Welcome to the FRF Blog
Please scroll through our 200+ posts.
Goblet Squat for more Fire-ground Strength…
I often get emails and questions about ways to improve leg strength and recovery while in firefighting gear. We all know that stairs and climbing are major fire rescue movements performed on the fire ground so… improve your leg strength and you could improve your performance on the fire ground. One exercise in particular is very good at doing just that….the goblet squat. The goblet squat is a multi-joint lower body exercise that fires up (no pun intended) the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. Unlike the traditional back squat, the goblet squat is executed by keeping the body in an upright position, which results in less strain on the lower lumbar and spine and places an increased demand on your upper back and core. It is a great exercise for adding volume to build work capacity or conditioning in circuits. Goblet squats also help improve mobility in the hip, thus helping you…
Firefighter Cardio Interval Workout for Fat Loss
I have had a of of requests for quick workouts that can be done with minimal equipment. Here is a re-post of one of my more popular cardio interval workouts I created for a firefighter/medic that has no equipment and only some stairs and a parking lot. This can be used as a cardio interval training workout day (for those following the FRF Rapid Fat Loss or FRF Ultimate fire Rescue Athlete Workout Programs) and/or as a good workout to get the blood flowing. Give it a shot! This is a great interval to perform at the firehouse, it doesn’t require a lot of equipment and is very short in duration yet effective. The work intervals can be adjusted to your level of fitness. Beginners should perform 20 seconds of work followed by 40 seconds of rest for each exercise. Intermediates should perform 30 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds…
The FRF (Fire Rescue Fit) Body Weight 500- Rep Workout
It can be very difficult to try to stay “fit for duty” on vacation or if you don’t have access to a lot of equipment. This workout will help you stay FRF (fire rescue fit) on vacation or when you are at a firehouse that doesn’t have any fitness equipment. I actually performed this workout a couple times on vacation in a small condo with only a towel and a little floor space. The objective of the workout is to complete all the assigned reps of each exercise for a total of 500 reps. **You can substitute out any of the exercises if you would like. Beginners can bounce around from exercise to exercise until all reps are completed. For a more challenging workout you should try to complete all the reps of one exercise before moving to the next. Perform a couple of minutes of active warm-up movements first…
5 Reasons to Eat Bacon in the Firehouse…
Before you go Hog wild (sorry, had to say it) on bacon please read the following disclaimer. Let me state up front that saying bacon is “healthy” does not mean it’s healthy to eat it in huge quantities nor does it mean it’s healthy to eat large amounts seven days a week. Try to stick to small servings, blot extra bacon grease off to lower fat intake, and avoid adding extra salt or other high sodium seasonings. I suggest to consume only 2 or 3 slices and only once a week. Also, let me state that as a fire rescue athlete you should try to plan your meals like you plan your Fire Rescue Fitness workouts (click here for the best firefighter workouts). If you are eating bacon, keep the fat levels that you consume in “check” the rest of the day. **Please note that the…
The Most Important Fitness Component for Firefighters…
I often get asked by Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics to evaluate their current fitness programs and to possibly give some suggestions. I always try to explain to the individual or group that in order to evaluate the program we must understand the physical demands of the job. Research conducted by York University (Ontario) about the physical demands of Firefighting stated– The most commonly encountered applications of strength and endurance were lifting and carrying objects (up to 80 lbs), pulling objects (up to 135 lbs), and working with objects in front of the body (up to 125 lbs). The most demanding firefighting operations required a mean VO2 of 41.5 ml/kg.min-1 with peak lactate concentrations of 6 to 13.2 mM. Ninety percent of the demanding firefighting operations that were studied required a mean VO2 of 23 ml/kg.min-1. These aerobic energy requirements corresponded to 85 and 50% VO2max, respectively. Therefore a minimum VO2max standard for firefighter applicants of…
Improving Firefighter Cardiovascular Fitness
What do Fire Rescue Fitness Workouts and the Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Team have in common? Before I answer that question, I need to explain a little about cardiovascular conditioning and VO2 max. VO2max is a measure of the maximum rate at which an athlete’s body is able to consume oxygen when performing a specific activity, adjusted for body weight. This is a very important measure for the fire rescue athlete, a higher VO2 max means that the firefighter can do more work with less oxygen. This comes in extremely helpful when doing fire operations (on air) of course. VO2 max can be calculated many ways, the easiest is to use a treadmill or track (read more about calculating VO2 max by clicking here.) Therefore, from the fire rescue athletes’ perspective, your program should not only focus on strength and flexibility but also on increasing VO2 max. This brings me to…
A New Way to Pop-Flip in the Firehouse
The fire service is filled with many great traditions, some good and some not. One of the fun things that happens in a lot of firehouses is the “pop-flip” for a round of sodas. Unfortunately, sodas are a huge reason we are staying unhealthy- they have a ton of chemicals and sugars that pack on extra bodyfat. Don’t believe me? Keep reading. Drink Diet Soda? There’s been a lot of discussion around the firehouse lately about the “dangers” of drinking soda and diet soda. The topic was started after I revealed my personal “diet soda” experiment. Three years ago I wanted to know if diet soda was bad for you or just getting a bad rap. My experiment was to drink one 16 ounce diet soda everyday for one month and report my weight, energy level and overall health throughout the month. The results….by the middle of the month…
Firefighter Daily Fitness Checkoffs…
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 you can do at the beginning of the shift that will help you be “fit for fire.” 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 for that…
Portion Control Strategy for the Firehouse
Cooking in the firehouse is pretty difficult. One of the biggest fears of every firehouse chef is not preparing enough food for the crew. This fear usually leads to an excess of available food and larger portions around the table. So, today I wanted to give you a quick and easy “trick” you can use to get your crew to take smaller servings. Answer this question: Which is the larger black circle – the left or the right? Does the one on the right side look larger to you? Yes? If you said that the one on the right is larger, you are wrong. The correct answer is that they’re both the same size! Interestingly, this silly perception problem could be causing you and your crew to eat more food. Most firehouses not only serve an abundance of food but they usually serve them on large plates. Lets be honest, it…