firefighter wellness
Firefighter Fitness– Does P90X Measure Up?
It’s often said that any movement is better than no movement at all. I personally have to agree with that statement, I think its imperative that everyone (especially FireRescue Athletes) are active. The big question milling about in the Fire Rescue field is what is the most effective type of activity for firefighters? Ideally, we should…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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…
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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…
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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…
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…
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