fire department fitness
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…
Read MoreReducing 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…
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…
Read MoreThe 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…
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…
Read More10-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,…
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