Yes, the profession is mostly made up of "normal" people. That does not excuse you from training, and you can still be a high performer.
Key Takeaway
I received a comment on this Instagram post that I will address below:
The comment that jumped out to me, out of the many that were left, stated most police are the so called “Average Joe,” so basically we all need to excuse poor fitness or performance during events like this. To me that basically says it is acceptable to have out of shape officers or people that should not be cops anymore on the street. It’s not.
I say this as a former cop and as someone who is incredibly pro law enforcement. I know you all have an almost impossible job, you’re second guessed all the time, and most people have no idea what you deal with on a day to day basis. However, that still isn’t an excuse.
If you are the so called “normal” person...that just means you need to train. There is no shame in this. People without freak genetics or athleticism have performed well in austere environments since the beginning of time.
Last time I checked during World War II we didn’t have a bunch of freak professional athletes doing incredible things on the ocean, in the sky, or on the ground. The force was made up of mostly “normal” people training incredibly hard and performing under the worst conditions imaginable and coming out on top. And thank God they were there.
Raise yourself up to a much higher level through solid strength and conditioning programming, self defense/tactics, nutrition, and lifestyle choices. Your average genetics can be pushed well beyond where you think you can be. It will just require work and time.
Freak Athletes vs. Normal
Even if you are not physically gifted or an athletic freak you still have a ceiling that is much higher than you realize. If you’re choosing to enter the tactical realm, firefighting, or policing; you MUST train like you’re professional athlete. You need to be training in some capacity at least 5 days a week.
This doesn’t always mean marathon workouts. This can be 20-60 Minutes a day. More towards 60 when you have time, and more towards 20 when life is crazy. This leaves you two rest days that can “float” through your work week and can be applied for when you haven’t slept or you’re truly feeling burnt out. This concept is built into our programming because I do understand your schedules are hectic.
Now, this doesn’t mean you’re going to necessarily hit a 4.4 40-yard dash, 30 reps on 225, or be able to dunk a basketball, but you can certainly train yourself to be more than capable of doing these professions. Professions that you are choosing to sign up and do. Nobody is making you do this. If you decide to do this line of work it is your responsibility to take care of yourself.
Are some people in these jobs freak athletes? Yes, and many of them still work hard to better themselves. If they don’t and still hold muscle, strength, and fitness…well…then they are extremely lucky and that is just life. Still not an excuse for you.
With proper training you can be stronger and have much better endurance than the average adult male. If you aren’t stronger than you need to be more skilled, more fit, and have the training to be confident. The world doesn’t have weight classes. The world isn’t fair. It just is.
Mindset
Now, is this really a true “professional athlete” schedule? No, but there is a mindset and a routine that comes along with what I am describing. Your training, diet, and recovery all should have a purpose. For athletes it’s game day. For you it needs to be the profession. The foot pursuit. The fight in the dark with a suspect with a stack of warrants. Having the endurance to run up a flight of stairs and then having the capability of starting and maintaining CPR on someone who just needs a bit more time before the ambulance arrives.
Now some people in this profession might not even want to respond to an event or call like I am describing. With this mindset I am not sure why you’re in the profession...but OK...the reality is this event might find you. Being ready should be part of the deal if you wear a uniform. If this doesn’t sound appealing you should find something else to do.
Closing
I am one of the most pro first responder human beings you could meet. I understand the job does not pay well, the hours are terrible, and depending on what is going on in society you’re either hated or loved. It is often a thankless job, but it can also be incredibly rewarding.
If you decide to do work in this realm, then when you fuel yourself with food, water, supplements, or sleep…it all has to be floating in the back of your mind that this is for performance. Performance on the street, during the structure fire, or God forbid the battlefield.
Nobody forced you into this, whether you’re an “Average Joe” or if you just missed going to the NFL. Your training, body composition, and skills are your responsibility. If you don’t want it to be then there are a lot of other respectable professions out there that you can do.
Questions? Reach Out.
