I love quantifiable goals, metrics, and standards. Shooting tests – like the Wilson 5×5 Skills Test – really appeal to me because of clear ranking system. As a cadet at a local police academy I was introduced to an interesting physical fitness test. The Cooper Law Enforcement Standards measures several aspects of physical ability, and puts you into a percentile based on your age bracket. If you need a physical fitness goal and have no idea where to start, check out the Cooper Standard for Law Enforcement Physical Assessment, explained below.
Cooper Law Enforcement Standards
The Cooper Law Enforcement Standards is used by many law enforcement agencies across the United States. A quick Google search shows it is used by small municipal agencies up through state police agencies. The test standards vary somewhat; while some use all of the criteria, some don’t. Some require minimums on all of the metrics, while some just use it as a general assessment. The Cooper Law Enforcement Standards tests the following metrics:
- Dynamic Strength: max pushups in one minute
- Dynamic Strength: max sit-ups in one minute
- Cardio-respiratory fitness: 1.5-mile run
- Anaerobic fitness: 300M run
- Explosive Power: vertical jump test
- Absolute strength: bench press
The results of each test are based on your age group (20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60+). These results are then categorized into a percentile. For example, if you are 40-49 and do 48 pushups in 1 minute, you are in the 95th percentile. These percentiles are then broken out into more subjective categories: Superior, Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, and Very Poor. Anything falling outside of the “Superior” category is strong motivation to improve! The full chart, minus the bench press†, is available HERE (opens to PDF).
To be clear I don’t think this is the absolute best test in the world. Consistent with the theme of this blog, however it does represent a general level of fitness. You can’t ONLY be a runner or ONLY work on your bench press. You have to have to be fit in several domains. If you don’t already have a clear-cut physical fitness goal, this is a good place to start.
My Results and Goal
I have lacked a clear-cut physical fitness goal for a while. Since taking the initial Cooper test in my academy, I was intrigued with the clear-cut “levels” and percentiles. While my and the results were not terrible, they also weren’t great. My results were as follows:
- Dynamic Strength: 48 pushups (95th Percentile, Superior)
- Dynamic Strength: 37 situps (75th Percentile, Good)
- Cardio-respiratory fitness, 1.5-mile run: 12:47 (70th Percentile, Good)
- Anaerobic fitness, 300M run: 61 seconds (70th Percentile, Good)
- Explosive Power, vertical jump test: 22 inches (99th Percentile, Superior)
- Absolute strength, bench press: 155 pounds (91st percentile, Good)
As you can see I did well in a couple categories but only middling in most. Thankfully I was at least a “good” on each category, but I’m not content with that. I have six more months of the academy (though, but the time this publishes I will have around five months). In that time my goal is to improve my scores across the board.
I want to be in at least the 95th percentile in all categories for Males aged 40-49, a solid “Superior” across the board. But I’ll go a bit further than that…I would love to be at least in the 95th percentile for people 20-29 – physically stronger and faster than most males in their 20s. I don’t know if that’s a realistic goal or not in six months, but that’s where I’d like to end up.
My Challenge to YOU
My challenge to you is simple: run the Cooper Law Enforcement Standards and see where you stand. Unless you’re in the 99th percentile across the board, you have some room for improvement (if you are, find another, more challenging test). Choose a category to improve, and get to work! Try to bring all your standards up to at least a “Good” (which will put you above average) or better. Then keep going!
A goal without a plan is just a dream. I have six more months of academy PT, plus two days a week to do my own PT. If you need a plan to improve your Cooper Law Enforcement Standards score, Mountain Tactical Institute offers a six-week plan to improve Cooper Test scores. I haven’t used it (I’m currently subscribed to the academy’s PT plan), but almost anything is better than the nothing that most Americans are doing. I will be doing the 3-day a week PT session we do in class, as well as PT on my own two other days a week.
†The bench press is the least-consistently represented test on the Cooper Standards. Some places use it, others don’t. As a result, a scoring chart is harder to find, but there is one on this document (opens to PDF).
