Health & Wellness: Firehouse Gyms: Equipment & Exercises

Major changes have been made in the fire service the last few years to improve firefighter health and wellness. Fire apparatus now carry SCBAs and contaminated gear outside of the cab, gear and PPE are now designed to flex and move with efficiency, and firehouses are now being designed with firefighter health in mind—or at least, they should be.

When looking at the typical firehouse fitness facility, it is important to recognize that this area is not just a home for fitness equipment; it’s also an area for crews to work on improving their performance. As such, it’s important to provide firefighters access to strength and cardio equipment that will build a solid foundation for functional strength and endurance.

Functional exercise equipment

The premise of functional training is to focus on improving overall body movements rather than just individual muscles. For example, deadlifts utilize multiple muscles and are a better exercise than leg extensions in developing the body's ability to move heavy hoselines and patients. Firefighters need fitness equipment and facilities that will help them improve performance, reduce injuries and promote longevity of their career. 

Choosing the right equipment for a fire department exercise facility can be a challenging process. Key factors include the space available, numbers of users, and budget. The goal is to select a good cross-section of equipment that will enhance functional strength and endurance and promote usage. Let’s look at the essential equipment needed within a fire department fitness facility and what exercises should be done with them. 

Out with the old, in with the new

Before we delve into the equipment that’s best for a firehouse gym, let’s first look at the equipment that we no longer need.

In the early 1990s and 2000s, there was a lot of grant money used to purchase bulky multi-unit fitness machines. The fitness industry embraced these bulky machines because they were easy to use, shiny and marketable. Because these machines were popular in commercial fitness arenas, they then made their way into firehouses. 

Fast forward 20 years, and research shows that these machines, like the leg press and leg extension, are not very functional and can even promote injury instead of preventing it. The other issue with these machines is that they take up an incredible amount of space that can be used for more functional movements, like stretching and crew workouts. 

Bottom line: If you have these multi-station pieces in your firehouse, consider a better use of the space. They might make a great place to hang wet cloths and gear but are not conducive to functional movement. 

Have space, will work out

The most important factor to consider when designing a workout area for a firehouse is space. This is also a major consideration when designing fitness programs. Small and cramped workout rooms do not promote health and wellness; in fact, they can do just the opposite. 

I personally believe that besides the sleeping quarters, the fitness area should get the second biggest consideration when it comes to space. Functional movements like crawls, carries, drags and pulls require space. Space is needed to promote flexibility training like active movements and yoga. Space is also needed for crews to set up and create their own circuit workouts. A larger workout area promotes performing these movements as well as crew-related fitness activities. The goal is to provide an area large enough that all members can utilize it at the same time.

Design a crew workout

Over the last couple of years, I have toyed with various workouts on shift—high intensity, heavy lifting, stretching and even some yoga. I have found that this crew workout template is not only very effective but also a great way to incorporate fireground movements and good way to build crew camaraderie. 

The first step in designing a crew workout is to choose at least four exercises to perform as an active warm-up. The purpose of these exercises is to warm up the body, improve mobility and prepare your muscles for the workout. Some examples of these movements include bodyweight squats, side lunges, single leg touchdowns and full-body chops. Try to perform 8–10 repetitions of each movement in a circuit.

After the warm-up, choose six or eight exercises that mimic fireground movements. Some great examples are crawls, sledges, single-arm carries, drags, stairs, sprints, burpees, any core exercise and/or medicine ball throws. The exercises you choose will be based on what equipment you have available and personal preference. I like to involve all the members of the crew and have them each select an exercise. 

When beginning these intervals, I recommend starting with 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest for each set and performing either three or four circuits for a total of no more than 24 minutes. As fitness levels improve, you can decrease the rest time and increase the work times. The intensity of the workout is dependent on the individual. If someone is just beginning, they can go at their own pace and just try to complete the interval. You can also decrease the rest interval duration and increase the burn phase, and you can also change the intensity and speed of the exercise. 

Make these workouts fun and try to include everyone. After completing the last circuit, take 4 or 5 minutes and perform some yoga stretches as a group. This cool-down time is important for a couple of reasons: It promotes flexibility, helps with recovery and injury prevention, brings a satisfaction to the crew, and builds comradery. All this is possible because you had space for it to happen.

Building strength

As firefighters we are constantly carrying heavy things, whether it be equipment or people. One of the best ways to improve our strength is to lift heavy things in a controlled environment. That is why an essential element of any firehouse gym is a bar (not that kind of bar), some Olympic weights to go on it and a set of dumbbells. For liability purposes, weights should not get too excessive and dumbbells should be a maximum of 70 pounds. A solid racking system is also needed to ensure safety when doing any strength exercises and lifts. This includes a full squatting rack and a solid rack to stack weights and dumbbells.

The advantage of having dumbbells and weights is that they are not only functional but also very versatile, and they don’t take up a lot of space. Racks can be placed against walls and more than one member can use them at a time. The exercises that can be performed with these weights are endless. Two of the best are carries and deadlifts. Both movements play a great role in developing core strength and improving grip strength, and transfer to improved performance on (and off) the fireground. 

Suspension training

Suspension training is a form of lever aged bodyweight training, sometimes referred to as TRX (one of the common training systems). Leveraged bodyweight exercises challenge and train the body in a multi-planar fashion, which improves joint stability and functional strength. Suspension training and its programming principles are unique in that the user can change resistance by moving farther from or closer to an anchor point. By changing the angle of the body, the user can load the appropriate amount of body weight to the body's level of fitness and strength. 

This type of training improves every aspect of fitness—balance, strength, endurance, coordination, flexibility, power and core stability all at once. Most importantly, it can be adapted to meet any level of fitness and is versatile enough to be used as a tool in injury rehab and prevention. 

A suspension training system is portable, does not require a lot of space (small footprint), and can be used in just about any environment. It is also a very affordable and efficient type of training. The suspension trainer only requires an attachment point that can support a person’s body weight. It can be attached to tree branches, trucks, fences, apparatus, the top of a squat rack and/or a mounted pull-up bar. 

There is no fitness tool available that provides as much bang for the buck as a suspension trainer. This is the perfect complement to the weights, squat rack and dumbbells, and still allows the space and versatility for crews to work out together. 

Cardio equipment

Cardiovascular fitness is extremely important. A strong cardiovascular system allows firefighters to work more efficiently under the stresses encountered every day on the job. Unfortunately, it’s not easy, nor acceptable, to go for a long hike or run while at the firehouse. Thus, fire station workout facilities need to include equipment that can improve our cardiovascular capacity.

When choosing cardiovascular equipment, look for the options that do not require a lot of space, nor require special wiring. Some of the more obvious options include treadmills, stepmills , stationary bicycles, rowing machines and ellipticals. 

Design it right, use it right

Because firefighting is such a physically demanding profession, today’s firefighters need to be ready in a moment’s notice to respond to the community’s call for help. Peak performance begins with the design of the fire station fitness facility and carries over to the design of the workout.

Departments need to focus on the tools and resources needed to prepare their members physically for the demands of the job. Stations need to dedicate space for fitness along with complementary equipment like weights, suspension trainers and cardiovascular equipment. And, firefighters and crews then need to get the most out of that space and equipment by designing crew workouts, utilizing intervals, and performing fireground-related exercises like carries and deadlifts.

Design it right, use it right, and watch the fitness culture of your department improve.

Sidebar: Performing a Proper Deadlift

Let’s now tackle one of these great exercises—the deadlift. To perform a proper deadlift, stand behind the barbell with feet about shoulder-width apart, the toes slightly rotated out, and shins almost touching the bar. Sit back into the hips slightly while keeping an upright and straight back so that the chest is lifted upward and bend forward to grip the bar. You can grip the bar a couple of ways. One of the easiest is to stagger your grip with one palm facing up and the other facing down. Squeeze the bar in the hands and sink back onto the hips while pressing the feet into the floor. Then, push the hips forward to move to a standing position. Finish standing in a tall position with the shoulders pulled back and the legs straight. Return to the starting position by shifting the weight back into the hips and keep the back straight while allowing the knees to bend. When this movement is done properly, the glutes and the back of the thighs should feel the work, not the back.

Sidebar: Intervals for cardio capacity

Functional fitness for firefighters refers to performing exercises that mimic the demands and movements performed on the fire/rescue scene. One of the best ways to do this is to incorporate interval training into your program.

Intervals raise our maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max), which, simply put, is the greatest amount of oxygen our bodies can use during maximum aerobic effort. Firefighters who can work longer before they reach their VO2 max will be able to accomplish more on the fireground. The bottom line: We want to build a cardiovascular training program that enables us to work longer and harder with less physical pain when it really counts.

So, what are intervals? In their simplest form, they're short bursts of high-intensity exercise separated by periods of lower intensity effort. A great way to start with intervals is to run or walk on a treadmill at an easy pace, then boost the speed to a high level for 30 seconds to a minute. Try to do five to 10 of these intervals, increasing the time and intensity as you improve your fitness. These are excellent workouts to be done on any cardio piece of equipment, including a stairwell or track, where it is easy to control your speed and/or intensity. Do these correctly, and your heart will be more “fit for duty.”