Comparison of the Firefighter Candidate Physical Ability Test to Weight Lifting Exercises in Firefighters.

Abstract

Firefighting is an extremely demanding occupation requiring high levels of muscular strength and endurance to attend to a multitude of emergency situations. Matching resistance exercise programs to firefighter job demands has not been well-studied. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the EMG activity of relevant muscles during the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) and weightlifting exercises in firefighters. METHODS: A repeated measures study was conducted in 13 full-duty career firefighters (1 F, 12 M; aged 18-44 years) from 3 Florida fire departments. Participants reported to a university laboratory to complete 7 low load weightlifting exercises: Romanian deadlift, back squat, overhead press, bent-over row, banded Romanian deadlift, kneeling rotational throw, and glute hyperextension. On a separate day, participants reported to firefighter training grounds to complete the CPAT. The CPAT is a pre-employment functional capacity evaluation that reflects usual tasks performed during emergency responses, which consists of 8 events - stair climb, hose drag, equipment carry, ladder raise and extension, forcible entry, search, rescue, and ceiling breach and pull. During exercises and CPAT events, surface EMG activity was recorded from the oblique abdominal, deltoid, trapezius, latissimus dorsi, lumbar multifidus, gluteus maximus and medius, and hamstring muscles. For each muscle group, surface EMG activity (% maximum voluntary isometric contraction - MVC) was compared between the exercises and CPAT. RESULTS: No difference (p > 0.05) in EMG activity was observed between weightlifting exercises and CPAT for the deltoid, trapezius, lumbar multifidus, gluteus maximus and medius, and hamstring muscles. EMG activity was significantly greater (p = 0.002) during the CPAT compared to the exercises for the abdominal obliques (39.9% +/- 27.8% vs. 12.0% +/- 6.4%, respectively). EMG activity was significantly greater (p = 0.049) during the exercises compared to CPAT for the latissimus dorsi (21.8% +/- 16.7% vs. 11.4% +/- 4.6%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Standardized weightlifting exercises, along with additional exercises to activate and strengthen the abdominal obliques, should be considered when designing resistance exercise programs to match firefighter job demands.