Author: firefighteslifestyle@gmail.com June 24, 2016

So I just read Juan’s post “The Complete CPAT Guide” and I couldn’t help but notice the tasks that were being done by the candidates taking the test.

Climbing Stairs, dragging things, carrying things, using power to knock in doors and a host of other activities that require more than just straight pushing power from the chest or the legs. If your training only consists of a few movements such as the bench, squat, and deadlift you are missing out on the bigger picture here gentlemen.

If I stood outside a gym and asked ten different people that were coming out what fitness meant to them I am positive that I would get ten different answers. Nobody would be right and nobody would be necessarily wrong, each person would have their individual opinions and goals and are entitled to them without debate.

However, if I was to walk inside a firehouse and ask the men and woman there what their definition of fitness was I am sure the definitions would be more congruent with one another than those gathered outside the gym. Why? Because the focus and goals of those men and women will all be similar, you are all working to fulfill a common objective!

You know what has to be great about the job of a firefighter, the level of excitement about facing new tasks and new challenges.

Most guys in this field would be bored out of their minds if they were plucked out of their truck/engine/ambulance and stuck behind a desk for 8 hours. That being the case why would you want to perform boring workouts with the same exercises you’ve probably been doing since you stepped into a weight room somewhere around freshman year in high school.

Now I’m looking at those pictures and thinking if that is what I am going to be expected to do how can I work that into my routine and make it exciting. I would probably break down each station, see what was required there and select an exercise….then turn it into my very own obstacle course.

Event 1: The Stair Climb

 

This event has you loaded up with 75 pounds and lasts 3 minutes so there are a few elements you want to look at here. First would be the time, can you walk up a flight of stairs for 3 minutes at 50 steps per minute? If not start working on that stamina, if you stop during the test you will fail. The other way to fail is by touching the rail when becoming off balance a.k.a. lack of stability. Of course, you are going to be unstable you are wearing external weight and carrying even more of it on your shoulders. I am going to recommend a barbell reverse lunge, alternating steps for added stability challenge, for improving this performance.

Barbell Reverse Lunge

Why: The narrow single leg stance you take in the lunge will challenge your stability, the barbell will allow you to place larger loads higher on the body, raising your center of gravity and mimicking the variables of the test.

Event 2: The Hose Drag

 

This is a tricky one if you don’t have 50 feet of hose or rope laying around, but if you do practice with them. If you have rope, tie some weight to the end of the rope and drag it towards you then grab the unweighted end and run out the 50 feet and repeat. This will turn into a great interval workout as well as improve your efficiency with the task. If you have neither available, single arm rows on a machine can help do the trick. Try them from a variety of stances such as, on one knee, on both knees or in a plank position (tall, forearm or side…you choose). You will improve you pulling power and core stability.

Single Arm Row

Why: You will be pulling to hose hand over hand one arm at a time so train in that fashion. In all the variations listed you want to keep the core tight and keep the body square in the direction, you are pulling in order to take control of that object.

Event 3: Equipment Carry

 

If you have been doing your farmers walks this one should be a slam dunk. Pick things up and put them down, right. Ok while carrying two chainsaws shouldn’t seem too difficult let’s talk about the difference between carrying an odd-shaped piece of equipment and a dumbbell or kettlebell. The equipment is going to have a different center of balance and move around quite a bit depending on its size. You will want to keep your body as in control as possible, chest up, shoulders packed and belly tight.

Sandbag Farmers Carry

Why: A sandbags center of gravity will shift as the sand in the bag shifts, most sandbags will give you multiple handle options which can enhance that effect. No sandbags? Fill up a couple buckets of water, go for a walk and try not to get wet!

Event 4: Ladder Raise

 

The ladders themselves are not that heavy but they can start to feel heavy as you get them closer to being raised and your arms will be up over you head the whole time which will also fatigue the shoulder. The underrated portion here is the hand-eye coordination in walking the ladder up, passing the rungs from hand to hand. Athletes train speed and agility using a speed ladder and will normally coordinate foot pattern movements. We can use that ladder but instead of moving through with the feet we can use variations of hand pattern movements in the push-up position to move the ladder. If walking on our hands was easy we’d do it more often, this seems simple but can be difficult to coordinate.

Speed Ladder Hand Walks

Why: You want to have you hands coordinated with one another. This will also provide you with a great shoulder workout to combat against the fatigue of having your arms raised.

Click Here for a video to give you some ideas of what you can do :

Event 5: Forcible Entry

 

This would probably be my favorite if I had to pick one. Anytime I get to swing a sledgehammer it’s a good thing. This is your power test! You power moves up until now may have consisted of medicine ball slams, kettlebell swings, or barbell cleans. If you have had the opportunity to swing a sledge hammer in training that’s great because now you know there is a little bit of technique involved with it especially if you want to hit a mark. Most gyms will have a hammer and a tire to hit it against , practice your technique and see if you can find an elevated target. If a friend is doing a kitchen remodel or putting on an addition, volunteer for the demo work.

Hammer Swings/Slams

Why: This is a power move on its own but you will want to practice technique and accuracy.

Event 6: Search Box

 

Juan describes this one as a no-brainer, get low make one turn and crawl out. Crawling on its own is an excellent way to build shoulder stability, core strength, and agility. A bear crawl into the box may do the trick but you may have to ‘spiderman” crawl out since the box gets lower.

Spiderman Crawls/Push Ups

Why: You will want to coordinate you lower and upper extremities for this types of situations. You learned how to crawl before you walked, don’t forget the basics.

Event 7: Rescue Drag

 

Here it is easy to see a real life situation with the use of the dummy being pulled to safety. Although a dummy with straps is much different than a person with no straps we will do what we have to prepare for the event. Tire sleds, prowler sleds or anything you can drag around is useful here. The key is to stay low and  take short powerful strides. The hardest part will be breaking the inertia of getting the body moving once moving it gets a little easier.

Sled Drags

Why: Unless you have a 165-pound tummy a sled will have to do. I made a sled out of an old tire using an eyebolt, some nuts and washers and an old ratchet strap. Different surfaces will provide different resistance, get creative on how to add resistance to homemade sleds.

Event 8: Ceiling Breach

 

I have shared my experience with this one before. It can be very challenging especially id you are taking the test for the first time, are pressed for time or start to become inefficient and fatigued. Your entire body needs to connect here for these, don’t rely solely on your arm and upper body here. There are a high number of reps and you will gas out if you are not smart.

Barbell Thruster

Why: It’s not a lower body exercise it’s not an upper body exercise, it’s a full body challenge. Dropping down into the squat position and exploding up to push the bar overhead challenges the connectivity and power transfer of the whole body. You know when you have done it right and you know when you missed the timing and end up pushing the weight much more than you needed to with your upper body.

Recap:

1. Barbell Reverse Lunge
2. Single Arm Row
3. Sandbag Farmers Carry
4. Speed Ladder Hand Walks
5. Hammer Swings
6. Spiderman Crawl
7. Sled Drag
8. Barbell Thruster

That’s an 8 exercise circuit you can do all at once, break up into multiple workouts or work into routines individually. At some point, you will want touch on all these elements. It will prepare you for your test, Assist you on the job and hopefully add some variety to your workouts

Enjoy!