As part of the recruitment process you will be required to take the police national Job Related Fitness Test to ensure you can undertake physically demanding tasks such as running, chasing suspects and handling police equipment. The test is demanding and you will need to start training as soon as you apply.

You can download a short video which gives a better of idea of what is expected of you. Here you will be able to see exactly what is expected of you.

Job Related Fitness Test
There are two parts to the test and they run in the following order and to the following standards:

Part 1 - Endurance
In this element you will be asked to run to and fro along a 15 metre track in time with a series of bleeps.

If you arrive at the end line before the bleep sounds you need to wait for the bleep before resuming running and adjust your speed. The timing between bleeps is slow at first but the bleep becomes faster as the test progresses and it becomes more difficult to keep up with the required speed.

You will run until you can no longer keep up with the set pace. You will need to reach a minimum of four shuttles at level 5 to pass.

Part 2 - Dynamic strength
Your dynamic strength will be assessed by the use of a equiptment called the Dyno machine. The test involves performing five seated chest pushes and five seated back pulls on the machine. The average force of the sum of the five pushes and the average force of the sum of the five pulls will be recorded.

Pushing
You will sit upright on the Dyno machine with your back firmly against the padding. Your feet must be flat on the floor with your knees at approximately 90 degrees. A firm grip is taken of the push bar with your hands level with the middle of your sternum. (The test administrator will make sure you are in the correct position.)

You will be asked to perform three warm-ups.
You will then be asked to perform five pushes at maximum effort with three seconds of recovery between each.
The average force produced during each effort will be displayed on the monitor and the average value of the five efforts will be displayed at the end of the set.

You will need an average of 34 kgs to pass.

Pulling
This time you will sit at the opposite end of the machine with your chest pushed against the padding. Your feet must be flat on the floor with your knees at approximately 90 degrees. A firm grip is taken of both pull handles with your hands level with the middle of your sternum. (The test administrator will ensure you are in the correct position.)

You will be asked to perform three warm-ups.
Then you will be asked to perform five pulls at maximum effort with three seconds of recovery between each.
The average force produced during each effort will be displayed on the monitor and the average value of the five efforts will be displayed at the end of the set.

You will need an average of 35 kgs to pass.

Fitness tips
It is advisable to start training as soon as you apply. If you don’t already have a fitness routine there are a few points that will help you start. By starting a personal health plan you should be able to achieve the results you require for passing the Job Related Fitness test.

Here are some steps to consider

1. Make a list of the lifestyle changes you believe are most important for your personal health
2. Make sure your goals are realistic, but also challenging. Try to set short term goals so that you can quickly see some results.
3. Specify a time limit. For example, ‘within two months I intend to lose ten pounds’
4. Keep a written record of your progress
5. Be specific. Don’t just say ‘I will start to walk more', but say ‘I will walk two miles three times a week for the next six weeks’.

Training
Before any form of exercise it is important to warm the body up to prepare it for the exercise that will follow. This will decrease the risk of injury. The activities performed during warm up should be relatively slow and rhythmical, such as light jogging or cycling.
Along with the physical exercise that you perform, adequate recovery time is important. Cooling down after exercise will help you to recover and prevent muscle soreness. Your cool down should consist of a light exercise which gradually decreases in intensity, combined with some gentle stretches particularly for the muscles that have just been worked.

The best way to improve your upper body strength is to perform resistance exercises using body weight, free weights or resistance machines. You can use weights and resistance machines at gyms or you can practise with press-ups.

To improve your strength with press-ups, your hands should be shoulder width apart and your arms vertical; your head fixed with eyes looking at the floor. Keep a straight body position throughout the action, making sure you go all the way down to touch your chest bone on the floor and then fully extend your arms on recovery. Try to breathe in as you push yourself up and breathe out as you lower yourself.

To improve your stamina you should take part in sporting activities which last 30 minutes or more and get you out of breath such as football, netball, squash.

You can also make rapid improvements by engaging in activities which create a large aerobic demand such as jogging, cycling, swimming and rowing. Try jogging for 20 minutes or more and as you improve, try to increase the distance covered in that time. Alternatively jog a set distance from home and back again and try to reduce the time taken to cover the distance.

You should exercise three times a week for 20 minutes but if you are not used to exercise you should start with gentle sessions lasting no more than 15 minutes.