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Health & Fitness

In this section

Health & Fitness overview
Fitness and Medical Standards for Beach Lifeguards
Example Lifeguard Training Programs

Health & Fitness overview

Lifeguards have a diversified role in the public safety environment. They require specific characteristics and traits, which are essential, ensuring that they can carry out their activities in an efficient manner. Maintaining high levels of health and fitness is as important as the qualifications you need to be a lifeguard.

As a Lifeguard you may be required to complete health and fitness assessments including one or all of; Health Assessment, Fitness Assessment, and Work Related Functional Assessment.

Health Assessment

A Health Assessment assesses the lifeguard against the physical requirements of the role of a lifeguard. This assessment may include: Musculo-skeletal checks, Ability to lift/push/pull/carry heavy objects etc.

Fitness Assessment

Fitness Assessments are based on the environment in which a lifeguard works. These assessments may include: Timed pool swims, run-board-swim endurance tests etc.

Work Related Functional Assessment

Work Related Functional Assessments assess the ability to physically carry out the job requirements of a lifeguard. These assessments may include: Ability to perform a board/tube rescue in the surf environment, 1 person drags etc.

Whether you are applying for your first lifeguard position or you are a currently employed as a lifeguard you will be notified of the assessments relevant to your lifeguard service and the timing of these.

Fitness and Medical Standards for Beach Lifeguards

M.Tipton, T.Reilly, C.Iggleden & A.Rees, Institute of Biomedical & Bimolecular Sciences, Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 2DT, UK

A good training program should be Specific that is it should be tailored towards improving the anatomical and physiological structures and functions that underpin the event/task that is trying to be improved. Such specificity can be ensured by careful consideration of: the type (mode) of exercise employed during training; the intensity and duration of the exercise undertaken during training; the frequency of training sessions.

A good training program should provide an Overload that is it should slightly overload the systems to be trained in order to provide a training stimulus. The maintenance of an overload requires careful reconsideration of the level of demand set during training as fitness improves; for the Beach Lifeguard this particularly relates to the intensity of the exercise performed.

The aim of a training program for a Beach Lifeguard should be to improve upper body strength and aerobic fitness. This will improve performance and reduce strain in the strength based activities such as an Inshore Rescue Boat launch and casualty handling, upper body strength is also important in swimming.

In Beach Lifeguarding the need for aerobic fitness is particularly apparent when swimming, paddling and towing casualties. It follows that aerobic training should be primarily, although not necessarily exclusively, undertaken in water (specificity principle). Improved water-based aerobic capacity will improve swimming endurance and enable demanding tasks such as casualty towing to be undertaken more aerobically and less anaerobically (delayed lactate threshold and increased tolerance to lactate). This will reduce fatigue and help to ensure that the Beach Lifeguard is able to provide support to a casualty during and following a rescue.

Example Lifeguard Training Programs

M.Tipton, T.Reilly, C.Iggleden & A.Rees

The training programs presented in Tables 1 and 2 are designed to help Lifeguards obtain and maintain, a required level of fitness in order to perform their duties effectively. The programs are indicative and include a range of exercises as the availability of weights, facilities, etc, may vary between areas.

The programs are designed on the basis that only one training session per week may be possible; however 3 sessions per week are advisable. The swim program is based on a distance of 400m. The upper body strength training is designed to ensure that the Beach Lifeguard maintains the minimum strength standard of a 41kg lift and carry.

Table 1 contains a land-based program that focuses mainly on upper body strength and strength endurance.It is based on a 1 repetition maximum (1RM) lift i.e. the maximum weight that can be lifted once.

Note: incorrect weight lifting can cause injury. Weight lifting should not be attempted without prior instruction, and appropriate supervision.

Repetitions are based around 70% of the 1RM. Every 6 – 8 weeks, the 1 repetition maximum should be recalculated and the training program adapted accordingly.

Table 2 is a swimming program designed to enable the Beach Lifeguard to complete 400m freestyle in 7.5 minutes or under. The program is a mix of technique training, high quality intensity work and basic endurance.

Sets are designed around freestyle (F/s), full stroke exercises (Full/s) and any other strokes, either arms or legs. Optimum training times can be calculated from 400m F/s time at race (maximum) pace. For example, if your best time for 400m is 8 minutes this will equate to a 25m time of 30secs and a 100m time of 2 minutes.

Intensity of the sessions can also be assessed by measuring maximum heart rate whilst swimming, and swimming at heart rate set at the prescribed number of beats below maximum (as indicated in Table 2).

Table 1 Strength training

Description	Exercises	Repetitions (based on 70% of 1RM)
Warm up – mobility exercise, raise body temperature, increase heart rate, etc	Jogging, skipping, rowing, cycling. Move joints and limbs through range of motion to be used. Apply low resistance.	15 minutes. Mixed exercises.
Main set – Arms, Shoulders/chest, Back, Whole body.	A mix of exercises from: Bicep curls, Tricep dips, Shoulder press, wrist curls, grip strength, press up, dips. Shoulder press, front and reverse, chest press, lateral arm raises, press ups, pull ups (over/under hand grip), high elbow trapezoid raises. Rowing, latisimus pull downs, back raisers (hyper flexion), sit ups, standing press ups (against a wall) Dead lifts, clean and jerk (high elbow), sit ups, leg press/leg curl, stair climbing, stepping, rowing.	General session would be: A mix of 10 exercises x 10 repetitions x 2 sets with 30-60 seconds rest between exercises and full recovery between sets. 1 exercise x 10 reps, last 3 reps should be difficult, previous reps act as warm up. Choose either a mix from all sections or 2 sections in same day - arms/back, chest/whole body, or alternate weeks, one section each week. Change regularly, allow muscle to rest.
Warm down.	Mobility, as warm up plus static stretching at the very end.	15 minutes. Mixed aerobic exercise, easy pace.

Table 2 Swimming training

Time (mins)	Set (m)	Example Repetitions	Total Distance (m)	Description
10	200-300	12 x 25, 6 x 50 Full /s-arms-legs. Can be same stroke or alternate stokes 3 x 100 Full/s Alternate strokes Rest -15/30 secs between sets	300	Warm up. Raise body temperature, skills work, loosen joints and swim easy. Include legs. Idea is to mix strokes, distance, legs and arms.
10	200-300	6 x 50, 4 x75 F/s drills Rest - 15 secs	600	Skills training. Concentrate on stroke length, style, breathing, etc. Include leg set. Moderate pace.
10	400	16 x 25, 8 x 50, 4 x 100 F/s race pace Rest 10, 20, 30 secs respectively	1000	Quality set. Based on equivalent race pace times over 400m. Idea to train at race pace over the distance required, ie +/- 10beats of maximum heart rate. Alternate weeks, such as: Wk 1 16 x 25, wk 2 8 x 50, wk 3 4 x 100
30	300-400	3 x 400 split into sets, such as: 4 x 100 (x 3), 2 x 200 (3), or 3 x 400 Full/s F/s or alternate strokes, or alternate Full/s - arms - legs Rest - 30 secs between sets	2200	Endurance set. Based around equivalent race pace times plus 20 secs (or 50 beats below maximum heart rate). As above, alternate weeks. Try to mix sets over weeks to include legs and arms.
10	150-200	As warm up - mix of stokes, short distances, mix Full/s – arms - legs	2400	Warm down. Skills based, easy swimming. Recovery period. Mix stokes and drills. Static stretching.