Fitness
Physical fitness is essential to acquire and sustain a career in this industry. Lifting patients, carrying equipment, and moving around with heavy gear are common tasks that require high physical demands.
Maintaining a high level of fitness improves job performance and reduces the risk of injuries, fatigue, and burnout. Additionally, staying fit enhances overall well-being, ensuring responders are ready to meet the challenges of their profession while safeguarding their long-term health. A commitment to fitness is a commitment to saving lives, including your own.
resources for first responder fitness
Ways to Train
If you have access to a gym or to personal equipment, here are some exercises for each muscle group to do consistently to optimize strength, speed, agility, and endurance.
If you don't like going to gyms, a lot of these exercises can be achieved by purchasing some basic equipment, such as dumbbells, a plate, or a kettlebell.
A list of
comprehensive exercises
Compound Exercises/ Full body
WALL BALLS
TURKISH GET-UPS
POWER CLEANS
SLED PUSHES
TIRE FLIPS
WALL HANDSTANDS
MUSCLE UPS
CLEAN AND PRESS
THRUSTERS [DUMBBELL OR BARBELL]
KETTLEBELL SWINGS
SPRINTS
SHOULDERS
CURL TO PRESS [PLATE]
HIP TO HIP [PLATE]
AROUND THE WORLD [PLATE]
FRONT RAISES [PLATE, DUMBBELL]
OVERHEAD PRESS, SEATED OR STANDING
ARNOLD PRESS
LATERAL RAISE [DUMBBELL]
REAR DELT FLY [DUMBBELL] SHRUGS
PUSH PRESS [DUMBBELL OR BARBELL]
CABLE LATERAL RAISES
CABLE FRONT RAISES [USING A STRAIGHT BAR OR HANDLE]
CABLE REAR DELT FLYS
CABLE OVERHEAD PRESS [ONE-ARM OR TWO-ARM WITH PULLEY AT SHOULDER HEIGHT]
SEATED SHOULDER PRESS
MACHINE SEATED LATERAL RAISE
MACHINE SEATED REAR DELT FLY
LEGS
BARBELL BACK SQUATS
UNWEIGHTED SQUATS
GOBLET SQUATS
JUMP SQUATS
SUMO SQUAT
BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUATS
PISTOL SQUATS
WALL SITS
STATIC DUMBBELL LUNGES
REVERSE DUMBBELL LUNGES
CALF RAISES
STEP-UPS [DUMBBELLS]
WALKING LUNGES
BARBELL LUNGES
ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
DEADLIFTS
HIP THRUSTS
SINGLE-LEG GLUTE BRIDGE
DONKEY KICKS
FIRE HYDRANTS
LEG PRESS
HACK SQUAT
LEG CURLS
LEG EXTENSIONS
BICEPS
CHIN-UPS
BICEP CURLS, STANDING OR SITTING [DUMBBELL OR EZ BAR]
HAMMER CURLS
CONCENTRATION CURL
PREACHER CURL [DUMBBELL OR EZ BAR]
ZOTTMAN CURL
CROSS-BODY HAMMER CURLS
CABLE BICEP CURLS [USING A STRAIGHT BAR OR ROPE ATTACHMENT]
CABLE REVERSE CURLS
CABLE SPIDER CURLS [FACING AWAY FROM THE MACHINE, USING HANDLES]
Upper Body
PUSH UPS + VARIATIONS
BENCH PRESS [DUMBBELL OR BARBELL]
INCLINE & DECLINE BENCH PRESS [DUMBBELL OR BARBELL]
CHEST FLY [DUMBBELL]
SQUEEZE PRESS CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS
CHEST FLYS [CABLE CROSSOVER MACHINE]
CABLE LOW-TO-HIGH & HIGH-TO-LOW FLYS
CABLE STANDING CHEST PRESS CABLE SINGLE-ARM CHEST FLY CHEST PRESS MACHINE INCLINE CHEST PRESS MACHINE PEC DECK [CHEST FLY MACHINE]
BACK
PULL UPS
BENT-OVER ROW
RENEGADE ROWS
DEADLIFTS
SHRUGS
REVERSE FLY
INCLINE ROWS
FARMER’S WALK
T-BAR ROW
SEATING OR STANDING ROW [CABLE MACHINE]
LAT PULLDOWN
LAT PULLOVER
CABLE FACE PULLS OR CABLE SEATED HIGH ROWS
CHEST-SUPPORTED ROW
Cardio
RUNNING
BURPEES
JUMPING JACKS
STAIR RUNS
JUMP ROPE
ROW MACHINE
STATIONARY CYCLING / SPIN BIKE
BATTLE ROPES
SKI MACHINE
TRICEPS
DIAMOND PUSH-UPS
TRICEP DIPS [USING PARALLEL BARS OR A CHAIR/BENCH]
SKULL CRUSHERS [DUMBBELL OR BAR]
TRICEPS EXTENSIONS
TRICEP KICKBACKS
CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS [DUMBBELL OR BARBELL]
CABLE TRICEP PUSHDOWNS [USING A STRAIGHT BAR OR ROPE ATTACHMENT]
CABLE OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION [USING A ROPE OR BAR ATTACHMENT]
CABLE REVERSE-GRIP
TRICEP PUSHDOWN [PALMS FACING UP]
SEATED OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION
MACHINE CABLE ROPE TRICEPS OVERHEAD PULL