OVERCOMING HURDLES: PRACTICAL S&C SOLUTIONS FOR FIRST RESPONDER FITNESS

While it’s well established that some form of physical exercise should make up part of every first responder’s routine, we fully appreciate that not all first responders have equal access or availability when it comes to finding the time, space, equipment, motivation or energy to actually get into the gym and get a session done.

For most of us, the solution revolves around flexibility and some forward planning – see our article on Flexible Periodisation – but the following advice is for those who can’t find time in the day, don’t know where to start, are on call and can’t go too far from the station, or working in country towns with no gym in sight. The requirement for our first responders to be strong, fit and healthy isn’t going anywhere, but what do you do when life gets in the way?

Here are some of the common hurdles that first responders face and how to overcome them on the way to reaping the rewards of a regular S&C program.

Starting Out: Building Energy and Motivation

If your problem is not knowing where to start, or struggling for energy or motivation, then integrating some form of movement, regardless of intensity, duration or modality, is going to be the first step. If getting daily steps is all you can manage right now, make it a priority. If you’ve only got enough energy for five minutes of stretching at the end of the day, then that’s completely fine but make it non-negotiable and don’t miss a single day.

Movement often begets movement, but it requires intention. Those who don’t start moving or exercising will never stumble into it, but five minutes of stretching will often turn into 10, which then becomes 15. This evolves into 10 minutes on the spin bike followed by a five minute stretch, and then in 12-months’ time, you find yourself doing two weekly rides, a strength session and a yoga class and looking back at where it all began.

Other common mistakes for people who lack motivation or don’t know where to start:

• Copying the training program of a more experienced lifter.

This is a one-way ticket to burn-out or injury, but it’s often the first place people begin. Finding a training partner is a great motivator, but you need someone around your level or with the knowledge to modify their program to suit you.

• Setting the bar too high.

Goal setting is worth a post in its own right, but a common mistake of those new to training or picking it back up again is setting unrealistic goals that invite self-criticism and disappointment. Setting any goal without adequate time to achieve it is only going to cause you to feel upset and disheartened when you inevitably fail.

• Investing too much in effort and not enough in knowledge.

Putting 100% effort into a program that is only 20% effective will invite frustration. One of the biggest mistakes first responders with limited time and energy make, is investing that time and energy in the wrong type of training. Finding out exactly what you need to work on for optimal performance is well worth the time for someone first starting out.  

No Equipment? How to Build Strength Anywhere

Not being able to access a gym or fitness equipment is a common barrier to training, particularly for first responders working in remote areas. While increasing the weight applied to a movement by using barbells, dumbbells or machines can be a great way to get stronger and fitter, it’s certainly not the only way.

For starters, ‘strength’ only makes up half of ‘strength and conditioning’, and all you need to do effective cardio is a method of increasing your heart rate. Burpees, running, incline walking or swimming don’t require any specialist equipment, and skipping is a fantastic way to address cardio, ankle health and calf conditioning with a $10 rope available online.

As for strength training, getting stronger requires satisfying the principle of progressive overload which involves increasing the stimulus an activity provides. One very effective way is by adding more weight (intensity), but other methods include increasing duration, volume or frequency, and shortening rest periods.

• Increase Duration:

In a scenario where you live remotely and don’t have access to a gym or fitness equipment, a lot of your strength training will have to be bodyweight. A great way to get strong with bodyweight movements is via isometrics. Overcoming isometrics (maximal effort against an immovable object) and yielding isometrics (holding a fixed position) are both measured in time, and you can increase the stimulus by increasing the duration.

• Increasing Volume:

Volume is the total of weight lifted x reps x sets. With bodyweight exercises, the weight lifted will be fixed, but you can still increase the volume by adding reps or sets to each exercise.

• Increasing Frequency:

If you’re currently completing two bodyweight strength sessions per week, you can increase the frequency by adding a third session. Be sure to increase frequency while allowing for adequate recovery between sessions.

• Shorten Rest Periods:

One of the factors influencing muscle growth is metabolic stress, and you can increase the amount of metabolic stress applied by an exercise by shortening the rest periods between sets. For example, you could apply progressive overload to 4x20 bodyweight squats with 90-seconds rest by shortening the rest period to 75-seconds. Keep in mind that movement quality and the number of reps per set should not change.

No Time? Maximising Mini Workout Windows

Kelly Starrett, founder of The Ready State, talks about the early stages of parenthood when he and his wife would complete what they called the 10-10-10 at 10. That was as many rounds as possible of 10 squats, 10 push ups and 10 pull ups in 10-minutes at 10pm. While it may not be the perfect workout, it was time-efficient, effective, and realistic for that stage of their lives.

Somewhere along the way, we as a society have become convinced that training occurs in 60-90-minute blocks, and anything less than that is not worth doing. In reality, training occurs whenever we can fit it in, and if that means 10-minutes a day, then your goal is to make that the most effective and efficient 10-minute workout as possible.

Tips to maximise your workout windows:

• Multiple movement patterns, muscle groups and movement planes.

In these mini workout windows, your goal when creating the most effective and efficient training session is to involve as many relevant movement patterns, muscle groups and movement planes as possible whilst avoiding unnecessary double-ups. Click here for more information on how to classify and select movements. 

• Use a timer to ensure you don’t drag out rest periods.

We’ve all seen it – the person at the gym who is ‘resting’ while scrolling on their phone. Meanwhile, you’ve warmed up, finished with your exercise and moved on by the time they finally put their phone down and start another set. When you’ve got limited time to train, you simply can’t afford distractions. Using a timer to track your rest periods is a great way to hold yourself accountable to the workout.

• Plan your session in advance.

This is a good tip regardless of time constraints, but it becomes even more relevant when you could potentially waste half of your allotted workout time trying to figure out what should come next. Write it down, start your workout, and smash it out. Planning your session also holds you accountable to those tough exercises that you’ll otherwise avoid if you’re making your session up on the fly. 

Summary:

Overcoming the barriers to regular strength and conditioning doesn’t require perfect circumstances—just a realistic plan and the willingness to start small. Whether you’re short on time, low on energy, or working without equipment, there is always a practical way forward. By focusing on consistency, creativity, and smart training choices, first responders can build habits that enhance performance, resilience and long‑term health. Every step, no matter how small, contributes to greater capability on and off the job. Start where you are, use what you have, and keep moving toward the stronger, fitter responder you’re aiming to become.