Fitness standards

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AFP Physical Fitness Standard - Physical Competency Assessment (PCA)

General

Individuals wishing to prepare for the PCA should secure the assistance of a professional fitness instructor and/or view the preparatory guide which can be found at: P-PCA Information & Medical Certificate (48kB)

Applicants undertaking the Pre-entry PCA (P-PCA) should note that they will not be assessed against the following parameters at the pre-entry fitness screening.  The following passive measures will be assessed at the time of the AFP medical and/or upon commencement of College training:

• Body Composition
  • Body Mass Index
  • Waist:Hip Ratio
  • Percent Body Fat
• Illinois Agility

Applicants should familiarise themselves with the following: PCA Preparation

Contact AFP Recruitment in the event that difficulty is experienced when attempting to access information via the above links.

Contents

• Health Screening
• Strength
• Aerobic Performance Tasks
• Agility

Definitions

Baseline: All groups excluding those in Specialist Groups.

Applicants selected for Recruit Training (Federal Police Development Programs, Protective Service Officer Programs) and IDG Pre-deployment Training (IDPT) and Lateral entrants will be required to participate in the Physical Competency Assessment (PCA).

Specialist Groups: K9, ORG, SRS and other groups still to be determined (for e.g. CPP, PTT and Surveillance).

Health Screening (Passive Measures)

Health screening is required prior to an employee undertaking the PCA. The PCA will determine the participant's level of physical fitness, with the assessment results forming part of the medical material pertaining to their general level of health and fitness.

Heart Rate

Resting heart rate will vary from person to person. The resting heart rate can be used as a predictor of aerobic fitness.

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the circulating blood on the walls of the arteries, veins and chambers of the heart. The table below demonstrates the definitions and classification of blood pressure levels (mm Hg) as published by the Heart Foundation.

High blood pressure is considered to be a pressure reading of 140 systolic or higher and 90 diastolic or higher. If either or both the systolic or diastolic pressures continually exceed the 140/90 mm Hg readings, the individual may not be permitted to undertake the fitness assessment and may be referred to their general practitioner  and/or the AFP Principal Medical Officer (PMO) for further investigation and medical clearance prior to returning for assessment.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

BMI is calculated by dividing your weight (kg) by your height (mtrs) squared. A healthy range is considered to be within 20 - 25. A result below 20 indicates that you may be underweight and a figure above 25 indicates that you may be overweight.
It should be observed that body mass does not differentiate between fat and lean body tissue therefore scores in excess of the stated range may be acceptable if associated with an individual who undertakes various modes of exercise, maintains an acceptable waist to hip ratio and percent body fat. However, employees with scores in excess of 30 and below 19 may require medical clearance prior to participating in the physical fitness assessment.

Waist : Hip Ratio (WHR)

The WHR measures the fat distribution by comparing the waist and hip circumferences. It is measured by dividing the waist girth by the hip girth. Measurements greater than .85 for females and .95 for males may indicate an increased risk of disease.

Gore and Edwards, 1992 describe waist to hip percentiles for Australians in the following table.

Percent Body Fat

Percent body fat is another method of measuring the body in terms of the relative percentage of lean body mass and body fat. It is suggested that a healthy range is <20% for men and <30% for women.
If any of the above passive measures (heart rate, blood pressure, body mass index, waist : hip ratio and/or percent body fat) indicate an unacceptable risk for exercise assessment then the individual will be referred to the AFP PMO and/or their general practitioner for further investigation and/or medical clearance.

Flexibility

Note: the flexibility assessment forms part of the health screening phase. A pass or fail is not relevant in this assessment. Results may provide an indication of an unsatisfactory range of movement in joints which may lead to discomfort, pain or predispose an injury.

Sit and Reach Test

The sit and reach test measures hip and low back flexibility. It is also a useful measure in assessing calf and hamstring flexibility. The participant sits on the floor, knees straight (not locked) and legs together. The participant reaches as far forward as possible from the seated straight knee position with the reach beyond the toes (if achieved) to the finger tips being measured (cms). Three attempts are allowed with the best result being recorded. If the participant is unable to reach beyond the toes the measurement is recorded from the fingertips to the tips of the toes.

Source: Schell and Leelarthaepin, 1994

Fitness Standards (Active Measures)

NOTE: The following active measures are conducted in the order presented within this document.

Strength

1. Grip Strength

An adjustable dynamometer is used to measure grip strength. The individual grips (hammer grip style) the apparatus commencing with their dominant hand, and then progressing to their non-dominant hand. The individuals arm is positioned straight by the side without touching the torso/hip or thigh area and without bending the arm. The individual squeezes as hard as possible for approximately 3 seconds. Two trials may be conducted with the highest score being noted as the final result.

2. Abdominal Strength (Phased Sit-Up Test)

This is a progressive test involving ten variations. The individual lies supine on the floor with knees bent at 90 degrees. To pass a variation the participant must successfully complete the level requirements without lifting their feet from the ground (note: at least part of both feet must maintain contact with the ground at all times – feet DO NOT need to remain flat), changing the angle of the knees and using momentum. Each variation consists of one sit up. Variation 4 is the pass mark for Baseline and Variation 5 for Specialist groups.

3. Abdominal Strength (Sit-ups with Feet Held)

This assessment measures the muscular endurance of the trunk and hip flexors. The individual lies supine on the floor with knees bent at 90 degrees, hands/fingers touching the side of the head (at all times) and feet held together by a partner.  The individual performs as many sit-ups as possible within 90 seconds.

An invalidated attempt occurs when the individual(s):

• shoulder blades fail to come in contact with the floor;
• chest fails to reach the thighs;
• uses excessive momentum;
• hands are released from the side of the head; and/or
• pauses for longer than three (3) seconds.

4. Push-up Test

The participant starts with arms straight, hands directly under the shoulders with legs straight and feet together. The individual lowers their body to approximately 5cm from the mat, keeping the body straight at all times and then returns to the starting position. This counts as one repetition. An invalidated attempt occurs where an individual fails to:

• keep the body straight;
• lower sufficiently towards the mat;
• fully return to starting position;
• allows any part of the body other than the hands and feet touch the mat; and/or
• pauses for longer than three (3) seconds.

Count the number of repetitions performed correctly in 60 seconds.

Aerobic Performance Tasks

5. Multi-Stage Shuttle Run (Beep Test)

This test involves running back and forth between lines positioned 20 metres apart. The pace is set by a series of auditory signals (beeps) and is increased each minute. The individual receives two (2) warnings to reach the line on or at the sound of the tone.  If the individual fails to meet the line by the third attempt the test will be stopped (for them) and the level recorded is the last level successfully achieved on or at the sound of the tone.

The Beep Test is considered to be the most demanding of all the tests contained within the PCA. It is a test which requires stop-start movements and constant changes of direction. It requires maximal effort on the part of the participant. Some individuals may require medical clearance prior to proceeding with this assessment. Individuals who present with physical injuries (e.g. knee, ankle) or are severely overweight and have not undertaken any regular and systematic exercise in recent times may be precluded from participation until such time as it is medically viable for them to do so.

Agility

6. Illinois Agility Test

This test measures agility. It requires the individual to sprint from behind the starting line to the far line, touching it (or the ground beyond it) with one of his/her feet, then returning to the starting line and then zigzagging around the other cones and back again to finally sprint once more across to the far line, touching with the foot and sprinting back to cross the finishing line. The individual may make a second attempt in the event the first attempt failed to be completed within the nominated time.