Great Firehouse Challenge Workouts

Happy 2013!  This is the time of the year where we all scramble to make up for lost workouts and pledge to get in shape.  Personally, I think the best way to get into shape is to not fall out of it in the first place.  One of the best things to do this time of the year is not only set goals but to assess where you are currently.  Today I've created some "challenge" workouts that you can use to assess your fitness progress and to get a good efficient workout.  There are two separate challenges, if you are very ambitious you can try them both during the same session or perform them on two consecutive days.

Total Body Challenge Workout

(Click Here for a video overview of the workout)

Here is a great assessment and workout to challenge your entire body.  The goal is to perform as many reps as possible of each exercise in 2 minutes.  Rest 1 minute between exercises.  You must perform these exercises in order.  Count each rep, add up your total reps and that's your score.  Try to repeat the workout and improve the number of reps every couple of weeks.

Cot Squats, wide stance, go as low as you can.

1.  Push ups  

2.  Body Rows (click here to see this exercise)

3.  Cot Squats   

4.  Medicine Ball Slams* or sledges against a tire 

         *(use a 10 or 12 pound medicine ball)

Overhead sledge or medicine ball slams.

The 4-mile Cardiovascular Challenge Workout

(Click Here for a video overview of the workout)

Here is a great way to challenge and assess your level of cardiovascular conditioning.  I like to call it the 4-mile challenge because you travel a total of 4 miles, how long and how you get there is up to you.

Here is how you do it, depending on your level of fitness you run and bike for a total of 4 miles.  If your pretty conditioned you should run 2 miles as fast as possible then bike 2 miles as fast as possible.  If you aren't as conditioned you can run 1 mile then bike 3 miles.  The idea is to record your total time and try to improve on it from week to week.

Give them a try!

Having trouble improving you level of fitness?  Join the Fire Rescue Fitness Nation and get the Fire Rescue Fitness 28-day Quickstart Program.  You can get it FREE by clicking HERE.

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 important nutrients in the body. In the case of Statin medications (Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor, Pravachol, etc) which help to lower LDL levels in the body, can also deplete the body of an important element called Co-Enzyme Q-10. A deficiency in Co-Q 10 can lead to heart failure because it's an enzyme that provides energy to the heart. Other studies have shown that a body deficient on Co-Q-10 can lead to the inflammation of your tendons and ligaments, a decrease in collagen and elastin, as well as a weakening of other muscle tissues throughout the body. Co-Enzyme Q-10 can be found in supplement form and anywhere between 200-1000mg is recommended. Ask your doctor if this is something that applies to you!

On a similar note, I've been doing a lot of research on fish oil vs. kril oil. I've found that fish oils (in a lot of cases) miss the boat (no pun intended) and they usually come with the dreaded "fish burp." I think that krill oil is one of the best sources of Essential Fatty Acids.

Krill Oil may also:

Help protect your heart
Improve your memory
Strengthen your immune system
Minimize the damage caused by free radicals
Reduce joint pain and PMS symptoms
Aid the fat loss process

CLICK HERE to check out what I think is a great way to naturally lower cholesterol and hopefully prevent you from being another Firefighter statistic.

PS - Again, there are all sorts of lousy supplements on the market. But a solid Krill Oil product is NOT one of them. It's an extremely powerful nutritional product with extraordinary benefits. For the best quality Krill Oil get Prograde Nutrition's EFA Icon
PPS - Prograde also includes the research studies on Krill Oil. Just click on one of the links above to check those out. You'll find them at the bottom of the page.

PPPS - My Dad has been taking the krill oil for about 8 weeks and has noticed a difference in his energy and lowered his cholesterol.

Stay Safe and Healthy,
A. Zamzow