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Issue Addressed: Firefighting is physically and mentally taxing and recruits are expected to have optimal health and fitness. However, physical fitness tends to decline following initial training, placing firefighters at an increased risk for stress and injury. Efforts are needed to engage and support firefighters in maintaining adequate health and fitness to withstand the rigorous demands of their occupation. This study examined the feasibility of TARP, a pragmatic strength and conditioning intervention for metropolitan‐based firefighters, delivered in collaboration with a professional National Rugby League club. Methods: A mixed‐methods approach was utilised to examine program implementation, recruitment and sample characteristics, intervention satisfaction and acceptability, and participants' response to the intervention. Evaluation measures included field notes taken during steering committee meetings, participant flow data, baseline and follow‐up outcome measures, self‐report questionnaires, and telephone interviews with a sample of participants. Results: Participants (N = 113) were predominantly men (82%) with a mean age of 43 ± 9.3 years and BMI of 26.6 ± 2.9 kg/m2. Program satisfaction was high (95% very satisfied or somewhat satisfied) among program completers (42% retention). Key strengths of the program included delivery through the professional sports club, quality of facilities and equipment, and scheduling flexibility. Future programs should consider incorporating education or training to support behaviour change maintenance and strategies to retain participants at follow‐up. Conclusions: Results provide valuable insights into the design and delivery of interventions for firefighters and demonstrate the importance of strong partnerships between community stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wade, JA, Fuller, JT, Devlin, PJ, and Doyle, TLA. Senior and junior rugby league players improve lower-body strength and power differently during a rugby league season. J Strength Cond Res 36(5): 1367–1372, 2022—This investigation evaluated lower-body strength and power changes across a rugby league season in elite junior and senior athletes. Twenty-five senior and 20 junior rugby league players performed an isometric midthigh pull and countermovement jump at 3 time points in a National Rugby League training season (mid-preseason, end-preseason, and in-season). Linear fixed-effects models were used to compare isometric midthigh pull force and countermovement jump power between player experience groups (senior vs. junior) across the season phases (mid-preseason vs. end-preseason vs. and in-season). Cohen's effect sizes (ES) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated for pairwise comparisons. For senior players, absolute and relative strength (ES = 0.38, p < 0.007) and power (ES = 0.64, p < 0.008) increases were observed at end-preseason compared with mid-preseason, but there were no changes in-season (ES = 0.02, p > 0.571). For junior players, strength did not change (ES < 0.01, p > 0.738) and absolute power decreased (ES = 0.29, p < 0.014) at end-preseason compared with mid-preseason; large increases were evident for absolute and relative strength (ES = 1.43, p < 0.001) and power (ES = 0.62, p < 0.001) in-season. This research demonstrates senior and junior rugby league players exhibit unique patterns of improvements in lower-body strength and power across different phases of the season. This highlights the importance for training programs to differ between junior and senior athletes and target different physical qualities for both groups at different times of the season, thus providing guidance for strength and conditioning coaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation determined differences in lower body strength and power between elite junior (17-20 years) and elite senior (open-aged) rugby league athletes. Twenty junior and 25 senior athletes performed an isometric mid-thigh pull, countermovement jump, repeated jump, and broad jump tests during a National Rugby League pre-season. The effects of age (junior vs. senior) and position (adjustables vs. hit-up forwards vs. outside backs) on test results were investigated using a two-way analysis of variance. Cohen’s d effect sizes (ES) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for pairwise comparisons. Isometric mid-thigh pull absolute peak force was greater for senior players compared to junior players (ES=0.88, p<.05). Countermovement jump absolute peak power was greater for outside backs (ES=1.12) and hit-up forwards (ES=1.23) compared to adjustables (p<.05), greater for senior outside backs compared to junior outside backs (ES=1.53, p<.05), and greater for junior hit-up forwards compared to senior hit-up forwards (ES=1.00, p<.05). This research demonstrated the differences in strength and power of rugby league athletes between playing age and position. Improving lower body strength should be prioritised for athletic development of junior rugby league athletes, with consideration given to requirements across different playing positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]