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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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Firefighter Fitness and Metabolism … Part 2
How to Make Your Body Burn More Calories. Here is the low down on weight gain/loss. Metabolic Rate is the rate at which the body burns up calories. A body that consumes 2500 calories a day, and burns 2500 calories a day will stay at the same weight. A body consuming 2500 calories daily but burning only 2000 will gain weight at the rate of about 1lb a week. This may explain why that ‘lucky’ person across the table from you does not get fat from all that junk food; they consume less calories than they burn. You can do quite a lot to speed up your metabolism – the secret of burning calories lies in knowing what determines your metabolic rate and what you can do to influence it. 1) Basal Metabolic Rate (Metabolism or BMR) — This is the amount of calories you burn just by being alive…
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Firefighter Fitness and Metabolism
What is Metabolism? You may often here around the firehouse someone say “I have a slow metabolism.” Usually these individuals are a little on the larger size and often like to joke about their size. Unfortunately, these people are at a very high risk to keep the trend of heart related Firefighter fatalities in tact. I’m not saying that larger individuals cannot perform the job, in most cases they are great firefighters. What I am saying is that there is more to the picture than a “slow metabolism.” There are a large number of individuals that believe the reason they are overweight has nothing to do with their appetite, and/or level of activity. They assume it is an inherent problem with their “metabolism”. So, today I wanted to clear the air around the firehouse (and other houses) about what metabolism really is. Taber’s Medical Dictionary defines Metabolism as: The sum…
Read MoreCore Training for Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics
Fire Rescue athletes are at a very high risk of back injury. As a matter of fact almost 50% of all firefighters will experience some type of back injury during their career. Effective core training brings about a proactive approach to protecting your body and joints (especially your back) from injury. Core strength consists of hip, shoulder, and trunk stability. It is the foundation of efficient movement and vital to optimizing performance and your career as a FireRescue athlete. When should we work our “core” and how often. In my FRF Workout Programs, I recommend performing your core routine after an active warm-up. This should occur towards the beginning of the workout…Why? Because its easier to skip these core exercises if you leave it to the end of the workout. I know, I’ve been there, you do your strength training, maybe a little cardio then ‘promise” that you would do some…
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10-minute Interval Overhauls (Firefighter Skills Training)
Now, as you probably know from reading my previous blog posts that I think that interval training is very applicable to what we do on the fire ground. A unique component that I’ve added to my workouts is a 10-minute Interval Overhaul. These interval Overhauls are a combination of exercises that challenges the total body, allows me to work on firefighter skills and simulates work on the fire ground. And they really “jack-up” my metabolism too! I challenge you to try one at the end of your next workout. Here is an example of an Overhaul I did after my strength workout the other day: Sledge o’ matic– For this Overhaul finisher you need a sledge (the heavier, the harder), an old tire, some heavy dumbbells (or saws from the truck) and an interval timer set to 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest for 10 intervals (10…
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Cardiovascular Training for Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics (FireRescue Athletes)
I heard someone once say running long and slow teaches your body one thing, how to run slow. If that’s all you’re after, you can stop reading; I don’t want you to be late for your water aerobics class. But in our profession you need to move quickly and with purpose, I’m not saying that long and slow cardio is totally worthless, I’m saying it has its place. In fact, I recommend performing a lower intensity, longer cardio workout at least once a week to flush the muscles. But, what I am talking about here is training your body and your heart to function under higher intensity. The cardio intervals not only prepare you for the fire ground but also blast away a lot of calories and body fat (as an added bonus). The purpose of any firefighter’s cardiovascular program is to help them work more efficiently under the stresses…
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Firefighter Fitness- Should You Exercise While You're Sick?
It’s that time of the year. The flu bug is in full affect and is probably making its way through a firehouse near you. We get exposed to lots of different viruses through EMS responses, hospital transports and via the close confines of the firehouse. I get a lot of people asking me if they should try to exercise while they are battling the flu or the cold. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, the general rule of thumb is that if your symptoms are from the neck up; then “yes” give your workout a go. If your symptoms are below; then “no.” Here’s what I mean: If you have a common cold, runny nose, sore throat, and/or NO fever, then light to moderate exercise is generally “ok.” If your illness involves body aches, fever, diarrhea, weakness, swollen lymph nodes, and/ or fatigue then it’s best to “REST.”…
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