NCJ Number
172037
Journal
Law Enforcement Trainer Volume: 12 Issue: 6 Dated: (November/December 1997) Pages: 38-40,61
Date Published
1997
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a successful program of push-up training designed to help police officers improve their upper body strength and endurance.
Abstract
Thirty-three police employees (20 females and 13 males) volunteered to participate in a 6-week physical training program designed to improve push-up performance and ultimately body strength and endurance. The participants were primarily office workers who spend most of their working time sitting at a computer. Training was conducted three times weekly (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) for 6 weeks. Each training session included push-ups and resistance training using a multistation resistance machine and free weights. All of the training was progressive; both the intensity and duration of the training increased from one week to the next. The training sessions were completed in 10 to 15 minutes, and they could have been conducted without special equipment. Eighty-five percent of the participants completed the program. For all participants, push-up performance improved significantly during the program. For males, the number of push-ups increased from 33.8 repetitions on the pretest to 49.7 on the post-test. For females, performance increased from 10.1 repetitions on the pretest to 24.8 on the posttest. It is apparent that participation in a 6-week improvement program using push-ups can significantly improve upper body strength and endurance for both males and females. 3 tables