What does the application form ask?

Well it will ask you to document the following;

• Your personal details
• Your educational qualifications
• Your previous and current job
• Any medical conditions
• Any convictions
• Your referees who we can contact for references. Normally one will be a personal reference and the other will be an employer, manager etc for a work related reference.
• Several competency based questions

Now its the last part of this that I am going to focus on.

What is a competency?

View All Competencies

Competencies are a set of behaviours in simple terms, police forces are looking for you to demonstrate that you possess the right attributes and behaviours to be a successful police officer. They use what are called positive and negative indicators from a competency framework to assess your responses to the questions that are asked. 

You will find that the areas that are tested are from around 3 competency areas and these will be made clear to you on the application form as to which competency the question is looking at. Lets look at the competency area of Problem Solving. Below are the positive and negative indicators for the competency area of Problem Solving at Level C

Problem Solving

Gathers information from a range of sources. Analyses information to identify problems and issues, and makes effective decisions.

Gathers enough relevant information to understand specific issues and events. Uses information to identify problems and draw logical conclusions. Makes good decisions.

Positive Indicators

• Identifies where to get information and gets it.
• Gets as much information as is appropriate on all aspects of a problem.
• Separates relevant information from irrelevant information, and important information from unimportant information.
• Takes in information quickly and accurately.
• Reviews all the information gathered to understand the situation and draw logical conclusions.
• Identifies and links causes and effects.
• Identifies what can and cannot be changed.
• Takes a systematic approach to solving problems.
• Remains impartial and avoids jumping to conclusions.
• Refers to procedures and precedents, as necessary, before making decisions.
• Makes good decisions that take account of all relevant factors.

Negative Indicators

• Doesn’t deal with problems in detail and does not identify underlying issues.
• Does not gather enough information before coming to conclusions.
• Does not consult other people who may have extra information.
• Does not research background.
• Shows no interest in gathering or using intelligence.
• Does not gather evidence.
• Makes assumptions about the facts of a situation.
• Does not notice problems until they have become significant issues.
• Gets stuck in the detail of complex situations and cannot see the main issues.
• Reacts without considering all the angles.
• Becomes distracted by minor issues.
• Leaves others to solve problems and does not see it as part of the role.

You need to ensure that in delivering your response you are demonstrating as many of the positive indicators in your answer as possible making sure that you DO NOT demonstrate any of the negative indicators. The positive indicators are deemed to be the skills and traits of a police officer that the organisation would look for, the negative indicators are behaviours that would make a poor police officer.

Example Question

Tell me a time when you have resolved a problem to maximise the effectiveness of the resources available to you?

Response Structure

This is really critical, it is important that whilst delivering a response to questions that you have a structure. You need to ensure that you tell a story with your responses so that the reader can understand exactly what happened. Every good story has a start, a middle and an end. You need to make sure your responses have this too and that the reader understands what the situation was, what action you took, what the result and outcome was as a result of your actions and ultimately what you learnt from the experience for next time. This structure if adhered to will ensure you cover the key information as succinctly as possible.

Remember SMEL as a structure. Each response should be around 250 words. The most important part is the Middle. You must talk about a specific incident or situation, do not generalise, be succinct, don't waffle and ensure you are clear in exactly what you did. No police service is interested in what your manager, friend, colleague etc did. They are assessing you so make sure you are using the words "I did ..." "I ensured ..." "I spoke to ..." etc The use of the word WE is going to score you no points so make sure you do not use that word if describing others.

Start - (Around 50 words)

Explain what the situation was, what were you faced with, what were the challenges.

Middle - (Around 100 words)

Describe what actions you took, what considerations you had and how you went about doing that. Be specific.

End - (Around 50 words)

Explain what the end result was and how the result was attributed to your actions.

Learning - (Around 50 words)

What did you learn from the incident, what you would do differently next time and ultimately were any changes brought about as a result of your actions and experience in this specific example. 

Example Response

Here is a very simple response to a question broken down into each of the elements so you can see how this is put together.

Quote

 

Start

“In reviewing Special Constabulary recruitment I noted we were not recruiting enough potential officer applicants. When I looked at the number of applications I quickly ascertained that a substantial percentage of applicants didn’t pass the “Competency” paper sift and were not being re-engaged.”

Middle

“I decided to pull together a seminar where previous applicants could attend to look at some of the common errors that had been made and educate them as to what WYP looked for in a successful applicant. I arranged to have 500 potential applicants invited to a series of seminars where my colleagues and I delivered a series of presentations designed to assist and encourage re-application to the Force.”

End

“As a result of my actions 500 applicants successfully re-applied to the Force and went on to pass through the training to be a Special Constable.”

Learning

“If I were to undertake a recruitment campaign again I would institute these seminars at the outset to cut down on the numbers we were re-engaging with and increase the success rate for first time applicants.”

 

Common Errors

• Poor grammar
• American spellings
• No capital letters
• No paragraphs
• No structure
• Poor punctuation
• Text talk (U c it int gd) 

You are being assessed in your written communication throughout your application form and you are expected to articulate your responses making correct use of the english language. Take your time with it, its not a race, and make sure you get someone else to read through your responses after giving them this guide to read to make sure that you have not missed anything. Failure at the application form will result in you not being eligible to apply again for 6 months so it is critical you take your time and get it right.

Summary

It is not important how complex your answers are or if they are amazing pieces of work. Policing is not about putting a man on the moon and therefore it follows that your responses do not need to be earth shattering. Your examples are unlikely to be in a policing context, again this is not what is being sought. Your examples may well be, and in reality should be, from every day life, your work, college, university, part time job, family problems, etc. What's important is purely a matter of you demonstrating that you possess the right attributes (Positive Indicators). Talk about you, not others, be specific, structure your responses as outlined above and be really clear in what you are trying to communicate. Remove the waffle. 

Follow the above advice and you will be successful at the application stage.

1. Arrive in plenty of time. The assessment centre will not wait for you and there is a fair bit of clerical work required to be completed by the staff such as copying your ID documents, medical forms, getting forms etc. This takes time especially if a number of candidates arrive at the same time. 
2. ID Documents. Make sure you bring your Driving License, Passport and 2 utility bills as proof of address. You will not be allowed to take the assessment without verifying your identity.
3. You are not allowed to take any notes into the assessment centre so I would suggest leaving them at home.
4. You will not be allowed to use your phone whilst on the assessment floor so make sure it is switched off.
5. You will be assessed against the personal qualities of a police constable from within the Policing Professional Framework

The assessment centre is made up of three stages;

• Written Exercise
• Situational Judgement Test
• Competency Based Interview

I will now take you through each of these stages one by one.

Written Exercise

You will be assessed against the following competencies;

• Decision Making
• Openness To Change
• Service Delivery
• Serving The Public
• Working With Others
• Written Communication

The exercise is 20 minutes long. You will receive a task and two information memos which will highlight particular issues/problems that relate to your task. You will then be expected to document your responses to the issues raised in order to provide a satisfactory solution to the problem.

You should be using around 1 side of A4 paper to deliver your response. Keep it concise and be specific. You need to offer solutions and not re-itterate the issues. This exercise is marked by an english teacher so your responses must be well written and demonstrate a clear grasp of the english language.

Common Mistakes

• No paragraphs
• No capital letters
• Poor punctuation
• Poor Grammar
• Illegible (They need to be able to read your response)
• Repeating the issues and not offering any solutions
• American Spellings
• Text talk (U c it dint luck gd) 

Whats Acceptable

• PRINT USING CAPITAL LETTERS - There is nothing grammatically incorrect so you cannot loose any marks
• Bullet Points or Numbered Lists - You then don't need to worry about capital letters, paragraphs or even full stops. Again nothing is grammatically incorrect so you cannot be marked down

You can make notes throughout the exercise but remember this, any notes you make must be handed in and they will be marked to the same standards, correct spellings, punctuation etc. You can score extra points but more often than not rough notes will mark you down. If you do not want any notes to be marked then put one diagonal line through the page or section and it will be ignored as if it never existed. Forget to line through it and you may pay the price. 

Situational Judgment Test

The situational judgement test lasts 50 Minutes and you will be asked 25 questions within that time. Thats 2 minutes per question so it should allow you plenty of time to complete the test fully. You do not want to leave blank answers as you will not score any points at all. In describing what the situational judgment test is, I find it is much easier just to give an example of the test so its clear as to what you will be faced with. 

Example

You have an established clothing store who’s shop front is now covered in litter as a result of a fast food outlet opening next door. You see the two shop owners arguing over the situation.

1. Walk past and ignore them, they will resolve it between them
2. Ask a colleague to speak with them as you are running late
3. Clean up the litter yourself and leave them to resolve their differences
4. Speak with both owners to try and come to a solution that everyone will be happy with

    

You have to decide how effective each of those responses are in dealing with the situation that you have been presented with on a scale of 0 - 5

     0     INEFFECTIVE OR COUNTER PRODUCTIVE
     1     MARGINALLY EFFECTIVE
     2     PARTIALLY EFFECTIVE
     3     MODERATELY EFFECTIVE
     4     MOSTLY EFFECTIVE
     5     HIGHLY EFFECTIVE

Every question you are asked will have an option to mark on a matrix answer sheet as below. So if you feel response A is Ineffective or Counter Productive you would place a mark on Row A under column 0 as shown in the marking table below. You would repeat this for each response of A through to D for each question.

Now one thing that is really important, don't dwell on your responses too much as each element is marked individually. For example you are not required to get A right for B to be marked as correct. They are all completely independent. 

If you mark the answer correctly you will score maximum points, if you mark one either side of the correct response you will still score some points. If you are any further that one either side away from the correct answer then you will score no points for that specific element.

If you run out of time it is worth just placing some makes on the remaining questions as you have a good chance of scoring points.Leaving them blank will mean no points are scored.

Competency Based Interview

This is the part that most candidates feel under pressure and stressed over. Preparation is the key for this element of the assessment. Having good examples that you can call on when asked the question is critical to being successful at the interview stage. Remember nobody wants you to fail the process but often nerves get the better of people at interview so be confident and ensure that you are ready for the occasion. Be confident in your examples, make sure you are able to talk through the specifics and be clear as to what happened and specifically what you did.

The interview will last 20 minutes where you will be asked four questions. You will be given 5 minutes to answer each question. If you have not finished your response within the 5 minutes given you will be stopped and the assessor will move on to the next question. You will be asked one question one each of the following areas;

• Openness To Change
• Professionalism
• Service Delivery
• Working With Others

Every response should have a good structure. They should have a Start Middle and an End as you are telling a story to the assessor. If you dot say it during the interview then it never happened and you cannot be scored on something you didn't say. The assessor's will not assume anything.

If you want a good pneumonic to get you through all of your responses there are lots out there that will work in a very similar way. The one I favour and use personally is as follows;

SHARE

• Situation
• Hindrances/Challenges
• Actions Taken
• Result/Outcome
• Evaluation/Learning

Situation

Be clear about the specific situation, what was it that you had to deal with or resolve?

Hindrances/Challenges

This is a great memory jogger to ensure that you talk about the difficulties and challenges you were facing with the specific situation you have just outlined.

Actions Taken

Tell the assessor what you did, why you did what you did and how you did it. Be specific, do not talk about what others did, this is about you and you only. Communicate what you considered as well even if you didn't actually take those actions. Your considerations demonstrate you were evaluating other options throughout. 

Result/Outcome

We all love to know what happened and what the outcome was so make sure you get it across. No one wants to miss the punch line. 

Evaluation/Learning

What have you learnt, what would you do differently, was there any long lasting changes brought about as a result of your actions.

Summary

Be confident and you will pass the assessment centre, prepare well and practice your examples so that you are ready to talk for 5 minutes on each area structuring your responses as I have outlined above.

• The minimum age of recruitment is 18 at the date of application.

Nationality

• Applicants must be either a British Citizen, a citizen of the EU or other states in the EEA, or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national with indefinite leave to remain in the UK, with no restrictions on your stay in the United Kingdom. Applicants will be expected to provide appropriate documentation to confirm this.

Residency

• Applicants must have been resident in the UK (including Northern Ireland but not the Republic of Ireland) for the 3 years prior to submitting an application. 
• If, within this 3 year period applicants have been outside the UK for over 12 months we will not be able to accept an application.
• The only exceptions to this are for British Military Personnel service abroad (i.e. Army, Navy and Royal Air Force), diplomatic services, or where students are overseas for a twelve-month period as a part of a UK university accredited course (however, satisfactory documentation will be required to support this).

Tattoos and Piercings

• The appearance of police staff should be in keeping with the Standards of Professional Behaviour. The nature, location, prominence and appearance of tattoos and/or piercings will be carefully considered in relation to the impression they may give to members of the public or colleagues.
• Tattoos and piercings become relevant if they could reasonably cause offence to members of the public or colleagues. An applicant with a tattoo that is considered to be rude, lewd, crude, racist, sexist, sectarian, homophobic, violent or intimidating will not be accepted.
• Applicants with tattoos and/or piercings are required to submit photographs of any existing tattoos and/or piercings as part of the recruitment process. 
• Applicants with tattoos and/or piercings applying for non customer facing roles such as Radio Operator will be progressed if they are considered to be non-offensive by the police service, but should be kept covered where possible.
• However, please note that for those staff in public facing roles, such as PCSO, Investigative Assistant, Operational Support Officer, we will only progress applicants with tattoos that are considered to be non-offensive by the police service, provided they can be covered by uniform or clothing whilst on duty, (for example, any tattoo on the forearm will need to be covered by long sleeves). 

Membership of BNP or Similar

• The Police Regulations 2003 prohibit any of their staff from becoming members of organisations whose aims and objectives may contradict the duty to promote race equality (including the British National Party (BNP), Combat 18, National Front or similar). 

Financial Position

• Police staff are in a privileged position with regard to access to information and could be considered potentially vulnerable to corruption. Applicants should not therefore be under pressure from un-discharged debts or liabilities and should be able to manage loans and debts sensibly. 
• Applicants who have existing County Court Judgments (CCJs) or who have been registered bankrupt and their bankruptcy debts have not been discharged will not be considered.
• Applicants who have discharged CCJs may be considered. Applicants who have been registered bankrupt and their bankruptcy debts have been discharged will only be considered after 3 years from the discharge of the debt.
• Where financial checks reveal that applicants have defaulted credit accounts, it is our policy not to proceed with the application until the defaults have been satisfied.

Criminal Records

• Applicants who have been convicted or cautioned, depending on the nature and circumstances of the offence, may still be eligible for appointment.
• However, the police service will not recruit people with cautions or convictions which may call into question the integrity of the applicant or the Police Service. Certain convictions will preclude individuals from becoming a member of staff in the police service.
• An applicant must declare on his/her application form all convictions for any past offences, formal cautions by the police (including cautions / reprimands as a juvenile, i.e. under 18 years) and any bind-overs imposed by any court.
• Applicants should include traffic convictions such as speeding, drink-drive offences, fixed penalties for motoring or disorder offences and any appearances before a court martial.
• Applicants must also declare any charges or summons currently outstanding against and spent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 or any involvement with civil, military or transport police.
• An applicant must declare if he/she has ever been involved in any criminal investigation whether or not this led to prosecution (either of themselves or others). 
• Failure to disclose details will result in an application being rejected, and if appointed, may lead to dismissal.

Security and Vetting Procedures

• Before recruiting anyone to work in the police service, thorough checks must be undertaken to ascertain whether anything is known to the detriment of that applicant, his/her spouse or partner, or close relatives such as parents, in-laws, siblings or others living or associating with the applicant.
• All applicants will have to complete detailed vetting forms to enable these checks to be made.
• We will also check whether any close family or associates are involved in criminal activity and we will therefore search for any criminal convictions or cautions recorded against an applicant's family. Applicants must advise people that these enquiries will be made. The Police Service cannot disclose the results of these enquiries.
• Our enquiries will reveal incidents from long ago, and failure to disclose these will lead to an applicant's application being rejected. 
• The Police Service will not recruit people with cautions or convictions which may call into question the integrity of the applicant or the Police Service.
• Applicants who have been convicted or cautioned may still be eligible for appointment, depending on the nature and circumstances of the offence against them.
• There may be circumstances where an individual does not fall within the criteria, but whose suspected involvement in crime, or criminal association make an offer of employment inappropriate.
• In addition, applicants for some roles will be required to provide fingerprints and DNA samples, which will be used to speculatively search against local and national databases prior to appointment. This is to ensure that applicants have not previously come to adverse police attention and are not linked to any outstanding crime scenes.

Business Interests and other potential conflicts

• You are required to declare any business interests and the extent of your involvement, which you intend to continue should you be successful in applying for the role.
• However, the Chief Constable reserves the right to reject an applicant at any stage of the recruitment process without disclosing the reasons for rejection.

Qualifications

• Any formal educational and/or qualification requirements will be clearly stated in the advert and person specification for each role.

Live disciplinary warnings in employment

• Applicants who have received a disciplinary warning within the previous 12 months may not be able to apply, including those asked to resign from employment. 

Previous Applications

• You will not be eligible to re-apply for the same or a similar role, if you have previously been unsuccessful at the assessment stage in the last 6 months.

Health & Fitness

• You must be in a position to cope with the physical and mental demands of being a member of police staff and carry out your duties effectively.
• Successful applicants will be asked to complete a health assessment questionnaire, and where appropriate have a medical assessment. Applicants for some positions may need to undertake additional tests such as hearing and eyesight.

The Police Job Related Fitness Test comprises three components, each one testing a specific area of fitness. The component parts of the test are:

• Endurance Test (shuttle run)
• Dynamic Strength Test (push and pull)
• 15m Shuttle Run Test (Bleep Test)

The endurance section of the test is designed to establish how efficient the candidate's body is at taking in oxygen, transporting the oxygen and how efficient the body is at utilising the oxygen. This is established using a 15m shuttle run.

The 15 metre shuttle run is maximal and progressive, i.e. the test gets harder as it progresses, and you work to exhaustion. The test is run to and fro along a 15 metre course as and when indicated by the electronic bleep. You will start at one end of the gymnasium and you will run to the end line of the course. You should arrive at the other end of the course when the bleep sounds, turn 180 degrees and run back to the other end of the gym, again in time with the bleep. If you arrive at the line before the bleep has sounded you should stop, turn and wait for the bleep to sound before you start running. You should then adjust your running speed to ensure you reach the line when the bleep sounds.

If you fail to contact the line when the bleep sounds you will be given a first warning. If you fail to contact the next consecutive line on the bleep, you will be given a second warning. If you fail to contact the third consecutive line on the bleep your test will end. 

However, if after the first or second warning you contact the next line on the bleep, your warnings are cancelled and you continue with your test. The warnings are there to let you know that you have fallen off the pace, and that if you wish to continue, you must increase your running speed.

You are not allowed to run around the line in a circle, if you do, you will be warned. If you continue to run in circles you will be called out of the test. You are not allowed to leave either end before the bleep has sounded. If you do so you will be warned. If you continue to leave early you will be called out of the test.

You are required to reach level 5 shuttle 4 to pass the endurance test. If you fail to reach level 5 shuttle 4 you would have failed the test as a whole. 

Download Your Copy Of The Bleep Test - Click Here

Dynamic Strength Test (Push and Pull)

Dynamic strength refers to the ability to apply force repeatedly over a period of time. The most common police duty that would require dynamic strength is the arrest and restraint of struggling or fighting individuals. This would involve a degree of pushing, pulling and grappling and would therefore require dynamic strength in the muscles of the upper body. Possessing high levels of dynamic strength will also lessen the chance of injury to the muscular skeletal system.

The dynamic strength test involves performing five seated chest press and five seated pulls, on a machine called a Concept II Dyno. The sum of the five will be recorded.

Dynamic test for pushing

You must sit upright with your back firmly pushed against the padding. Your feet must be flat on the floor with your knees at approximately 90 degrees. A firm grip of the push bar should be taken, with your hands level with the middle of your sternum.

• Before each effort the slider position is set that the push bar is in contact with your chest.
• The three warm-up efforts must be performed first at approximately 80% maximum effort.
• Each warm-up and subsequent efforts are performed to full arm extension.
• Following the three warm-up reps you are required to perform FIVE MAXIMUM efforts with three seconds recovery between the efforts.
• The average force produced during each effort is displayed on the monitor.
• The average value of the five efforts is displayed at the end of the set.
• You must achieve a minimum of 34kg on the dynamic push test.

Dynamic Test for Pulling

• You must sit upright with your chest firmly pushed against the padding. Your feet must be flat on the floor with your knees set at approximately 90 degrees. A firm grip of the pull handles should be taken, with your hands level with the middle of your sternum.
• Before each effort the slider is set that the arms are fully extended.
• Three warm-up efforts must be performed first at approximately 80% of maximum effort.
• During each warm-up and subsequent effort you must pull with your hands until they touch your chest.
• Following the three warm-ups efforts you are required to perform FIVE MAXIMUM efforts with three seconds recovery between effort.
• The average force produced during each effort is displayed on the monitor.
• The average value of the five efforts is displayed at the end of the set.
• You must achieve a minimum of 35kg on the pull test.
• What training can you do to improve your fitness test score?

The following information will provide you with guidance regarding improving your performance on the Police Job Related Fitness Test. It is important that you read the whole document. Endurance Fitness

There are many different activities that you can participate in to improve your level of endurance fitness and these can be categorised into sporting activities and rhythmical type exercises.

Sporting Activities

Playing sports regularly such as football, hockey, squash and rugby can be an enjoyable way of improving and maintaining your level of endurance fitness. Any sport that causes you to get out of breath and last 30 minutes or more will be of benefit. Many sports fit this category; choose one that will fit into your lifestyle and that you enjoy. You are then more likely to continue playing. The extent and rate of improvement in endurance fitness from participation in sport will be dependent upon your initial level of fitness and on how hard you play.

Rhythmical exercise

The most rapid improvements in endurance fitness will be made if you engage in activities that use large muscle groups and thereby create a large aerobic demand. Examples of such activities include running, cycling, swimming and rowing. There are three training methods that you can use to improve your level of endurance fitness using rhythmical exercise; these are continuous, and interval training.

The following refer to running however they can just as easily be substituted by any other form of rhythmical exercise. However, remember that specificity of training is extremely important. If the bleep test was about cycling, then you would need to include cycling as part of your training. The bleep test is about your ability to run. It tests your body's ability to take in oxygen, transport that oxygen and then extract it to produce energy. The fitter you are, the more oxygen you will be able to extract, therefore you will be able to run for longer. So running must form the basis of your training.

Continuous training

Involves exercising either continuously for a set time (20 minutes or more) and recording the distances covered, or exercising for a set distance and recording the time taken. For example, with running, the most popular of the two is to run a set distance, (at least 3 miles) usually that starts and finishes at home, and try to reduce the time taken to cover it.

Heart rate is a good indicator for controlling the intensity at which you exercise continuously. A suggested level is between 130 and 160 beats per minute. You will find that at this intensity you will be able to sustain a conversation with a partner.

Heart rate can be measured simply by taking the pulse. To do this place two fingers on the underside of your wrist in line with the bases of your thumb and count the number of beats in fifteen seconds. Multiply this figure by four to give an estimate of your heart rate per minute.

Interval Training

Interval training involves running for a set time or distance, a specified number of times with periods of hard or maximum efforts, interspersed with recovery periods. It is extremely important that you include interval training into your endurance training. It simulates what happens to your body in the endurance test. This is a typical example of an interval training session. 1. Run for 5 minutes at 65-70% maximum heart rate. 2. Run for 5 minutes at 75% maximum heart rate. 3. Sprint as fast as you can for 2 minutes. 4. Recover for 2 minutes by jogging. Do not allow your heart rate to drop below 65% maximum heart rate. 5. Repeat 5 repetitions of sprinting and 5 lots of recovery. 6. Run for 10 minutes at 75% maximum heart rate. 7. Jog for 2 minutes at < 65% maximum heart rate. 8. Stretch to cool down (ten minutes)

Interval training can also take place over a specified distance, ie. Sprint 400 - 800 metres followed by recovery of the equal distance.

Frequency of endurance training

To develop and maintain endurance, try to do one or a combination of these activities three times a week with each continuous session lasting 20-40 minutes. 

For those individuals who have not exercised regularly in the past, it is advisable to start with gentle continuous exercise sessions lasting 15 minutes and then build up to 20 minutes or more over a couple of months. Interval training can then be performed once you have developed a good endurance base. You should perform at least two interval sessions per week.

Dynamic Strength

The best way to improve your dynamic strength in the muscles of the upper body, is to perform resistance exercises. These can be achieved by using body weight, free-weights or resistance machines. Two body weight exercises that would work the muscles responsible for pressing and pulling, would be a press-up and a reverse pull up.

Full press-up

Place your hands shoulder width apart, and ensure arms are vertical. Your head must be fixed with your eyes looking directly down at the floor. A straight body position must be maintained throughout the action, making sure that you go all the way down to touch the sternum (chest bone) on the floor and then fully extending the arms on recovery. 

Try to breathe in as you push yourself up and breathe out as you lower yourself down. Do as many press-ups as you can until you can not perform another one. Rest for two minutes and repeat the process until failure. 

Do 3-5 sets of as many repetitions as you can. Record the number of repetitions that you have completed and try to better your score each time. However, you must make sure that you have the same amount of rest period between sets.

A less strenuous alternative is the kneeling press-up.

Kneeling press-ups

If you find it difficult to perform a succession of press-ups due to insufficient body strength then begin with practicing kneeling press-ups. Adopt a front support position with the arms shoulder width apart. Kneel with the knees immediately below the hips and feet on the floor. Bend the arms to lower the chest to the floor and return to the front support position. 

Once you have developed sufficient strength to be able to do 10 or more of these then move on to extended kneeling press-ups. Again adopt the front support position with the arms positioned in front of the shoulder. 

Kneel with the knees positioned back from the hips, the feet raised and the lower legs crossed. Performing extended knee press-ups on a regular basis will develop your strength enough to be able to perform a full press-up with the feet on the floor.

Reverse pull-up

You will require a bar securely fixed approximately three feet from the floor. The body position resembles an inverted press-up. With your palms facing your body, take a firm grip of the bar. Extend your arms, and keeping your body straight, pull yourself towards the bar until your chest touches. Slowly return to the start position and repeat the procedure. Try to breathe out as you pull yourself up and breathe out as you lower yourself down. 

Perform 3 to 5 sets of as many repetitions as you can of each exercise with a 2 minute recovery period separating each set. Record the total amount of repetitions that you perform and try to better this in your next session. However, you must make sure that you have the same recovery between each set. Strength Training

Improved strength in the arms, shoulders, chest and back muscles is required to pass the dynamic strength test. Improved strength would also be of benefit in the grip test. 

To improve strength, the muscles must be made to work against resistance that is not normally encountered i.e. they must be overloaded. Adaptations then take place, which result in improvements in strength. As such improvements are made it will be necessary to progressively increase the weight so as to maintain the muscle overload. This is known as progressive resistance. 

The following weight training exercises are very good for the development of overall strength:- shoulder press, bench press, lat pull downs, seated row and squats. The most relevant weight training exercises to develop strength specifically for the Concept II Dyno, are the bench press and the seated row.

The following progressive resistance training method is ideal for strength training and can be used with any weight training exercise that you perform:

Begin by establishing your 6 rep maximum (6-RM.) which is the resistance with which you can just about perform 6 repetitions. Then perform 2 to 3 sets of 6 repetitions. When you are able to perform 6 repetitions on the final set it no longer represents the 6-RM and a heavier load must be used. 

Try to exercise your abdominal muscles and lower back at the end of every resistance training session. 

This training programme should ideally be implemented three times per week, with a full days rest between sessions. Warming Up and Cooling Down:

Before any form of exercise it is important to warm the body up to prepare it for the exercise that will follow. Warming up before exercise will not only prepare the body for physical work but will also decrease the risk of injury by increasing muscle temperature, increasing blood flow and stretching muscles and tendons. The activities performed during warm up should be relatively slow and rhythmical such as light jogging or cycling.

Warm up guidelines

Adopt whole body warm ups which raise body temperature and increase heart rates - slow running is a good example of this kind of activity.

Carefully stretch all the major muscles paying particular attention to those muscles, which will be used during the activity.

Avoid a time lag between warming up and performing the activity.

Ensure the warm ups last approximately 10 minutes and do not lead to any feelings of fatigue.

Cooling down guidelines

Cooling down after exercise will help you to recover and prevent muscle soreness by removing waste products from the system. Your cool down should consist of light exercise which gradually decreases in intensity, combined with some gentle stretches particularly of the muscles that have just been worked. The cool down should last for at least 10 minutes; it is advisable to put extra clothing on as you cool down. Recovery from Exercise

Along with the physical exercise that you perform adequate recovery time and proper nutrition are two very important factors that contribute to overall physical performance and health.

Recovery time

Following training, the body needs time to recover and make certain adaptations. As a result of these adaptations improvements will be made. Not allowing sufficient recovery time could mean that you do not get the full benefit of the training you have undertaken. 

Ensure that you have 24 hours recovery following any form of strength training. If you have not engaged in strength training before, or you have not trained for a while, then initially extend this recovery period to 2 days. Following speed training ensure that you have at least 24- 36 hours recovery depending upon your initial level of fitness.

Expect some muscle soreness following strength and speed training. This can be minimised by cooling down and stretching following exercise. Nutrition

Nutrition refers to everything that we eat and drink. Good nutrition will speed the recovery process after exercise, and will enable training adaptations to be maximised.

Energy is taken from our food intake to enable the body to perform most of its functions, including exercise. Fat, protein and carbohydrate are the three sources, and are required in different amounts. Ideally around 60% of our energy intake would come from carbohydrates, 15% from protein and 25% from fat. 

This will ensure that energy levels are high enough to support your training requirements, and provided that your total energy intake matches your expenditure, a healthy body weight and physique will be maintained.

Carbohydrate (Energy = 4 calories per gramme)

There are two main types of carbohydrates; these are simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. The bulk of your intake should come from complex sources, which include wholegrain pasta, bread, rice, cereals, fruit and vegetables. Simple or refined carbohydrates include sugar, confectionery and preserves, and should be eaten less often.

Protein (Energy 4 calories per gramme)

Small quantities of protein are essential. Good sources include meat, milk, poultry, fish, dairy products and pulses. Fat (Energy = 9 calories per gramme)

Dietary fat contains the highest number of calories per gramme, and has often been left out of meals completely to aid weight loss. However, a small amount of fat is essential. The best sources are classified as mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and are found in vegetable fats and oils. Try to limit your intake of saturated fats, which are found in meat, dairy products, and many of the sauces and creams that we add to our meals. Vitamins, minerals and fibre

Vitamins and minerals are needed by the body in tiny amounts for normal bodily functions. They are found in a wide variety of foods so it is important to consume a varied diet in order to ensure an adequate supply. Fibre is the non-digestible carbohydrate found in foods such as vegetables, whole grain cereals and wholemeal bread. The body does not absorb it, but it is an important part of the diet.General Try to ensure that your energy intake matches your expenditure. Weigh yourself once a week in order to monitor your body weight, ensuring that any weight loss is no greater than 1 or 2 lbs per week.

Spread your energy intake over at least 3-4 meals per day, and try not to go longer than 4 hours without food. Try to eat a high carbohydrate meal as soon as possible after training, and make sure that your water intake is sufficient (ideally 1.5 - 2.0 litres per day when training).

Safety Considerations for Exercise

It is advisable to gain medical approval before you commence any exercise programme. The benefits of exercise should far outweigh the risks but if you have any concerns about your health either before or during your programme then consult your GP. - Suitable clothing and footwear must be worn whenever training. - Avoid exercising if you have a cold or an infection. - Exercise should be brisk but do not overdo it. Exercise at a comfortable level for longer rather than intensely for a shorter duration.

and finally...

The only thing that will enable you to improve your fitness levels is hard work. Take the advice outlined above, put in some consistent hard work and you will pass the Job Related Fitness Test!!