Impact of a 15-week ability-based training program on body composition and physical fitness in university-based fire academy recruits
Background Firefighters must be prepared to perform strenuous tasks in extreme environments (i.e. elevated heat and humidity, natural disasters, etc.). One of the main purposes of a fire academy is to prepare recruits for the rigors of this profession. This study aimed to determine the impact of a 1...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
|
| Series: | Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15502783.2025.2550198 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849224313401507840 |
|---|---|
| author | Annette Zapp Kyla Schults Krissy Sanchez Paige Sutton Amanda Ehlrich Jay Dawes |
| author_facet | Annette Zapp Kyla Schults Krissy Sanchez Paige Sutton Amanda Ehlrich Jay Dawes |
| author_sort | Annette Zapp |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Firefighters must be prepared to perform strenuous tasks in extreme environments (i.e. elevated heat and humidity, natural disasters, etc.). One of the main purposes of a fire academy is to prepare recruits for the rigors of this profession. This study aimed to determine the impact of a 15-week ability-based physical training (PT) program on body composition and physical performance among university fire academy recruits.Methods Thirty-two (n = 32; male = 29 and female = 3) fire academy recruits (age = 21.22 ± 3.17 yrs; height (HT) = 179.17 ± 7.85 cm; body mass (BM) = 76.55 ± 16.12 kg; body fat percentage (BF%) = 17.14 ± 8.77%) voluntarily agreed to participate in a physical assessment battery at the commencement and at two additional time points during their academy training. In addition to HT, which was measured using a stadiometer, BM, BF%, and skeletal muscle mass (sKM) data were collected using bioelectrical impedance (InBody 270). Physical performance tests included the countermovement jump (CMJ), isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP), pull-ups, cadenced push-ups (80 bpm), and a 1.5-mile run. Follow-up testing occurred at weeks 7 and 15. In the interim, students participated in an ability-based physical training (PT) program, including sandbag and bodyweight training and a running program based on time-based finish classifications. A series of repeated measures ANCOVA, with participant sex as a covariate, were utilized to determine the impact of the training program on the measured variables. Normality was confirmed while sphericity was violated. Therefore, Greenhouse-Geisser corrections were applied. No multivariate outliers were detected in the model; significance was set at p < 0.05.Results Significant improvements (p ≤ 0.001) in sKM and BF% were observed between testing sessions 1 and 2, with statistically insignificant improvements between testing sessions 2 and 3, suggesting the overall program was impactful in providing positive body composition changes. Regarding performance, average 1.5-mile run times significantly improved over baseline during subsequent testing sessions, indicating improved cardiovascular fitness with running a maximum of 2 days/wk. No other significant improvements in performance were observed.Conclusions Large group ability-based training in firefighter recruits yielded significant improvements in body composition, including increases in sKM and decreases in BF%, as well as significant improvement in 1.5-mile run times. Interestingly, no significant changes were observed in CMJ, IMTP, pull-ups, or push-ups, indicating that accumulated fatigue and inability to consistently apply progressive overload may have affected fitness testing performance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a65249f8d75e4687b884bffe5fd3e77d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1550-2783 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj-art-a65249f8d75e4687b884bffe5fd3e77d2025-08-25T11:32:39ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition1550-27832025-12-0122sup210.1080/15502783.2025.2550198Impact of a 15-week ability-based training program on body composition and physical fitness in university-based fire academy recruitsAnnette Zapp0Kyla Schults1Krissy Sanchez2Paige Sutton3Amanda Ehlrich4Jay Dawes5Colvin Recreation Center, OSU Tactical Fitness and Nutrition Lab, Stillwater, OK, USAColvin Recreation Center, OSU Tactical Fitness and Nutrition Lab, Stillwater, OK, USAColvin Recreation Center, OSU Tactical Fitness and Nutrition Lab, Stillwater, OK, USAOklahoma State University, GRIP Lab, Stillwater, OK, USAOklahoma State University, GRIP Lab, Stillwater, OK, USAColvin Recreation Center, OSU Tactical Fitness and Nutrition Lab, Stillwater, OK, USABackground Firefighters must be prepared to perform strenuous tasks in extreme environments (i.e. elevated heat and humidity, natural disasters, etc.). One of the main purposes of a fire academy is to prepare recruits for the rigors of this profession. This study aimed to determine the impact of a 15-week ability-based physical training (PT) program on body composition and physical performance among university fire academy recruits.Methods Thirty-two (n = 32; male = 29 and female = 3) fire academy recruits (age = 21.22 ± 3.17 yrs; height (HT) = 179.17 ± 7.85 cm; body mass (BM) = 76.55 ± 16.12 kg; body fat percentage (BF%) = 17.14 ± 8.77%) voluntarily agreed to participate in a physical assessment battery at the commencement and at two additional time points during their academy training. In addition to HT, which was measured using a stadiometer, BM, BF%, and skeletal muscle mass (sKM) data were collected using bioelectrical impedance (InBody 270). Physical performance tests included the countermovement jump (CMJ), isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP), pull-ups, cadenced push-ups (80 bpm), and a 1.5-mile run. Follow-up testing occurred at weeks 7 and 15. In the interim, students participated in an ability-based physical training (PT) program, including sandbag and bodyweight training and a running program based on time-based finish classifications. A series of repeated measures ANCOVA, with participant sex as a covariate, were utilized to determine the impact of the training program on the measured variables. Normality was confirmed while sphericity was violated. Therefore, Greenhouse-Geisser corrections were applied. No multivariate outliers were detected in the model; significance was set at p < 0.05.Results Significant improvements (p ≤ 0.001) in sKM and BF% were observed between testing sessions 1 and 2, with statistically insignificant improvements between testing sessions 2 and 3, suggesting the overall program was impactful in providing positive body composition changes. Regarding performance, average 1.5-mile run times significantly improved over baseline during subsequent testing sessions, indicating improved cardiovascular fitness with running a maximum of 2 days/wk. No other significant improvements in performance were observed.Conclusions Large group ability-based training in firefighter recruits yielded significant improvements in body composition, including increases in sKM and decreases in BF%, as well as significant improvement in 1.5-mile run times. Interestingly, no significant changes were observed in CMJ, IMTP, pull-ups, or push-ups, indicating that accumulated fatigue and inability to consistently apply progressive overload may have affected fitness testing performance.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15502783.2025.2550198Firefighterperformancefitness programbody composition |
| spellingShingle | Annette Zapp Kyla Schults Krissy Sanchez Paige Sutton Amanda Ehlrich Jay Dawes Impact of a 15-week ability-based training program on body composition and physical fitness in university-based fire academy recruits Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition Firefighter performance fitness program body composition |
| title | Impact of a 15-week ability-based training program on body composition and physical fitness in university-based fire academy recruits |
| title_full | Impact of a 15-week ability-based training program on body composition and physical fitness in university-based fire academy recruits |
| title_fullStr | Impact of a 15-week ability-based training program on body composition and physical fitness in university-based fire academy recruits |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of a 15-week ability-based training program on body composition and physical fitness in university-based fire academy recruits |
| title_short | Impact of a 15-week ability-based training program on body composition and physical fitness in university-based fire academy recruits |
| title_sort | impact of a 15 week ability based training program on body composition and physical fitness in university based fire academy recruits |
| topic | Firefighter performance fitness program body composition |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15502783.2025.2550198 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annettezapp impactofa15weekabilitybasedtrainingprogramonbodycompositionandphysicalfitnessinuniversitybasedfireacademyrecruits AT kylaschults impactofa15weekabilitybasedtrainingprogramonbodycompositionandphysicalfitnessinuniversitybasedfireacademyrecruits AT krissysanchez impactofa15weekabilitybasedtrainingprogramonbodycompositionandphysicalfitnessinuniversitybasedfireacademyrecruits AT paigesutton impactofa15weekabilitybasedtrainingprogramonbodycompositionandphysicalfitnessinuniversitybasedfireacademyrecruits AT amandaehlrich impactofa15weekabilitybasedtrainingprogramonbodycompositionandphysicalfitnessinuniversitybasedfireacademyrecruits AT jaydawes impactofa15weekabilitybasedtrainingprogramonbodycompositionandphysicalfitnessinuniversitybasedfireacademyrecruits |