Appendix E–1—Off-Season Fitness Maintenance Program for Firefighters

This program will help firefighters maintain and gradually improve fitness during the off-season. Incident management team members who would like to improve their general aerobic fitness also will benefit from this program. After 12 weeks, firefighters should have the basic aerobic fitness they need to meet the job requirements of the average fireline workday.

You should begin this program about 5 months before the start of the next fire season, completing the program 8 weeks before the fire season. That will leave 5 weeks for more specific task-oriented training and 3 weeks for early season work hardening.

Each week of the maintenance program includes three phases: a basic workout, short interval runs (underdistance), and longer runs (overdistance). This program is based on the fundamental principles of training. If you are not a runner, you may adapt the workouts to any aerobic activity that you enjoy while maintaining the plan's training concept. If a particular week's program seems too hard, reduce the load (intensity or duration). If the program seems too easy, increase the load somewhat.

This program is not specifically for firefighting tasks. That training is covered in the next section, "Preseason and Early-Season Training."

For Easier Weeks, use the following schedule:

Monday—Basic endurance workout and muscular fitness and core training in appendix G

Tuesday—Underdistance workout and flexibility training in appendix H

Wednesday— Muscular fitness in appendix F

Thursday—Basic workout and flexibility

Friday—Underdistance and muscular fitness

Saturday or Sunday—Overdistance

For Harder Weeks, use the following schedule:

Monday—Basic endurance workout and muscular fitness

Tuesday—Underdistance workout and flexibility

Wednesday—Overdistance workout and muscular fitness

Thursday—Basic workout and flexibility

Friday—Underdistance workout and muscular fitness

Saturday or Sunday—Overdistance workout

When exercises are repeated, allow time for the body to recover while continuing to walk or jog (called active recovery).

Week 1—Easier Week

Basic workout:

• 1 mile in 12 minutes (moderate pace)
• Repeat twice with active recovery.

Underdistance workout:

• ¼ to ½ mile in 5 to 10 minutes (light pace)
• ½ mile in 6 minutes (moderate pace)
• Repeat twice with active recovery.
• ¼ mile in 3 minutes (moderate pace)
• Repeat four times with active recovery.
  

Overdistance workout:

• 2-mile jog in 30 minutes (light pace). You should be able to talk easily in complete sentences while you're jogging at this pace.

Week 2—Harder Week

Basic workout:

• 1 mile in 10:30 minutes (moderate pace)
• Repeat twice with active recovery.

Underdistance workout:

• ¼ to ½ mile in 5 to 10 minutes (light pace)
• ½ mile in 5 minutes (hard pace)
• Repeat twice with active recovery.
• ¼ mile in 2:30 minutes (moderate pace)
• Repeat four times with active recovery.

Overdistance workout:

• 2½-mile jog in 40 minutes (light pace). You should be able to talk easily in complete sentences while jogging at this pace.

Week 3—Easier Week

Basic workout:

• 1 mile in 11 minutes (moderate pace)
• Repeat twice with active recovery.

Underdistance workout:

• ¼ to ½ mile in 5 to 10 minutes (light pace)
• ½ mile in 5:20 minutes (moderate pace)
• Repeat twice with active recovery.
• ¼ mile in 2:40 minutes (moderate pace)
• Repeat four times with active recovery.

Overdistance workout:

• 2¼-mile jog in 34 minutes (light pace). You should be able to talk easily in complete sentences while jogging at this pace.

Week 4—Harder Week

Basic workout:

1 mile in 10 minutes (moderate pace)
Repeat twice with active recovery.

Underdistance workout:

• ¼ to ½ mile in 5 to 10 minutes (light pace)
  
• ½ mile in 4:50 minutes (hard pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.
  
• ¼ mile in 2:25 minutes (hard pace)
  
• Repeat four times with active recovery.

Overdistance workout:

• 3-mile jog in 42 minutes (light pace). You should be able to talk easily in full sentences while jogging at this pace.

Week 5—Easier Week

Basic workout:

• 1 mile in 10:30 minutes (moderate pace) Repeat twice with active recovery.

Underdistance workout:

• ¼ to ½ mile in 5 to 10 minutes (light pace)
  
• ½ mile in 5:10 minutes (moderate pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.
  
• ¼ mile in 2:30 minutes (moderate pace)
  
• Repeat two times with active recovery.

Overdistance workout:

• 2½-mile jog in 35 minutes (light pace). You should be able to talk easily in full sentences while jogging at this pace.

Week 6—Harder Week

Basic workout:

• 1½ miles in 15 minutes (moderate pace) Repeat twice with active recovery.

Underdistance workout:

• ¼ to ½ mile in 5 to 10 minutes (light pace)
  
• ½ mile in 4:40 minutes (hard pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.
  
• ¼ mile in 2:20 minutes (hard pace)
  
• Repeat four times with active recovery.
  
• 220 yards in 1:05 minutes (hard pace)
  
• Repeat four times with active recovery.
  
• 100 yards in 30 seconds (hard pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.

Overdistance workout:

• 3¼-mile jog in 45 minutes (light pace)
  
• Increase your pace during the last quarter mile.

Week 7—Easier Week

Basic workout:

• 1 mile in 10 minutes (moderate pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.

Underdistance workout:

• ¼ to ½ mile in 5 to 10 minutes (light pace)
  
• ½ mile in 4:55 minutes (moderate pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.
  
• ¼ mile in 2:25 minutes (moderate pace)
  
• Repeat three times with active recovery.

Overdistance workout:

• 3-mile jog in 40 minutes (light pace)
  
• Increase the pace during the last quarter mile.

Week 8—Harder Week

Basic workout:

• 1 mile in 9 minutes (hard pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.

Underdistance workout:

• ¼ to ½ mile in 5 to 10 minutes (light pace)
  
• ½ mile in 4:15 minutes (hard pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.
  
• ¼ mile in 2 minutes (hard pace)
  
• Repeat four times with active recovery.
  
• 220 yards in 55 seconds (hard pace)
  
• Repeat four times with active recovery.
  
• 100 yards in 23 seconds (hard pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.

Overdistance workout:

• 3¾-mile jog in 46 minutes (light pace)
  
• Increase your pace during the last quarter mile.

Week 9—Easier Week

Basic workout:

• 1½ miles in 14:15 minutes (moderate pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.

Underdistance workout:

• ¼ to ½ mile in 5 to 10 minutes (light pace)
  
• ½ mile in 4:35 minutes (moderate pace)
  
• Repeat three times with active recovery.
  
• ¼ mile in 2:15 minutes (moderate pace)
  
• Repeat three times with active recovery.

Overdistance workout:

• 3-mile jog in 37 minutes (light pace)
  
• Increase your pace during the last quarter mile.

Week 10—Harder Week

Basic workout:

• 1½ miles in 12:45 minutes (hard pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.

Underdistance workout:

• ¼ to ½ mile in 5 to 10 minutes (light pace)
  
• ½ mile in 4:05 minutes (hard pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.
  
• ¼ mile in 1:55 minutes (hard pace)
  
• Repeat four times with active recovery.
  
• 220 yards in 50 seconds (hard pace)
  
• Repeat four times with active recovery.
  
• 100 yards in 21 seconds (hard pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.

Overdistance workout:

• 4-mile jog in 46 minutes (light pace)
  
• Increase your pace during the last quarter mile.

Week 11—Easier Week

Basic workout:

• 1 mile in 8:30 minutes (moderate pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.

Underdistance workout:

• ¼ to ½ mile in 5 to 10 minutes (light pace)
  
• ½ mile in 4:10 minutes (moderate pace)
  
• Repeat twice with active recovery.
  
• ¼ mile in 2 minutes (moderate pace)
  
• Repeat three times with active recovery.

Overdistance workout:

• 3-mile jog in 35 minutes (light pace)
• Increase your pace during the last quarter mile.

Week 12—Harder Week

Basic workout:

• 1 mile in 8:15 minutes (hard pace)
  
• Repeat three times with active recovery.

Underdistance workout:

• ¼ to ½ mile in 5 to 10 minutes (light pace)
• ½ mile in 4 minutes (hard pace)
• Repeat twice with active recovery.
  
• ¼ mile in 1:50 minutes (hard pace)
• Repeat four times with active recovery.
• 220 yards in 45 seconds (hard pace)
• Repeat four times with active recovery.

Overdistance workout:

• 4-mile or longer jog in 46 minutes (light pace) Increase your pace during the last quarter mile.

Week 13—The 1.5-Mile Run or Pack Test

1.5-Mile Run—After a 10- to 15-minute light warmup on a track, run your best for 1.5 miles (figure E.1). A time of 11:40 minutes or faster meets the fitness standard of 45 required for some firefighting positions. This time requires a pace of 1:56 minutes per lap maintained for six laps on a quartermile track. If you meet this standard, you are ready for the job-specific training in the next section. If you do not, continue the training program for a few more weeks, gradually increasing your training speeds in the underdistance workouts.

Figure E.1—The 1.5-mile Run.

Work Capacity Test—As an alternative to the 1.5-mile Run, take the Pack Test. After a warmup and some stretching, take the test (3 miles with a 45-pound pack). Time the test to see if you are able to meet the 45-minute standard (45 minutes predicts a VO₂ max of 45 milliliters per kilogramminute, the minimum for wildland firefighters. Refer to the Work Capacity Test Administrator's Guide (Whitlock and Sharkey 2003) for test instructions.