159: Police Fitness Standards- Good, Bad, and the Ugly (What can/should be done?) w/ LEO Chris Kuras (Tactical Human Performance) and Scott Howell (Iron Sights podcast)

Blue Grit Radio : Building Better Cops, Police Leaders, Applicants, and Beyond (Mindset, Wellness, Team, and Development)

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Across the nation for years, we have seen headlines of lowered (or removed!) fitness standards. Many able and effective police recruits are disillusioned with the check box standards or academy exercise regimens.
One can see why agency leaders across the nation have appealed and asked to reduce or remove standards, citing a lack of candidates.. but it doesn't mean it makes any sense whatsoever and surely is the ultimate can-kick.
Many officers and trainers are seeing the detrimental effects. It's not just the physical abilities, but when you remove someone's necessity to overcome some basic physical training discomfort and hardship, you also remove their agency to endure other discomfort and hardship. We need to build BETTER cops, which means higher expectations, now lower. If we have lower applicant pools, we need to raise incentives and support... it's simple economics!! I digress..
Back to the main point, in discussion of this critical topics, I've brought on two industry heavy hitters: returning guest, physical-tactical-athletic trainer and expert, host of Iron Sights podcast and owner of Red Dot Fitness SCOTT HOWELL (see ep. 100!) and active SWAT Officer and training instructor, wellness coordinator, and owner of Tactical Human Performance CHRIS KURAS.
Listen in and listen up, spread the word on the episode that more cops, applicants, administrators, politicians and public ALL need to hear!
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Chris Kuras is a full time law enforcement officer currently serving as a full time instructor for his department’s training unit. Chris is also a member of the SWAT team as an entry operator and sniper, as well as a lead firearms and tactics instructor. Chris recently has been assigned the role of health and wellness coordinator.

Prior to law enforcement, Chris worked at the University of Central Florida as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach in the Athletics Department. Primarily assigned to coach football, baseball, track, and cheerleading.
@tactical_human_performance

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Founder of Red Dot Fitness, Scott Howell is a dedicated certified health and fitness professional with over 2 decades of real world, practical, hands-on experience.
As a National Director of Personal Training, he was a senior director/operator and personal training educator for one of the world’s largest fitness corporations nearly 400 clubs strong. After more than 10 years of commercial & corporate fitness, Scott made the life altering decision to stop traveling the country in 2010 and focus his skills locally to those clients who truly want to improve their health & fitness, performance, body image, and lifestyle. In April 2010 he launched Red Dot Fitness.
@ironsightspodcast

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