Firefighter Fitness Tips

Today I wanted to give you some great workout tips.  Over my years of training clients and athletes I've learned two very important fitness tips that will help you see and feel the best results.

Tip#1. Recovery is Essential for progress.  I know that many firefighters, emts and paramedics like to challenge themselves during a workout but its the ability to recover afterwards that leads to a greater results.  Did you know...your body changes after a workout, when your body rests  - not during.

Taking the time to rest between strength workouts  (or after a tough shift) is when your body begins the repair and recovery process - increasing lean muscle - making you stronger and able to do more come the next workout.  Recovery can be accelerated by choosing a good post  workout shake (like Prograde Workout) and taking the time to stretch and foam roll (click here it to see my blog on foam rolling) major muscle groups.  Skipping recovery will not only diminish fitness results, but will also lead to burn out and over-training injuries.   As a fire rescue athlete you must take time to recover.

and going right along with the previous tip.......

Tip#2. More is NOT Better - Better is Better.  The workouts that I create (like those in the 28-day Quickstart Program) are short, yet effective strength based programs that challenge your entire body.  Because these workouts take less than 45 minutes, some fire rescue athletes are skeptical that they will be effective, and will sometimes try to add exercises or even double up on workouts. Remember, intensity is the key to making good fitness gains.  Doing more will only delay or prevent results.  Trying to do more will diminish the intensity - hence, diminish results.   My advice to the fire rescue athlete is that the best results are achieved when you get your body to work FOR you rather than always having to work your body.  Besides...your workouts should leave you feeling ENERGIZED not Exhausted. 

I thought this was fitting....

As busy fire rescue athletes there are plenty of other factors that lend to exhaustion - but your workouts should NOT be one of them.  Focus on the quality of your strength based workouts - increase the challenge and intensity within the workout by setting personal records.
One bonus tip....log your workouts.  Those that created and followed workout logs are more successful.

Keep these two workout tips in mind as you follow through with your plan to get and stay "fit for duty."

Stay Safe and Healthy,
A. Zamzow

Try the FireRescue Fitness 28-day Quickstart Workout for Free…and get the Standard Operating Procedure for Eating Lean in the Firehouse.
Simply enter your name and email address below and the FREE reports will be instantly emailed to you. Inside, you’ll discover:

The essential elements of an effective Firefighter workout program

How to eat lean in the firehouse

Healthy Recipes for you and your Crew

And a free subscription to my weekly FireRescue Fitness email newsletter where I’ll share with you creative and effective workouts and exercises along with nutritional advice to help you get and stay "Fit for Duty."

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Fire Station Cardio Workout (Number #2)

A couple weeks ago I posted a cardio interval workout that can be performed at the firehouse with in about 15 to 25 minutes with minimal equipment.  Do to the great response (please keep the comments and emails coming) I put together another workout.   Once again this is an option for a firefighter/medic that has minimal equipment and time yet still wants a good workout.  This can be used as a cardio interval training workout day (for those following the 28-day Quickstart Program) and/or as a good workout to get the blood flowing. Give it a shot!

This is a great interval to perform at the firehouse, it doesn't require a lot of equipment and is very short in duration yet effective. The work intervals can be adjusted to your level of fitness.

Beginners should perform 20 seconds of work followed by 40 seconds of rest for each exercise.

Intermediates should perform 30 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of rest

Advanced (Firefit) athletes should perform 40 seconds of work followed by 20 seconds of rest for each exercise.

 

Click on the Video Above

Warm-up for 3 minutes with a walk or stairs then do:

1. Jump Rope (or jumping jacks)
2. Medicine Ball Slams (or battling hose line or prisoner squat)
3. Mountain Climbers with a push-up every 10 reps
4. Side Crawl
5. Dead Bugs
6. Burpees (wide stance)

Beginners should repeat 1 more time (2x total)
Intermediates repeat 2 more times (3x total)
Advanced repeat 3 more times (4x total)

Cool down with 3 minutes of easy walking after you complete your circuits.

Give it a shot and leave comments on your thoughts.
Stay Safe and Healthy,
A. Zamzow

Firefighter Fitness Motivation

Are You Ready For Duty?

My ultimate goal is to help firefighters, EMTs and paramedics prepare for the physical demands of the job.  I often perform research especially about firefighter fatalities and injuries.  Recently I was reviewing the fatality statistics for 2011 which motivated me to create this post.

In 2011, firefighter fatalities included 27 career firefighters, 51 volunteer firefighters, and 5 part-time or full-time members of wildland or wildland contract fire agencies.

Younger firefighters were more likely to have died as a result of traumatic injuries, such as injuries from an apparatus accident or becoming caught or trapped during firefighting operations. Stress-related deaths are rare below the 31 to 35 years of age category and, when they occur, often include underlying medical conditions (which is why it is so important to get yearly physicals).

Obviously, you understand that firefighting is extremely strenuous physical work and is likely one of the most physically demanding activities that the human body performs. Stress or overexertion is a general category that includes all firefighter deaths that are cardiac or cerebrovascular in nature such as heart attacks, strokes, and includes other events such as extreme climatic thermal exposure. Classification of a firefighter fatality in this cause of fatal injury category does exclusively indicate that a firefighter was in poor physical condition but it does raise the question to their level of fitness.

Fifty firefighters died in 2011 as a result of stress or overexertion:
• forty-eight firefighters died due to heart attacks;
• one firefighter died due to a cerebrovascular accident (CVA); and
• one firefighter died from heat exhaustion

The ultimate objective of the U.S. Fire Administrations efforts is to reduce the number of firefighter deaths through an increased awareness and understanding of their causes and how they can be prevented. Firefighting, rescue, and other types of emergency operations are essential activities in an inherently dangerous profession, and unfortunate tragedies do occur. These are the risks all firefighters accept every time they respond to an emergency incident. However, the risks can be greatly reduced through efforts to improve training, emergency scene operations, and firefighter health and safety initiatives.   Ultimately, you as a firefighter have the greatest control over your own health. 

My question to You is: "What do you do on a daily basis to improve your health and improve your skills to ultimately prolong your career as a Fire Rescue Athlete?"

 

• Do you workout on a regular basis?
• Do you fuel your body like an athlete?
• Do you get regular check ups and yearly physicals?
• Do you work on your skills often (raise ladders, carry equipment, swing tools, etc.)?

In general the obesity rates of firefighters is higher than the general public.  In this economy we (as an industry) need to do all we can to promote our value to our communities.  Does an overweight firefighter or officer promote our value?

Lets start reducing fatalities by reducing obesity rates...we owe it to each other and to the communities we serve.

Stay Safe and Healthy,
A. Zamzow
www.FireRescueFitness.com

I'd love to know how you stay motivated or motivate others on your department so please leave a comment or email me.


Source:  http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/ff_fat11.pdf

Firefighter Exercise- The 4-point Opposite Arm/Leg Raise

I love a good challenge.  Lately around the firehouse I've been challenging my crew with new workouts and exercises.  One exercise that is fairly difficult has become a crew favorite.  The 4-point Opposite Arm/ Leg Raise is a great exercise to strengthen the core, the shoulders and help develop better balance and coordination.  Give it a try!

For those that are using the FRF 28-day Quickstart Program you can substitute this exercise for one of the core exercises. 

For those that aren't currently using the FREE Fire Rescue Fitness 28-day Quickstart Program you can get it HERE or below.

Try the FireRescue Fitness 28-day Quickstart Workout for Free…and get the Standard Operating Procedure for Eating Lean in the Firehouse.


Simply enter your name and email address below and the FREE reports will be instantly emailed to you. Inside, you’ll discover:

• The essential elements of an effective Firefighter workout program 
• How to eat lean in the firehouse 
• Healthy Recipes for you and your Crew 

...And a free subscription to my weekly FireRescue Fitness email newsletter where I’ll share with you creative and effective workouts and exercises along with nutritional advice to help you get and stay "Fit for Duty."

• Name:
• Email:
• 0 subscribers
• Fire Department
• We respect your privacy
• Email Marketing
• by GetResponse