Abstract

The 20-m multistage fitness test (20MSFT) has been used to assess the aerobic fitness of law enforcement candidates prior to academy, and recruits during academy. There is limited research that has published normative data for the 20MSFT as performed by recruits. This study provided normative percentile rank data for 20MSFT shuttles and estimated maximal aerobic capacity (V̇O2max) for law enforcement recruits. Retrospective analysis on 1040 recruits (850 men, 190 women) from one law enforcement agency was conducted. Recruits completed the 20MSFT as part of a battery of fitness tests prior to their training academy. The number of completed shuttles was recorded and used to calculate 20MSFT percentile rankings for all recruits, men, and women, in the following bands: 90-100, 80-89, 70-79, 60-69, 50-59, 40-49, 30-39, 20-29, 10-19, and 0-9. Once the 20MSFT shuttle percentile ranks were developed, estimated V̇O2max for these rankings was derived. All recruits combined, men, and women, had a 20MSFT mean of 52.38±18.06, 53.70±18.23, and 46.46±16.05 shuttles, respectively. The data indicated the male recruits tended to perform better than female recruits, although 36% of the women were in the top half of all recruits in completed 20MSFT shuttles. Nevertheless, female recruits will likely need specific aerobic conditioning prior to and during academy. The V̇O2max data suggested limitations in recruit aerobic fitness when compared to population norms. Familiarity with the 20MSFT and high-intensity running exposure could have influenced the V̇O2max results. The provision of normative 20MSFT data provide recruit benchmarking and could inform fitness program design for staff.

Keywords: Aerobic Fitness, First Responder, Maximal Aerobic Capacity, Normative Data; Police, Tactical