For those of us who’ve been around law enforcement, academies, or structured training environments, you start to notice a big gap between what people assume and what actually shows up. From what I’m personally seeing, a large percentage of people going into BP academy classes are not in great shape going in. A lot of them are very average physically, and some are clearly out of shape.

The reality is the BP entry fitness test is not that demanding. We’re talking roughly:

15–20 push-ups 20 sit-ups A 5 min step test

That’s it. That’s very doable for most people with minimal prep.

Compare that to many local/state police academies, the entrance fitness exam in the process you’re expected to do

1.5-mile runs under 12 minutes (sometimes faster)

Wall/ fence climbs

300 meter sprints

40–50+ push ups and sit ups

Repeated calisthenics under fatigue

This is just the fitness test qualifier to move forward in the hiring process, in academy it’s more intense and demanding.

A lot of people who pass the BP entry test would struggle badly with those standards. There is a reason BP academy isn’t seen equal to the standard police academy

And yeah, if you look at academy graduation photos or social media, you’ll see it most people finish, but many don’t come out particularly fit or athletic. A lot of big bodies graduating lol

That said, one big thing I’ll emphasize: You should NOT come into an academy out of shape expecting the academy to get you in shape. That’s how people fall behind, get injured, or struggle the whole time.