The effects of exercise interventions on health and fitness of firefighters: A meta‐analysis
Open accessAbstract
Objective: The present review synthesized the available empirical evidence to provide support of the effectiveness and feasibility of exercise interventions for improving health and fitness of firefighters. Methods: Nine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published before May 2018 were located using Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science. RCTs involved 462 (18 Females) active‐duty firefighters, an exercise intervention, and reported changes in health and/or fitness. Hedges’ d effect sizes quantified the magnitude of the effects of exercise compared to control conditions. Aggregated mean effects for differential modes of exercise (aerobic exercise training (AET), resistance exercise training (RET), or combined (AET + RET)) were also calculated. Random effects models were used for all analyses. Results: Exercise significantly improved body fat percentage (Δ = 0.52, [95% CI: 0.16‐0.88] z = 2.81, P = 0.005, k = 4), aerobic capacity (Δ = 1.20, [0.52‐1.87] z = 3.48, P = 0.000, k = 8), endurance (Δ = 1.74, [0.94‐2.53] z = 4.03, P = 0.000, k = 10), strength (Δ = 1.27, [0.42‐2.11] z = 2.93, P = 0.003, k = 9), and power (Δ = 1.02, [0.52‐1.52] z = 4.00, P = 0.000, k = 2). Specifically, RET improved body fat percentage (Δ = 0.87, [0.38‐1.36] z = 3.47, P = 0.000, k = 2), aerobic capacity (Δ = 3.06, [2.37‐3.75] z = 8.65, P = 0.000, k = 2), endurance (Δ = 2.79, [1.48‐4.09] z = 4.19, P = 0.000, k = 6), strength (Δ = 1.44, [0.49‐2.39] z = 2.97, P = 0.002, k = 8), and power (Δ = 1.02, [0.52‐1.52] z = 3.99, P = 0.000, k = 2), while AET improved aerobic capacity (Δ = 0.69, [0.24‐1.15] z = 3.01, P = 0.000, k = 3), and AET + RET improved aerobic capacity (Δ = 0.52, [0.15‐0.89] z = 2.78, P = 0.005, k = 3) and endurance (Δ = 0.44, [0.19‐0.70] z = 3.41, P = 0.000, k = 3). Conclusions: The present results provide evidence of the positive effects of exercise interventions, particularly RET, to improve outcomes of health and fitness associated with superior job performance and reduced risk of injury and CVD.
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Resistance training improves power compared with no exercise (CTRL) in healthy adults.
“Compared with CTRL, power was enhanced by standard RT (41,48–50,148).”
From American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews (2026) · cites this paper as [41]
The Meta-Analysis section reports that resistance exercise training significantly improved power relative to controls. The evidence comes from firefighter trials, however, so it does not establish the claim for healthy adults generally. Page numbers are not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredResistance training improves muscular endurance compared with no exercise (CTRL) in healthy adults.
“Compared with CTRL, muscular endurance was impacted by standard RT (41,54) and home-based RT (63).”
From American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews (2026) · cites this paper as [41]
The Meta-Analysis section reports significant improvements in endurance following resistance exercise training (RET), and the results compare exercise groups with controls. The review concerns firefighters, however, so it does not establish the claim for healthy adults generally; the cited passages also do not distinguish standard from home-based resistance training. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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- Authors
- Andrews, K. L., Gallagher, S., & Herring, M. P.
- Affiliations
- University of Limerick (IE)
- Corresponding author
- Andrews, Katie L.
- Venue
- Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2019-03-10
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 780-790
- ISSN
- 0905-7188 (ISSN-L)
- 1600-0838
- OpenAlex
- W2915540537
- Cited by
- 51
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 6
- FWCI
- 1.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Arrow@dit (Dublin Institute of Technology) (acceptedVersion)
- University of Limerick Institutional Repository (University of Limerick) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- University of Limerick Institutional Repository (University of Limerick) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- University of Limerick Institutional Repository (University of Limerick)
- Funders
- University of Limerick
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Performance
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Keywords
- exercise intervention, firefighters, occupational health, physical fitness, aerobic exercise training, resistance training, body fat percentage, cardiorespiratory fitness, endurance, muscle strength, power, health-related quality of life, exercise adherence, feasibility, occupational injury prevention, injury severity, emergency medical personnel, firefighters' families
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Oxygen Consumption, Physical Fitness, Exercise, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Adiposity, Resistance Training, Firefighters
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