Fit for service

By: Steve Mazzucchi

Photography by: Marshall la Plante

October 20, 2008

To keep up with her male counterparts at the L.A. Sheriff's Department, 5'4" Julie Darby sticks to a rigorous fitness and nutrition program

Julie Darby doesn't mess around when it comes to keeping fit. That's what happens where you work in a male-dominated profession where strength and stamina can make or break you. To get the full read on what powers Julie Darby, click here. Here, you'll find the tenets that keep her fit and the routine she uses to stay strong.

THE BASICS

>> LONG RUNS: Twice a week, Julie tackles 3-6 fast miles. She'll follow that up with calisthenics - three sets of jumping jacks, push-ups, mountain climbers, pull-ups and lunges. "All my workouts are intense," she explains. "I want to be completely exhausted when I'm done."

>> SPEED WORK: On two other days, she alternates 220-, 440- and 880-meter sprints around a track. In between, she does push-ups, sit-ups, crunches and hanging knee raises. She finishes up with five sets of stadium stairs.

>> WEIGHT CIRCUITS: Twice a week, Julie's in the gym - Spinning classes in the morning and weight sessions, with plenty of core work, at night. "When I do weights, it's always a circuit, and it's always full body," she notes.

>> POWER PROTEIN: Julie gets hers from chicken, fish and egg whites plus soymilk, raw almonds and other nuts. "Everything I eat is organic," she adds.

>> CLEAN CARBS: "I don't eat any white carbs," says Julie. Instead, it's steamed and raw vegetables, oatmeal, brown rice and Ezekiel bread, which doesn't contain flour.

>> SMART CHEATING: "I love dark chocolate," she confesses. "I have a handful of chocolate chips every day. I take a handful and put it on a plate and just pick from that."

THE ROUTINE

>> Monday & Wednesday: Track Workout
Warm-up: 1 mile jog

Circuit
220-meter sprint
440-meter sprint
220-meter sprint
440-meter sprint
220-meter sprint
880-meter sprint
--Julie completes this circuit two times, performing calisthenics (such as push-ups and crunches) between each sprint. After finishing the circuit, she runs up and down the stadium stairs five times.

>> Tuesday & Friday: Long-Distance Running
Julie runs 3-6 miles, either cross country or flat terrain.

>> Thursday & Saturday: Circuit Weight Training

EXERCISE			REPS
Circuit 1
Dumbbell Shoulder Press	        15
Lunge				20
Push-Up on BOSU Ball	        30
Pull-Up			        10-15
Triceps Pressdown	        12-15




Circuit 2
Jumping Jack			75
Squat on BOSU Ball		12-15
Dumbbell Biceps Curl		12-15
Seated Row			12-15
Various abdominal exercises	

- --Julie repeats Circuit 1 four times, then does Circuit 2 four times. Within each circuit, exercises are performed one after another without rest in between.