High Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) Improves Fitness in Recruit Firefighters

Solving the High-Intensity Multimodal Training Prescription Puzzle: A Systematic Mapping Review

BACKGROUND

High-Intensity Multimodal Training (HIMT) refers to all styles of high-intensity combined aerobic, resistance and/or bodyweight exercise. Previous heterogeneity in exercise prescription and reporting in HIMT reduces the understanding of which factors should be considered when prescribing HIMT (e.g., exercise volume, intensity, duration). Previous studies have demonstrated positive effects of HIMT on health and performance outcomes. However, methodological disparities limit comparisons between findings. The objective of this systematic mapping review was to examine which prescriptive considerations and health and performance outcomes have been reported on in HIMT. This review also examined the quantity and trends of research conducted on HIMT.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted using Ovid Medline, SPORTDiscus and Cochrane Library databases and additional sources to identify studies up until February 2023. A total of 37,090 records were retrieved, of which 220 were included for review. 246 individual HIMT protocols were included for categorical analysis against the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT) and Applied Research Model for the Sport Sciences (ARMSS).

RESULTS

A total of 85 unique terms were used to describe HIMT. Included studies most commonly prescribed HIMT using a consistent exercise selection and circuit format. Exercise intensity was inconsistently reported on and a large proportion of studies prescribed 'high-intensity' exercise at a level lower than the American College of Sports Medicine criteria for high-intensity (i.e., < 77% heart rate maximum). Participation location, supervision and participation format were the most commonly reported non-training variables. The most frequently reported outcomes were cardiovascular health, perceptual outcomes, body composition and biochemical outcomes. A large proportion of previous HIMT research was experimental in design.

CONCLUSIONS

Previous HIMT research demonstrates a lack of standardisation in reporting. Future studies should seek to follow guidelines (i.e., CERT) to improve reporting rigour. Additionally, forthcoming research should attempt to actively involve practitioners in implementation studies to improve ecological validity among interventions. Finally, future outcome measures should be accessible in practice and reflect common training goals of participants.

REGISTRATION

This review adhered to PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

PREREGISTRATION

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Effects of implementing a mandatory and consequential annual fitness assessment in a fire department over the initial 4-year period

BACKGROUND

Despite the physical nature of the occupation many firefighters have low levels of physical fitness which is associated with poor performance of occupational tasks and increased injury rates. For many fire departments an initial step in promoting health and wellness within the department is to conduct annual fitness testing.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effects of implementing a consequential fitness assessment within a fire department.

METHODS

A retrospective repeated measures design was used to analyze annual fitness assessment data of professional firefighters (n = 1415) from 2019 to 2022 within a large urban fire department located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The fitness tests included assessments of pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, aerobic capacity, and body composition. Repeated measure analyses of variances (ANOVAs) assessed the effect of year and a 2-way ANOVA was conducted to investigate the effects of sex and age on fitness measures on 2022 data.

RESULTS

All fitness measures were found to be maintained over the 4-year period. Significant main effects of age and sex across all fitness measures, but no significant interactions were found. Older firefighters (50 + years) exhibited lower performance (p <  0.001, d >  0.80) on muscular fitness assessments than young firefighters (20-29 years). A large effect of sex (males >  females) was found for pull-ups (d = 1.04), push-ups (d = 1.23), and aerobic capacity (d = 1.38).

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that implementing a consequential fitness assessment could help maintain firefighters' fitness levels over a multi-year period.

Effects of high-intensity functional training on physical fitness and sport-specific performance among the athletes: A systematic review with meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to meta-analyze the impact of high-intensity functional training on athletes' physical fitness and sport-specific performance.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted in five well-known academic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and the Cochrane Library) up to July 1, 2023. The literature screening criteria included: (1) studies involving healthy athletes, (2) a HIFT program, (3) an assessment of outcomes related to athletes' physical fitness or sport-specific performance, and (4) the inclusion of randomized controlled trials. The Physical Therapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used to evaluate the quality of studies included in the meta-analysis.

RESULTS

13 medium- and high-quality studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review, involving 478 athletes aged between 10 and 24.5 years. The training showed a small to large effect size (ES = 0.414-3.351; all p < 0.05) in improving upper and lower body muscle strength, power, flexibility, and sport-specific performance.

CONCLUSION

High-intensity functional training effectively improves athletes' muscle strength, power, flexibility, and sport-specific performance but has no significant impact on endurance and agility. Future research is needed to explore the impact of high-intensity functional training on athletes' speed, balance, and technical and tactical performance parameters.

The Acute Effect of High-Intensity Resistance Training on Subsequent Firefighter Performance

ABSTRACT

Mason, MR, Heebner, NR, Abt, JP, Bergstrom, HC, Shapiro, R, Langford, EL, and Abel, MG. The acute effect of high-intensity resistance training on subsequent firefighter performance. J Strength Cond Res 37(7): 1507-1514, 2023-High-intensity resistance training (HIRT) is commonly performed by structural firefighters on duty to enhance occupational readiness. However, exercise-induced fatigue may negatively impact subsequent occupational performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the acute effect of HIRT on subsequent occupational physical ability in structural firefighters and to determine the time course of recovery. Seven resistance-trained male firefighters performed a timed maximal effort simulated fireground test (SFGT) in 3 randomized conditions: baseline (SFGT baseline ), 10 minutes post HIRT (SFGT 10min ), and 60 minutes post HIRT (SFGT 60min ). Work efficiency and air depletion were assessed during the SFGT. The timed HIRT session consisted of a standardized set of exercises using absolute training loads. Repeated measures analysis of variance and minimal difference (MD) analysis assessed group and individual effects between the conditions, respectively. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. SFGT 10min completion time was greater than SFGT baseline (430 ± 137 vs. 297 ± 69 seconds, p < 0.01), with no difference between SFGT baseline and SFGT 60min (297 ± 69 vs. 326 ± 89 seconds, p = 0.08). The MD analysis indicated that all firefighters' SFGT 10min times exceeded the MD (±26.4 seconds) compared with SFGT baseline . However, 43% of firefighters still exceeded the MD at SFGT 60min . Air depletion during SFGT 10min was greater than that during SFGT baseline (2,786 ± 488 vs. 2,186 ± 276 lb·in -2 , p = 0.02), with no difference between SFGT baseline and SFGT 60min ( p = 0.25). Work efficiency during SFGT 10min was 40% lower than that during SFGT baseline ( p < 0.01), with no difference between SFGT baseline and SFGT 60min ( p = 0.25). These findings indicate that an acute bout of HIRT decreases multiple descriptors of firefighters' occupational performance 10 minutes post exercise with varied responses at 60 minutes post exercise.

The Urgent Need for Cardiopulmonary Fitness Evaluation among Wildland Firefighters in Thailand

Wildland firefighting is a high-risk occupation. The level of cardiopulmonary fitness can indicate whether wildland firefighters are ready to perform their job duties. This study's objective was to determine wildland firefighters' cardiopulmonary fitness using practical methods. This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to enroll all 610 active wildland firefighters in Chiang Mai. The participants' cardiopulmonary fitness was assessed using an EKG, a chest X-ray, a spirometry test, a global physical activity questionnaire, and the Thai score-based cardiovascular risk assessment. The NFPA 1582 was used to determine "fitness" and "job restriction". Fisher's exact and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare cardiopulmonary parameters. With a response rate of 10.16%, only eight wildland firefighters met the cardiopulmonary fitness requirements. Eighty-seven percent of participants were in the job-restriction group. An aerobic threshold of eight METs, an abnormal EKG, an intermediate CV risk, and an abnormal CXR were the causes of restriction. The job-restriction group had a higher 10-year CV risk and higher systolic blood pressure, although these differences were not statistically significant. The wildland firefighters were unfit for their task requirements and were more at risk of cardiovascular health compared to the estimated risk of the general Thai population. To improve the health and safety of wildland firefighters, pre-placement exams and health surveillance are urgently needed.

Effect of a High-Intensity Circuit Training Program on the Physical Fitness of Wildland Firefighters

Wildland firefighting implies high physical and psychological demands for the personnel involved. Therefore, good physical fitness can help increase the work efficiency of wildland firefighters (WFFs) and safeguard their health. High-intensity circuit training (HICT) could be a good alternative to improve the physical condition of WFFs since it stands out for its functionality and economy. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the effects of HICT on the WFFs' physical fitness. The study involved 9 WFFs (8 males and 1 female; 29.8 ± 2.8 years; 175.6 ± 6.7 cm) who completed a training program and 9 WFF candidates (8 males and 1 female; 24.7 ± 6.6 yr, 176.5 ± 7.0 cm) as a control group. WFFs performed an 8-week HICT program (two weekly training sessions). The training sessions lasted approximately 45 min and were performed at an intensity >80% of maximal heart rate and RPE values >7.5. At the beginning and the end of the intervention, subjects' physical fitness (i.e., aerobic capacity, cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular resistance and explosive strength) was assessed through different tests. After completing the training program, WFFs had significantly increased (p < 0.05) the speed at which the ventilatory thresholds were determined (12.4 ± 13.9 and 5.7 ± 7.3% for the ventilatory and respiratory compensation thresholds, respectively) and also their abdominal (31.2 ± 17.2%), lumbar (34.1 ± 13.5%) and upper limb (13.3 ± 16.0%) strength. Moreover, improvements (p < 0.05) in the explosive strength of legs (7.1 ± 5.8%) and performance in a specific physical employment test (12.2 ± 6.1%) were observed. In conclusion, the results of this study show that an 8-week high-intensity circuit training program could be an effective and safe method to improve WFFs' physical fitness and performance.

Utilizing multimodal high-intensity interval training for a firefighter training academy during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Firefighters typically undergo a 16-24-week training academy during which they perform a variety of traditional exercise programs such as cardiovascular, resistance, and concurrent training. Because of limited facility access, some fire departments seek alternative exercise programs, such as multimodal high-intensity interval training (MM-HIIT), which essentially combines resistance and interval training.

OBJECTIVE

The primary purpose of this study was to assess the effect of MM-HIIT on body composition and physical fitness in firefighter recruits who completed a training academy during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A secondary purpose was to compare the effects of MM-HIIT to previous training academies that implemented traditional exercise programs.

METHODS

Healthy and recreationally-trained recruits (n = 12) participated in 2-3 days/week of MM-HIIT for 12 weeks and had several components of body composition and physical fitness measured before and after the program. Because of COVID-19-related gym closures, all MM-HIIT sessions were performed outdoors at a fire station with minimal equipment. These data were retroactively compared to a control group (CG) that previously completed training academies with traditional exercise programs.

RESULTS

Subjects in the MM-HIIT group significantly improved several components of body composition and fitness, including fat mass, fat-free mass, body fat percentage, aerobic capacity, and muscular endurance. Moreover, there were no significant differences for any dependent variable when MM-HIIT was compared to the CG.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that MM-HIIT may serve as an effective substitute for traditional concurrent training paradigms that are typically used for firefighter academies.