8 Week Fire Academy Prep
Job Town S&C
First Responders, Functional Fitness, Strength & ConditioningNo nonsense strength and conditioning for firefighters preparing for the academy.
Build the strength, conditioning, and durability needed to handle long days, heavy workloads, and high physical stress, without wasting time on anything that doesn’t transfer.
Each training week is organized into 5 focused training days:
- Lower Strength and Engine Building-
- Build lower body strength and aerobic capacity for carrying load, climbing, and working under fatigue.
- Upper Strength and Bodyweight Mastery-
- Develop pressing strength and pulling endurance for ladders, hose work, and repeated upper body effort.
- Aerobic Base Building-
- Progress from Zone 2 into higher intensity work to improve endurance and recovery between efforts.
- Power and Work Capacity-
- Train explosive strength and high output so you can perform when the pace picks up.
- Fireground Conditioning-
- Job-specific circuits and carries designed to simulate academy demands under fatigue.
Every session includes PAP (Pre-Activity Prep) to reduce injury risk and prepare you to perform, along with breathing work to improve recovery and control.
This creates a system built for the long days, heavy workload, and minimal rest of the fire academy. Build the strength, endurance, and power needed to excel in the academy while building the resilience and durability to avoid injury and washout.
Prep
A
Intro to Heat (PAP)
5-10 minutes easy cardio of choice (airbike or rower if possible) Followed by 1-2 rounds- - 5 cossack squats each side - 10 jefferson curls (light) - 20 pogo hops - 10 scap push ups - 15 banded pull aparts - 5 ab rollouts
B
Zercher Squat
5 x 6 @ 6, 7, 8, 8, 8
C1
RDL
3 x 10 @ 8
C2
DB Reverse Lunge
3 x 8 @ 8
D
Air Squat
1 x 100
E
Zone 2 Cardio
1 x 20:00
Recovery
F
Parasympathetic Breathing
Parasympathetic Breathing- 10-15 Nasal Breathes 5 second inhale 1 second hold at top 5 second exhale Turn off all music and distractions, do it in the car if needed.
Prep
A
Intro to Heat (PAP)
5-10 minutes easy cardio of choice (airbike or rower if possible) Followed by 1-2 rounds- - 5 cossack squats each side - 10 jefferson curls (light) - 20 pogo hops - 10 scap push ups - 15 banded pull aparts - 5 ab rollouts
B
Push Press
5 x 6 @ 6, 7, 8, 8, 8
C
Pull-Up
4 x MAX
D
Juarez Valley Push Ups
20, 2, 18, 4, 16, 6, 14, 8, 12, 10
Conditioning
E
Density EMOM
15 Minute EMOM- Min 1: 20 4 count mountain climbers Min 2: 20 4 count flutter kicks Min 3: 20 4 count jumping jacks
Recovery
F
Parasympathetic Breathing
Parasympathetic Breathing- 10-15 Nasal Breathes 5 second inhale 1 second hold at top 5 second exhale Turn off all music and distractions, do it in the car if needed.
Prep
A
Intro to Heat (PAP)
5-10 minutes easy cardio of choice (airbike or rower if possible) Followed by 1-2 rounds- - 5 cossack squats each side - 10 jefferson curls (light) - 20 pogo hops - 10 scap push ups - 15 banded pull aparts - 5 ab rollouts
B
Zone 2 Cardio
1 x 30:00
C1
Jefferson Curl
3 x 3
C2
Band Pull-Apart
3 x 20
D1
Copenhagen Plank
3 x 0:15
D2
Single Leg Pogos
3 x 0:15
Conditioning
E
Static Stretching
30-60 seconds each- - Straddle Hang: middle, left, right - Squat ISO: regular, wide, narrow - Lat stretch/left/right - Butterfly - Left Leg/Right leg half butterfly - Hip 90/90 - Backrocks - Calf stretch
Recovery
F
Parasympathetic Breathing
Parasympathetic Breathing- 10-15 Nasal Breathes 5 second inhale 1 second hold at top 5 second exhale Turn off all music and distractions, do it in the car if needed.
Prep
A
Intro to Heat (PAP)
5-10 minutes easy cardio of choice (airbike or rower if possible) Followed by 1-2 rounds- - 5 cossack squats each side - 10 jefferson curls (light) - 20 pogo hops - 10 scap push ups - 15 banded pull aparts - 5 ab rollouts
B
Low Hang Power Clean
3 x 3 @ 6, 7, 8
C
Trap Bar Deadlift
4 x 6 @ 6, 7, 8, 8
D1
Chest-Supported DB Row
2 x 8
D2
Single Arm DB Shoulder Press
2 x 8
Conditioning
E
Deck of Cards
*In gear if available, weighted vest if not. ♥️ Hearts: Push-ups ♦️ Diamonds: 4 count Mountain Climbers ♣️ Clubs: Burpees ♠️ Spades: 4 Count Jumping Jacks Joker 1: 50 Air Squats Joker 2: 50 Reverse Lunges (25 each leg) Face Cards (J, Q, K): 11, 12, 13 reps Aces: 11 reps How to Perform: - Shuffle a standard deck of 52 cards. - Flip the top card and perform the assigned exercise for the number of reps shown. - Continue through the entire deck with minimal rest.
Recovery
F
Parasympathetic Breathing
Parasympathetic Breathing- 10-15 Nasal Breathes 5 second inhale 1 second hold at top 5 second exhale Turn off all music and distractions, do it in the car if needed.
Prep
A
Intro to Heat (PAP)
5-10 minutes easy cardio of choice (airbike or rower if possible) Followed by 1-2 rounds- - 5 cossack squats each side - 10 jefferson curls (light) - 20 pogo hops - 10 scap push ups - 15 banded pull aparts - 5 ab rollouts
Conditioning
B
Overhaul Heroes (GW1)
Done on drill ground/outside and in gear if available. If no gear available use a weighted vest. AMRAP 30 Minutes- - 10 tire flips (sub 20 dual heavy KB swings if no tire) - 10 sledgehammer swings each side (sub 20 medball slams if no sledgehammer) - 50 ft farmers carry - 50 ft walking lunge After completing drop gear/vest and run 1 mile slick for time.
Recovery
C
Parasympathetic Breathing
Parasympathetic Breathing- 10-15 Nasal Breathes 5 second inhale 1 second hold at top 5 second exhale Turn off all music and distractions, do it in the car if needed.
Wyatt Armstrong
Career Firefighter and S&C Coach of 8+ Years - Nationally Ranked Olympic Weightlifter and Powerlifter - B.S. Exercise Science with an emphasis on sports nutrition - USAW Level 1 - NASM CPT, CES - NCSF Sports Nutritionist - Performance based coaching for athletes of all backgrounds.
