Training for firefighters must not hinder their job performance but rather enhance their performance. I know many firefighters who do CrossFit, powerlifting, weightlifting, or even bodybuilding because they want to look sharp in their uniform.
I’m not saying that all of those are bad, but the question I usually ask myself is “Is there a better way?”
When you look at all of these different types of training methods the problem they have is that they are heavily in the sagittal plane. The sagittal plane divides the body into left and right halves by an imaginary line and encompasses any forward and back movement parallel to the line. Exercises like lunges, squats, deadlifts, toe to bars, wall balls, burpees, biceps curls, and more are considered movements in the sagittal plane.
The other two planes of movement are Frontal and Transverse. The frontal plane divides the body in the front and back halves and categorized with exercises that use any lateral (side) movement parallel to the line: lateral raises, lateral lunges, overhead press, etc. Transverse plane divides the body into superior and inferior halves at the waistline. The transverse plane involves rotational movements like wood chops, medicine ball rotation throws, landmine rotations, etc.
First off, firefighters need to use training that increase power and strength, prevents injury, and improve conditioning. Training that leaves a firefighter feeling achey, sore, or maybe injured not only puts them at risk of a more serious injury if called to duty but also puts others around them at risk as well.
The main movements of a firefighter consist of:
- Pull
- Push
- Carry
- Lift
- Drag
- Core Performance (Pillar Strength)
- Conditioning
When seeing these movements, you can start thinking of the necessary exercises firefighters should use in their training that can be considered more functional to what they do.
5 KU MOVEMENTS FOR FIREFIGHTERS
There are many great exercises out there for firefighters to use in their training that I’m sure many already use like squat, deadlift, bench press, row, farm walks, and more. The usual exercises. So instead of listing the typical list of exercises you may have come across before, I want to share different movements you can incorporate into your training.
Sandbag Drag and Pull-Through
MEDICINE BALL AND LANDMINE ROTATIONS
SLED ROPE PULLS AND PUSH
FIREFIGHTER SANDBAG SQUATS
DUMBBELL RENEGADE ROW
BONE: STEEL MACE LATERAL LUNGE
