Haven’t done any field testing yet, but as far as having both run events it works fine. Our testing at the Border Patrol Academy was similar with the runs. We did the distance run first, then had a rest period and did the sprint. This ensured that everyone was warmed up and wouldn’t get injured by going cold into a sprint.
There seems to be some negative views about the bench press idea. So far I have compromised to a bodyweight bench for one rep pass/fail. I know it may not be directly related to sports or even real world activity, but I still consider it a good test of upper body explosive strength. It’s safe and easy to administer and not a dificult event to prepare for and continue training on in a gym.
We are working on getting a full weight body doll for a fireman carry up a flight of stairs as a final event and I feel it to be better than a sandbag carry.
These five events are pushing the limit as far as complexity and I really think it would be a nightmare to replace an event with the deadlift. I can see about half of these guys going on permanent sick leave complaining of a bad back.
Standing long jump would be ok, but I prefer the sprint for the crossover to the actual possibility of doing it on duty.
Am starting to doubt myself on the bench press test, though. Any input from some people who have done fitness testing before? Is a bodyweight bench unreasonable to expect from a person in police work?