As a firefighter, you need a workout program that will increase your cardio and strength while getting you in to great shape.
Whether you want to get in shape for the fire academy or for the day to day fire calls, you need a bodyweight workout that you can do if you’re on your shift, in full firefighter gear, or on air.
The best workout for firefighters will be a combination of bodyweight workouts, HIIT workouts, and cardio workouts. Whether your fitness level is beginner or advanced, a firefighter must be prepared for any kind of physically demanding condition or circumstance you come across.
A fire fighter must have the strength to lug around an extremely heavy hose, open a fire hydrant in the blink of an eye, or scale flights of stairs to save someone from a burning building.
A fire fighter puts his life at risk daily and the physical demands of this honorable profession should be accounted for with a workout that get’s their bodies in tip-top shape.
Try these 3 Workouts for Firefighters.
Firefighter Workouts
Firefighter Bodyweight Workouts
The first workout you can do as a firefighter will be to use your bodyweight to give yourself the best workout possible.
A firefighter bodyweight workout should be one that you can do at home, at the gym or at the fire station. To make the workout more challenging, add pieces of functional training equipment that can either make the exercises harder, or put your body in a better position for the exercise.
For this workout, I encourage you to use firefighter gear, a weight vest, dumbbells, TRX suspension straps, or anything to make your bodyweight workout more challenging, and often more fun.
With all these workouts, make sure you do some sort of cardio based warmup to increase blood flow to the muscles and avoid injury.
Firefighter Bodyweight Workout:
3 sets of 8 for each of these
- Pushups with firefighter gear or a weight vest. To make this more challenging, put your feet in some TRX straps or upon a stability ball. Use dumbbells and alternate with renegade rows.
- Squat pulses or squat hops with gear or a weight vest. Make sure to use correct squat form.
- Sit-ups with a cross elbow to knee touch at the top.
- Alternating reverse lunges. Grab some dumbbells and add a shoulder press on the way up.
- Side plank with side leg raise. The side plank will challenge your abs and obliques while the leg raise will help protect your knees.
- Single Leg RDL’s with gear or weight vest. Add some dumbbells to make this more challenging.
- Hamstring Curls on the TRX suspension straps
- Bodyweight shoulder press. Keep your legs straight, hike your hips up in the air to create a downward angle for your upper body to do the shoulder press
Remember to drink lots of water.
Only do this workout 2 to 3 times a week.
Try to mix in other exercises if you can.
Firefighter HIIT Workout
The next workout you can do to improve yourself as a fire fighter is with a firefighter HIIT workout.
A firefighter HIIT workout is going to challenge the cardio capacity of your muscles, your heart and your lungs. It’s a workout that will help you lose weight and get in shape a lot quicker than a traditional workout. A HIIT workout program is one that will make you want to give up. Try to get through it and you will improve over time.
For this workout, you need to be warmed up, have lots of water ready, and be ready to push yourself to the max.
It’s hard to use accessory equipment during a HIIT workout. If you do, make sure you use correct form and keep your movements safe.
Firefighter HIIT Workout:
45 seconds of each of these, twice through
- Jumping Jacks
- Squat Hops
- Pushup Jacks
- Jump Rope
- Reverse Lunges
- Mountain Climbers
- Running in place
- Plank
- Stair Climber
- Side to Side Walking Pushups
If you are a beginner 45 seconds might be too difficult.
Start with something you can get through like 15-20 seconds each and work your way up.
Firefighter Workout in Gear And/Or Firefighter Workout On Air
A really great way to get your body ready for any possible physically tolling event is to workout in your firefighter gear and on air.
A firefighter workout in gear challenges your body to get in shape for real life events. It makes your muscles, heart and lungs work hard, getting them ready for anything that could come their way.
If you decide to use dumbbells or any other piece of functional training equipment for your workout, you will become that much stronger.
Try this firefighter gear workout.
Make sure you listen to your body, drink lots of water, and don’t overdo it.
Firefighter Workout in Gear or On Air
- ½ to 1 Mile Jog
- Stair climber for 20 minutes
- Row machine for 20 minutes
- 2 sets of 15 pushups
- 2 sets of 20 squats
- Grab some dumbbells for a fireman carry, 100 yards, twice
- 30 jumping jacks
Remember you can always reduce the number or the length of any exercise. Get through this workout and you will be ready for anything.
What is the best workout for firefighters?
The best workout for firefighters is going to be one that challenges your muscles and cardio capacity to the highest levels.
It’s going to be a workout you can do at home, at the gym or at the fire station.
Incorporating fitness equipment and firefighter gear into your workouts will make them that much more challenging.
Mix traditional, HIIT, cardio, and bodyweight workouts into your routine for best results.
How do I exercise like a firefighter?
If you want to exercise like a firefighter, you need to do exercises that mimic what a fire fighter may do on the job.
Putting on a weight vest will mimic the firefighter gear that they must wear.
Carrying and using dumbbells will mimic some of the things they have to lift.
Doing cardio will help you get in shape like a firefighter needs to be.
Do these things and you will be exercising like a firefighter.
How do I get in shape for the fire academy?
If you want to get in shape for the fire academy, you need to do things like lifting weights, cardio, and eating right.
You are going to want a workout program that mimics some of the exercises and workouts I have laid out for you above.
You need to be exercising 4 to 5 days a week.
This should include weights, HIIT workouts, cardio routines, warmups, and recovery.
You need to always use correct form, push yourself, increasing your health and fitness as you go along.
Do firefighters have to be in shape?
Firefighters must be in great shape.
They may need to carry a fire hose a long distance, climb a ladder and save someone from a burning building, or pull someone out of a wrecked car.
The better shape you are in, the easier it will be to get the job done.
Those who do not get into good shape are risking their own and the lives of others.
Summary: Firefighter Bodyweight Workouts
Firefighter bodyweight workouts are a great way for firemen and women to prepare themselves for the unknowns of a job. They will help you get in shape at home, the park, the station or anywhere a firefighter needs to get in shape. A firefighter is a noble profession, and one that requires each of them to be at a fitness level that could save lives.
If you need some good ideas for functional training equipment, visit my article: 20 ESSENTIAL Pieces of Functional Training Equipment