AUTHOR=Liu Meng , Zhou Kaixiang , Li Bin , Guo Zhenxiang , Chen Yan , Miao Guozhen , Zhou Limingfei , Liu Haoyang , Bao Dapeng , Zhou Junhong 

TITLE=Effect of 12 weeks of complex training on occupational activities, strength, and power in professional firefighters

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.962546

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2022.962546

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective:</bold> This study examined the effects of 12-week complex training (CT) programs on professional firefighters’ occupational activities, strength, and power.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Thirty men professional firefighters were randomly assigned to the CT group (<italic>n</italic> = 15) and control group (<italic>n</italic> = 15). The CT group performed complex training and the control group completed resistance training (RT) twice a week over 12 weeks. The occupational activities, strength, and power were assessed at baseline and immediately after the intervention by measuring the performance of 100 m load-bearing run (100 m LR), 60 m shoulder ladder run (60 m SLR), 5 m × 20 m shuttle run (5 m × 20 m SR), 4th-floor climbing rope (4th-floor CR), countermovement jump with arm swing (CMJas), seated medicine-ball throw (SMT), one-repetition maximum bench press (1RM BP), and one-repetition maximum back squat (1RM BS).</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The results showed that compared to RT, CT induced significantly greater improvements in 60 m SLR (<italic>p</italic> = 0.007), 4th-floor CR (<italic>p</italic> = 0.020), CMJas (<italic>p</italic> = 0.001), and SMT (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001).</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> These findings suggest that CT is a novel intervention with great promise of improving professional firefighters’ occupational activities, strength, and power.</p>