A lil running/cardio with SS?

[SixtySix]

Hey Coach,

I'm on month two of SS and planning on joining a police department in the next few months. For most departments, there is some sort of running requirement to get admitted to the academy, not to mention the actual running that takes place IN the academy. My running sucks, horribly. I need to work on it but I don't want to screw up the program.

I'd like to get my conditioning up to the point where I could reliably jog two miles or so. To get there, I plan on continuing SS and working in one 1-2 mile jog a week at an easy pace and then maybe one day a week with some sprints.

Here are my stats:

Age 32
6'6", 280 lbs.
Squat 295 5X3
Bench 195 5X3
Deadlift 350 5X3
Press 130 5X3

I drink a gallon of skim milk a day and eat about 2500 calories, so maybe 4000 calories a day altogether. I sleep eight hours a night.

What do you think? Can I get away with jogging once or twice a week without modifying the program, or am I asking for problems? Any advice?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I think that most police department training programs -- right or not, logical or not -- are based on running. Until they get smarter and if you want in, you'd better count on a bunch of running and the loss of some bodyweight to make it easier. Sorry.

[TyphoidYellow]

There is no reason to drink skim milk. Saturated fat is good for you. Plus, the extra calories in whole milk will keep you from having to spend money on other food. This is starting to get a little nitpicky, but if you really want to maintain your current caloric intake while eating the same amount of solid food, then you would, unfortunately have to cut down on your milk intake.

But if there's only one substance that you could adequately live off of, it's whole milk.

[TerriblyUsefulBlockOfWood]

Crossfit + zone/paleo diet: very good track record for the kind of things they will require you to do while in training, and once your are on the job. I got improvements on my run times and every event on the PT test by adding just one metcon per week to the Starting Strength program. If you need the conditioning more than the strength you might consider Crossfit 1-2 months prior to the academy. You can always get back to the novice progression once you are out of the academy and with your FTO. Drink the Kool-aid!

[zephed56]

Yeah, I was going to say you're going to need to run more. You'll also probably have to do a good deal of pullups and pushups so get good at those. I don't know how much running you have been doing previously, but if it's essentially zero, I'd be careful at first and avoid long runs. You'll run into injuries if you run too much too soon. Use shorter jogs, do them more often. Gradually increase distances. I don't know how much prep can be done in 2 months for someone not conditioned to running though.

There are other ways to improve your cardiovascular conditioning though if you need a break from the pounding. Try crossfit metcons.