Home Local News Richmond Community College offering fitness class for first responders

Richmond Community College offering fitness class for first responders

Laurinburg Police officer and CrossFit open competitor Richard Tavai will be leading the fitness class for local first responders.
Richmond Community College

HAMLET — Box jumps, wall balls, bench press, deadlifts and kettle-bell swings are just a few exercises local first responders will be doing in the High Intensity Training class that Richmond Community College will be offering this spring at the Rockingham Rescue Squad. 

This fitness class, which will run April 23 through June 29, was developed specifically for law enforcement, firefighters and other emergency personnel to help them stay in shape and improve their overall health to better perform their job. 

Laurinburg Police officer and CrossFit open competitor Richard Tavai is the certified law enforcement instructor for the class that meets three times a week. 

“Swing shifts, lack of sleep, poor eating habits and stress are all things that are causing law enforcement officers to be in poor health,” Tavai said. 

According to a report issued by the Wall Street Journal in 2015, more than 40 percent of police officers, firefighters and security officers are obese. Similarly, the FBI conducted a study that found eight out of 10 police officers are overweight. 

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RichmondCC started offering a fitness class for first responders through its Workforce & Economic Development division in 2016. Tavai said the class involves a warm up, a cardio and/or strength element and then a Tabata workout, which is a high intensity four-minute interval training. Tavai said the workout program varies from class to class so you’re not performing the same exercises during each class session.  

“This method helps with building strength and conditioning in a short period of time,” Tavai said. “It really gets your heart rate up and hits all muscle groups, especially core and legs.” 

The class will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. The fee is waived for N.C. first responders, so the class is free for law enforcement, firefighters and emergency personnel.

To sign up or learn more, contact RichmondCC’s Director of Public Safety Neil Parrisher at 910-410-1708 or knparrisher@richmondcc.edu. Space is limited, so pre-registration is required.

 



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