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Fight Fire not the Flu….
Its that time of the year again, the cold and flu season. Each year the common cold affects the average person two times, and can affect the fire rescue athlete even more. The sneezing, coughing, aching, stuff head, sore throat, and runny nose leave you wanting to curl up under the bed covers. To avoid this misery, prevention is the best cure. So with over 200 mutating cold-causing viruses floating around, what’s a fire rescue athlete to do to avoid getting sick? While in our profession it can be hard to dodge every germ, there are proactive ways to boost your immune system and help prevent catching a cold or the flu. Take a look at these 5 ways and stay healthy: 1. Drink Plenty of Fluids. General good health practices keep your body strong and ready to fend off cold germs and the flu virus and this especially includes…
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The 10 Best Foods for First Responders
Food is the fuel that helps us think and perform at our best. The right foods can mean energy and nutrients to help you manage the demands of the job. The wrong foods can add to the stress we already go through and leave your mind cloudy and body inflamed. So, if you want to make the most of your shift, your day, and your career, your diet should be a top priority!
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The Ultimate Firefighter 9-11 Tribute Workout
Every year around September 11th I like to take a moment and reflect on the significance of the day and honor those that sacrificed (and continue to sacrifice to this day). I encourage you to do this workout, share your results and challenge others to do the same, at least once a year (on September 11th). This “tribute” workout is difficult but has a great significance to September 11th. You will climb 110 flights of stairs and perform 343 reps of various strength exercises. 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 circuits wit no rest between exercises) Standing Chops Step Forward toe reaches Spidermans Knees side to side Cross overs (Repeat for a total of 2 circuits) Now that your ready…its on to the fun. All you need for…
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Fat Loss Tips for Firefighters….
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. Are you Fit for Duty? This is a common question you should ask yourself everyday as a fire rescue athlete. Are you a leaner, more efficient athlete, better yet, do you make…
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Firefighter Workout Tip- The Importance of a Proper Warm-up…
Flexibility is often the most overlooked aspect of a an effective firefighter workout. Participating in an appropriate warm-up and cool down and stretching program has shown to help firefighter performance by: Increasing physical efficiency and performance Can you do this? Increasing neuromuscular coordination Decreasing risk of severity of injury Decreasing risk of lower back pain Decreasing delayed onset muscle soreness Decreasing stress and tension What are the best ways, types and times to stretch (very important)? This is the first of a couple of posts about flexibility. Today I want to talk about the Active Warm-up. If you are like most of us, you were taught how to stretch in your high school weight lifting class and you’ve likely continued with pretty much the same routine ever since. Science, however, has moved on. Researchers now believe that some of the old school workout warm-up regimens are not only a waste of time…
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Firefighter On-shift Interval Workout
I get a lot of emails asking for good workout options for the firehouse when on-shift. Working out on-shift is a major concern, you want to make sure you keep your body in good “fit for duty” condition but also want to make sure you have enough “left in the tank” to respond and perform in an actual response. Over the last couple of years I have toyed with various workouts on shift; high intensity, heavy lifting, stretching only, and even some yoga. I have found that interval workouts are not only the most effective but a great way to incorporate fireground movements (steps, crawls, sledges, drags, lifts, carries, and some core). Here is an example of a “Sunday Funday” workout that I did with my crew. Active Warm-up Perform 2 circuits. Set an interval timer for 35 seconds of movement with 5 seconds between to transition. Chops Step back…
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Firefighter Workout- Intense Interval Overhaul to burn fat…
One of the best ways to incorporate fireground movements into your workouts is to perform what I call “10-minute interval overhauls.” These are 10 minutes of intervals that can vary in work and rest times that are performed after your strength training sessions. You can read more about these “interval overhauls” by clicking here or see how to integrate them into an actual program by clicking here (FREE 28-day FRF workout). Today I finished workout #3 of the Ultimate Fire Rescue Athlete Program and created this 10 minute overhaul….three hours later I’m still sweating. These intervals should be performed to the best of your ability, feel free to substitute in other exercises that you feel more comfortable with (and let me know your creative ideas). These overhauls help burn more fat and calories and as mentioned above are a great way to incorporate firefighter movements into your workout. Give this…
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Healthy Nutrition in 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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