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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
Read MorePortion 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…
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FRF Birthday Challenge Workout…
I like challenge or out-come based (OCB’s) workouts because: #1 They are tough, #2 They are a great way to measure your level of fitness. The last 3 years I have completed this special “Birthday” workout to help me measure my fitness and determine where I need improvement. This particular workout doesn’t require a lot of equipment and can be done at home or at the gym or firehouse (even if its 22 degrees below zero). I encourage you to do this workout (or a similar one) every once in a while to help keep you motivated and to gauge your level of fitness. This “Birthday” workout is difficult but can be scaled to meet your available equipment and level of fitness. Before you begin this workout, like every workout, perform an active warm-up. Active warm-up (perform for 30 seconds or 10 reps of each exercise for 2…
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Is P90X an Effective Workout for Firefighters?
It’s often said that any movement is better than no movement at all. I personally have to agree with that statement, I think its imperative that everyone (especially FireRescue Athletes) are active. The big question milling about in the Fire Rescue field is what is the most effective type of activity for firefighters? Ideally, we should be performing movements that support, enable, and enhance our physical skills and add to the quality of life. Our exercises should make us stronger, faster, and more capable of accomplishing just about any physical feat a “job” throws at us. One of the more popular programs floating around firehouses these days is P90X. P90X is the extensive fitness program from Beach Body fitness created by Tony Horton that claims it can get you “ripped in 90 days….guaranteed.” Does it work? Maybe, but as Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics we need to be more than just “ripped”…
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