Are You Training For Resilience?

Anthony De Benedictis – CAT(C), CSCS

Resilience. The buzzword that everyone thinks about when it comes to first responders. It is suggested that today’s firefighters and frontline responders have to be resilient, but what does that actually mean? 

Resilience is defined as the ability to recover from difficulties or challenges. Many would add to this definition by stating that resiliency is the ability to flourish and grow in the face of hardship and adversity. 

Resilience doesn’t just happen

In life we shouldn’t be reactive, waiting for it to knock us down to practice resilience. In order to be resilient when we face challenges, we have to fall back to a reaction and response that is practiced and familiar to us, not foreign. We have to train for resilient moments like it’s a muscle. We have to be proactive and make it a regular part of our life so that when things in life get hard, we are ready and prepared for it. 

“Smooth Seas Never Built Skilled Sailors” Franklin D. Roosevelt 

Training Towards Resiliency in Firefighting

At the Fire and Emergency Services Training Institute’s (FESTI) based out of Mississauga, ON, we offer a Pre Service Physical Training program (PT). The students have a structured weekly fitness program that keeps resiliency training a top priority. The workouts are programmed in a way that challenges students to practice resilience training in each workout session. It’s not a military boot camp, but rather a volunteer program designed to have the students put themselves in physically uncomfortable situations. This showcases their ability to push through a crucible of challenges with the goal of coming out better and stronger on the other side.

At the beginning and end of each session, the students are put through a debrief that plants the seed of resilience in their minds. Once the session is over, the students are debriefed on what they just went through and are provided the context and rationale of how it benefits them in their professional and personal lives.  

How Can You Practice Resilience? 

Reflect about your personal mindset to find where your threshold of discomfort lies. Identify times where you make decisions to avoid discomfort and think hard about the decisions you make on an average day to seek comfort. Then you need to create moments on a regular basis where you challenge yourself physically, intellectually and emotionally. 

Put yourself willingly into a state of discomfort (not pain) and practice being in that state for any period of time. This can be through exercises like running or weightlifting. It can also be through wellness practices such as sauna, cold tub, yoga or breath work. Work on this to continually build up your tolerance for discomfort. You can add or change the vehicle that you use or you can add a layer of complexity. For example if you enjoy using the sauna for 20 minutes. Add some breathing exercises in, or extend the time in the sauna. Alternatively, you can change it up to a contrast bath of sauna and cold tub. The modality you choose doesn’t matter. What matters is how you consistently progress and commit to pushing yourself on a routine basis.

Developing muscular resilience

Through regular practice of discomfort, you will work that muscle of resilience. You will expand the threshold of physical and mental discomfort to create a more resilient version of yourself.

You can’t BE resilient without training for it, just like you can’t just BE a good Firefighter without training for it. Don’t be complacent and expect to just handle life in a reactive manner when things hit the fan. 

Take command of your attitude and life. The mindset that you build when you’re in difficult situations will make you better and a more capable resilient firefighter. Remember, resiliency isn’t just being able to handle difficult moments, it’s about growing from them and flourishing despite these hardships. 

Anthony De Benedictis is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach – FESTI Owner – 211 Performance Therapy & a Career Firefighter