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The Brain and The Impossible...

Some time ago, I came across a fitness challenge on social media that led to me putting 135 lbs on a barbell and squatting for max reps in one set. I got 55 reps, and, as a 155 lb dude, felt somewhat accomplished. The following week, I attempted the exact same trial (135 lb back squat for max reps); this time, I was able to perform 80 reps, a 45% increase. How was this possible in such a short time, with no notable changes in diet, training, or other factors?

This challenge opened up a discussion on the mental aspect of physical training amongst the Effective Fitness Training team. During text discussion (immediately after my first attempt at this trial) with the EFT crew, I typed the following:

“I had more but I think I gave myself a mental release once I hit 55. I didn’t know what to expect; think if I had told myself 65 was a bare minimum acceptable count, I would have gotten there.”

Free...

What is Concurrent Training and why is it required for LE and other first responders?

Concurrent training is when multiple energy systems are trained simultaneously, ie: training for strength gains and endurance (aerobic) gains at the same time.

It has been a big hype in the fitness world that you should NOT train those two things at the same time due to utilizing the energy systems required to train each individually would hinder gains for the other one. This is known as the Interference Effect. The Interference Effect is the negative impact aerobic endurance training can have on gains in strength, power/speed, and hypertrophy.

The current data suggests 3 major things:

1. We should do our strength training and your aerobic training on completely separate days
2. That if we are going to train both on the same day, do it at least 6 hours apart
3. If we are going to train them at the same time (same session), do the strength training first and the endurance...

One of the most common questions we get asked is,

“How do I become a better shooter?”

From our firearms instructors on the EFT Team, our answer is always along the lines of “Consistent, Intentional Dry Fire.”

Just as fitness is the foundation for survival and requires consistent, intentional reps in the weight room, dry fire is the foundation upon which all shooting skills can be built.  From precision rifle (PR) to pistol shooting and everything in between, dry fire, dry fire, dry fire will help you see results.  Shooters like Ben Stoeger, JJ Racaza and Rob Leatham all attribute much of their success to properly applied dry fire.

Safety warning: It is important to have a dedicated dry fire area, sanitized of any live rounds!

Free Download - 5 Dry Fire Drills for Police Officers to Train Daily

CONSISTENT

Our biggest piece of advice for finding consistency in a dry fire routine...

On a day to day basis, police officers around the world are lugging around 20-50lbs of gear on their body via their duty belt and/or outer carriers.

As you know, this is a necessary evil; officers need to be prepared for endless potential incidents, but this added weight can take a toll physically on the body and its structures/tissues, as well as impacting the officer’s mobility, speed, agility, coordination, heart rate, reaction time, V02 max, memory and cognitive function during operational tasks.

The good news is that we can optimize our body and brain to better handle this excess weight. Body composition and body fat percentage both play a huge role in load carriage ability. Having adequate strength, aerobic fitness and lean mass with a lower body fat content will improve your ability to carry external loads for long periods of time. This is known as Load Carriage Optimization. 

In this article, we will be reviewing the Top 4 Reasons Cops...

The majority of our Effective Fitness Team Members have endured the brutal night shift at some point in their career. The "night shift" is often referred to as dogwatch, graveyard, and midnights.

How can we make the best of it?

From experience, we have found some essential tools and tricks that have helped us stay healthy, both physically and mentally.

This article will break down these Night Shift Hacks in hopes of helping other officers around the world own the fact that working in the dark is probably one of the toughest things to do, but someone has to do it.

SLEEP

The most important aspect of working odd hours is a healthy sleep regimen.  Most folks are not used to sleeping during the day and staying up all night.  It takes time for your body to adjust to a different sleep schedule.  Especially if you’ve had a somewhat normal sleep schedule for 15-20 years before you work your first night shift schedule.

We have always...

Grip is an essential strength and skill for Law Enforcement Officers.

To state the obvious, an adequate level of grip strength and grip endurance is needed for many situations that cops face on the job, such as hands on encounters, shooting a handgun or rifle, and picking up and/or carry people or other heavy objects.

What is less known and understood by many is the health advantages that come along with grip strength. We will break these down in this article along with 4 major reasons that having a strong grip is an advantage to the LE Professional.

1) Shooting 

Whether it's a handgun, or a rifle, using a firearm safely and effectively requires solid grip strength.

Trigger pull takes a level of grip strength in itself. But managing recoil, gripping and applying pressure to the gun leading to more accurate shots is another. Grip is one of the most important components of accurate shooting. 

In one recent study done with a...

As Law Enforcement Officers, we know that most of us have the following in common...

Time is limited due to the nature of the profession. Long shifts, night shifts, rotating shifts, mandatory overtime, working holidays and weekends, inconsistent schedules, etc.

These things can make getting to the gym on a consistent basis more difficult.

We also know that staying healthy and maintaining or improving your physical abilities can add up to a lot of time (and money) invested.

With that being said, it is an absolutely essential investment, because nothing else matters if you do not have your health.

Finding a way to keep yourself physically prepared for job duties, having personal time to improve and work on you and your health, and time for some "iron therapy" couldn't be a more necessary component of your life.

ENTER - Home Gym Essentials Giveaway - LEARN MORE

Common Excuses For Cops to Not Train

Either you've heard these before... or you have used...