Think of firefighters and what immediately comes to mind? Probably a load of burley men wielding hoses, right?
Well, meet Kelly Ronson.
She’s a female firefighter from Blackpool who’s passionate about her job - and staying fire-fit.
Between juggling a physically demanding job, a passion for home cooking and a busy social life, Kelly’s workouts are squeezed in between going to and from one place to another.
Kelly is so fit, in fact, that she recently took part in the British Firefighter Challenge - an annual sporting event which pushes firefighters to their limits. Think stair races, running with 70kg dummies, carrying four heavy containers, dragging hosepipes.
So what does Kelly carry around to smash out these workouts, and how does it differ from what she needs for her actual job?
‘A good sports bra is essential even though I’m in the smaller boobs category! In my case, I go more for comfort over needing extra support!”
Even with a smaller chest, sports bras are a crucial part of your gym kit. Even 34A cup sizes have been shown to bounce up to around 4cm which can lead to breast sag.
But the good news is that, whether your breasts are large or small, the right shock absorbing sports bra can reduce bounce by up to 80 per cent - twice as much as a normal bra.
“My gym clothes slightly differ at work. Although my top, bottoms and bra roughly stay the same, I wear my fire kit over the top too, including trousers, boots, helmet and gloves. Oh, and thick socks!
‘I then use the equipment I use in my job to do intense circuits. The fire kit adds an extra 10kg onto my normally 60kg frame. I do a hose running circuit which includes a 70mm x 25m long hose and I run out, under run and roll back up with a 25m shuttle run carrying the hose in-between that I carry out 10 times! (See a hose run drill in practice on Kelly’s Insta stories here)
‘It's safe to say that I'm knackered at the end. But this workout is job specific and helps keep the skill and technique of hose running perfected for when it’s needed in my job.’
She also says she packs electrolytes to help stay hydrated an energised for both her workout and her shift.
Because Kelly is only 5ft2, she says that it’s imperative for her to keep up her fitness ‘to make up for my lack of height’.
But being small also has its uses in the fire service too; not everyone can fit in tiny compact spaces.
Kelly’s firefighting gym kit Essentials
· Gym trainers (Nike Metcon)
· Sportsbra (Pour Moi Energy)
· Gym shorts (New Balance Accelerate)
· Gym vest (Nike Pro)
· Weight belt (2Fit)
· Wrist straps (Strength Shop Thor)
· Wireless headphones (JVC HA-FX9BT-B-E)
· Water bottle (Gulp Fire Extinguisher Water Bottle)
· Fireproof trousers
· Boots
· Gloves
· Thick socks
· 70mm x 25m hose
· Electrolyte tablets
· Helmet
Kelly is working with Pour Moi to raise funds for The Fire Fighters Charity. You can donate to her cause here