Beyond the Uniform

Justin Hesse

Beyond the Uniform is a podcast for law enforcement officers who know the job doesn't just stay at work. Fitness may be the entry point, but this show goes deeper. Hosted by Justin Hesse, Beyond the Uniform explores what it really means to show up strong in your body, clear in your mind, and present at home while carrying the weight of the badge. Through short solo episodes and conversations with other cops, dads, and leaders, we talk about: Reclaiming confidence and energy Using fitness as a tool for mental and emotional resilience Navigating identity, stress, and burnout without losing yourself Becoming the kind of man, father, and partner your family deserves This isn't about perfection, but it's about responsibility and building a legacy that lasts on the job and beyond it.

  1. 5d ago

    Episode 19: 2020 — The Year That Changed Everything (My Experience)

    It's been about 6 years now. 2020 was the year that changed everything. For me. For a lot of us. Three days after George Floyd died, the Third Precinct in Minneapolis burned to the ground. And I got activated — wearing two uniforms while I watched my profession become the most hated job in America. In this episode, I take you inside what I lived through that year. The cot in the armory. The briefing that made no sense. The night we rolled up to the Capitol. Then I tell you about a traffic stop later that summer that broke my heart and stuck with me ever since. This isn't about politics. It's about the weight we carried out of that year. The weight a lot of cops are still carrying today. Maybe you weren't activated. Maybe there was no riot in your town. But if you're carrying something from this job, you're not alone. It's real. And it's worth doing something about. 🚔 YOU'RE NOT ALONE IN THE WEIGHT Cops are carrying this weight every day, even without a 2020. If today's episode hit home, the Fit Cop Squad Room is where cops support each other, so you don't have to carry it in silence. Inside, you'll get: ✅ The Blue Line Strength and Muscle Mass Workout Plan ✅ The Tactical Speed Endurance Blueprint ✅ The Chef Cop Cookbook ✅ A community of cops who have your back 🔗 Join the Fit Cop Squad Room: https://www.skool.com/fit-cop-squad-room-8292/about --- 📧 Questions or feedback? DM me on Instagram or Facebook. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitcopcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitcopcoach/

    23 min

  2. May 26

    Episode 18: I Walked Away From a Stable Job With a Badge and a Pension — Here's What Happened

    5 years ago this week, I resigned from full-time law enforcement to build Blue Line Fitness. People thought I was crazy. Maybe I was. In this episode, I share the moment it all started — a conference room in Las Vegas in 2016 where something lit up inside me. Then I walk through 3 honest lessons from 5 years of building something from nothing. Progress isn't linear. The mission will get lost if you're not careful. And the hardest thing to unlearn isn't a skill. Then I share where Blue Line Fitness is going — and I'm sharing this vision publicly for the first time. The number one thing that holds us back from making changes is uncertainty. I didn't have certainty this would work. You don't either. But you take the shot anyway. Fitness is just the entry point. The mission is legacy. We're just getting started. 🔵 5 YEARS OF BLUE LINE FITNESS Thank you for being part of this. If today's episode resonated — if you're a cop who wants someone in your corner — the Fit Cop Squad Room is where we're building this together. Inside, you'll get: ✅ The Blue Line Strength and Muscle Mass Workout Plan ✅ The Tactical Speed Endurance Blueprint ✅ The 10-minute Bulletproof Hip and Low Back Routine ✅ A community of cops who have your back 🔗 Join the Fit Cop Squad Room: https://www.skool.com/fit-cop-squad-room-8292/about --- 📧 Questions or feedback? DM me on Instagram or Facebook. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitcopcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitcopcoach/

    33 min

  3. May 19

    Episode 17: Someday Someone Else Will Have Your Badge Number. What Are You Building Outside of It?

    Someday, someone else will have your badge number. The department will move on, the job will live on, but what about you? I know a cop who gave over 25 years to the job. Five months after retirement, only two people had reached out to ask how he was doing. Two. That hit me. In this episode, I talk about what happens when you give everything to the job and build nothing outside of it. I'll share my own story of leaving the job and what I realized about the relationships and the life I had built outside the badge. Then I'll walk you through the 4 things every cop needs to be building right now. Not someday. Now. The job will replace you. They won't. --- 🚔 WHAT ARE YOU BUILDING OUTSIDE THE BADGE? The department will always find another cop. Your kids only have one dad. Your wife only has one husband. If today's episode hit home, the Fit Cop Squad Room is where cops are building something outside the badge together. Inside, you'll get: ✅ The Blue Line Strength and Muscle Mass Workout Plan ✅ The Tactical Speed Endurance Blueprint ✅ The 10-minute Bulletproof Hip and Low Back Routine ✅ A community of cops building their health, their family, and their legacy 🔗 Join the Fit Cop Squad Room: https://www.skool.com/fit-cop-squad-room-8292/about --- 📧 Questions or feedback? DM me on Instagram or Facebook. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitcopcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitcopcoach/

    19 min

  4. May 13

    Episode 16: How to Honor Yourself and the Badge (Police Week 2026)

    It's Police Week. This week, we honor the fallen. 115 line-of-duty deaths. 108 completed suicides. 223 officers lost in 2025. But when's the last time you honored yourself? Last week, I talked about the weight cops carry. This week, we're going to do something about it. I'll share what it actually means to honor yourself  and why it's not what you think. Then I'll walk you through a story that'll change how you think about "being selfish." The best way to honor the fallen is to honor yourself. This Police Week, I launched a 7-day challenge. The details are in this episode. Sign up by replying "POLICE WEEK" to me on Instagram or Facebook to join. 🚔 POLICE WEEK CHALLENGE (MAY 11-17, 2026) This Police Week, honor the fallen. Honor yourself. THE CHALLENGE: 7 days (May 11-17) - 108 push-ups daily (honoring 108 completed suicides in 2025) - 223 squats daily (honoring 223 total officers lost: 108 suicides + 115 line-of-duty deaths) HOW TO DO IT: Break it up throughout the day: - 10 rounds of ~10 push-ups + ~22 squats - Do a round in the morning, at lunch, at night - Make it work for your life WHERE: Fit Cop Squad Room (private community, honor system, community support) HOW TO JOIN: 📩 DM me "POLICE WEEK" on Instagram or Facebook: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitcopcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitcopcoach/

    19 min

  5. May 5

    Episode 15: The Weight Cops Carry (That No One Talks About)

    There's a weight cops carry that no one talks about. You're told to push it down. Compartmentalize it. "Don't bring it home." "This job ain't for the weak." Just deal with it. But you can't just push it down. You carry it. Every day. And it's breaking you. In this episode, I share my story from summer 2020 — when I was like a garbage truck, packing it all down, saying I was fine. But I wasn't fine. Then I name the weight. The weight you normalize. The weight you compartmentalize. The weight you carry home. You're more likely to get killed by the gun in your own hand than get killed in gunfire on duty. 108 completed suicides in 2025. 115 line-of-duty deaths. 223 total. The weight is killing you. Acknowledging the weight isn't weakness. Ignoring it is what breaks you. 🚔 POLICE WEEK IS NEXT WEEK (MAY 11-17, 2026) Next week is Police Week. We're going to honor the fallen — 115 line-of-duty deaths and 108 completed suicides in 2025. 223 total. But we're also going to honor you. The living. The ones carrying the weight. I'm launching the Police Week 223 Challenge to help you honor the fallen and honor yourself. A 7 day fitness challenge that is being hosted inside my Fit Cop Squad Room. A private community that's off of social media so cops can support and motivate each other during this challenge without Meta getting into our business. If you want to be ready, join the Fit Cop Squad Room now: [Insert Skool Link] --- 🔗 Join the Fit Cop Squad Room: A private community for law enforcement professionals who want to stay consistent, grounded, and connected — without pressure or ego. Join the Fit Cop Squad Room at the link below and DM me on Facebook or Instagram with "Police Week" to register or learn more details regarding my Police Week Challenge Join the Squad Room by Clicking here! --- 📧 Questions or feedback? DM me on Instagram or Facebook. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitcopcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitcopcoach/

    28 min

  6. Apr 28

    Episode 14: The 3 Fitness Tests Every Cop Should Pass (And Why Most Don't)

    Can you pass these 3 tests? Most cops can't. 1 strict pull-up. 4 rounds in the Gauntlet. 45-second deep goblet squat hold. These aren't bodybuilding tests. These are cop fitness tests. They test the 3 things you need to do your job and stay healthy: strength, conditioning, and mobility. Think of fitness like a tripod. You need all 3 legs. Shorten one, and eventually the whole thing falls. In this episode, I walk you through all 3 tests, show you why most cops fail them, and give you the path to pass them. Everyone has a starting point. The goal isn't perfection. The goal is to get a little better than you were yesterday. Test yourself. See where you stand. Then build toward it. And if you want help building toward these benchmarks, I've got something for you. --- 🏋️ THE 3 FITNESS TESTS EVERY COP SHOULD PASS Can you pass these 3 tests? **TEST 1: STRENGTH** 1 strict pull-up (Male) / 10-sec flexed-arm hang (Female) **TEST 2: CONDITIONING** The Gauntlet — 10-min AMRAP: - 10 2-hand kettlebell swings (24kg M / 16kg F) - 10 push-ups (M) / 8 push-ups (F) - 100m run Passing Standard: 4 rounds minimum **TEST 3: MOBILITY** 45-sec deep goblet squat hold These are the benchmarks from my Blue Line Tactical Fitness Test — Level 1. If you can't pass these tests, you're missing one (or more) legs of the tripod: strength, conditioning, or mobility. --- 🔗 WANT HELP BUILDING TOWARD THESE BENCHMARKS? I just released a new resource inside the Fit Cop Squad Room designed to help you pass these tests. Join the Fit Cop Squad Room: https://www.skool.com/fit-cop-squad-room-8292/about Inside, you'll get: ✅ The Blue Line Strength and Muscle Mass Workout Plan ✅ The Tactical Speed Endurance Blueprint ✅ The 10-minute Bulletproof Hip and Low Back Routine ✅ Support from other cops who are building toward these same benchmarks --- 📧 Questions or feedback? DM me on Instagram or Facebook. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitcopcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitcopcoach/

    28 min

  7. Apr 21

    Episode 13: How to Leave Work at Work (When You Can't Just 'Turn It Off')

    You can't just "turn it off." There's an adage in the academy: "Don't bring work home with you." As if you can just shut it off. Throw it in your locker. Walk out the door and leave it all behind. But it's not that simple. You can't unsee what you saw. You can't unfeel what you felt. You can't flip a switch and become "normal" again. In this episode, I share my story from summer 2020 when I was packing it all down, shoving it away, saying I was fine. But I wasn't fine. Then I walk you through why the advice doesn't work. And I'll show you what actually does. You can't stop the raindrops from falling. But you can create holes in the bucket so the water drains out before it overflows.

    27 min

  8. Apr 14

    Episode 12: The 4 Excuses Cops Make (And Why They're All Wrong)

    You'd never quit on your partner on duty. But you quit on yourself every time one of these excuses shows up. I've worked with over 150 cops. Every single one came to me with at least one of these excuses: 1. "I don't have time" 2. "I don't have motivation" 3. "I'm too tired" 4. "I don't know what to do" These excuses sound different. But they're all saying the same thing: You don't have a plan that fits your life. In this episode, I walk you through all 4 excuses: validate why they feel real, then challenge you with the truth. You'll hear the stories of Adam (single dad, ER nurse, EMT, has a horse farm, getting his doctorate; 60 lbs gone) Dave (Deputy Sheriff, Army Sergeant, visible six-pack at 54) Tyler (swing shift FTO with a newborn; 20 lbs down, more present at home) Rick (lifted for 4 years with no results; 15 lbs gone once we fixed his plan). Here's the truth: Results = right plan + real execution. Most cops are missing both. I'm looking for 6 cops who are ready to stop making excuses and start seeing results before this summer passes them by. 6 spots. Applications close April 19th for Badge to Beach. DM me "BEACH" on Instagram or Facebook to apply. --- 🏖️ BADGE TO BEACH — 6 SPOTS AVAILABLE I built Badge to Beach specifically to solve the 4 biggest excuses cops make: ❌ "I don't have time" → Workouts are 20-30 minutes (no 2-hour gym sessions) ❌ "I don't have motivation" → Accountability from other cops who get it (not your spouse) ❌ "I'm too tired" → We fix the root causes (sleep, eating, movement) so you feel energized after week 1 ❌ "I don't know what to do" → Done-for-you plan that's helped 150+ cops lose 20+ lbs in 3 months The Goal: 20 lbs of gut replaced with lean, confident muscle by the 4th of July — without 2-hour workouts or giving up your favorite summer foods. What's Included: ✅ 20-30 minute workouts (built for rotating shifts) ✅ Nutrition coaching (Blackstone/grill/smoker recipes — eat the foods you love) ✅ Low-calorie alcoholic drink recipes (don't give up your bourbon) ✅ Gym form audits (Zoom check-ins, even at 5:30/6:30 AM) ✅ Community support (cops facing the same challenges, wanting the same results) 6 spots. Applications close April 19th. 📩 DM me "BEACH" on Instagram or Facebook to apply: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitcopcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitcopcoach/

    26 min
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About

Beyond the Uniform is a podcast for law enforcement officers who know the job doesn't just stay at work. Fitness may be the entry point, but this show goes deeper. Hosted by Justin Hesse, Beyond the Uniform explores what it really means to show up strong in your body, clear in your mind, and present at home while carrying the weight of the badge. Through short solo episodes and conversations with other cops, dads, and leaders, we talk about: Reclaiming confidence and energy Using fitness as a tool for mental and emotional resilience Navigating identity, stress, and burnout without losing yourself Becoming the kind of man, father, and partner your family deserves This isn't about perfection, but it's about responsibility and building a legacy that lasts on the job and beyond it.

Information

  • Creator
    Justin Hesse
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Beyond the Uniform