The Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO) work arrangement has emerged as a lucrative opportunity for professionals across various industries. Predominantly popular in countries like Australia, Canada, and parts of Africa, FIFO allows workers to fly to remote job sites for a set period before returning home for their off-time.
This system is especially common in sectors such as mining, oil and gas, and construction, where job sites are often located far from urban centres.
While FIFO roles offer attractive salaries and the chance to work on exciting projects, they come with their own set of challenges. The demanding nature of the work, extended periods away from home, and potential feels of isolation in remote locations can impact both physical health and mental well-being. Limited access to fitness facilities, irregular work hours, and reliance on camp-provided meals can make maintaining a healthy fitness-focused lifestyle more difficult for FIFO workers.
In fact one Australian study found that:
โFIFO workers reported good physical health status but higher levels of psychological distress compared to the Australian normative data. Our results further highlighted more of the FIFO workers were overweight or obese, smoked more, drank more alcohol at risky levels than in the general Australian population, and consumed fewer fruits and vegetables as compared to recommended guidelinesโ
Another study, focusing on FIFO workers in the Canadian mining industry found that:
โMen face several challenges at work that can affect their overall health and make them vulnerable: performance requirements, difficult environmental conditions, negative emotions (anxiety, irritability, feelings of powerlessness, neglect, loneliness); as well as fatigue, physical inactivity, weight gain, and alcohol and drug consumptionโ
This guide aims to address these challenges by providing practical health & fitness solutions tailored for the FIFO lifestyle. By leveraging resources like online personal training, FIFO workers can overcome obstacles and prioritise their health, ensuring they reap the benefits of their profession without compromising their overall well-being.
The challenges of the FIFO lifestyle
Gruelling shifts
Shift work in general has its own challenges for both physical & mental health. Within the context of FIFO workers, these challenges can be exacerbated. Itโs not uncommon for shifts to span 12-14 hours of manual work. This is not only physically demanding in and of itself, but can have second-order consequences for health & fitness because physical fatigue can produce a barrier to consistency with exercise. Not only that, but on a long enough time line physical labour can leave us more susceptible to muscle tension, nagging injuries and mobility issues especially if the pre-requisite โpre-habโ and remedial work isnโt present.
Difficulty forming routines
The inconsistency of location and shift rotas that are subject to change can make it particularly challenging to establish and maintain regular health & fitness habits. As a personal trainer, I can tell you that this is a huge problem because results in fitness are achieved through aggregate consistency. If yu don’t yet have the habits established to allow you to stay consistent despite your best intentions can be very demotivating.
Mental health challenges
Studies have found that FiFO workers are particularly prone to feelings of isolation, and anxiety related to the perceived powerlessness of leaving romantic partners and family back at home. Whilst these may be somewhat inherent work-related challenges for FIFO workers, steps should be taken to help mitigate the accompanying stress because of the implicit negative health consequences.
Limited/inconsistent amenities
The clients Iโve worked with who live a FIFO lifestyle have often reported that camp amenities like the quality of food available and the extent of fitness equipment available vary from camp to camp. With some being bare-bones setups and others having multiple dedicated fitness centres and wide-ranging catering options.
Health & fitness strategy for FIFO workers
Weโve identified the potential challenges of the FIFO lifestyle, but none are insurmountable. Iโve coached a number of individuals in Australia and North America to successfully maintain an effective well-being practice, helping them switch between camp life and home life seamlessly.
Letโs take a look at some of the best ideas and strategies Iโve seen work with my clients in my online personal training practice:
Become systems focused
FIFO work is unorthodox, so youโre going to have to deviate from the way most people do health & fitness. Youโve got to think of your fitness setup as essentially two different environments. The program you do at home, and the program you do on camp.ย Each is likely to have completely different demands, schedules and surrounding habits.
Many gyms in Australia particularly, offer FIFO gym memberships to help make this kind of lifestyle easier to implement with a fitness regimen. Thatโs not to say that it must be different, just that youโre thinking and planning in a flexible enough way to adapt to the physical and logistical demands of camp life.
Thinking of your health & fitness pursuits in terms of two different strategies is useful because if you go to camp expecting to be able to sustain your existing workout structure, and something gets in your way it could de-rail your enthusiasm. Inconsistency is what weโre looking to avoid at all costs so it’s best we don’t allow this to happen.
So going to camp knowing that you might have to make some adjustments based on the lay of the land is always a great idea.
For this reason, itโs best to think of your workouts in terms of protocol rather than exercise selection and especially not in terms of equipment. For example, letโs say youโre doing six sets of 6 (6×6) with a 30-second rest period, and one of your lead leg exercises is Barbell Romanian deadlift, then you turn up at a new camp and there are only dumbbells, well the protocol stays the same and you just switch out the equipment.
You have to be intuitive
Having said that about maintaining your protocol, you also have to respect the physical demands of the working day. If itโs been a particularly hard day, it helps to have a second ‘backup’ series of workouts that you can use when youโre just knackered for the day.ย
You might be thinking why you wouldnโt just take the day off if I’m that tired? And youโre right, some days you should, but thatโs not going to be a long-term strategy as not only would you not continue to make fitness progress, but youโre also losing the positive psychological benefits of regular exercise. These are crucial in this context as they will help you mitigate some of the more mentally demanding aspects of your work.
Donโt get me wrong, some people will get to camp and train twice per day and thrive, itโs all relative to the work they are doing, how used to it they are, how fit they are and how well they are managing stress, sleep and nutrition, itโs an inter-linked matrix of variables and you’ve got to stack as many of them in your favour at any one time as you can.
Part of this intuition is also understanding your own energy output and psychology. Interestingly, you may find different routines work for you at home vs on camp. For example, the time of day you train. You may feel itโs best to get your workout in the bag early in the morning before work, others might find exercise is a great way to decompress after work.
What are the best workouts for FIFO workers?
Don’t underestimate the impact of short workouts
If youโre worried about the time it takes to exercise being a significant impediment to progress, fear not, studies have shown just 20 minutes of HIIT, performed three times a week, significantly improved aerobic capacity, insulin sensitivity, and muscle health.ย
Likewise, significant strength gains can be seen with sessions as short as 13 minutes if the workouts are performed to muscle fatigue, According to research published in โThe Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research,โ
Be flexible
How you train may need to adapt. You may need completely different regimes for home life vs camp life. Think with a process orientation. You may need to develop an ‘if, this, then that’ contingency plan. This way no single unexpected event or change or circumstance can ever totally de-rail you.
I push that point repeatedly in this guide because in 15 years as a personal trainer, inconsistency is the absolute enemy of results, so it’s best we do everything we can to avoid it.
Strength training
Antagonist muscle groups with 3 reps in reserve (RIR).ย
Total Body Antagonist Workout
1. Legs (Quads & Hamstrings)
- A1: Squats (Quads)
4 sets of 8-10 reps (RIR 3)
Rest 60-90 seconds, then move to A2 - A2: Romanian Deadlifts (Hamstrings)
4 sets of 8-10 reps (RIR 3)
Rest 60-90 seconds, then repeat the superset
2. Push-Pull (Chest & Back)
- B1: Bench Press (Chest)
4 sets of 8-10 reps (RIR 3)
Rest 60-90 seconds, then move to B2 - B2: Bent-over Rows (Back)
4 sets of 8-10 reps (RIR 3)
Rest 60-90 seconds, then repeat the superset
3. Arms (Biceps & Triceps)
- C1: Barbell Curls (Biceps)
3 sets of 10-12 reps (RIR 3)
Rest 45-60 seconds, then move to C2 - C2: Tricep Dips (Triceps)
3 sets of 10-12 reps (RIR 3)
Rest 45-60 seconds, then repeat the superset
4. Core (Abs & Lower Back)
- D1: Planks (Abs)
3 sets of 30-45 seconds
Rest 30-45 seconds, then move to D2 - D2: Back Extensions (Lower Back)
3 sets of 10-12 reps (RIR 3)
Rest 30-45 seconds, then repeat the superset
Trainer’s notes:
- Rest 60-90 seconds between supersets.
- Stop each set when you feel you have 3 reps left in reserve (RIR 3).
- Focus on controlled movement and proper form for best results.
This is an easy training protocol that will provide a swift today body workout whilst taking care not to train to complete concentric failure, accounting for the demands of camp.
Other training Programs I would suggest include: The HST protocol, 5×5 ‘strong lifts’
High-intensity interval training
Complex
A complex involves moving from one exercise to the next on a given piece of equipment without putting it down. Itโs a fantastic, swift protocol to help you develop muscular endurance and functional strength.
Consider this one:ย
Kettlebell complex sequence:
- Kettlebell Deadlift
Reps: 5-6- Works: Hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.
- Start with the kettlebell between your feet, hinge at your hips, and lift the kettlebell by driving your hips forward.
- Kettlebell Swing
Reps: 8-10- Works: Glutes, hamstrings, core, shoulders.
- From the deadlift position, perform explosive hip thrusts to swing the kettlebell to shoulder height. Maintain control on the way down.
- Kettlebell Clean
Reps: 5 per arm- Works: Shoulders, biceps, forearms, traps.
- From the swing, guide the kettlebell to your shoulder in a “rack” position. Keep your wrist straight and avoid banging the kettlebell on your forearm.
- Kettlebell Front Squat
Reps: 5-6- Works: Quads, glutes, core.
- Hold the kettlebell in the rack position (in front of your chest) and perform deep squats while keeping your chest up.
- Kettlebell Push Press
Reps: 5 per arm- Works: Shoulders, triceps, core.
- Press the kettlebell overhead from the rack position while maintaining core stability. Lower it back to the rack position after each rep.
- Kettlebell Reverse Lunge
Reps: 5-6 per leg- Works: Quads, glutes, core.
- With the kettlebell in the rack position, step back into a reverse lunge, alternating legs.
- Kettlebell Row
Reps: 5 per arm- Works: Back, biceps, core.
- From a bent-over position, row the kettlebell to your hip, focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades.
Trainer’s notes:
- Use one kettlebell and move smoothly from one exercise to the next without resting.
- Adjust the weight so you can maintain good form throughout the complex.
- Start with 2-3 rounds of the complex, and go through one side of the body completely and then the other rest for 1-2 minutes between rounds.
The Tabata protocol was developed by Dr. Izumi Tabata and his team in the 1990s while working with the Japanese Olympic speed skating team. They conducted a study comparing moderate-intensity steady-state training with high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
The protocol consists of 20 seconds of all-out effort followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated for 8 rounds (totalling 4 minutes). The study showed that Tabata-style HIIT improved both aerobic and anaerobic capacity significantly more than moderate-intensity training. This effectiveness is due to the intense nature of the workout, which pushes the body to adapt quickly by increasing both cardiovascular endurance and muscle power, making it highly time-efficient for fitness gains.
The Tabata protocol
You can use bodyweight exercises or weight exercises. The protocol remains the same. Some great exercises to try on the Tabata protocol include:ย
- Kettlebell Swing
- Dumbbell Thrusters
- Barbell Push Press
- Bodyweight Squat
- Squat & Kickย
- Plank Jacks
- Burpees
- Alternating Kettlebell Clean
Maximising fitness at home
When you are back to your normal routine at home, ideally youโll maximise the potential of the downtime by utilising the contrast in logistics and routine.
Here are four ways you can make training at home work for you:ย
Utilise higher volume/training load
When youโre at home with a little bit more time and recovery available this could be a great time to take on higher-volume training regimes as you stand to have greater recovery abilities.
This might mean taking on inherently higher volume training programs such as the 8×8 โhonestโ workout or the 10×10 protocol otherwise known as German volume training. Or it could mean simply taking on a more frequent training schedule than seemed feasible on camp.
This is particularly useful if you want to gain muscle, as youโll be able to utilise a contrast between higher and lower volume regimes depending on your logistics, which may contrast each other very well. There is also something to be said for looking at camp life as โmaintenance modeโ in which case you could take a less frequent training program lifting a higher percentage of your one-rep max (1RM) to consolidate the results you achieved at home.
Take training outdoors
Whilst some of your camp life is likely to take you outdoors, itโll be far from recreational. Likewise, your workouts are likely to take place in a full gym setup, with cardiovascular efforts largely facilitated by a treadmill or an exercise bike.
With that in mind, consider taking some of your workouts outdoors whilst you’re at home if you can, if youโre not the type to go and do circuit training in the park, then a hike or bike ride might be a great fit, youโll also get much-needed sun exposure and benefit from the nurturing, de-stressing effects of pursuing recreation in nature.
Try Group Classes
Camp life is notorious for feelings of isolation, so if it motivates you, and you naturally enjoy them, it makes sense to join a form of group or community exercise that will offer a chance to build new friendships, support, shared interest and camaraderie.
Try a gym with spa facilities
There are no two ways about it, camp life is tough. In fact many of the people Iโve spoken to who actually live the FIFO lifestyle tend to describe their time doing it as a worthwhile sacrifice. The financial reward sets them up for the future, but make no mistake it’s hard work. So if you can find a gym setup that also has spa facilities or visit a dedicated recovery centre, like one I found by the name of P3 Recovery in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast of Australia.
Maximising your time ‘on camp’
You can’t be ‘all-or-nothing’
Inconsistency is the enemy of all progress in health& fitness. If you go into camp life with an all-or-nothing mentality, youโll likely get derailed as soon as the logistics donโt quite line up as planned. Itโll then be all too easy to wait until you get back from camp or are back at camp again before you pick the habits back up.ย
Crucially, itโs not all about fitness results, maintaining a consistent exercise practice whilst working a FIFO lifestyle helps to offset your risk of gaining weight, suffering with mental health challenges and the abuse of drugs and alcohol. It also induces better sleep, which helps you make better food choices, which gives you more energy and makes you more likely to exercise so the positive cycle continues.
How to use time on camp to your advantage
Another great use of time on camp is to focus on things that you might otherwise neglect or simply not have the time for. In preparation for this guide I found many people do distance learning, study a language or devour reading material in the undisturbed downtime camp life provides.
From a health & fitness perspective, why not focus on a mobility (try this 10 minute routine)or flexibility regime or develop the smaller stabiliser muscles that typically get neglected, or sit on an exercise bike and listen to an audiobook at low intensity, this could offer a very positive use of the time that you otherwise may not have given yourself.
Develop a multi-factorial view of stress
The FIFO lifestyle has been shown to leave workers more prone to stress than traditional working arrangements, not only because of the demands of the work but also because of the distance between friends and family and even the environmental factors in terms of noise, light conditions and dust.ย
Thinking of stress only on a very two-dimensional level may not be enough to protect yourself against the demands of this type of work. Make no mistake, poor sleep, bad food, inactivity, isolation, alcohol and drug misuse are all forms of stress, and where there is stress there is the potential for inflammation, which we might consider the first ingredient necessary for the majority of the chronic diseases that plague our society.ย
Itโs a great idea to aim to develop a 30,000ft view of the stressors in your life and aim to nullify the ones you can control and mitigate those you canโt by staying active, eating well and prioritising a sense of self-care.
Consider that managing stress isnโt just about getting you through your time on camp, itโs about taking the steps to arrive back home in the physical and mental condition to maintain rapport with and enjoy time with loved ones. I donโt say that flippantly, there are many anecdotal stories of increased irritability after time away at camp, which would obviously have negative implications for your personal relationships.
Follow the first principles of nutrition
Following a set meal plan with rigid execution isnโt always going to be feasible on camp, or at least it wonโt be on all camps, all the time.ย
So the best way to handle this is to fall back on fundamental principles of eating well.
Youโll never go far wrong with the basics.ย
- If itโs highly processed itโs likely not very good for you
- If it has a bunch of ingredients that are ambiguous and not easily explained, avoid it
- If itโs high in refined sugar avoid it
- If it has trans-fats swerve it
- Donโt undereat to allow for the calories of alcohol (because youโll undercut your ability to recover from work and training)ย
- Eat healthy fats whenever you eat a carb-heavy meal
- Get your protein intake as a priority or youโll lack energy
- Factor manual work into your calorie calculations, as a FIFO worker, you donโt live like the general population, you simply need more calories
- Minimise your consumption of energy drinks, they typically contain too many unnecessary ingredients
Following these rules alone should leave you in pretty good stead.
Get accountability
Most camps now have full internet capability. This means you can foster a sense of accountability no matter whether you are at home or at camp with the help of an online personal trainer.
With the help of a dedicated online fitness coach, youโll be able to have a workout plan that adapts to your location and shift schedule whilst maintaining the accountability and support of a fitness expert right there on your phone no matter how remote your camp work is. If youโd like to discuss how this might look for you, letโs schedule a call.