CrossFit: Improving Firefighters on Many Fronts

by: Cole Henn

The impacts CrossFit has made on my performance as a firefighter has been noticeable. It has helped with many areas but predominantly in my strength, performing well at a high intensity and recovery time. After doing CrossFit for three years I feel it is still giving me gains and hasn’t lost its ability to challenge me. The variety of lifts, movements, time modalities and functionality towards my job have made it worth my time and I think would be for you too. 

I came from the standard of basic lifting movements like back squat and bench. They were good for building some strength, especially back squat, I didn’t feel like I was really getting a great variety. When starting to experiment with CrossFit the Olympic lifts and other barbell movements changed the way I thought about strength and introduced me to functional fitness. Form, technique and timing became just as important as brute strength. Doing movements such as snatch and clean help me become more in-tune with my body. The mental challenge gets addicting, because you know completing the movement is possible, you just have to believe in yourself. It adds other very important aspects of lifting which include efficiency and muscle memory. 

Picture a lengthy search in a residential house fire and you finally locate a victim on the second floor. When it’s time to get the victim from the ground, to a window sill and onto a ladder to have a chance at survival, I’m counting on my constant practice at moving heavy weight efficiently coming in handy. I’m going to keep the weight tight to my body, keep my heels under me and move the victim to the ladder as smoothly as possible in one explosive movement. I understand this might not go as planned, but I have at least given my self a chance at success through my training. Of course practicing other proven techniques would be hugely beneficial, but my physical ability isn’t going to be what stops me. CrossFit’s methodology allows me to continue to build my strength in many movements by its variety and utilizing full body lifts. 

Some other aspects that the functional lifts CrossFit promotes is balance, focus, flexibility and core strength. For example, the overhead squat is a great well rounded lift that improves many areas of fitness. In general, your whole body is in a normal squatting position with the addition of your arms locked out overhead, hands wider than a normal press lift and gripping a barbell with a given weight on it. You perform a complete squat going just below parallel and back up to a fully locked out position, the whole time support the weight overhead. It is largely a balance lift that takes mental strength to have your lower body, core and upper body work together. The action of squatting with any weight overhead makes you create a counter balance and the pendulum swings on your core. It is under constant stress to maintain the correct position to support the weight overhead. Tight hip flexors, lower back muscles and shoulders will make this lift difficult, promoting stretching and increasing mobility which in turn deters many firefighter related injuries. It is obvious we rely on our core for any physical movement performed as a firefighter, so we might as well train it the best way possible. As you can see, this one lift can help improve many areas of your overall fitness, and its just the tip of the iceberg. 

CrossFit has given me the ability to have the confidence to accomplish any task asked of me on and off the fire ground. Since CrossFit asks that I perform at a high intensity almost daily, when I am asked to do it on the fire ground it comes as second nature. Since the effects of an elevated pulse rate and  being oxygen deprived can escalate you to making poor decisions I rely on my CrossFit training to kick in. My workouts have trained me to mentally stay calm and focus on my task at hand even if I know my work load for the call will be extensive. I control my breathing and make a conscience attempt at staying efficient. When you practice like you play, CrossFit prepares me to go into battle everyday and when the call comes in at the station, I go to work just the same. 

I feel that most firefighters can go hard for the first 15 minutes of a fire. Your adrenaline kicks in and you get the job done. However, our job usually isn’t over after we suck down that first bottle. We have either more fire to fight, extension to search for and overhaul to complete. The fact that the anaerobic pathway (short/intense) that CrossFit’s programming more often promotes transfers over to help your aerobic pathway (long/endurance) will benefit you in both the beginning and end of a fire call. We don’t have the luxury to have every fire happen just before shift change so we can go home a rest right after. Being prepared for a fire early in your shift, followed by multiple calls and a sleepless night can only come from challenging your mind and body daily. CrossFit is the best way I’ve found to get this challenge. 

My recovery time after refilling a bottle has improved greatly from doing CrossFit. It’s variety and intensity are what I believe allow you to handle the workload of a fire and be able to go back in with nearly full strength after your first bottle. The hight intensity training also keeps you in tune with your body and the current shape you are in. Each day we are either getting in better or worse shape, its a constant battle. By performing your workouts consistently you will know just where your mind and body stand, so you can make educated decisions on your limitations on the fire ground and throughout your shift. 

As you can see, I strongly believe CrossFit has improved my ability to perform my job as a firefighter. It has had a direct impact on my strength, intensity and recovery. I came from an active and athletic background and CrossFit continues to help me improve from that base level. Even if you don’t come from an active background, all the workouts are scaleable, so you can be matched with the appropriate amount of work for your fitness level. Also, remember that CrossFit is designed to be a supplement to your actual fire training, not to replace it. Your skills and fire ground smarts are where it all should start, CrossFit just gives you the opportunity to perform all the cool stuff you have learned. After trying many different fitness programs as a firefighter, CrossFit gives me the best variety, functionality and utilization of my time. 

NOTE: Cole is a Firefighter in Nebraska and Co-Owner of Lincoln Crossfit in Lincoln, NE.  He is one of the rising stars in the Crossfit Community and passionate about his firefighting craft.