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Firefighter Fitness Motivation…
Here is a video I created as an intro my some FRF (Fire Rescue Fitness) presentations. the goal is to get fire rescue athletes to understand the importance of treating their bodies like an athlete. Eat right, train right and be fit for duty. My motivation for staying fit is that I never want to tell my crew that my fitness let me (or them) down. Please take a look and Get FRF!
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Firefighter Tabata Cardio Workout
Have you heard of Tabata? This is an unusual style workout floating around a lot of gyms and firehouses lately. I wanted to explain what it is and how we, as fire rescue athletes, can incorporate it into an effective workout. “Tabata” is the name of a particular type of workout program that provides increased fat burning and oxygen efficiency in a short period of time. Instead of hours upon hours of exercise, Tabata can be completed in just 4 minute cycles. Tabata training was developed by a Japanese researcher named Dr. Izumi Tabata who was working with Olympic speed skaters. In his study, he found that a control group using his training method of 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, for eight intervals, saw greater VO2 Max improvement than the other group that trained with 60 minute sessions. The real question that you want to know is: “How can this…
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Nutritional Myths around the Firehouse…
Today I wanted to post about nutrition, more importantly on some of the biggest nutritional myths floating around firehouses (and other houses). Eat this, don’t eat that…there is so much misinformation on nutrition that it can get to be overwhelming and frustrating. Take a look at 4 of the biggest nutritional myths, hopefully they can clarify some things for you. Myth #1 “Eat fewer calories and you will lose weight.” The Truth: Low calorie diets completely damage your metabolism and never result in long term weight or fat loss.. As a trainer I routinely heard clients say “But I barely eat all day and I still can’t lose weight!”. Starving yourself results in a loss of muscle mass, which results in a slower metabolism, which results in weight and fat gain. The truth is that it’s more important where your calories come from. Just simply reducing your calories may result in no weight loss…
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The Best Firefighter Workout?
This topic is near and dear to mine and your hearts and careers–Workouts for Firefighters and Fire Rescue Athletes. Over the last couple of months I’ve been researching, talking, tweaking and writing about some of the more popular workouts seen in firehouses across the world. You can read about them here and here or listen to a great radio interview about this topic HERE. I’ve received a ton of feedback about those articles both good and bad (please keep it coming) and used all of this information to create what I believe is one of the BEST Workouts for Firefighters-The Ultimate Fire Rescue Athlete. Why is it one of the best? Because it contains these five vital components that are essential for the Fire Rescue Athlete. Does your current program include these components? #1. The program must be planned using sound periodization and science (click here to read more). The program must be planned using sound periodization and science. Training should follow…
Read MoreOne of the best Exercises for Firefighters…
I recently completed a FREE report of the “10 Best Exercises for Firefighters.” You can get a copy of all 10 exercises for FREE by Clicking HERE Now. Here is one that made the list. The Side Plank- a great core exercise… 1. Plank(s) and variations of it. —It’s no surprise that the one of the exercises on this list is a core exercise. Back injuries are the number one reason firefighters and medics go on early disability so it’s imperative that as a fire rescue athlete you focus on strengthening the core. The plank exercise requires no equipment and is an incredible exercise for improving core strength, endurance, and power. As mention previously, core strength is integral for the fire rescue athlete, as all movement occurs around the core. The plank will increase core efficiency allowing the body to have greater control and stability. All fire rescue athletes should…
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10 Simple Rules for Firefighter Fat Loss….(2016 Edition)
Would you agree that a leaner athlete is a better athlete? I know this is a “loaded” question. A lot of the answer has to deal with the sport in which the athlete is participating. One thing that research shows is that a leaner athlete is a “more efficient” athlete. When it comes to firefighters, this is a valid finding. Efficiency in general terms, describes the extent to which time, effort or cost is well used for the intended task or purpose. So, a more efficient Fire Rescue Athlete will be able to do more work with less physical effort. This is especially important since most of our “more intense” work as Fire Rescue Athletes comes when breathing air via an SCBA. The winter months can be a challenging time to keep your weight in check. Here are 10 (actually 11) great tips to help you get stronger and leaner in the…
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Stop Exercising and Start Training to Get Fire Rescue Fit…
Before I worked as a firefighter, I was a trainer in both large and small health clubs. During that time I would see a lot of people exercising consistently and with intensity but only make a limited amount of fitness progress. Why? Because we are all creatures of habit in the gym and out. These “snail paced progress” gym goers were all doing the same thing… exercising, not training. And yes, their is a difference. What is Exercising? Exercise is physical activity performed for the effect it produces today — right now. Each workout is performed for the purpose of producing a stress that satisfies the immediate needs of the exerciser: burning some calories, “blow off steam,” relieve mental stress, pump up the biceps, etc. Exercise may well involve doing exactly the same thing every time you do it, as long as it accomplishes the task of making you feel like you…
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Get Paid to Get Fire Rescue Fit in 2016!
Over $2,500 in cash and prizes will be given away to Firefighters, EMTs and Medics! YOU can Win and more importantly Motivate Others! Don’t wait, get your program and get started today! The purpose of the contest is to motivate Firefighters, EMTs and Medics to change the unhealthy culture of the fire service. Statistics show that the obesity rate in firefighters is higher than the general population. Sadly, firefighters are more likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than in a fire related incident. WE MUST CREATE a HEALTHY CULTURE IN THE FIRE SERVICE as lives, communities and our families are counting us! Take the “fit for duty” challenge, get others in your department involved and help change the fire service industry! See the complete entry instructions below. Deadline to submit your entry: April 15th, 2016 Good luck! Rules of the 2016 FRF “Fit for Duty” Challenge Contest Important Dates: The Contest officially starts on January 1st,…
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Happy Holidays Firefighter Workout…
Happy Holidays- Yes that time of the year where we have a tendency to overindulge and workouts seem to take second place to the holiday rush. To combat the accumulation of holiday pounds I created this Fire Rescue Metabolic Workout.. This workout requires minimal time, maximal effort and will give you an extreme calorie burn (throughout the day). The workout is adoptable for various levels of fitness. 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. After the warm-up follow the appropriate circuit (beginner or intermediate/ advanced) as quickly as possible. Your goal is to complete the entire circuit as quickly as possible. You can record your total time (of the metabolic circuit) so…
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