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Firefighter Fitness Motivation
As FireRescue Athletes we must remember that our level of fitness may save a life…perhaps even our own. This should be motivation enough to stay in top shape and continue to strive to stay “fit for duty” but sometimes we may need more. Today’s post is all about motivation (actually I’ve got some great requests to create more motivational posts). What motivates you?Fun Runs, Tough Mudder, and Triathlons The fitness plateau, chances are that if you have worked out regularly then you’ve probably experienced one. A plateau is a point where you don’t seem to be making any progress…regardless of what you do. At one point during my personal trainer days, I was training over 100 people (not every day but through out the week). One of the challenges of training that many people was finding something to motivate them and to keep them from hitting the dreaded plateau. The best way…
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Firefighter Fitness– Recruit Academy Fitness Programming
As firefighters we protect life and property by any means necessary. And by “any” we mean the “safest and the best.” This means we do not marry ourselves to any one response modality or school of thought. We don’t always go interior on a fire attack…or always use a Halligan to force open a door (sometimes it’s already unlocked) right? We take into account certain factors along with the environment, resources, etc. and make the best tactical decisions we can. Granted, we do have protocols and procedures to follow that help guide us along our process but we must be able to adapt and compromise. Trainers, chiefs and officers should take this same approach to creating a fitness program for recruits. There is no “best” workout program for recruits, just as there is no “best” way to force a door. Going into a situation, a well prepared firefighter…
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Firefighter Fitness– Is CrossFit it? The Cons.
Last week I posted about the “pros” of using CrossFit for Firefighter fitness. I recieved some great emails and comments on that post, please keep them coming. Today, I wanted to post the cons of CrossFit. So here we go. The use/misuse of Olympic lifts – One of the CrossFit Foundations places a heavy emphasis on Olympic Weightlifting because of their unique ability to develop an athletes’ explosive power, control of external objects, and mastery of critical motor recruitment patterns. And yet, the workout for June 29, 2011 included a set of 50 push presses. This is a little contradicting to the above statment. You do 50 reps for endurance, but the point that CrossFit makes is that Olympic lifting should be explosive power. Olympic lifts can also be fairly complex, so if the goal (which it is of CrossFit) is to get in, get sweaty, and get out, how…
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Firefighter Fitness– Is CrossFit it?
I’ve worked in the fitness industry for over 20 years and have seen a lot of “fads” come and go. Not to age myself but when I started in the industry step classes, leotards and zubaz where still popular. Back in the day every health club focused on having the most updated machinery possible, today you see more minimalistic gyms pop up all the time. Along with these fads have come the “next” best workout program. I remember the day when everyone was “Jazzersizing” or “Sweating to the Oldies” or following the “Body for Life,” program. There were also the days of “Tae-bo”, “Spinning” and who could forget “Fitness made simple”? Some of these fitness fads have come and gone while others are still around. Today I wanted to talk about another fitness “fad” that has seemed to catch the attention of the firefighting and tactical communities. Yep, you guessed it….CrossFit. This…
Read MoreFitness for Firefighters–Tools of the Trade
Here is a short video blog talking about the Firefighter fitness tools of the trade. What are the best exercises, fitness tools and programs for firefighters? The generic answer to that question is “all of them are.” TRX, kettle bells, dumbbells, body weight exercises, P90X, CrossFit, tire exercise are all tools that firefighters can and should incorporate into their fitness program at some time. The hard part is deciding when, where and how to use these fitness tools to get “Fit for Duty.” Please continue to check out http://firerescuefitness.com/ for more input on this topic and please leave some comments and feedback as to how you utilize these tools in your own workouts.
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Components of a Firefighter Fitness Program
I often get asked by Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics to evaluate their current fitness programs and to possibly give some suggestions. I 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 45…
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Reducing Heart Disease in Firefighters
Its been very well documented that the leading cause of firefighter-on-duty deaths is related to heart disease. Therefore any information regarding decreasing the chances of heart disease are very valuable to the firefighting community. I’ve recently been researching the correlation between cholesterol and heart disease and have found some interesting correlations. The long-established dietary recommendations of yesterday have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences. Despite the fact that 25% of the population takes expensive statin medications and despite the fact we have reduced the fat content of our diets, more Americans will die this year of heart disease than ever before. Statistics from the American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes. These disorders are affecting younger and younger…
Read MoreControlling Cholesterol in Firefighters
High Cholesterol… Choose healthy carbohydrates, lower your cholesterol. Cholesterol comes from eating too many eggs, bacon, and other animal foods high in fat and cholesterol, right? Not always. First off, cholesterol works as a building block for all the cells in the body, as well as your body’s repair mechanism for damaged cells, especially the ones in your blood vessels and digestive tract. So when you consume foods that are high in additives, preservatives, colorings, and other toxic processes it leads to damaged cells. Often times the foods that cause this damage to your cells are your refined and processed carbohydrates. So your body’s response to damaged cells is to release more cholesterol into the blood stream to repair them! Can stress, family history, alcohol consumption and lack of exercise lead to high cholesterol? Absolutely. But in the end, what may be the main reason for your elevated cholesterol level?…
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The Best Core Exercise for Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics…
As a trainer (and as a firefighter in the workout room), I hear people saying, I want “abs” and of course, I want to help people achieve this. However, I frequently see people performing the least productive exercise for their abs- the crunch. Yes, the movement performed while lying down on a mat with the head and neck supported. This movement, will not get you results. If you want to see “the abs” you feel during this exercise, change your diet! Which I will post about soon. The plank, for a modiefied (easier) version start on your knees Here is why the crunch is not the best exercise for your abs or core. The crunch exercise will shorten and strengthen your rectus abdominus (six pack muscles) and obliques (especially if you twist) from a position that is useless (non-functional) for the majority of daily and fireground related tasks. also, any…
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