Circuit Training for Firefighters

The title of the email from the U.S. Fire Administration was intriguing: “Circuit training impact on volunteer firefighters' cardiovascular health.” The article links to a study that has some of the usual statistics about firefighter health and then measures the impact of a four-week circuit training workout program. The study consisted of pre-training testing and developing individual baselines, as well as use of control groups. The participants were again tested after four weeks of circuit training.

For those of you not familiar with circuit training, it is a physical workout routine that involves a series of aerobic movement and resistance training. The workout that was selected for the study consisted of six stations that were repeated three times in each workout. And the firefighters completed the workouts three times a week.

The stations were designed to replicate the tasks of the firefighters. The six stations included: a 40-pound carry for 100 feet, a 3-minute stair climb, a 45-second plank pose, a 20-pound carry with a fast walk for 100 feet, right and left single-leg stand for as long as they could balance, and a 15-pound carry up and down 30 stairs. I was intrigued by the one-leg stands, as our statistics show that slips and falls from losing balance is a high-injury area for firefighters.

The participants in the study showed marked improvement and reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease. You can read the full results and details of the study.

Here is a related article from the Cooper Institute that provides more background on circuit training for firefighters.

Up next: Lessons Learned from the Halloween Blizzard of 1991

Stay safe,
Rob