Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Firefighter Cardio Interval Workout

I have had a of of requests for quick workouts that can be done with minimal equipment.  Here is a re-post of one of my more popular cardio interval workouts I created for a firefighter/medic that has no equipment and only some stairs and a parking lot. 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 and 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:
Mountain climbers
Jumping Jacks
Run in place or jump rope
Burpees
Prisoner Squats
Side to Side (jumps or steps)

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.

You can easily substitute any of the above exercises with more fire-ground related movements like sledge on a tire, dummy drags, crawling, battling hose-lines or heavy equipment carries.


Give this workout a try, if you substitute or create your own circuit let me know about it by leaving a comment or sending me an email.

Stay Safe and Healthy,
A. Zamzow