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Police work is a logical next step for many military veterans, and their unique experiences and training translate well into law enforcement.

Vincent Montague of Cleveland says that military training benefits veteran police officers right out of the gate; they enter the academy ahead of the curve, and they are already prepared for the rigid training program they will be undertaking. Throughout their military career, veterans develop skills such as teamwork, leadership, quick thinking, stress management, and more. Plus, they have developed beneficial personality traits too: discipline, integrity, and a sense of service being the highlights.

Below, more on how military training, service and all of its outcomes in teaching preparedness, skill development, and personal growth are an advantage in a second career as a police officer.

Benefits of Military Service in Police Work

Veterans frequently turn to police work as a second career after retiring from the military. They are viewed more favorably for those roles than citizens, and their service is highly beneficial to their new job in a number of areas. Most notably, their service gives them a leg up in terms of training and experience, skill development, and personal growth.

Training and Experience

Military trainees go through a much more intensive training process than police trainees. A police officer will accumulate roughly 1800 hours of training during standard 8-10 hour days before they are put into service in the community.

Military personnel, on the other hand, will be put through a more intensive training program for a longer period of time: a fully immersive training experience that accumulates over 7500 hours of training before they are finally placed into their entry-level military positions. This level of training will prepare them well for their conversion to police officers and ensure they excel.

A veteran’s experience with structure and hierarchy also benefits them in their role as a police officer. They will fit in well with the chain of command and emphasis on public service and will easily adjust to the code of conduct expected of them.

Skill Development

Throughout their military career, veterans are able to develop skills quickly and effectively that will help them significantly as police officers. These skills include working well individually and as a team member, the ability to follow orders with precision, rational decision-making under pressure, and stress management. All of these skills will help them excel in the demanding environment of law enforcement.

Personal Growth

For the most part, veterans achieve exceptionally high rates of personal growth during their military training and service years. They become dependable, well-rounded, disciplined members of society that prioritize service to the community and personal integrity. During their time as police officers, these personal characteristics will help them excel in community-facing situations and internal roles.

Wrapping Up

Overall, a history in the military translates very well to a second career in law enforcement. The intensive training they receive, their experience with a highly structured organization, and their opportunities for skill development and personal growth are all invaluable during their transition and throughout their career.

Trumpets are a very popular instrument in musical productions, and it is impossible to have a complete symphony orchestra without at least two of these brass instruments included. Vincent Montague of Cleveland discusses below the science behind a trumpet’s music, the detailed components, as well as the precise physics of horn music.

The scientific clarifications behind trumpet playing are multifaceted. The correct embouchure is crucial for sound production – the air pressure and flow affects the pitch of the trumpet. In addition, the mechanics of the trumpet itself will affect the sound produced. The position of both the slides and the valves will change the internal structure of the trumpet in order to produce different notes.

The Musician

A trumpet player is responsible for two of the four physical components of music. Their mouth position, or embouchure, and the air pressure they are producing both affect the horn’s ability to produce quality sound.

Embouchure

The embouchure of a trumpet player is produced by a combination of factors: the lips, tongue, facial muscles, entire oral cavity, larynx, and breathing all have to be coordinated to produce sound in a trumpet. Achieving the correct embouchure will have the lips placed inside the rim of the trumpet mouthpiece; when air is blown through the lips, the lips buzz and create sound.

Air Pressure

To change the air pressure into a trumpet, the musician adjusts the size of the hole created by their lips, as well as the lip tension. A larger hole made by relaxing the lips will reduce the air pressure and consequently lower the pitch of the sound. Similarly, a smaller hole made by tightening the lips will, in turn, increase air pressure and produce higher notes.

The Science

There are two physical components of the trumpet itself that are used to change the way the air sounds. Both the valves and slides on a trumpet must be used correctly to produce a full range of notes in different scales.

• Valve Position

The valves are the structures that allow a trumpet player to play specific notes. Each valve will adjust the length of the trumpet’s tube by a certain amount: a longer tube produces a lower note, and a shorter tube produces a higher note.

The first valve (the one closest to the mouthpiece) lengthens the tube by 160 mm, effectively changing the pitch by one tone. The middle valve adjusts the pitch by a semitone: it lengthens the tube by only 70 mm. The third valve creates a pitch one and a half times lower than the open position note by lengthening the tube a total of 270 mm.

• Slide Position

The slides are also used for adjusting the pitch of a trumpet. Adjusting the position of the slide will change the length of the trumpet tube, similarly to valve adjustment: a longer tube will produce a lower sound, and a shorter tube produces a higher sound. The slides are therefore used as a way to finetune the pitch of a trumpet in combination with the valve position and embouchure.

Final Thoughts

It is clear that both a trumpet’s design and a trumpet player’s influences work together to produce music. Each component—embouchure, air pressure, valve position, and slide position—are crucial for explaining the science of trumpet playing.

It’s not uncommon for gym-goers to work out for months on end without making significant gains. This lack of improvement can be disheartening and push athletes to either give up or lift beyond their ability. In many cases, though, the problem isn’t a lack of effort—it’s that they’re constantly given bad advice based on pseudoscience and gossip.

To get the most out of their workouts, Vincent Montague says that athletes should first understand their basic physiology, exercise with specific goals in mind, and base their routines on scientific findings rather than locker-room scuttlebutt. With that in mind, let’s explore some of the most common fitness myths that are destroying gains.

Myth #1 – Lifting Alone Will Build Mass

So many beginners assume that by lifting weights, they’ll suddenly bulk up and turn into a bodybuilder. While it is a fact that lifting weights can help build bigger muscles, it’s not a guarantee—it all depends on how the athlete lifts.

Lifting on its own places the muscles under sustained stress, causing microtears in the tissue. As these tears heal, the muscles grow in size and strength. However, most casual gym-goers aren’t lifting enough to induce widespread muscle development. Instead, their muscles become leaner, more compact, and more capable of handling weight.

To develop bulk, bodybuilders lift well above what they would do in a set of 10 or 12 reps. Instead, they’re lifting near their max weight in 2-to-3-rep sets. Then, they consume a massive amount of calories to help their bodies grow. Without the combination of both diet and intense lifting, though, it’s nearly impossible to pack on pounds of muscle in a short amount of time.

Myth #2 – Ab Workouts Sculpt the Stomach

Working your abs helps to build a strong core, which is necessary for supporting the lower back, shoulders, and hips during intense exercise. It also helps to maintain posture and prevent hernias. What ab workouts don’t do, though, is sculpt the stomach. In other words, it’s impossible to build a six-pack with sit-ups alone.

The secret to building defined abs isn’t found in the gym—it’s found in the kitchen. The only way to get that sculpted, statuesque stomach is to burn belly fat through diet, while also building muscle. As the muscles grow and become leaner, they’ll tighten into the defined six-pack shape but, until they’re exposed from behind that layer of adipose tissue, they’ll remain hidden indefinitely.

Myth #3 – Working Out More Makes You Healthier

There can be too much of a good thing. In healthy doses, exercise is wonderful for the body, improves mental health, and extends the life expectancy. If pushed to the extremes, though, it can be damaging.

Keep in mind that exercise puts the body under prolonged stress. If it doesn’t have time to recover, the body will remain weakened and may even pass into atrophy. For this reason, it’s wise to also take a day or two off from the gym every week and get enough sleep every night.

The Bottom Line

Sometimes the trick to building mass isn’t about how much you exercise. Instead, it often comes down to diet, lifestyle, and an understanding of how the body works. Rather than pushing beyond their limits, most athletes should instead focus on adjusting their diets to add or cut calories, while also remembering to get adequate rest between workouts.

After centuries of stigmatization, mental healthcare is emerging from the shadows to become a normalized part of everyday society. As more and more people become comfortable discussing, approaching, and improving their mental health, clinicians and researchers have begun exploring ways in which we can improve outside of therapy. Empirical evidence suggests that physical health can directly impact and improve mental health.

Vincent Montague of Cleveland explains that this may seem shocking to some, given that psychology and medical science haven’t always existed in harmony but, as neurobiology and psychiatry seek to bridge that divide, it’s become increasingly clear that biological factors can influence mental health. Let’s explore some of these factors and discuss the relationship between physical and psychological health.

Neurochemical Effects of Exercise

Long before scientists isolated and identified dopamine or serotonin, athletes have been well aware of a so-called “runner’s high”. This effect can create feelings of euphoria, mental clarity, contentment, and a general sense of well-being. And, as researchers have explored potential causes, they’ve discovered that exercise releases a flood of endorphins that directly improve mood.

While the effects may wear off within an hour or two, over time, repeated exercise encourages the body to produce more endorphins. In a general population, people who exercise for at least 30 minutes a day report feeling more energized, less moody, and generally more content in life. These results compare to people who do not exercise enough, and who are more likely to experience symptoms of depression.

The Relationship Between Poor Physical and Mental Health

Physical health relates to more than just fitness. Millions of Americans live with chronic diseases, some of which can leave patients functionally impaired. This impairment extends beyond the physiological level, though. In situations where individuals are reliant on others, face their possible mortality, and are required to undergo numerous procedures, it’s common to experience feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and demotivation.

Within the general population, roughly 10-25% of women experience depression, compared to 5-12% of men. Within a population of chronically ill patients, though, these numbers rise to between 25% and 33%. For this reason, many hospitals and doctors will recommend psychological evaluation for patients undergoing intensive treatments, such as chemotherapy, pre- and post-amputation, and dialysis.

Trauma Lives Within the Body

Perhaps one of the most intriguing findings of recent years is the relationship between chronic physical pain and trauma. Whereas physicians may have been quick to diagnose a physical health problem in the past, researchers in the Netherlands have explored the significant proportion of trauma survivors who report prolonged and frequent unexplained pain.

In his seminal book, The Body Keeps the Score, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk proposes new treatment methods for treating trauma, including yoga, which he found allows patients to better cope with their emotions while also experiencing how their body physically reacts to the stress of past incidents. This has sparked a small renaissance, encouraging psychologists and physicians to work together.

The Bottom Line

Although mental and physical health has often been conceptualized separately, research conducted over the past two decades suggests that they go hand in hand. Good physical health often contributes to good mental health, and, in many instances, good mental health suggests good physical health. By caring for our bodies and seeking psychological support when we are ill, we can all grow to become happier people.