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Essential Exercise to Get Fire Rescue Fit
Balance, coordination, power, strength, cardiovascular recovery….all essential fitness traits of the “fit for duty” Fire Rescue Athlete. If you are a Fire Rescue Athlete (or not) you need to plan your workouts to address each of these traits. One of the most overlooked is balance and coordination. As a trainer I get asked how and when is the best time to train for balance? As a firefighter I get asked why do I need to train for balance? The last thing you want to happen as you climb a ladder or lift a patient is to lose your balance; this often leads to injury or possible death. You can easily modify current exercises to challenge your balance by changing your stance (going from two legs to one), standing on a balance board or BOSU, changing your angle of movement (incline or decline), and/or using a stability ball instead of a stable object. Another…
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10 Fitness Tips for the Fire Rescue Athlete
Every year around this time I am asked for the “best” fitness tips to make the new year a healthy one. Over the years this list has changed and evolved but for the most part if you are a Fire Rescue Athlete you need to be doing these 10 things. 10 Fit Tips for the Fire Rescue Athlete Use these “Tips” to make 2013 a Fit, Healthy and Lean Year. 1. Set a goal– Set a goal, write it down, make it specific, tie an emotional reason to the goal and give it a deadline. The goal can be as easy as “working out every shift” or losing 10 pounds of fat. 2. Live YOUR goal– Believe that you can and will achieve your goal. Discover the hurdles that have been restricting you of your goal…..forget them, and GO LIKE HECK. Don’t be afraid to share your goal with…
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A Great Exercise to Strengthen the Knees and Back
Exercise Upgrade- The Marching Bridge I just received an email from a firefighter in Canada in regards to a “good” exercise to strengthen the knees. A lot of times knee pain can be associated with poor glute activation and pelvic stability. To work on eliminating this weakness try the marching bridge. This exercise is an effective tool for improving hip and core strength and stability, it is particularly effective in knee injury prevention and rehab. This can be used as a movement prep and/or core exercise. Start with 8 to 10 reps each side with 2 seconds holds per rep. Work your way to longer isometric holds (up to 10 seconds per rep). Give it a try, your low back and knees will thank you. The Marching Bridge 1. Lay on your back with the knees bent 90 degrees. Find a neutral spine position, perform a full double leg bridge and…
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Great Firehouse Challenge Workouts
Happy 2016! This is the time of the year where we all scramble to make up for lost workouts and pledge to get in shape. Personally, I think the best way to get into shape is to not fall out of it in the first place. One of the best things to do this time of the year is not only set goals but to assess where you are currently. Today I’ve created some “challenge” workouts that you can use to assess your fitness progress and to get a good efficient workout. There are two separate challenges, if you are very ambitious you can try them both during the same session or perform them on two consecutive days. Total Body Challenge Workout (Click Here for a video overview of the workout) Here is a great assessment and workout to challenge your entire body. The goal is to perform as many reps as possible of…
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Happy New Year!
I wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year! I also wanted to thank all the members of the Fire Rescue Fitness Nation and to let you know I am committed to providing you with the best content, workouts and fitness programming. Please continue to join me in 2013 and commit to getting/staying “Fit for Duty.” Stay Safe, Healthy and Happy in 2013 A. Zamzow PS– One of the new things for 2013 are more efficient workout formats, check out the NEW FORMAT (Click HERE) of the Post Holiday Workout and let me know your thoughts!
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A Great Post Holiday Metabolic 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). 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. Remember to record your total time (of the metabolic circuit) so you can measure your fitness progress…
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Essential Components of a Fire Rescue Workout Program
This blog topic is one near and dear to my heart and your career–Workouts for Fire Rescue Athletes. Over the last couple of months I’ve been 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. One thing I have not done yet is to answer the highly debated question….”What is the best workout for Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics (Fire Rescue Athletes)? More importantly what are the components of the best Fire Rescue Athlete Workouts? Without further delay, here is my answer (drum roll please)…. There is no single perfect program for fire rescue athletes. We all know we work in very uncertain situations and circumstances so we have to be ready for almost anything and no single workout program can…
Read More10 Ways to Avoid the Cold and Flu
It’s that time of year again when the common cold and flu begins being passed from one person to the next. Each year the common cold affects the average person two times, and can affect the fire rescue athlete even more. The sneezing, coughing, 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 10 ways: Wash Hands Frequently. One of the most effective ways to prevent colds and the flu is simply washing your hands properly and frequently. Wash your…
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A Great Fire Station Workout
I get a lot of requests for workouts that can be performed on duty with equipment at the firehouse. Today my crew and I performed this intensive 30 minute interval workout. This workout will get your heart racing, challenge your core and work your muscles. The workout consists of three, 10 minute intervals each with a different focus. The first 10 minutes focuses on anaerobic recovery, the second ten minutes on full body strength and the last ten minutes on fire ground related movements. The only equipment needed for the intervals are a 50 feet bundle of fire hose (2 1/2 inch works best), some stairs if you got them (or a jump rope), a place to do body rows (pull up bar) and an interval timer (there are android phone apps for this). Interval 1. Sprints. This interval requires a little space, you can use the garage bay or parking lot. Set your interval…
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