Policemen's physical fitness in relation to the frequency of leisure-time physical exercise.

Ninety to ninety-five men (aged 27 to 46 years) from the police academy were the study subjects. Their prior habits of physical exercise, estimated aerobic capacity (VO2max), muscular performance, and thickness of subcutaneous fat were determined. The policemen were taller (181 cm vs 175 cm) and heavier (84 kg vs 74 kg) than the average 20- to 40-year-old Finnish man, and their VO2max (1 X min-1) was higher (3.41 1 X min-1 vs 2.96 1 X min-1). The frequency of prior physical exercise significantly correlated with most of the variables studied. Those policemen who did not exercise at all (n = 12) were inferior to the average 20- to 40-year-old Finnish man on all the physical fitness tests, whereas the results of the most active policemen (n = 23) were clearly higher. The results indicate that the selection of heavier and taller men for police training guarantees a certain absolute level of physical performance capacity. However, the physical activity involved in police work is insufficient to maintain a high level of physical fitness, which must be achieved through participation in regular and effective physical training.