Strong-Arm Tactics: Training With A S.W.A.T. Member/IFBB Pro Bodybuilder

S.W.A.T. - those four simple letters send shivers down spines of bad guys everywhere.

They usually inflict well-deserved pain and punishment on dangerous criminals, but Special Weapons and Tactics team members must also put their own lives on the line every day. Mental and physical preparation is not an option; it's a necessity when so many lives are at stake.

The job requires extreme focus, dedication and the ability to use brute force in sticky situations. S.W.A.T. teams cannot be fazed by danger. They must use their fear as a motivational factor to get the job done.

S.W.A.T. members can smash heavy battering rams with brute force through blockaded doors one moment; the next, they may have to fire on a target from long distance with ultra precision or lay down cover fire for team members in a firefight. If a team member isn't physically, mentally fit enough to employ these tactical devices, he or she becomes useless to the team, and can end up doing more damage than good.

No one knows this better than Joseph Palumbo, an IFBB pro bodybuilder and S.W.A.T. officer from Long Island, New York. Palumbo's training changes throughout the year, depending on whether he's dieting for a bodybuilding show or prepping for an upcoming S.W.A.T. PT test.

Palumbo's training changes throughout the year, depending on whether he's dieting for a bodybuilding show or prepping for an upcoming S.W.A.T. PT test

Palumbo's training changes throughout the year, depending on whether he's dieting for a bodybuilding show or prepping for a PT test.

This is Joe's standard muscle-building, 4-on/1-off (except for core work) regimen. This is just a sample; his training changes week to week. He incorporates free weights, cable movements and machines. He consistently changes angles and intensity with high reps, heavy low reps, jumbo sets, supersets, cheat sets and drop sets.

So are you ready to train S.W.A.T. style? Let's rock 'n' roll!