Tactical Athletes: An Integrated Approach to Understanding and Enhancing the Health and Performance of Firefighters-in-Training

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(4): 341-357, 2015. In an effort to reduce the rates of firefighter fatality, injury, and workplace stress, there has been a call for research to advance knowledge of firefighting performance and injury prevention. Physical and psychological variables important to firefighter health and performance have been identified, yet the interrelated nature of these variables has been overlooked. Given the overlap between the physical and psychological demands of firefighting and sport, and given that an integrated framework has been used in the sport domain to guide athlete health and performance research and practice, firefighter organizations could benefit from adopting a sport-based, integrated model of firefighter training and performance management. Guided by the Meyer Athlete Performance Management Model (MAPM), the purposes of the current study were to: (a) describe the physical and psychological characteristics of firefighters-in-training (i.e., cadets and recruits), and (b) explore relationships between the physical and psychological variables associated with health and performance. Firefighters-in-training employed by a Midwestern area fire department in the United States (N = 34) completed a battery of physical and psychological assessments at the department’s Fire and Safety Academy building. Results of the current study revealed significant correlations between several of the physical and psychological characteristics of firefighters-in-training. These results, along with the multidimensional data set that was also established in the current study, provide preliminary evidence for the use of a sport-based integrated performance model such as the MAPM to guide training and performance research in firefighter populations

UNILATERAL BALANCE PERFORMANCE IN FEMALE COLLEGIATE SOCCER ATHLETES

ABSTRACT Thorpe, JL and Ebersole, KT. Unilateral balance performance in female collegiate soccer athletes. J Strength Cond Res 22(5): 1429-1433, 2008-The Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) is a unilateral balance task designed to evaluate dynamic postural control. This investigation explored the relationship between limb preference, strength, and performance on the SEBT in NCAA Division I, female collegiate soccer athletes (nonsoccer, n = 11; soccer, n = 12). Each participant completed maximal, concentric test efforts at a velocity of 90°Ás 21 for supine ankle dorsiflexion (ADF) and plantarflexion (APF) and at 60°Ás 21 for the seated leg extension (LE) and flexion (LF) and supine hip extension (HE) and flexion (HF). In addition, participants performed maximal SEBT reaches in the anterior, medial, and posterior directions. All testing was completed on both limbs. These results indicate that SEBT performance is similar for both limbs in both groups. The soccer group, however, reached significantly farther than the nonsoccer group, suggesting that the SEBT may be sensitive to training status and/or sportrelated adaptations. The concentric strength results indicate that despite group differences in all strength tests, strength in general was not highly correlated to SEBT performance. Thus, neuromuscular factors above and beyond strength may have accounted for the group differences in SEBT performance. The SEBT may be a useful tool for determining the relative effectiveness of an intervention designed to improve postural control

Functional Movement Quality of Firefighter Recruits: Longitudinal Changes from the Academy to Active-Duty Status

Approximately half of the injuries experienced by firefighters consist of musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs). Functional movement quality may be associated with MSKI risk within this tactical athlete population. Previous research indicates that measures of body composition change among firefighter recruits progressing from academy training through active-duty service, but similar changes in functional movement quality have yet to be examined. The purpose of this study was to describe longitudinal changes in functional movement quality of firefighter recruits. Body mass index (BMI), body fat (BF), and Functional Movement Screen (FMS) data were collected from 26 male firefighter recruits at the onset (W1) and completion (W14) of their training academy, and at the completion of their probationary period of active-duty service (W38). After adjusting for changes in BMI and BF across time, significant changes (ps < 0.05) in Composite FMS scores were identified, with significant increases in from W1 to W14 and from W14 to W38, as well as an overall increase from W1 to W38. These results suggest that the development of firefighter-specific skills can decrease the MSKI risk of firefighter recruits by facilitating enhanced functional movement competencies, particularly during tasks that require single-leg movement and core strength and stability

Influence of Body Composition on Post-Exercise Parasympathetic Reactivation of Firefighter Recruits

Firefighters have a sustained risk for experiencing a sudden cardiac event after completing a fire call. Heart rate recovery (HRR) can be utilized to characterize autonomic nervous system (ANS) recovery and has been linked to cardiac events. Research suggests that body composition influences post-exercise HRR responses in non-firefighter populations. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and percent body fat (BF) on the HRR response of firefighter recruits. BMI (kg·m−2), WC (cm), and BF (%) data from 57 firefighter recruits were collected. HRR (b·min−1) data were collected at completion (HR0), as well as 15 (HR15), 30 (HR30), 45 (HR45), 60 (HR60), 120 (HR120), and 180 (HR180) seconds following a submaximal step test, and commonly utilized clinical HRR indices were calculated (ΔHRR30, ΔHRR60, ΔHRR120, and ΔHRR180). After controlling for sex, linear mixed regression models did not identify significant interactions between body composition (ps > 0.05) and HRR response across time. However, significant (ps < 0.05) indirect semi-partial correlations were identified between BF and ΔHRR30 (rsp = −0.31) and ΔHRR60 (rsp = −0.27), respectively. Reducing overall BF (vs. BMI or WC) should be prioritized to improve the post-exercise ANS recovery of firefighter recruits

The Effects of Concentric Isokinetic Strength Training of the Quadriceps Femoris on Mechanomyography and Muscle Strength

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the effect of concentric isokinetic leg extension training on peak torque (PT) and mechanomyographic (MMG) responses. Twenty-one males were assigned into a training (TRN, n = 12) or control (CTL, n = 9) group. The training group performed six sets of ten leg extensions three days per week for twelve weeks at a velocity of 90 degrees.s(-1). All subjects were tested every four weeks for PT and MMG responses at a velocity of 90 degrees.s(-1). The two-way mixed factorial ANOVA indicated a significant increase (p \u3c 0.05) in PT over the twelve weeks for the TRN group but no significant change (p \u3e 0.05) in PT for the CTL group. For the MMG there was no significant (p \u3e 0.05) interaction, therefore, the TRN and CTL groups exhibited the same pattern of responses over the twelve-week training period. The reason for the increase in PT in the absence of a change in MMG may be due to hypertrophy and/or changes in other muscles involved in leg extension

The effect of concentric isokinetic strength training of the quadriceps femoris on mechanomyography and muscle strength

Après un programme de musculation du quadriceps de 12 semaines on observe une augmentation de la force isocinétique maximale mais aucun changement dans les signaux sonomyographique

The Effect of Leg Extension Training on the Mean Power Frequency of the Mechanomyographic Signal

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the effect of concentric isokinetic leg extension training on the mean power frequency (MPF) of the mechanomyographic (MMG) signal. Twenty-one men were assigned into a training (TRN; n = 12) or control (CTL; n = 9) group. The TRN group performed six sets of leg extensions 3 days per week for 12 weeks at a velocity of 90 degrees/s. Ail subjects were tested every 4 weeks for peak torque (PT), while MMG was recorded from the vastus lateralis. PT increased, but there was no significant (P \u3e 0.05) change in the MMG MPF over the 12-week training period. These results indicate that MMG MPF, measured from the vastus lateralis, was not sensitive to training-induced increases in leg-extension strength, possibly due to competing influences of hypertrophy on the MMG signal and/or training-induced adaptations in muscles other than the vastus lateralis. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc