Fitness

Fitness is a core requirement of policing and supports officer safety, operational effectiveness, and long-term wellness.

York Regional Police encourages all applicants to develop and maintain a consistent level of physical fitness in preparation for the demands of recruit training and the policing profession.

A man in gym clothes practices a stance with his arms up.

Fitness Requirements in Policing

Policing involves physically demanding duties that require strength, endurance, and the ability to perform under stress.

Operational duties may include emergency response, rapid movement, foot pursuits, stair climbing, lifting and carrying individuals, and physical control and restraint.

Physical readiness supports officer and public safety, operational effectiveness, injury prevention, and decision-making under pressure.

PREP – Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police

The Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police (PREP) is the provincial standard used during Ontario Police College training to assess a recruit’s ability to perform job-related physical tasks.

A man observes another man performing a lunge in a gym.

The PREP consists of two components: a Pursuit / Restraint Circuit, which evaluates functional strength, agility, and task performance through a timed job-simulation circuit completed under load; and a 20-Metre Shuttle Run, which measures cardiovascular endurance through a progressive running test with increasing intensity until completion or voluntary exhaustion.

Police recruit running on a grassy field in gym clothes.

Pursuit / Restraint Circuit

A timed circuit completed while wearing weighted equipment to simulate operational duty conditions.

Includes running with directional changes, stair climbing, obstacle navigation, crawling, push and pull tasks, and a mannequin drag. Assesses functional strength, endurance, and task completion under load.

A group of police cadets running in the outdoors.

20-Metre Shuttle Run

A progressive aerobic test used to assess cardiovascular endurance under increasing intensity.

Participants run 20 metres between markers in response to audio cues at progressively increasing speeds until voluntary exhaustion or test completion. Measures aerobic capacity and sustained performance under fatigue.

Practice Shuttle Run

A voluntary assessment used to measure candidate performance against the shuttle run standard.

Candidates completing Level 7 or higher may be issued a Fast Pass certificate valid for six months. Eligibility is determined through participation in an approved Practice Shuttle Run session.