Former volunteer firefighter and current high school strength and conditioning coach, Ryan Johnson, talks about establishing school/program emergency response protocols in this session from the NSCA’s 2017 Coaches Conference.

Just as any athletic team can benefit from sport-specific training, tactical professionals can benefit from occupational task-specific training as well. Combining pushing, pulling, pressing, and total body movements into complexes may help mimic the demands and movements of job tasks that tactical personnel may encounter.

Occupational police tests described in the literature can serve as indicators of the occupational performance of their employees. In addition, practitioners in charge of police training should develop and employ obstacle courses composed of critical work tasks, as they may be strongly related to tests of aerobic endurance, strength, muscular endurance, and agility.

Learn the basics of conducting a needs analysis for tactical athletes based on the athlete’s goals and desired outcomes, assessments, limitations on workout frequency and duration, equipment availability, health and injury status, and occupational physiological demands.

The demanding and hazardous nature of firefighting necessitates a fitness testing framework that directly addresses the unique physiological challenges of the profession. This paper sought to identify gaps in the current fitness testing and training environment that are focused on cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular endurance, and muscular strength components of fitness and to advocate for a targeted, occupation specific fitness testing approach that aligns with the physiological challenges firefighters face. Ultimately, implementation of these plans should reduce the risk of injury and death and improve operational efficiency.

This TSAC Report article discusses incorporating stress inoculation to help first responders reduce stress response and expedite recovery. Visit NSCA online to learn more about exercise research.

Part 2 of this series on allostatic load theory will focus on how monitoring personnel holistically can contribute to a well-rounded health and performance model supporting the tactical athletes.

This is Season 9 of the NSCA’s Coaching Podcast, where strength and conditioning coaches share their experience, lessons learned, and advice about how to thrive in a highly competitive profession.