That’s what I’ve heard from so many Cadets at the end of their time training at Depot. They’ve been forced to run consistently for the last six and a half months. They didn’t want to run but it was a training requirement. Despite their best efforts, they became better runners. Whether you enjoy it or not, consistency will make you better. They could run 5k with a decent time, they could run 8-1ok at a time as well. But they still didn’t see themselves as runners and therefore hated every step. Then at the end of training after completing the benchmark 5k so many Cadets would say some form of “I’m never running again.” Because they were only running out of obligation, of course they would stop as soon as they could. You would think police officers would want to be able to run pretty well to be ready for foot pursuits, but unfortunately fitness is tragically undervalued on the frontline. For a lot of Mounties, their fitness is at its peak when they leave Depot.
I had a conversation about this on a training course recently. Why don’t Members keep on top of their fitness throughout their career? Aside from the obvious things people mention like being too busy or too tired, I think there is one glaring issue. For a lot of Members the only formalized fitness training they have is from when they were at Depot and were forced to follow instructions and do whatever workouts they were told to do. In my opinion, Depot doesn’t spend enough teaching the fundamentals of fitness and nutrition that explain why certain exercises or training styles are important. You’re given the workouts, brief demonstrations, and told to do them. And then once or twice a week you have PT during your workday where you just follow the plan for the day. That sure doesn’t sound all that fun, nor does it sound like a good way to build long term habits.
While there are certainly fitness standards that all members need to meet, there are many ways to prepare yourself to achieve those standards. Fitness training is not a “one size fits all” activity. There is no one type of exercise that is “right.” But there is a “right” type for each individual. All police officers need to train, it’s part of their job. But they don’t all need to train the same way.
The key to success in anything when it comes to fitness is consistency. Consistency is found by doing something you enjoy and are willing to do repeatedly for a long time. Instead of picking a workout plan you dread doing, think of what exercises you do enjoy and find a way to build around that. You still must work hard, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.
