Developing the Right Kind of Muscle

Some people are born naturally strong. They have great genetics and are the lucky ones who make the rest of us jealous because they don’t need to train as long and hard to get strong. I call that Superman strength because they are from some other planet and have had it their whole life. We’ve probably all known an individual like that.

Then we have the farmer or working person’s strength. These are the people who grew up working on a farm baling hay or for their parent’s construction business, and they developed muscle and a great work ethic to boot. Like the naturally strong, these people have strength and power that wasn’t built in a gym–they built it through hard work.

Building Functional Strength

All through college, I worked hauling propane and carried cylinders weighing a few hundred pounds through snow on construction sites. At the time, I won the Illinois Collegiate Powerlifting Championships three years in a row. I fully believe this work activity enhanced my powerlifting (and vice versa). This was before the Strong Man competitions gained popularity, but I was training at work and didn’t realize it at the time. This also relates to training in PPE as often as possible. The more you have it on while training, the better you feel during real events.

For most of us, however, the gym is where we build and maintain strength. The only way to test whether this type of strength translates to the job is to simulate what we actually do on the job and see if the strength we are obtaining at the gym helps our job performance.

Let me use the bench press as an example. Say I invest a lot of my time in the bench press; I can lift 300 lbs. for one rep in that lift, but I totally ignore the squat, so my legs have very little strength and stamina. I also ignore functional strength movements like hose pulls. When I put on PPE and have to climb stairs, I have trouble carrying equipment and I don’t have much endurance. So in the gym I appear to be a strong individual because I have a good bench press but when it comes to functional fitness and leg strength for my job, I have totally failed. Bottom line: We are not power lifters, Olympic lifters, cross fitters or bodybuilders–we are public safety athletes (PSAs).

Although all of those things are worthy endeavors and can be fun, our workouts must transfer to optimal performance on the fireground, allowing us to do the stuff firefighters do. So I’m going to give you three great strength workouts for firefighter PSAs that are guaranteed to make you stronger and more effective in PPE.

Squat-Deadlift-Squat-Deadlift-Squat

For the squat-deadlift-squat-deadlift-squat, you will need to set up a squat station and a platform to do dead lifts. It’s important to have spotters when you squat because this routine gets pretty tough in a hurry. You will do a few warm-up sets on the squat while working up to a moderate weight you can lift for 10 reps; this should be about 70% of your max squat weight. Set your deadlift for a weight that you can lift for 10 reps, also about 70% of your max. You will do 10 squats, then 10 deadlifts, back to 10 squats, 10 more deadlifts and finally, end with 10 more squats. If you want to build more strength, adjust the weights upward and do fewer reps.

This program strengthens the core muscle groups along with the gluteal muscles, quadriceps and hamstrings, as well as improving grip strength, all of which are useful in the field. Bottom line: You will build strength and stamina no matter what.

The 300 Hose Pull

The hose pull is an exercise I invented for firefighters more than 15 years ago, and today it’s still about as good as it gets for firefighter functional fitness. The hose pull can be expanded or reduced depending on the fitness level of the athlete. Ideally you are in full protective gear breathing through your SCBA; however, it’s a process to get to that level.

Hose pulls are a simple way for us to gauge our fitness level through the years. I have written about the first-alarm hose pull in prior articles (to read more on this exercise, visit http://tinyurl.com/specific-training). The 300 is an expansion of the first-alarm and is a truly functional strength developer.

Find a park or another grassy area that is a minimum of 325 feet long. Connect 300 feet of 21/2″ cotton jacketed hose and flake it out accordion style so that you can extend it. Run the hose out the full 300 feet and then turn and face the hose. Bear crawl 100 feet, lunge for 50 and then take a step and squat for the next 50 feet. You will then walk until you are about 25 feet from the end of the final section. At this time, shoulder the hose and drag it until you are 25 feet past the final coupling (50 feet from where you began to walk). Go back to the last coupling and bring it to the end, followed by 25 feet of the next section and then the coupling.

You will now have 200 feet of hose in front of you and you will bring that in hand-over-hand in the pile method. The pile method is simply moving one foot forward when you come to each coupling as you bring in the hose. You will end up with 100 feet of hose pulled back and 200 feet of hose in four piles.

It’s likely that, for the first time, you’ll do this pull in exercise attire and then graduate to a weight vest, followed by PPE, and then PPE and SCBA. This is a tough pull, so it could take you six months to accomplish it in full PPE and air if you’re starting from scratch.

The Deadlift/Terrible Two Combination Lift

The terrible two is a full-body endurance and strength training exercise that tests the PSA’s strength, stamina and flexibility. To do this exercise, you will need a barbell and a pull-up station found on most power-rack platform systems. Place the bar on the ground loaded with moderate weight (beginners should go lighter on this one). Grab the bar just outside shoulder width and get into the pushup position. Do not remove your hands from the bar during this part of the exercise. Do two pushups (while holding the bar) and then pull your knees up into the squat position and stand up. Do two hang cleans, and then two shoulder presses. [The hang clean utilizes an overhand grip on the bar and the hands should be placed just outside shoulder width. With shins touching the bar, lower to the squat position and keep the chest out and the lower back tight. Then stand in an upright position, with the bar just below waist level. Bend slightly at the knees, loading the quadriceps, which will cause the bar to drop a few inches and then begin the pull by quickly straightening the legs (jump move) shrugging the shoulders and raising the elbows. Catch the weight on the shoulders, once again slightly bending at the knees and keeping the elbows straight out in front. The hang clean, as well as the power clean, requires great flexibility in the shoulders and wrists so don’t force yourself into positions you’re not ready for.] At this point you return the bar to the ground, go to the pull-up station and do two pull-ups. The goal is get to the point where you can do 10 terrible twos in a row with no rest.

The deadlift is a strength exercise that is supposed to involve somewhat heavy weight. Deadlifts, although simple to do, must be done with correct form to avoid injury. Approach the bar and allow your shins to touch it. Your legs should be about shoulder-width or just outside shoulder-width apart. The toes should be slightly pointed out. Squat down with you’re your chest out, back locked and head up with eyes looking forward. Utilize an alternating grip, meaning one hand is supinated and the other is pronated. Once in position, stand upright, pulling the bar in one motion, with shoulders always rising before the hips.

The combination deadlift and terrible twos is done by completing five deadlifts and then doing two rounds of terrible twos, three times in a row. The total count will be 15 deadlifts and six terrible twos. As you improve, you and your crew can always change the weight and repetitions of each lift both on the terrible twos and the deadlifts.

Final Thoughts

The key to any PSA fitness program is knowing that it helps you to better perform the job you’re supposed to do. For the firefighter, it’s laying lines, pulling and operating hoselines, throwing and climbing ladders, carrying and manipulating equipment, fighting fire and making rescues, all while wearing PPE and breathing out of a bottle. No wonder it’s considered one of the world’s most demanding jobs. Make sure that the exercises you are doing help prepare you to do all of these things to the very best of your ability.

Train hard and stay safe!