skater hops, and the medicine ball
chest throw against a wall. An example of a series of exercises we
perform is jump squats, front lunges, 25 meter sprints, cariocas,
rope pull-ups, medicine ball push-ups, and medicine ball seated
rotations. All exercises are performed for 10 20 repetitions, except the sprint and carioca, which is performed for 25 meters. This
series is performed for 10 minutes, followed by a break, and then
another five minutes of the series is performed.

FBI

We are also incorporating exercises that require the new agents to

bear their own body weight throughout the workout. Typically
we have stations that the new agents rotate through during their
workout. Instead of the new agents running to the next station,
we have them perform crab walks, low crawls, bear crawls, duck
walks, etc. in order to rotate to the next station. This increases the
physical demand of the workout because there is practically no
rest between the stations. This also helps improve motor coordination which is essential for the tactical athlete. We believe that
in being a tactical athlete one should be able to physically handle
their body weight. The primary question that we ask is If one
cannot handle their own body weight, how can they handle their
own plus someone elses body weight? This situation may occur
whenever the tactical athlete is in a physical confrontation.
Another programming point that we have found successful is to
incorporate short, intense bursts of anaerobic activity into a resistance training circuit. We like to incorporate 10 30 second
maximal intensity sprints on aire-dynes, slide boards, mountain
climbers, and box steps. These intense bursts have been proven
to not only develop anaerobic endurance but aerobic endurance
as well (1). These short intervals allow us to incorporate a lot of
activity in a short time frame. We believe that this programming
method is more specific to the tactical athlete than the traditional
separation of aerobic exercise from resistance training.
My hope in writing this article is to demonstrate that there are
alternatives to the standard group exercise programs followed by
some law enforcement academies. I further encourage instructors
of tactical athletes to explore new ideas and techniques in order
to improve our learning community leading to the best possible
instruction given to our everyday heroes.
1

Burgomaster, K.A., Hughs, Scott C., Heigenhauser, George J.F.,

Bradwell, Suzanne N., and Gibala, Martin J. Six sessions of sprint
interval training increases muscle oxidative potential and cycle
endurance capacity in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology.
98, 1985 1990. 2005.

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