READ: "Physical Adaptations"

The latest fitness article published by the Illinois Tactical Officers Association is now online.

• "Physical Adaptations"
• by Louis Hayes

This essay discusses some of the different ways we cause and experiences changes in our body -- both positive and negative.

I regularly contribute to the quarterly ITOA News journal with fitness articles geared toward police officers. The entire online library with physical fitness articles written by TJ Cooper, Brian Melvin, and me are here and always in the link in the right column >>>>>>>>>>

Climbing

Climbing is a skill rarely mentioned or tested in the law enforcement world. The ability to quickly climb over walls, fences, vehicles or other objects is hardly a rare occurrence in the life of a patrol officer. Although this may not be true in your profession, climbing remains one of those functional skills requisite to overall fitness.

Besides - It's just plain fun.

Training can take the form of rope climbs, wall hurdles, muscle-ups or rope ladders. Climbing around the local playground equipment certainly qualifies. One of the benefits of being a parent is having an excuse to climb up, over and around the playground equipment at the local park.

Dropping by an indoor rock climbing facility is a great way to mix up your training regimen. Most gyms have daily climbing rates, usually in the area of $12-$20. Vertical Endeavors in Warrenville, Illinois has one of the best indoor climbing facilities in the nation. In addition to increasing grip strength, endurance and balance, rock climbing allows you to gain confidence and faith in your equipment and enhances your mental ability to control discomfort and fear.

For those with spare garage space - consider mounting a climbing rope or hanging a rope ladder at home. I have both, and usually find occasion to utilize them in a workout at least once a week.
The rope, with mounting hardware, costs somewhere in the area of $ 150.

The rope ladder, manufactured by Yates, is completely portable and a great piece of tax-deductible dual-use equipment for work. The 8 foot "Pocket Ladder" costs around $ 140.

Rock Rings are the latest piece of gear added to my gym. They are billed as a great way to build hand and finger strength for hanging and pulling. I'll be breaking them in this week.

A few tips when training at home.
-Wear boots when climbing the rope multiple times (Tommy V anyone?).
-Use gloves with the rope ladder.
-Don't fall.
-Use padding on the ground and ensure the climbing apparatus is properly secured and backed up.

Variations are plentiful, ranging from climbing with no legs, L-climbs, and climbing upside down.
If you wear heavy armor or bunker gear for work - climb with it. The time to get comfortable is now.

Injuries and Operational Readiness

I recently sat in on a Police Kinesiology Company (PKCO) seminar at the Illinois Tactical Officers Association. This was the same seminar mentioned a few entries back. The instructors provided an overview of "police specific" training. Many interesting ideas were presented in a very professional manner.

One topic really hit home, and it is an issue often overlooked in all types of training (functional training included).

Working Injured.

We have all gone to work injured. Most of us train injured, simply because we either cannot or will not stop training. The more I dwell on this topic, the more I realize how important, and understated, it is. This is especially true for those of us who rely on fitness to carry out our everyday duties.

This may seem to be an obvious truth to most, but think back. How many times have you shocked your system with a few too many airsquats, resulting in an inability to walk down stairs or quickly exit your vehicle? How often have you strained your back, making a squat or quick turn painful or impossible to complete? I am not alone in saying I have done both, several times.

As many of us are pushing our physical limitations with a variety of functional exercises and programs, don't lose sight of why we are working out. Don't be afraid to scale the workouts you see on the CrossFit mainpage, Prison Workout, etc. Setting personal records is great, but it should not be done at the expense of operational readiness.

SSG Robert Miller Memorial Workout - Preparation

Rob was truly one of our nation's best and brightest. His sacrifice will not be forgotten. For those of you joining us in this tribute on April 19, I commend your warrior spirit and motivation.

It is safe to assume that most, if not all of you are in decent physical condition. To those who subscribe to warrior fitness (i.e. CrossFit, Gym Jones and other functional fitness programs), "Murph" is a workout you have either inadvertently trained for or a challenge you have already accepted as a Workout of the Day. For everyone else, the workload of a full Murph may seem devastating and impossible. Here are a few training tips which may help you complete the challenge in a respectable time while maintaining normal functional use of your legs for the days after:

-Practice Air Squats!! Air squats sound simple. They even feel easy in low numbers, that is, until the next few days when your legs ache miserably and you feel uneasy standing, walking or climbing stairs. Simply allowing the legs to adapt to high repetition air squats through a few weeks or regular training will help your event and recovery time.

-Develop a game plan. Most CrossFit workouts are designed to overload the muscle groups being trained. Attacking the workout without a partitioning plan will almost certainly lead to exhaustion and muscle failure early in the game. Partitioning the pullups, pushups and squats into manageable numbers will provide each muscle group with recovery time between sets. One of the most common partitions follows the "Cindy" WOD:
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats
(Twenty Sets)
This allows each system (leg strength, pushing and pulling) recovery time and may allow you to roll through the entire workout without prolonged rest periods. The partition can be changed as needed as the workout progresses.

-Roll at your own pace. For many people, this workout is about finishing a seemingly insurmountable physical challenge. Push yourself as hard as you can, but remember you are only competing against yourself. This does not apply to those of you who are shooting for sub 40 minute times!!!!

I hope to see you at the Memorial!!