The firefighter workout demands you to get fit for when your life depends on it. Firefighters are not necessarily built like a pro athlete, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t fit. A firefighter workout routine is different to a typical workout as the required physical attributes of a firefighter are specific to the job in hand.
Firefighter Workout: Multiple Planes
Traditional strength training workouts will only have you move in a sagittal plane, meaning front to back, like a forward lunge. When it comes to the physical demands of a fire ground, a firefighter is going to be forced to move quickly in any direction. Many perceive firemen to be functionally fit. In other words, whether or not they look like a fitness model, they have what it takes to take on physically demanding challenges.
Learn to train in not only the sagittal plane, but also the frontal and transverse (horizontal). An example of a frontal plane exercise is a traditional standing dumbbell side raise. Many injuries occur during transverse movements, so it is even more important to exercise these types of movements during your workouts.
Your firefighter workout should start with multi-plane movements for timed rounds. Start with 3 rounds, 30 seconds each. Build to a maximum of 60 sec per round. Here are some exercises to choose from:
- Front lunge to side lunge
- Reverse lunge to side lunge
- Step-up to a side raise
- Single leg deadlift to side lunge
- Push-up with rotation
- Push-up with dumbbell row
Typical bodybuilding workouts focus on building big muscles, but this is not suitable for the firefighter workout as the extra muscle mass is likely to slow you down. The body of a fireman needs to be lean and ready for action.
Here’s a four day firefighter workout routine to follow on a regular basis. Follow the training protocol of one day on, one day off – continuing to alternate. In other words, if you’re doing day one today – tomorrow would be an off day where you rest and recover (which means get a lot of sleep). The day after, you get back to work.
Firefighter Workout Day 1: Explosive Training
Train your joints and muscles to be explosive. You never know when you’ll need to leap across flames to escape out a window! I’d rather measure my explosive training by reps instead of by time. Medicine balls are great for this type of training.
Perform 4 sets of 8 reps for any one of the following movements:
- Med ball movement
- Med ball slam
- Med ball squat to overhead throw
- Med ball jump squat to Med ball slam
- Med ball twist and throw
Firefighter Workout Day 2: One Side At a Time
One sided movements truly challenge your core. Perform movements while carrying or holding weight to the opposite side. This causes many spinal stabilizers to activate.
Pick any two movements from each of the three sections. Begin by performing 3 sets of 15 reps. After 4 weeks, increase sets to 4 and drop the reps to 12. Remember to work one side at a time.
Full-body unilateral movements:
- Kettlebell swings
- Lunge to dumbbell shoulder press
- Split squat to dumbbell shoulder press
Upper body movements:
- Standing single-arm dumbbell press
- Swiss ball alternating arm chest press
- Single-arm dumbbell row
Lower body movements:
- Single-leg split squat with a dumbbell
- Single-leg deadlift with a dumbbell reach
- Single-leg sit to standing with a dumbbell
Firefighter Workout Day 3: Hit the Core
Your core should be the center of attention 100% of the time. A strong core will improve balance.
Start with 3 rounds, 30 seconds each. Build to a maximum of 60 seconds per round:
- Russian twist
- Plank with reach
- Side plank with side raise
- Cable chop
- Crunch to medicine ball throw
Firefighter Workout Day 4: Prepare Your Shoulders
Finish your workouts with a direct hit on your upper back. Strengthening the muscles that stabilize the shoulder blades allow you to carry heavy loads, like the average obese American. The goal with this movement is to pull your shoulders down and back.
Pick one of the movements below and perform 4 sets of 15 reps:
- Cable face-pull
- Seated cable row
- Chin up
- Incline reverse dumbbell flyes
It is also a good idea to look into super-setting your firefighter workout. A super-set is where you do one exercises and then go immediately onto the next exercise without any rest. When you have completed one cycle of this, then you can rest. You then repeat this cycle again 2 or 3 more times. Work on reducing the recovery time each session as your level of fitness improves.
