Longevity for First Responders: Training to Withstand the Career

First responders, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS, operate in physically demanding and psychologically stressful environments. Long shifts expanding 12 hours, disrupted sleep, psychological stress, and unpredictable physical demands can gradually impact physical health, mental health, and career longevity (1).

Over the course of a full career these demands accumulate. Musculoskeletal injuries, fatigue, decreased physical activity, and poor recovery habits can significantly reduce both work performance and quality of life (2).

Strength and conditioning cannot eliminate all occupational stressors, but appropriately designed training can help first responders build greater resilience, durability, and long term physical preparedness through their careers.

The demands placed on first responders are difficult to fully quantify due to the unpredictable nature of the profession. Long shifts, exposure to traumatic incidents, constant equipment loads often ranging from 20-45kg more or less depending on the occupation, disrupted sleep schedules, and sudden high intensity physical demands all contribute to cumulative occupational stress (3).

Importantly, these demands evolve throughout a career. A recent academy graduate may tolerate training and recovery differently than a veteran worker with years of built-up wear and tear. Coaches must account for both the occupational demands as well as the individual in front of them.

Longevity in the field is not built through extreme training methods, but through sustainable, adaptable, and appropriately dosed training that supports their unique demands.

With that said, many first responders are not falling short because of a lack of motivation, but because their training approach does not align with the realities of their jobs. Training often overemphasizes high intensity conditioning, excessive fatigue, and unnecessarily high training volumes while neglecting recovery, progression, and sustainability.

For long term success, training must fit the lifestyle and work realities. Programs should be adaptable, time efficient, and focus on improving physical performance without adding unnecessary physical stress or soreness.

Here are some of the common areas that are addressed with first responders’ training to adhere to a longevity based approach:

Exercise Selection:

There is no mandatory exercise that a first responder must perform. Exercise selection should prioritize the individual's goals, injury history, training abilities and experience rather than forcing exercises upon them that are not appropriate to enhance training longevity.

Outside of a strength and conditioning program there are times where first responders may need to pass a mandatory physical abilities work test, for a selection process or return to work for example. This would be a situation where coaches can help individuals better prepare through task specificity, or test walkthroughs outside of their general training program.

Training programs though should target foundational movement patterns such as squats, hinges, presses, pulls, carries and rotation while allowing for variance in exercise variation. The goal is not to force a particular exercise but train the movement pattern efficiently and in a safe manner.

Some example exercises that I have used with success to fit each pattern, but are not limited to, are the following;

• Squat: Barbell Front Squat, Goblet Squat, Box Squat Variations
• Hinge: Dumbbell RDL, Kettlebell Swing, Band Pullthrough
• Press: Landmine Press, Dumbbell Bench Press, Kettlebell Overhead Press
• Pull: Chin Up, Dumbbell Chest Supported Row, Inverted Row
• Carry: Farmers Carry, Overhead Carry, Bear Hug
• Rotation: Landmine Twist, Medicine Ball Rotational Throw, Band Chop

Full Body Training:

Training with a full body focus is often more effective than traditional body part splits. This allows for greater training flexibility, better recovery, and more consistent exposures to foundational movement patterns.

Due to unpredictable schedules, missed, or at least shortened training sessions are inevitable. Full body programming ensures movement qualities are trained consistently through the chaos for the long term.

An example of a full body training day could appear as:

*Note: Perform exercises of the same number, 1A.) - 1B.) back to back with limited rest between movements, and 1-2 minutes of rest between sets.

Warming up is a critical piece when considering longevity for a first responders’ career. Beyond the physiological benefit, warm ups can serve as a mental transition for first responders to lead into training. This may be one of the few opportunities of the day to decompress, and have their thoughts focused elsewhere. An intentional warmup focusing on muscle mobilization, activation, and soft tissue work can make this process easier.

Breaking down the physical aspects of the warm up it is also a chance to address many commonly injured or immobilized areas first responders universally face, which are the shoulders, hips, and low back area.

An Example Warm Up could appear as the following:

Coaches working with first responders’ should prioritize understanding the shift schedule and their effects, as they are a major contributor to many of the health and recovery limitations seen within the profession (4). Whether an individual works 24 hour shifts, 12 hour rotations, midnights, evenings, or day shifts each schedule presents unique considerations when prescribing a training plan.

Many departments provide wellness time that allow personnel to train while on shift. This is a great privilege to have however coaches must remain mindful of limitations caused by call volume, staffing shortages, and equipment availability.

Training programs must fit the realities of a first responders’ schedule. While traditional 60 minute sessions may be ideal, meaningful progress can still be achieved through well-structured 20 to 45 minute training sessions.

Utilizing supersets, giant sets, and time efficient training structures can improve adherence while managing quality. The ability to scale training volume and session duration based on fatigue, shift demands, and available time is essential for long term consistency. These smaller but consistent training exposures often produce greater long term progress and adherence.

Training should allow autoregulation based on readiness, and occupational stressors. Utilizing methods such as Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) or Reps in Reserve (RIR) can help individuals adjust intensity appropriately without abandoning the session entirely. The majority of primary exercises are prescribed in the 7-8 RPE range or approximately 2-3 reps in reserve. This approach is used for several reasons, but most importantly because first responders must remain physically prepared for duty at a moment's notice. Coaches should be cautious of consistently training at the extreme end of the scales due to the increase of muscular soreness and neurological fatigue that can negatively impact job performance, especially if performing while on shift.

This allows training to remain productive even during periods of poor sleep, high stress, or increased workload.

Longevity for first responders is not built through extreme workouts or a short term mindset. It is built through consistent, sustainable, and adaptable training principles that support the realities of the job.

Coaches should utilize strength and conditioning to enhance a first responders’ ability to perform the job, while supporting long-term health well beyond the career.

The goal is not to simply survive the career, but to remain capable and healthy long after it is over.

1. Bevan MP, Priest SJ, Plume RC, Wilson EE. Emergency First Responders and Professional Wellbeing: A Qualitative Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(22):14649. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214649.
2. Gray SE, Collie A. The nature and burden of occupational injury among first responder occupations: A retrospective cohort study in Australian workers. Injury. 2017;48(11):2470-2477. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2017.09.019.
3. Saari A, Lockie R, Orr RM, Muhlbauer D, Dawes J, Paavola T. Load Carriage for Emergency Responders Strength & Conditioning Journal. 2022;45(4):475-480. doi:10.1519/SSC.0000000000000768
4. Marvin G, Schram B, Orr R, Canetti EFD. Occupation-Induced Fatigue and Impacts on Emergency First Responders: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(22):7055. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20227055