Impact of a 15-week ability-based training program on body composition and physical fitness in university-based fire academy recruits

ABSTRACT

Background

Firefighters must be prepared to perform strenuous tasks in extreme environments (i.e. elevated heat and humidity, natural disasters, etc.). One of the main purposes of a fire academy is to prepare recruits for the rigors of this profession. This study aimed to determine the impact of a 15-week ability-based physical training (PT) program on body composition and physical performance among university fire academy recruits.

Methods

Thirty-two (n = 32; male = 29 and female = 3) fire academy recruits (age = 21.22 ± 3.17 yrs; height (HT) = 179.17 ± 7.85 cm; body mass (BM) = 76.55 ± 16.12 kg; body fat percentage (BF%) = 17.14 ± 8.77%) voluntarily agreed to participate in a physical assessment battery at the commencement and at two additional time points during their academy training. In addition to HT, which was measured using a stadiometer, BM, BF%, and skeletal muscle mass (sKM) data were collected using bioelectrical impedance (InBody 270). Physical performance tests included the countermovement jump (CMJ), isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP), pull-ups, cadenced push-ups (80 bpm), and a 1.5-mile run. Follow-up testing occurred at weeks 7 and 15. In the interim, students participated in an ability-based physical training (PT) program, including sandbag and bodyweight training and a running program based on time-based finish classifications. A series of repeated measures ANCOVA, with participant sex as a covariate, were utilized to determine the impact of the training program on the measured variables. Normality was confirmed while sphericity was violated. Therefore, Greenhouse-Geisser corrections were applied. No multivariate outliers were detected in the model; significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results

Significant improvements (p ≤ 0.001) in sKM and BF% were observed between testing sessions 1 and 2, with statistically insignificant improvements between testing sessions 2 and 3, suggesting the overall program was impactful in providing positive body composition changes. Regarding performance, average 1.5-mile run times significantly improved over baseline during subsequent testing sessions, indicating improved cardiovascular fitness with running a maximum of 2 days/wk. No other significant improvements in performance were observed.

Conclusions

Large group ability-based training in firefighter recruits yielded significant improvements in body composition, including increases in sKM and decreases in BF%, as well as significant improvement in 1.5-mile run times. Interestingly, no significant changes were observed in CMJ, IMTP, pull-ups, or push-ups, indicating that accumulated fatigue and inability to consistently apply progressive overload may have affected fitness testing performance.