STRENGTH TRAINING FOR FIREFIGHTERS
While some of you may be familiar with weight lifting, you may not know how best to train to gain the specific strength needed for day-to-day tasks on the fireground. Many of you may never have trained with weights on a serious level. Some of you may never have touched a weight. This strength program is for everyone. While this program won’t make a national champion power lifter out of you, it is designed to give the maximum amount of strength and power on a schedule limited by time and equipment. These exercises can be done at a fire station with as little as a barbell and weight bench or at a state-of-the-art gym with all the newest equipment.
While an extensive training area with lots of equipment is fantastic, it is the effort that is put into a workout that gets results. Proper attention to form and a constant drive to improve are the most important ingredients in any exercise regimen. Diet and cardiovascular conditioning are equally important to becoming a strong, healthy, and efficient firefighter, but these topics are beyond the scope of this article. Before beginning this or any exercise program, consult a doctor if it has been any length of timesi nee you exercised regularly.
All the exercises described here should be done in the strictest fashion to avoid injuries and maximize results. This cannot be overemphasized. Unless you happen to be an accomplished power lifter or bodybuilder, in which case you wouldn’t need this introduction, it is in your best interest to forget any of the bad habits you may have picked up while lifting weights with your friends or training for high school football.
Remember, everyone is different and responds differently to similar stresses. Nothing presented here is written in stone. It is meant as a starting point only. All of the basicprinciples here are sound and have been used for years by power lifters and bodybuilders all over the world, but everything can be improved. The variations that can be made in exercise routines are endless. If something works for you, then stay with it, no matter what your training partner or some “expert” tells you.
A few of the exercises presented here require machines that may not be available to you. If that is the case, do extra sets of the exercises you can do. Two movements, or even one movement, per body part is sufficient if you put in enough effort. At a minimum, though, do the squat, dead lift, and bench press.
Some definitions may be in order A spotter is a person w ho stands in close proximity to a weight lifter during certain exercises to guard against injury to the lifter. A repetition is simply each time the weight is lifted. A set is a group of reps performed together. To do five squats in sequence is to do oneset of five reps.
Do every exercise slowly and under control, to the point of nearfailure. This means the last repetition of a set should be the absolute last one you possibly can perform with good form. Repetitions of a set should be from five to seven or from 10 to 15, meaning that once you are able to do the higher number with good form, it is time to add enough weight to the bar so that once again you can accomplish only the lower number. For example, if you can bench press 200 pounds with reasonably good form for seven repetitions, it is time to add enough weight, say five to 10 pounds, so only five reps can be done correctly. It is permissible to “cheat” a little on the last rep or two, but only a little. A small amount of extra body movement can help you squeeze out that last repetition on a difficult set. It is these final few reps, during which you’re working the hardest, that give the greatest strength gains. When training to a point near failure, you must use a spotter if there is any possibility you may be stuck under the weight, such as in the bench press or squat. Exercises such as curls or dead lifts, however, do not require spotters for safety purposes.
When you are starting out. use very light weights until you acquire absolutely correct form and your muscles and joints become used to the stress of repetitive weight lifting. When you are just starting out, keep weight increases very small, even if you feel you can do much more—too much weight added too soon makes injury possible. The time taken between sets is an individual matter; but a rule of thumb is the heavier the sets, the longer it takes to recover between sets. On light, warm-up sets, you can get by with as little as oneto twominute rests, but on the heaviest sets you may need four to five minutes between sets to continue to work hard.
Warming up and stretching are critical to any strength program. It is very easy to pull a muscle while lifting weights if you are not properly warmed up. One reason for getting stronger in the first place is to avoid injuries on the fireground. While it may not be practical to get a good warm-up in on the way to a fire, where your muscles will be stressed at least as much as in weight training, there is no excuse for not warming up before exercising. A proper stretching regimen should include all the muscles that will be used in the current session. Slowly stretch these muscles and hold them in the stretched positions for 10 to 30 seconds. Avoid pulling fast or hard, and don’t bounce while stretching. All your movements should be slow and smooth. Warming up should consist of doing the same motions you will do in the workout, but with very light dumbcils or even an empty bar. Approach maximum poundages to be lifted in any exercise in steps, adding more weight each set. For example, if your top sets in a bench workout are to be three sets of five reps with 300 pounds, your warm-up sets (after stretching) might consist of two to three reps done with an empty bar, followed by 1.33 pounds. 183 pounds, 223 pounds, ending with one or two reps with 273 pounds. The point is that muscles and joints should be prepared before being subjected to large amounts of stress, to minimize the possibility of injury.
The frequency of your lifting sessions will depend on your work schedule and whether you work out at the station or a local gym. As a starting point, I recommend working each body part twice a week. For example, if you decided to do your entire exercise program session, you should exercise twice a week. However, if you decide to split your workout into two parts—for instance, upper body one day and lower body another day—you should lift four days a week, but your sessions will be shorter than if you attempted to do the entire routine at once. Workouts can be split up in endless ways; it is up to each individual to decide what’s feasible. My current personal preference is to do chest, shoulders, biceps, and triceps on one day and legs and back the next day, both at a local gym. The third day 1 work out at the firestation, jumping rope and exercising my abdominals.
(Photos by Pep Wahl.)
LEG EXERCISES
Squat
Muscles trained: Gluteus maximus (buttocks), quadriceps (thighs).
Equipment required Squat rack, barbell.
Fireground value: A strong lower bod) is the foundation for all physical activity. Powerful legs make it easier to climb ladders and enable you to exert much more power when using your body to push or pull things. Carrying a hotel pack up several flights of stairs and dragging charged hoselines aren’t easy tasks in anyone’s book, but they are made much easier by strong legs.
Performance: The squat is the king of weight-lifting exercises. If you are so busy that you have time to do only one exercise, this is the one to do. No other lifting movement will give quite as much benefit or bang for the buck as squatting. You may have heard that squats are bad for the knees. When performed correctly and after a good warm-up, the chance of hurting your knees is minimal. Stand with your feet approximately shoulder width apart, with the bar resting on your shoulders and upper back. Lower your body until your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor (or as low as you can comfortably go), pause momentarily, and stand back up with the weight. For correct performance, observe the following:
- Look upward when performing the exercise and keep your head up and chest out, to help you to keep your balance.
- Try to keep the bar in line with (over) your feet.
- Eliminate any bouncing during the squatting portion of the exercise
- (bouncing can cause knee injuries).
- A weight belt and knee wraps are recommended if you are lifting heavier weights.
- If no rack is available, raise a very light bar overhead and rest it on your shoulders. Just do more reps and do them more slowly.
- Breathe regularly while doing this and all exercises. Take deep breaths at the top and hold them while lowering the weight. Force the air out as you bring the weight back up.
Spotting: The spotter should stand behind you and as close as possible without interfering with the lift. If you need assistance in getting the weight back up, the spotter should place his or her arms around your chest and pull up until you are in an upright position. This will prevent you from folding at the waist and possibly injuring your lower back.
Calf Raise
Muscles trained: Calves.
Equipment required: Standing calf machine (optional), seated calf machine (optional), dumbbells (if no machine is available).
Fireground value: You use your calf muscles every time you take a step. Strong calves permit you to work harder and longer at any task that involves climbing, such as climbing hills when fighting brush fires, ascending multiple flights of stairs, or simply climbing a tall ladder.
Performance: You can perform this movement standing or sitting, with or without a special machine. With a seated calf machine, the weight is placed on the knees. With a standing calf machine, the weight is on your shoulders. If no weight machine is available, calf raises can be accomplished standing on a board with one leg at a time. The exercise is very simple—just raise your body up and down, using only your calf muscles. Make sure to raise your body up as high as possible and lower it down far enough to get a good stretch at the bottom. Some keys to correct performance are the following:
Keeping your legs slightly bent while standing avoids placing too much stress on the knees.
Don’t flex your knees as you go up and down—try to keep your legs bent at the same angle during the movement.
Lunges
Muscles trained: Thighs.
Equipment required: Barbell.
Fireground value: I.unges will make your legs much more powerful and will help in any climbing, carrying, running, or lifting you do on the job.
Performance: Standing with a light barbell across your shoulders, extend one foot out as far as you comfortably can and lower your body until the opposite knee almost touches the floor. Return to the standing position and lunge with the other leg, alternating back and forth. Some keys to correct performance are the following:
An empty bar or very little weight can be used until you have very strong legs and are completely comfortable with this movement.
Lunges are an excellent complement to squats and can even be performed as an alternative if a squat rack is not available or you are uncomfortable doing squats.
CHEST EXERCISES
Bench Press
Muscles trained: Pectorals (chest), deltoids (shoulders), and triceps (back of upper arms).
Equipment required: Exercise bench, barbell.
Fireground value: This exercise is an extremely effective way to build strength in the triceps, chest, and shoulders. Increased strength in these upper body muscles can improve your ability to operate hoselines, use forcible entry tools, raise and lower ladders, and move objects.
Performance: Lie face up on an exercise bench with your feet flat on the floor. Your buttocks and shoulder blades should stay in contact with the bench. Hold the bar with your arms extended. Lower the bar to your lower chest, pause momentarily, and press the bar back up to the starting position.
Spotting: The spotter can assist you into the starting position. If you are unable to complete a repetition, the spotter should assist you only as much as is needed to complete the repetition and return the bar to the starting position. Some keys to correct performance are the following:
- Do not arch your back. This could provide a mechanical advantage (cheating) but also could cause injury to your lower back.
- You should lower the bar and touch your chest at the same spot at every repetition, maintaining eye con-
- tact with the bar throughout the exercise.
- You can use dumbbells with this exercise.
- Never bounce the bar off your chest.
Dips
Muscles trained: Pectorals (chest), deltoids (shoulders), and triceps (back of upper arms).
Equipment required: Dip bars.
Fireground value: Dips work the same muscles as the bench press and will make it easier to use forcible entry tools and rescue tools.
Performance: Mount the dip bars with your arms extended. Grip the bars with your hands facing inward. Suspend your weight with your elbows locked and your knees bent. Slowly lower your body as far as possible, pause, and drive back up until your elbows are locked again. Once you can perform 10 properly executed repetitions, add additional weight using a harness or a strap. For correct performance, observe the following:
- Avoid swinging your body while raising and lowering.
- Keep your head up throughout the movement.
Flies
Muscles trained: Pectorals (chest).
Equipment required: Flat bench, dumbbells.
Fireground value: This is an optional assistance movement for the bench press. It will make it easier for you to use forcible entry tools, hand tools, and extrication devices.
Performance: Lie on your back on a bench and hold the dumbbells overhead with your palms facing in. Lower the dumbbells out to the side until they are at chest level, pause, and return. Keys to correct performance are the following:
- As you lower your arms, bend your elbows slightly to reduce the stress on them.
- Touch the weights together at the top of the movement and squeeze them together, forcefully contracting the pectorals.
TRICEP EXERCISES
Close-Grip Bench Press
Muscles trained: Triceps (back of upper arms) and pectorals (chest).
Equipment required: Flat bench, barbell.
Fireground value: Since the triceps extend the lower arm, close grips will help you to use hand or forcible entry tools, use axes or saws, and raise ladders.
Performance: This is another optional assistance exercise that can be used if enough time is available. Lie on your back on an exercise bench just as you would for the regular bench press, but with a much narrower (12to 18-inch) grip. Lower tlie bar to the chest, keeping your upper arms close to your body throughout the movement. Do not use as much weight with tlie close grip as you would with the regular bench press, because the former uses the triceps much more than the chest, and the triceps are much smaller and not as strong as chest muscles. The following are keys to correct performance:
- Keep your upper arms close to your body. This works the triceps harder than if your elbows were out to the sides, which brings the chest more into play.
Spotting; Same as with the bench press.
Tricep Pressdowns
Muscles trained; Triceps (back of upper arms).
Equipment required: Cable pulldown machine. If a cable machine is not available, substitute this exercise with sets of nose busters.
Eireground value: Pressdowns strengthen muscles used in pushing, so this exercise will make you better at forcible entry and operating power tools or hand tools.
Performance. Standing before a cable pulldown machine using a short, preferably angled bar, use a sixto 10inch-widc overhand grip. Push the bar down until your arms are straight, then let the bar slowly return to the starting position. The following arckeys to correct performance:
- Keep your upper arms as motionless as possible; the only movement should be your forearm raising and lowering the bar.
Nose Busters
Muscles trained: Triceps (back of upper arms).
Equipment required: Bench, barbell.
Eireground value. Triceps are used in all movements where the arms arcextended outward, such as controlling a hoseline, hoisting objects overhead, and pushing in a door.
Performance: Lie on a bench with the bar held straight up over the head. Lower the bar, bending at the elbows, until it is just over your face (thus the name). With the bar a few inches from your nose, press it back to the starting position. The following are keys to correct performance:
- Keeping your upper arms still while lowering the bar places all the work on your triceps.
- Lower the bar slowly and keep it under control at all times to avoid hitting your face.
Spotting: Your spotter should help you get the bar back up if it cannot be returned to an overhead lockout. He or she should watch that the bar does not come too close to your face.
BACK EXERCISES
Dead Lift
Muscles trained: Tlie entire back, including spinal erectors (lower back), trapezius (the muscles between your shoulders and your neck), gluteus maximus (buttocks), and quadriceps (thighs).
Equipment required: Barbell; if very heavy weights are used, a dead lift platform or rubber matting can be used to avoid damage to the floor.
Eireground value: A strong back is needed for all physical activities. A properly conditioned back will make it safer and easier for you to lift heavyobjects when reloading a hose bed. to move or carry ladders or portable monitors, and to hang fans. Obviously, a powerful back is not as susceptible to injury as a weak back.
Performance: Stand with your feet slightly farther apart than shoulder width. Squat and grip the bar with an underhand grip on one hand and an overhand grip on the other hand, keeping your elbows outside of your knees and your head up. Full the bar, straightening your legs and back until you are standing straight with your shoulders back. Pause and slowly lower the bar back to the floor. Observe the following for correct performance:
- Keep your back straight and lift with your legs.
- Keep the bar close to your shins throughout the exercise.
- Keep your rear end down as low as possible and your head up throughout the movement.
Chin-Ups
Muscles trained: Latissimus dorsi (middle and outer back), biceps.
Equipment required: Chin-up bar.
Eireground value: This exercise will give you more strength for pulling rope or stretching hoselines, reloading hose, and dragging heavy objects.
Performance: Grip the bar with an overhand grip and with your hands shoulder width apart, hang from the bar with your elbows straight, raise your body upward until your chin is above the bar, pause, and slowly lower until your arms are straight. The following are keys to correct performance:
- Do not allow your body to swing during the exercise.
- Allow your elbows to extend completely at the bottom of the movement.
- A spotter can help on the last few reps by holding your ankles and giving you something to push against.
Bent-Over Rowing
Muscles trained: Latissimus dorsi (middle and outer back), biceps.
Equipment required: Barbell.
Fireground value: Bent-over rows give benefits similar to those of dead lifts; they will enhance your ability to pull during such activities as forcible entry and search and rescue.
Performance: Stand bent forward at the waist so that your upper body is nearly parallel to the floor, your feet are shoulder width apart, and your knees are slightly bent. Full the bar upward so that the bar touches your belly, pause momentarily, and lower the bar until your arms are straight again. For correct performance, observe the following:
- Try to pull with your back muscles, not your arms.
- This exercise also can be done one arm at a time, with dumbbells.
- Do not let your upper body rock up and down as you raise and lower the weight.
SHOULDER EXERCISES
Military Press
Muscles trained: Deltoids (shoulders), triceps (back of upper arms).
Equipment required: Barbell.
Fireground value: This basic shoulder exercise also will benefit the triceps. It will help you perform such tasks as raising ladders, setting fans, handling hoselines, and jobs that require raising objects overhead or out to the side.
Performance: Stand with feet shoulder width apart and an overhand grip slightly wider than your shoulders. With the bar on your shoulders, press the weight overhead until your arms are locked straight, then slowly return the bar to your shoulders. The following are keys to correct performance:
- Lower the bar completely so it touches your shoulders at every rep.
- Do not lean back when pressing the weight overhead. This is a form of
- cheating that places enormous stress on the lower back.
- This exercise also can be done with dumbbells.
Spotting: The spotter may stand behind you to help you raise the weight, litis is a difficult exercise to spot for; as experience is gained, a spotter may not be necessary.
Lateral Raises
Muscles trained: Deltoids (shoulders).
Equipment required: Dumbbells.
Fireground value: You use your shoulders when you raise your arms to the side or overhead, you use a pike pole during overhaul, and you hand tools up a ladder.
Performance: Stand with your arms extended downward, with your palms facing each other, and with the dumbbells touching in front of your body. Your body should be slightly bent forward at the waist. Raise the dumbbells sideways and upward until they are approximately parallel to your head, pause momentarily, and slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position. Observe the following lor correct performance:
- Do not raise the weights above shoulder level.
- Bend your arms slightly at the elbow during performance.
BICEP EXERCISES
Curl
Muscles trained: Biceps (front of upper arms).
Equipment required: Barbell.
Fireground value: On the fireground, you use your arms constantly. Strong biceps make it easier to pull rope, hoist tools, handle hoselines, use forcible entry tools, and raise and lower ladders.
Performance: Stand with your feet less than shoulder width apart and your arms extended downward. Grip the bar with an underhand grip, placing your hands just outside your hips. Keep your elbows back and curl the bar as high as possible, pause, and slowly lower the bar back to starting position. The following are keys to correct performance:
- Keep your back straight—do not lean backward.
- Keep your elbows back throughout the exercise—do not swing the bar.
- Lower the bar slowly until your elbows are straight.
Dumbbell Curls
Muscles trained: Biceps (front of upper arms).
Equipment required: Dumbbells.
Fireground value: Dumbbell curls will give you strength for actions such as pulling hose or rope and controlling hoseline.
Performance: Perform this exercise the same way that you would barbell curls, only raise your arms alternately. Observe the following as keys to correct performance:
- Avoid swinging your upper body each time you lower and raise the dumbbells.
ABDOMINAL EXERCISES
Sit-Ups
Muscles trained: Abdominals.
Equipment required: None.
Fireground value: A strong abdomen is essential for supporting the upper body during all physical activities. It is known that a strong abdomen will help prevent many back injuries.
Performance: Lie on the floor with your feet and knees together and bent and with your feet secured. Lower your body until your upper back is not quite resting on the floor, pause momentarily, and bring your upper body up to a position just short of vertical, maintaining constant tension on the abdominals. For correct performance, observe the following:
Make sure you keep your knees bent; this makes the abdominals work harder than they would if your legs were straight.
Crunches
Muscles trained: Abdominals.
Equipment required: None.
Fireground value: Crunches strengthen the abdomen in the same way as sit-ups. In addition, they work the lower abdominals, which are difficult to exercise.
Performance: Lie on the floor with your hands behind your head and your legs extended straight out. Raise your upper body and legs at the same time, bending your legs as you raise them. Pivoting on your buttocks, pull your upper body toward your legs until your elbows touch your legs.
Following this exercise routine and putting in hard, consistent workouts will increase your strength level dramatically in as little as two or three months. Get into the habit of exercising regularly, and it will become much easier to stay with your routine. Remember, the gains you make will depend entirely on the effort you put into training.
