Cops from the 45th Precinct made good on their pledge to be more fit.
Officers from the Throggs Neck precinct, including commanding officer Captain Danielle Raia, participated in a joint exercise session at Fit Body Boot Camp on Friday, January 15.
The precinct’s ‘community partner,’ local activist and retired police officer John Marano, arranged the workout for the police officers with his friend, fitness center owner Butch Nieves. The trainer is a former Mr. American, Mr. USA and National Body Building Champion.
“I have a relationship with the captain who loves to work out, so I asked Butch if he would open his doors to the police officers,” said Marano. “I thought it would be a good way to marry a local business together with the police department.”
Based on his experiences as working as a police officer in northern Manhattan, said Marano, there are scenarios where physical fitness could be a life saver.
“Suppose you are wrestling with a suspect and you get out of breath,” he said, recalling instances during his career where officers had heart attacks running up flights of stairs in apartment buildings.
“There are a lot of challenges out on the street and I want these guys (to be ready),” he said.
There is also the practical matter of projecting an authoritative presence, which Marano said is important for a police officers.
“If you go to work, look good in your uniform and you have a presence, people are not going to respect you,” he said, adding “Fitness in the police department, or in any physical job, is very important.”
The importance of physical fitness is something that Nieves certainly does not have to be sold on.
“The officers are going through one of our basic boot camps…an overall body boot camp,” he said of the officer’s workout before it began, adding “We consistently change the routines to challenge the body.”
Workouts at the boot camp typically exercise a specific group of muscles, with different groups targeted during different group workouts, Nieves said.
“They are pretty intense and pretty specific,” he said of the workouts, adding “You get a complete body workout; you don’t really need to do any other training.”
Fit Body Boot Camp is a franchise, said Nieves, and it is a worldwide one. He explained the benefits of the exercises sessions provided at his and other franchise locations.
“I have been involved in the fitness industry for 34 years, and this is the most effective workout that I have seen,” he said. He has developed his own particular style of boot camp.
In addition to the boot camp at 3277 E. Tremont Avenue, Nieves offers personal training through Mr. America’s Personal Trainer.
For more information about Fit Body Boot Camp, call (718) 824-7447. You can e-mail Nieves at Butch
