Whether you’re training to become a firefighter or are already employed as one, staying in shape with a good firefighter workout is extremely important. The physical demands of firefighting require that you must constantly be training to stay in excellent physical condition.
Lifting and operating heavy equipment like hoses, axes, shovels, and breathing apparatus requires upper-body muscle building exercises to keep you in shape. Climbing ladders and stairs while weighed down with up to 100 pounds of equipment or carrying a person weighing as much as 200 pounds means your legs and back must be conditioned as part of your firefighter workout. Stamina is a must for firefighters, as they often are called upon to battle a fire for hours at a time without a break. Therefore, building stamina, muscle strength, core strength, cardio fitness and flexibility are all important components of your firefighter workout.
Because firefighters die more often from heart attack than smoke inhalation or other fire-related occurrences, cardiovascular fitness should be a major portion of a good firefighter workout.
Cardio and stamina building firefighter workout exercises:
• Essentially, any exercise that gets your heart pumping and your body sweating over a period of time builds cardiovascular strength and stamina. Whether you go to the gym or jog on the street, running is a great way to build cardio health. If you’re running, you want to run 3-5 miles daily to build up your cardio stamina. You can do this outdoors or in the gym on a running machine.
• In addition to building cardio health, there are more benefits of aerobic exercise. Stress relief, breathing stamina and weight loss are the other perks from doing this kind of firefighter workout exercise. Keep in mind that you can burn 300 calories by running for 30 minutes. Many firefighters run marathons and triathlons as part of their regular cardio program. Some other examples of cardio firefighter workout exercises are swimming, biking, rowing, cross-country skiing, elliptical machines and aerobics classes.
• Stair running is an exercise imperative for firefighters and is a part of their ongoing training regimen. This should be added to your firefighter workout on either a stair-climbing machine or on actual stairs at a site such as a stadium or other building. Increase your workout until you can climb 60 steps per minute for a total of 20 minutes. Once you can do that, add weight to your workout in increments until you can climb 60 steps per minute for six minutes carrying 25 pounds. These two exercises are part of the firefighter fitness tests required for certification.
Strength building firefighter workout exercises:
• Bench presses are great exercises for building upper body strength. Remember to always use a spotter to avoid injury. Depending on your level of fitness, add weight in five or ten pound increments until you can lift 225 pounds. Lift as many times as possible for one minute. Rest for two minutes and repeat.
• Push-ups are another great way to build upper body strength. Jumping jacks and squats should be added to your firefighter workout, as they build leg muscle strength and core conditioning. Do a combination workout of the three exercises to get a total body workout, with ten jumping jacks, ten push-ups and ten squats. Repeat this rotation for five rounds.
