Hi, I am 18. An aspiring fire fighter. I posted a link here giving a idea of what the physical examination may include or be like. Could you give me an idea of what i should probably be doing in my workout routine? High reps. Low reps? Take a look and give me all the insight you can. Thanks.
the tests like press ups and sit ups etc are obviously easy to prepare for - I’d probably just bung a load of these in my warm up or cool down period, I can’t see that posing too much problem.
As far as the job specific ones go - ideally you’d tap up the lads at your local station and see if they’ll let you run some hose out etc to get the technique off and get a feel for what it’s be like. Stuff like the ladder climb is purely a test of your nerve. Even if you hate heights, (I do) just tell yourself to stop being a fanny and do it anyway.
Having spent last night dragging hose around for 4 hours at a bastard grass fire I would say the best way to simulate this type of activity would be through sled dragging. There’s loads of articles on this - do a search - just go a bit heavier than what is generally recommended. Sandbag carries and crap like that may be an idea too.
Putting everything together, I’d do probably a couple of whole body workouts in the gym, then a ‘medley’ day where you do the stuff listed above.
In the gym focus on the back of the body - the ‘dragging’ and carrying muscles, I think the only time I’ve done a pushing motion on the job was when some knob-head scally decided to have a pop at me to show off to his mates. Stick to heavyish stuff in the gym, the medley day should take care of muscular endurance.
I came across a site called Strengthcats that has alot of info on physical training for the fire service.Hope this helps.
I came across a site called Strengthcats that has alot of info on physical training for the fire service.Hope this helps.
None of that stuff looks entirely difficult. If you play a sport, just train for that. If you don’t, make sure you do some energy system work or else you’ll get burned! (what a brutal pun…)
most of the people don’t understand exactly what firefighters do. Let me give you a brief rundown of my last shift. We started the day with a car wreck with one critical patint trapped. We spent about 15 minutes “cuttin him out”. That may not sound to difficult, but it was already 92 degrees outside and about 92% humidity, we had on all our bunkergear(50-60 lbs.), and were using tools that weigh 50-75 lbs…
We left there and ran 11 EMS calls, 3 more car wrecks, and one bus fire. I went to bed at midnight and got up at 3 AM on one of the worst motorcycle wrecks I’ve seen in a while. So,how to train for what this job requires is hard to put your finger on. A good all around cardio & strength program is a good start. Remember most of the hard work we do we will be wearing an airpack (35-45 lbs.) So possibly something specific that may help you would be a weighted backpack while so lift weights, do farmers walks, etc… good luck & stay low
Have you gone to the school and asked if they have practice sessions or a training time? It is always best to try the test prior to taking it if at all possible. But yes the best way to train for this would be to simulate the test as best as possible. For instance take a 15lb dumbbell and practice that with someone timing you. Also the test does not state if you will be in fire gear or not – important to know! Gather all the information you can – it will help in the long run.
Best of luck to you in your quest –
Malinda
Get the 84lb Xvest and start wearing it all the time and during many of your exercises (squats, chins, dips, etc.). Then you’ll have an idea of the strength you’ll need just to carry all your gear. At that point, you can also work on the strength endurance you’ll need to perform the job.
Also, check out Coach Davies’ Renegade FireFighter program on his site. It’ll get you ready!
[quote]karder776 wrote:
most of the people don’t understand exactly what firefighters do. Let me give you a brief rundown of my last shift. We started the day with a car wreck with one critical patint trapped. We spent about 15 minutes “cuttin him out”. That may not sound to difficult, but it was already 92 degrees outside and about 92% humidity, we had on all our bunkergear(50-60 lbs.), and were using tools that weigh 50-75 lbs…
We left there and ran 11 EMS calls, 3 more car wrecks, and one bus fire. I went to bed at midnight and got up at 3 AM on one of the worst motorcycle wrecks I’ve seen in a while. So,how to train for what this job requires is hard to put your finger on. A good all around cardio & strength program is a good start. Remember most of the hard work we do we will be wearing an airpack (35-45 lbs.) So possibly something specific that may help you would be a weighted backpack while so lift weights, do farmers walks, etc… good luck & stay low[/quote]
now that’s a shitty shift…