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 you see more minimalistic gyms pop up all the time.  Along with these fads have come the "next" best workout program.  I remember the day when everyone was "Jazzersizing" or "Sweating to the Oldies" or following the "Body for Life," program.  There were also the days of "Tae-bo", "Spinning" and who could forget "Fitness made simple"?   Some of these fitness fads have come and gone while others are still around.

Today I wanted to talk about another fitness "fad" that has seemed to catch the attention of the firefighting and tactical communities.  Yep, you guessed it....CrossFit.  This will be the first of two blog posts that gives my thoughts on the pros and cons of CrossFit. The purpose of these blogs is not to judge whether or not CrossFit is right for firefighters (although the title leads you to believe that) but to list the pros and cons of CrossFit to help you decide for yourself.  (On a side note, in the following weeks I will be discussing my personal views on this topic, so stay tuned).  

Defining CrossFit

According to CrossFit’s Foundations page, their program is designed to “optimize physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains,” which are: cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy.   The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. They claim to use the same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. They scale the load and intensity, not change the programs. CrossFit specializes in not specializing.

The Pros of CrossFit.

High Intensity- More and more research studies are showing that short bursts of high intensity exercise is better for you than the typical hour or more long workouts at moderate intensity. CrossFit is all about this.

Muscle Confusion- The fact that the workouts vary so greatly from day to day means the body is always guessing and never has the chance to settle into that "workout groove" where it knows what's coming.  CrossFit focuses on maximal strength, muscular endurance, and cardiovascular efficiency all very important components to firefighters.


Timed, Efficient Workouts- Most CrossFit workouts are timed, which usually makes the exerciser push themselves harder, hopefully resulting in faster and better results. Plus, moving quickly in between sets keeps the heart rate elevated, burns more calories and helps improve recovery time.


Workouts Focus on Compound Movements and Olympic Style Lifting - This is great because it's how people get the most bang for their buck with their exercise. The more major muscles you use in a given movement, the calories you'll burn. Period.


Embrace Competition - This may be a "con" for some but the ideas here is that you should compete with yourself to constantly improve.   I also believe that the competitive environment of CrossFit may bring out greater performances in people.


Comradery-  This may also be a con for some.  If you are working out at a CrossFit gym you will be paired up with people during some exercises. You are in a class environment, which leaves plenty of room to meet and interact with new people that share a similar interest and goal.


I know that this is not a complete list of pros for CrossFit, please comment below and let me know what I've missed.  Stay tuned, the next blog will be listing the  cons of CrossFit.
Stay safe and remember to train like a life depends on it.

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Controlling 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 ones in your blood vessels and digestive tract. So when you consume foods that are high in additives, preservatives, colorings, and other toxic processes it leads to damaged cells. Often times the foods that cause this damage to your cells are your refined and processed carbohydrates. So your body's response to damaged cells is to release more cholesterol into the blood stream to repair them!

Can stress, family history, alcohol consumption and lack of exercise lead to high cholesterol? Absolutely.

But in the end, what may be the main reason for your elevated cholesterol level? An excess consumption of low quality carbohydrates.  To learn more about good quality carbohydrates, sign-up for your FREE copy of The SOP's to Eating Lean in the Firehouse.

TRIVIA: Since Vegans often times have 80% of their calories coming from some type of carbohydrate, now you know how they can still have high cholesterol without consuming animal meats high in fats!

Remember, You are a FireRescue Athlete, you must fuel your body correctly to be able to efficiently and effectively perform your job. 

"Train like an athlete, fuel your body like an athlete."

Firefighter Fitness- Combating the Obesity Epidemic in Firefighters

This is scary...We need to change.

Rates of overweight and obese individuals in the fire service are higher than those found in the general public, according to a new study.

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Researchers looked at the body composition of both career and volunteer firefighters across the nation, with overweight and obesity rates ranging from 73 percent to 88 percent.  About two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese on a general, national level.   The research demonstrates that a large percentage of firefighters do not meet minimal standards of physical fitness, according to the study conducted by the NVFC National Volunteer Fire Council-- "Addressing the Epidemic of Obesity in the United States Fire Service" looks at the impact of obesity, the scope of obesity in the fire service, and why obesity has become an epidemic.

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The report also adds that "as firefighters gain more weight, research has found that cardio respiratory fitness plummets and the risk of cardiovascular disease increases."  "There is solid evidence that suggests physical fitness is related to job performance and the performance of simulated firefighting tasks (e.g., hose and ladder carry, donning SCBA, climbing three flights of stairs, rescue and body drag, etc.). "The fact that so many firefighters are not fit is troubling. This situation may be at least partially due to lack of agreement over fitness and body composition standards in the fire service and the fact that few departments engage in regular monitoring of body composition and physical fitness in their firefighters."

The research found that occupational factors may place firefighters at high risk for weight gain, including:

• Shift work

• Sleep disruption
• Unhealthy eating patterns in the firehouse
• The absence of fitness standards for firefighters

This report should urge everyone from national fire service leadership, to department chiefs, to individual firefighters to think creatively and join in efforts to reverse the negative trends of unhealthy body weight and poor physical fitness.  Now is the time to begin a national conversation regarding obesity in the fire service.

We as Firefighters, EMTs, and Paramedic's need to start changing our unhealthy culture around the firehouse.  Instead of grabbing a sugary treat like a cookie or cake, we need to reach for something healthy.  We as FireRescue Athletes must also start to act like athletes and remember that food is a fuel that allows us to more efficiently and SAFELY perform our duties.

Among the recommendations the report makes for the fire service to combat obesity and increase fitness are:
• Fire departments should consider conducting annual fitness assessments.
• Minimal fitness recommendations for all firefighters should be a priority.
• An effective fitness program can be implemented by fire departments at minimal cost and using existing facilities.

Take the first step toward reducing your chances of heart attack, back injury/ strain and get into the best shape of your life by JOINING the FireRescue Athlete Nation and starting the FREE FRF 28-day Quickstart Workout program which includes the SOP's to Lean Eating in the Firehouse. 

"The time for action is now. It's never too late to do something."  -Carl Sandburg
 
Reference

National Volunteer Fire Council. (2011).  Addressing the Epidemic of Obesity in the United States Fire Service--A Report Prepared for the National Volunteer Fire Council.  Retrieved February 14th, 2011 from:   http://www.nvfc.org/files/documents/Obesity_Study.pdf