Train Like an Athlete? No, Train Like a Paramedic

Look around you. It’s something we hardly notice. How many industries, jobs, or careers do people work in every day that we don’t fully appreciate in terms of physical exertion? People are constantly moving around us from bricklayers to lifesavers, yet we rarely stop to consider just how much physical effort their work actually requires.

After getting the rundown from my girlfriend about her day, or rather, just a couple of hours of that day, it really made me think. She’s a student paramedic, currently on placement with the ambulance service, giving her time unpaid as part of her diploma while helping ambulance crews save lives.

She described having to run up and down four flights of stairs carrying heavy emergency equipment just to reach a patient as quickly as possible. From there, they have to administer life-saving treatment. Without going into detail, if you know what that involves, you’ll know it requires even more physical exertion and strength. And after all that, they then have to transport the patient, along with all their kit, back down to the ambulance.

All the while, their brain has to be operating at full capacity. They must assess the situation, recall their training, administer the correct treatment, and make the right decisions. There’s no time to pause, catch their breath, or allow those few seconds it takes to mentally reset after physical exertion. Every second counts in an emergency.

And this is just one instance in a day full of them.

If you stop and think about other jobs, you’ll see the same pattern. For example, a waiter on their feet all day, constantly moving between the kitchen and tables, taking orders and carrying dishes. A carer who may need to push a wheelchair or physically lift someone from a chair, or even the floor. A construction worker who spends the whole day moving and building heavy sh*t.

Beyond the respect this should bring for people in these roles, I couldn’t help but think about the fitness element of it all.

First, it reinforces the importance of functional and conditioning-based training. Training that focuses on controlled movements and exercises that mimic real-life actions, building endurance, strengthening relevant muscle groups, and conditioning the body to perform these tasks more efficiently.

Secondly, it made me question myself. As someone who has spent years in the gym and considers themselves a fitness enthusiast, if I was to turn one emergency call into a workout session, could I manage it? Could I actually handle a day in their shoes, or even just an hour?