Hastings Fire Department
TACTICAL FITNESS AND WELLNESS RESOURCE PAGE
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Great resources and workouts to help you improve your performance, reduce injuries, and prolong your career with HFD.
Get this 28-day Workout Program from FRF that will help you lose weight, gain strength, and improve your overall health and fitness.
Time to start training like a fire rescue athlete. FRF is offering a free 28-day workout program to help you lose weight, gain strength and take your fitness to the next level. The program includes access to the FRF tracking app, eating guides, coaching, and more. It is FREE for all HFD members. Give it a try!
Firehouse Fresh- Recipes designed to fuel hungry firefighters.
Designed by registered dieticians, these recipes are easy to prepare and healthy for your crew. Give them a try!
Addicted to Awake: Sleep Deprivation in the Fire Service
The hard truth is that almost 40 percent of firefighters suffer from a sleep disorder. According to a screening of 6,933 firefighters, 80 percent of those who tested positive had no prior awareness or previous diagnosis of their condition. This is a growing concern in the fire service.
Health & Fitness: Fitness for the Fire Attack
Here is a great article to help you prepare for the basement fire scenario. Advancing charged hoseline and fire attack are some of the most physically demanding activities we do on the fire ground. Make sure you are strong, mobile, and ready for the fire attack with these great exercises.
Functional Fitness for the Fire Service
Click the link below to obtain a copy of the presentation and slides from Aaron Zamzow's seminar on Functional Fitness for the Fire Service.
Additional Resources for you and your crew.
Foam Rolling Guide for the Fire Service
Muscles sore and tight from a previous shift or workout? Have you tried foam rolling? The compressed foam pieces floating around all the stations might just be the fitness tool you need to start feeling and moving better.
Five Steps to Better Nutrition
Eating in the firehouse or any house can be a challenge. This guide simplifies nutrition and gives easy to follow and applicable steps to help you "clean up" your diet and lean up. This manual includes:
-Five easy to follow guidelines to get you lean and “fit for duty.”
-Nutrition Hacks that will help you prepare and plan healthy meals
-Healthy Snack Options to insure you stay on track
-The 90-10 Eating Plan. Teaches you how to plan your "cheat meals" and stay on-track with your nutrition.
-Example meal plan
Additional Resources for you and your crew
To Workout or Not, That is the Question?
Do you workout on shift? Should you workout on shift and what is the best workout to perform?This is a major concern for the fire rescue athlete. On one hand we know we should be working…
Read MoreFoam Rolling for Better Fitness
People tend to measure how effectively they’ve worked out by how sore they are the following days. Let me ask you: How good is a workout that leaves you so sore that you can’t workout for…
Read MoreFire Station Workout- Intervals for Cardiovascular Fitness
I’ve had a lot of requests for workout options that can be performed at the station with minimal equipment. Here is an option I created for a firefighter/medic that has no equipment and only some stairs…
Read MoreExercise Upgrade for the Fire Rescue Athlete- Captain Morgan Bicep Curls
Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics frequently lift heavy object whether it be a cot, a hose line or a heavy piece of equipment. Lifting heavy objects can take its toll on the body if you are not…
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Are You Firefighter Fit?
A couple weeks ago I published a blog post about “defining Firefighter Fit.” I appreciate the numerous responses and comments about this question (see that blog post here) and today want to follow up and add…
Read MoreFirefighter Fitness Upgrade- The Row
Last week I had such a great response to the exercise upgrade post (Alternate Arm DB Chest Press) I decided to make it a weekly post. This week I’ll show you ways to change the row exercise to integrate…
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Krill Oil vs. Fish Oil
KNOW ANYONE ON CHOLESTEROL LOWERING MEDICATIONS? Most firefighters know about the correclation between heart disease and on-duty deanths (if not read about it here). Often times firefighters and other individuals taking prescription medications can become depleted of…
Read MoreFirefighter Fitness Exercise Upgrade- DB Chest Press
Fire Rescue Athletes as asked to work in various unstable environments. Firefighters, Paramedics and EMTs are often times lifting and moving heavy loads in very awkward positions. In order to prepare for these scenarios fire rescue…
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Firefighter Fitness- Hill Training to Increase VO2 Max
VO2max is a measure of the maximum rate at which an athlete’s body is able to consume oxygen when performing a specific activity, adjusted for body weight. This is a very important for the fire rescue…
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Why do Firefighters Have Heart Attacks?
Heart attack and strokes are more likely to kill firefighters than an actual fire. A recent research article just confirmed one of the major reasons why. The research confirms that the physical demands of firefighting may trigger the formation of blood clots and impair blood vessel function -- two factors associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke. (You can read more about that research by clicking here.)
Improve YOUR Sleep.
Firefighters often don't get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to real problems, including safety concerns. For anyone who has worked in the fire service, this is hardly news. One of the most difficult adjustments for new firefighters can be the shift work: the 10/14 split, the 24- or 48-hour workday. As firefighters age, sleep disorders can lead to serious health problems for them. Click here to read about the "7 Ways to improve your crew's sleep and safety
Why Firefighters Need YOGA
The truth of the matter is yoga can be as mellow or as arduous as you make it, just like any physical practice. The beauty of yoga is that it goes beyond just the physical. For firefighter’s yoga can be a really great way to relieve stress and center the body and mind. This is especially important considering the high stress of the job. Yoga, if you allow it to be so, could be one of the best ways to combat PTSD.
Click here to discover 5 Reasons Why Every Firefighter Should do Yoga. (Click here for the article.)
Goblet Squat for more Fireground Strength
We all know that stairs and climbing are major fire rescue movements performed on the fire ground so… improve your leg strength and you could improve your performance on the fire ground. One exercise is very good at doing just that…. the goblet squat. The goblet squat is a multi-joint lower body exercise that fires up (no pun intended) the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. Unlike the traditional back squat, the goblet squat is executed by keeping the body in an upright position, which results in less strain on the lower lumbar and spine and places an increased demand on your upper back and core. Goblet squats also help improve mobility in the hip, thus helping you out with other fire rescue movement patterns. Click here for a great tutorial on the Goblet Squat
If you have any questions, please reach out to Aaron (click here).