LawFit Fitness Leadership Curriculum Overview

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To enhance instruction, every session has an associated activity component, which allows officers to apply in a practical manner the concepts that they are learning.  This hands-on, experiential approach motivates fitness leaders in the LawFit® Program to lead by example and reinforces the fact that any successful fitness program must have the active support of senior management.

Day One

Session 1

8:00 – 9:45 am
Officers and Physical Fitness

INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION

Introduction to the training school:

  1. Organization and schedule for the week
  2. Staff objectives
  3. Defining the components of fitness
  4. Legal aspects of a physical fitness program for officers
  5. The pre-hire screening process

Session 2

10:00 – Noon ACTIVITY SESSION

During this session participants will complete a battery of health and fitness assessments.

  1. Height
  2. Weight
  3. Blood Pressure
  4. Resting Heart Rate
  5. Determination of Percent Body Fat: to analyze body composition.
    1. Bioelectrical impedance
    2. Skinfold measurement
  6. Push-up Test: to measure upper body muscular endurance
  7. 1-Minute Sit-Up Test:  to measure abdominal muscular endurance
  8. Sit and Reach Test:  to measure hamstring and low-back flexibility
Noon – 1:30 p.m. Lunch

Session 3

1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Interpreting and Applying Assessment Information: Flexibility

INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION

This session includes:

  1. Do’s and don’ts of stretching exercises
  2. Importance of stretching in warm-up routines
  3. Physiological factors related to stretching

ACTIVITY SESSION

This session acquaints participants with activities designed to develop, maintain and improve flexibility including:

  1. Static stretching regimens
  2. Warm-up routines
  3. Stretching to avoid injuries
  4. Trainer-assisted isolated stretching
3:00 – 3:30 p.m. Break/Questions & Answers

Session 4

3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Interpreting and Applying Assessment Information:
Cardiovascular Fitness

INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION

  1. Anatomical and physiological considerations of the circulatory and respiratory systems
  2. Exercise and heart disease
  3. Protocols for taking blood pressure

ACTIVITY SESSION

  1. Evaluation of aerobic capacity
  2. Determination of training heart rates
  3. Safety considerations in aerobic fitness
  4. 1.5-Mile Run/ Walk:  to measure cardiorespiratory efficiency
  5. Warm-down and stretching

Day 2

Session 5

8:00 – Noon Interpreting and Applying Assessment Information: Muscular Strength and Endurance

In this session staff will discuss:

  1. Anatomical and physiological factors related to the development, improvement, and maintenance of both muscular strength and endurance
  2. The application of muscular strength and muscular endurance in the performance of policing duties
  3. Interpretation of measures of muscular endurance and strength
  4. Introduction of the overload principle

ACTIVITY SESSION

This session will acquaint participants with activities designed to develop and maintain muscular strength and endurance including:

  1. One-Repetition Maximum Bench Press:  to measure upper body strength
  2. Pull-Up Test and/or Lat Pull-downs: to measure upper body muscular endurance
  3. Review of the LawFit® Basic Five:
    1. Bench Press
    2. Lat Pull-Downs
    3. Shoulder Press
    4. Bicep Curls
    5. Shoulder Shrugs
  4. Leg training and strength development
    1. Squats
    2. Leg Press
    3. Leg Extensions
    4. Leg Curls
    5. Calf Raises
Noon – 1:30 p.m. Lunch

Session 6

1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Interpreting and Applying Assessment Information and Results: Body Composition, Blood Pressure, Resting Heart Rate, and Fitness Test Scoring

INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION

In this session staff will discuss:

  1. Interpretation of measures of body fat
  2. Measurement of height and weight- (Calculation of Body Mass Index (BMI)
  3. The importance of blood pressure and resting heart rate as indicators of cardiovascular health
  4. Using the LawFit scoring system to determine levels of fitness
3:00 – 3:15 p.m. Break

Session 7

3:15 – 5:00 p.m.
Law Officer Fitness Assessments		 ACTIVITY SESSION

Staff will assist participants in conducting physical assessment tests on one another. The purpose of this session is to refine the measurement and evaluation skills of fitness leaders.

  1. Skin fold measurement
  2. Blood pressure
  3. Bioelectrical impedance
  4. Heart Rate monitoring

Day Three

Session 8

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Work Performance Testing, Pre-hire Screening, and Special                 Operations Team Selection		 INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION

  1. Discussion of the job task analysis process in the development of the Virginia Law Enforcement Work Performance Test
  2. Job-related pre-hire screening
  3. Utilizing fitness and work performance tests in the selection of special operations team members

ACTIVITY SESSION

This session is designed to acquaint fitness leaders with a variety of options for developing work related screening tests for their departments.

  1. The Virginia Law Enforcement Work Performance Test
  2. Work Performance Test variations
    1. Handcuffing
    2. Target acquisition & shooting accuracy
10:15 a.m. – Noon
Nutrition and Weight Control for Officers		 INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION

In this session staff will discuss:

  1. Diet and Nutrition
  2. Weight Control and Hypertension
  3. The role of exercise in weight control

ACTIVITY SESSION

  1. Nutrition and Physical Performance
  2. Food Labeling for Better Nutrition
  3. Eating Well – Eating Right
Noon – 1:30 p.m. Lunch

Session 9

1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Prevention and Treatment of Exercise-Induced Injuries		 INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION

  1. Common injuries associated with conditioning programs
  2. Care and treatment of exercise-induced injuries
  3. Exercise in environmental extremes

ACTIVITY SESSION

Participants will preview state-of-the-art fitness and training equipment as well as the modalities which are used by athletic trainers and physical therapists to rehabilitate injuries.
3:00 – 3:15 p.m. Break/Questions & Answers

Session 10

3:15 – 5:00 p.m.
Promoting Optimum Health: Motivational and Reinforcement Strategies		 INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION

  1. Goal Setting
  2. Getting Started
  3. Support Systems
  4. Program Compliance
  5. Incentives and Rewards

ACTIVITY SESSION

This session will be used to answer questions about materials and activities that were introduced.  Program staff will summarize salient aspects of the program briefly.

  1. Evaluation of the LawFit® Leadership Program
  2. Awarding of Fitness Leader Certificates