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How to Reduce Obesity in Firefighters…
This is scary…We need to change. Rates of overweight and obese individuals in the fire service are higher than those found in the general public, according to a new study. Researchers looked at the body composition of both career and volunteer firefighters across the nation, with overweight and obesity rates ranging from 73 percent to 88 percent. About two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese on a general, national level. The research demonstrates that a large percentage of firefighters do not meet minimal standards of physical fitness, according to the study conducted by the NVFC National Volunteer Fire Council– “Addressing the Epidemic of Obesity in the United States Fire Service” looks at the impact of obesity, the scope of obesity in the fire service, and why obesity has become an epidemic. The report also adds that “as firefighters gain more weight, research has found that cardio respiratory fitness plummets and the…
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How do you Define Your Why?
Why do you workout? Why do you, or should you make healthy choices? The answers to this question are different for different people. For me, personally, I workout and stay fit because I never want to tell my crew, my family or my department that; “I was not fit enough to accomplish my task.” I like to take pride in my work and want to do everything I can to be ready to serve… this includes staying fit. I started Fire Rescue Fitness because I really wasn’t in good shape (for firefighting) and was training improperly. You can learn more about that story by clicking the video below. How did Fire Rescue Fitness begin? Click below to find out. Sometimes, we may lose track of “why” we should stay fit. Sometimes, we may lack motivation to workout. Personally, when I am lacking motivation I like to assess my current situation,…
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Get Ready for Summer with this Metabolic Firefighter Workout…
Its now almost Summer (I hope). Time to get into your summer uniform. I hope it still fits… I do not hope you carry the extra weight and lethargy that can occur after a long winter. We all have a tendency tendency to overindulge throughout the winter and workouts seem to take second place during the colder and darker days. To combat the accumulation of post-winter pounds and feelings of sluggishness, I created this FRF Metabolic Workout. It will help burn some extra calories… This workout requires minimal time, maximal effort and will give you an extreme calorie burn (throughout the day). Intermediate/ Advanced athletes should use weights that they can handle for 15 reps (even though you will only be performing 10 reps) while beginners will use body-weight for each exercise. Each rep should be performed with control (safety first) and good form. You must perform 2 circuits of the warm-up. …
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Firefighters Do this Everyday- Your Daily Fitness Checkoff List.
Be Physically Ready for Duty- Your Daily Fitness Checkoffs. At the beginning of each and every shift firefighters, EMTs and medic meticulously go through and check their gear (or at least they should be) to make sure that it is ready for the challenges of the day. Our equipment must be functioning properly and our rigs must be fueled and ready to go. The question that I also want you to think about is whether or not your physical equipment- brain, body, muscles are ready to go? Are you fit? Are you fueled? Here are three quick and easy things that fit firefighters do at the beginning of the shift that will help insure they are “fit for duty.” 1. Drink some water. Around most firehouses (and offices) the day and the shift starts with some coffee. We all need a pick-me-up from time to time but before you reach…
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Add this Exercise to Improve Firefighter Performance…
We as fire rescue athletes are generally moving in unbalanced positions. Whether its climbing a ladder, pulling hose, or ventilating, we are usually in an unbalanced, split stance. Therefore, one area of focus should be targeting in our workouts are the deep balancing muscles of the core. These muscles play an important role in holding and stiffening the pelvis to prevent it from bending and can be challenging to train in normal bi-lateral lifting and pulling exercises. In addition, we as fire rescue athletes are routinely required to carry heavy loads and equipment. The farmers carry (and other carry variations) address these issues; they engage the core, improve balance and at the same time improve grip strength. Carries are simple movements, just grab some fairly heavy objects, engage the core by bracing your abs and slowly walk (chest up, good posture). The longer and heavier you go the more you…
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Healthy Nutrition Tips for the Firehouse (or any house)…
Cooking in the firehouse for a bunch of hungry firefighters is not easy, trust me I know. In most cases we sacrifice health for taste to avoid complaints and heckling. But, in order to change the culture of the fire service (to a healthier one) cooks and food choices need to get better. Here are 3 easy and healthy tips that can help. 1. Assemble 5 simple and healthy recipes that can be easily tweaked to create different dishes.– Learning new recipes are fun but isn’t best done in a busy firehouse. We all know, the more times we make a recipe, the faster, easier and possibly healthier it gets–It becomes a routine, like putting on your gear. There are a lot of resources to find healthy recipes, pick some out and use them as your staples. Need some extra guidance on nutrition? Get into “Ultimate” shape with this program…Eating…
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5 Steps to Getting Fire Rescue Fit.
The FRF Fit for duty Challenge just wrapped up and the winners have been announced. You can find out and read their amazing fitness journeys by clicking here… This year there were over 100 submissions from firefighters, EMTs and medics from all over the world (the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) that made some great fitness progress and helped change their lives with improved health and fitness. You can click here to read their stories. Reading all these stories is both humbling and motivating! My mission with Fire Rescue Fitness is to educate and motivate 100,000 firefighters, EMTs and medics to get “fit for duty.” Each year after the Challenge is completed I feel like I/ we (the FRF nation included), are getting there but there are still a lot more work to do. It prompts me to ask pondering questions… Why do many people that want to…
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Unilateral Training- One Great Way to Improve Firefighter Performance…
Unilateral training (one weight) is very beneficial for firefighters, EMTs and paramedics. The fire-ground can be very unstable– icing conditions, high steps, inclines, all create challenges for the fire rescue athlete. To combat these unstable conditions you should be using unilateral training exercises. While training with both sides can be better for the ego by lifting heavy weights, unilateral training will balance your muscles and help you perform better on the fire-ground. Here is a great video explaining how easy it is to incorporate unilateral training into your firefighter workout program. Take a look. A great way to incorporate a functional exercise is to use a foam bucket (filled with water) and carry it for a prescribed distance or up stairs. This unilateral carry with a full bucket really requires some great core stability and balance. Give unilateral training a try, substitute certain traditional exercises with their unilateral counter…
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5 Simple Stretches that Improve Fireground Performance
Stretching and flexibility are often taken for granted. The older I get (over 40) the more I realize how valuable the flexibility and mobility components of a workout are. Often skipped, I believe that a solid flexibility program (active warm-up, stretching and foam rolling) can greatly improve your performance on and off the fire ground. Today I wanted to give you a 5 Simple Exercises that can improve your performance. These exercises can be performed at the completion of a workout or a shift or even during your shift. You want to hold each stretch for at least 15 seconds if not 30 seconds. Repeat the circuit as many times as possible. Remember to breathe and maintain good posture throughout each stretch and don’t force the stretch. Ease into each position and if it hurts…stop. Here is a video overview of the stretches. Here are the individual Stretches. Downward…
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