Law Enforcement Fitness Exam page

[emaichbe03]

Hey everyone,

I've been following the PB lifestyle for the past 5 weeks and I've been very happy with the results.

One item of concern is the suggestion to not participate in "chronic cardio". I'm completely on board with the logic on that one, but I have a Law Enforcement Fitness exam coming up in the next few months and it requires a 2-mile run.

This is technically an "update" physical fitness test - meaning that I've already successfully completed this fitness exam once in the past. My training for that fitness exam definitely consisted of chronic cardio, which made me miserable, but helped me score pretty well on the exam.

So my question is this: Should I still implement some 2-mile runs into my workout schedule to keep fresh on it? Any other suggestions training wise for this part of the exam?

In case anybody asks, I already do strength training in the form of pushups, squats, pullups, hand-stand push ups, etc. (I've been following "Convict Conditioning" - sounds cheesy, but it's pretty good). I also do sprints 1x/week, 45-minute walks 3x/week, and train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2x/week.

Thanks for any help!

[Ajax]

2 miles isn't that long. Chronic cardio refers to exercise which keeps your heart rate elevated for a long time (over 30 min, at least 3-4 times a week). 2 miles shouldn't take you 30 minutes, I imagine? I don't think it would count as chronic cardio.

[primalrob]

definitely not chronic cardio. throw in a couple of runs during the week if you want. i recommend 3 miles however...that way, your 2-mile test will feel easy.
of course, this is if you want to. it sounds like you're pretty fit. you could probably just go do your test and hit 2 miles in whatever time they're looking for without working too hard.

[emaichbe03]

thanks very much for the quick responses Ajax and primalrob, I will definitely throw in some 2-mile runs now. the run doesn't take me 30 minutes - more around the 15 minute mark.

also, thanks for the clarification on chronic cardio. after reading the Primal Blueprint, I was never 100% certain on the "gray area" of chronic cardio. i guess that I thought any running (w/ the exception of sprints) was not advisable.

[profdjj]

I do two 4-mile runs and a 7-mile run each week. I just make sure that my heart rate stays nice and low.

[Coach Palfrey]

I agree that a 2 mile run is not chronic cardio. I disagree with adding volume to the schedule though. You'll get better results with a couple of faster 1 mile runs than adding more distance and reducing your overall speed. Quality and not quantity is the sure fire way to avoid chronic cardio.

[js290]

One item of concern is the suggestion to not participate in "chronic cardio". I'm completely on board with the logic on that one, but I have a Law Enforcement Fitness exam coming up in the next few months and it requires a 2-mile run.

BODY BY SCIENCE - THE “CARDIO” CONNECTION »

[NutMeg]

I agree with Coach. You don't need to run longer. I have a 1.5 mile run for my fitness test and generally never run farther than 1.5 miles unless someone makes me. I do 1 mile and then half a mile of sprint intervals. It helped me take almost a mintue off my run in just 6 months, only doing that 1 time per week.

I want to take 1:30 off for my next test, so I will do running twice a week over the summer.

[Ideal Peace]

I'm a big guy (250 currently), however I find that doing more sets of sprints and intervals has improved my 1.5mi times significantly, more so than "chronic" cardio or long jogs. I do sprints in 200-400m in vibrams.

[emaichbe03]

thanks again for the discussion on this.

i'm not a believer in adding volume either (no offense to original poster).

i recall reading an article about olympic boxers and their training routines. olympic boxers fight in 2-minute rounds, but as a method of training, some sparred in 3-minute rounds. i believe their trainers found that sparring these 3-minute rounds actually lowered the boxers overall intensity while sparring, which was counter to the original intent.

shorter overall duration in boxing rounds compared to running, but i thought the story still had some merit.

plus i'm too lazy to run 3-miles....