‘High-Octane’ Firefighter Training for Functional Performance

THERE ARE MANY WAYS for firefighters to improve their performance for the incident scene. But high intensity interval training (HIIT) will provide the most bang for your buck in your journey to improve performance, cardiovascular capacity, muscular endurance, and flexibility while helping you to maintain a healthy weight.

As we discuss in our book Firefighter Functional Fitness, strenuous firefighting activities essentially bring together the need for a high level of cardiovascular capacity and muscular endurance. Our ability to perform at a high level on the fireground is directly influenced by these fitness components.

According to Dr. Denise Smith, our heart rate can rise to or exceed 200 beats per minute for an extended period of time during strenuous firefighting tasks. To improve our functional performance, it is essential to replicate these demands in our physical training sessions as much as possible.

What Is HIIT?

HIIT is essentially the process of alternating maximum-effort work periods with rest periods for a predetermined amount of time. From a physiological standpoint, the goal of HIIT is to achieve and maintain 85% of our theoretical maximum heart rate for the duration of the conditioning phase of our training session.

For those of us who have the luxury of working with an exercise physiologist, our maximum heart rate is determined through periodic testing. If you do not have access to an exercise physiologist, here is a simple way of calculating your theoretical maximum heart rate:

220 – Your Age = Theoretical Maximum Heart Rate.

For example, a 40-year-old’s calculation would look like this:

220 – 40 = 180 beats per minute.

For HIIT sessions, 85% of that would be 153 beats per minute, which is the target heart rate for this firefighter’s conditioning phase of the workout.

Tabata Protocol, Progressions, and Regressions

Tabata training was developed by Japanese scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo. The base protocol is as follows:

1. Five minutes of warm-up.
2. Eight rounds of 20 seconds of maximum effort, each followed by 10 seconds of rest.
3. Two to five minutes of cool-down.

There are many ways to program a HIIT session using the Tabata protocol. The reason we encourage this approach is threefold:

• It can be easily modified based on the individual’s level of conditioning.
• Although it is encouraged to use various fitness equipment in your routine, an effective Tabata session can be designed simply by using a series of bodyweight exercises alone.
• The beauty is in its efficiency: A four-minute Tabata session is more beneficial than an hour-long moderate-intensity cardio session when it comes to improving aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, resting metabolic rate, V0₂ max (cardiovascular capacity), and fat burn.

As discussed, the goal of an effective Tabata session is to engage in “all-out” effort for your work periods followed by an active rest period that can be adjusted in length. When we say, “all-out” effort, we mean 100% maximum effort (i.e., as hard as you can push yourself).

The overall goal of a Tabata HIIT session is to finish the session. So while the base protocol may not initially be achievable for some, regressions can be used that include varying levels of difficulty in the exercises chosen and decreasing work and increasing rest ratios based on conditioning level.

Basic Tabata Examples

Here are two examples of Tabata protocol that can be extended into full training sessions by adding rounds and varying the exercises:

Body Weight Tabata (20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest)

Station 1: Jumping jacks.

Station 2: Lunge variations.

Station 3: Push-ups.

Station 4: Mountain climbers.

(REPEAT)

Tabata with Exercise Equipment

Station 1: Kettlebell swings.

Station 2: Weighted front squats.

Station 3: Ball slams or tire strikes. Station 4: Assault bike.

(REPEAT)

Complete each exercise with maximum effort for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, then move to the next exercise listed. Complete two rounds of this set for a four-minute session and see how you feel after you are done.

Tabata Tips

• Tabata training is difficult. For those who are less conditioned, we recommend beginning your training regimen with “Zone 2” training (lower-intensity training that helps build aerobic fitness and endurance) and working your way up to Tabata protocol.
• Download a Tabata timer app for your smartphone.
• Start with bodyweight exercises before including equipment.
• Only choose exercises that encourage high intensity/maximum effort—for example, avoid isometric (stationary) exercises like the plank.
• Avoid doing heavy weightlifting exercises during your Tabata (i.e., deadlifting/ squatting heavy weight).
• Instead of choosing the same exercise for
• the entire Tabata (i.e., doing jumping jacks for the entire Tabata), choose a variety of exercises that encourage a total body workout.
• Alternate upper-body and lower-body exercises in the Tabata to avoid burnout of a single muscle group.
• Always focus on proper form while performing high-intensity workouts. There will be no benefit to your Tabata session if you perform an exercise incorrectly and injure yourself.
• Need exercise ideas for your Tabata workout? Head to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@firefighterfunctional-fitne1458 where you can find hundreds of exercises with video demonstrations.

Benefits

Tabata is an extremely efficient way of completing a physical training session in a short amount of time. It can be designed to replicate basic firefighter movements and tasks by focusing on pushing, pulling, lifting, carrying, and dragging (the five functional strength training components included in “The Big 8 Methodology,” found in our book). Moreover, engaging in Tabata training two to three times a week will not only improve your firefighting performance but, according to Bodi, it will also help to maintain a healthy weight through excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC, which refersto additional calories your body burns following certain types of exercise, above and beyond what you burn during the workout. Finally, HIIT will also increase your VO₂ max and, in turn, reduce your chance of injury on and off the fireground. Implement some “high-octane” functional training today and see for yourself how HIIT can improve your performance, health, and longevity!

ENDNOTES

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Chief (Ret.) DAN KERRIGAN and Captain JIM MOSS are the co-authors of the best-selling book Firefighter Functional Fitness. They present regularly at fire departments across the country and conferences internationally on the topic of firefighter health and wellness. Their mission is to create a healthier fire service, one firefighter at a time. Learn more about their book and workshops at FirefighterFunctionalFitness.com.