Tommy J. Harrison Jr. The Strongest Police Officer In the World

The Following is taken from: The Times nwi.com
BY PAUL CZAPKOWICZ
Times Correspondent | Monday, December 24, 2007 |

CALUMET CITY | If Chicago police officer Tommy Harrison Jr. ever pulls you over on your way through Chicago, you would be best advised to do what he says.

The nine-year veteran of the department, and 1991 Englewood High School graduate, is no ordinary cop.

Last year at a Las Vegas competition, Harrison was named "The World's Strongest Police Officer" by the World Association of Bench Pressers and Dead Lifters. But hoisting 760 pounds to gain that title was just the beginning.

"This year, I came back again and won it with 826 (pounds)," Harrison said.

A captain of his high school wrestling and football teams, Harrison began lifting weights as a teenager and found that it kept him away from negative influences in the gang-infested area where he grew up. Weightlifting also helped redirect the aggression some teenagers feel.

"I became a police officer to be an advocate," Harrison said. "I knew how it was growing up in that particular environment, so I kind of understand what young black men are going through.

"I just feel like I can bring a different flavor. I know where they're coming from."

Harrison trains part-time in Calumet City at Quads Gym, which has bars big enough to support all the weight he can handle.

And don't think for a second that Harrison has cut corners to get where he is. The married father of one makes copies of his drug tests readily available so that there can be no question about the use of banned substances during his training.

"That stuff has a long-term effect," Harrison said. "I think that if you have a good work ethic, for whatever weight you're trying to accomplish, you can get it. It just takes time. Everybody's trying to take a short cut."

Harrison trains four times a week, but usually no more than once on any particular muscle group. Recovery time is crucial, he said.

"You have to give the muscles time to rest," Harrison said. "If you continue to stress it, you're regressing. You're not progressing."

Chicago resident David Lewis recently worked out with Harrison at Quads and credits the police officer with helping him achieve a high lift of 605 pounds.

"Tommy's a great guy," Lewis said. "He's a great trainer, a very humble person. He doesn't mind sharing his secrets on what it takes to be a world-class power lifter."