Weights, crossfit, body training etc

I thought back in the day we had a weightlifting thread somewhere on the forum but I can't seem to find it. I'm pretty new to exercising, but I wanted to reach out about other folks regimens, diets, etc.

This is my second season as a wildland firefighter in the pacific northwest and during the off season I try to prioritize keeping my upper body strength up as well as my cardio threshold. What kind of strength training exercises do you use to build mass and increase your aerobic threshold?

Stender:

Awesome that you're a FFer! Didn't know that.

For weights I keep it simple: Squats, BP, Deadlift, pushups, pullups, situps. A lot of people like to do other things, and that's fine because the key is to find what works for you. THAT SAID, those are all compound lifts - meaning they use more than one joint and one muscle at a time = more bang/muscle for your effort.

For cardio: Running and rowing. At our fire stations we have these rowers called Concept 2. Talk about full body cardio!!! But, if you don't have access to gym/equipment...gravitiy is your best friend. When I run I love intervals, because long, steady-state runs are boring, and intervals have been shown to raise your fitness (VO2max) quicker, and you'll burn more calories afterward. Also, since you're a wildland FFer you'll be on your feet, so better train on your feet.
***It's certainly okay to row, swim, bike, for half or even 2/3 of your cardio, but at least 1/3 of it should be on your feet since your job has you on your feet.

You're still young, so you might get away with some things, but warming up is crucial to help keep injury-free.

There is no magic bullet, or quick/easy answer. True fitness is hard-earned, but once you get there it's "easy" to keep up with it.

Crossfit works ***### BUT!! It's very technical and there is a super high attrition/injury rate. That's why I like to keep things simple. Simple movements that are relatively easy to learn, and with proper warmup and technique, you shouldn't get hurt.

I'm a part of my FD's fitness station. We're all certified personal trainers so this is right up my alley. Let me know if you have any other questions.

I do all kinds of stuff but am getting back into working out. Slow and steady

I approach weights much like SM74 and cardio as well. I find planks work well and I also practice Krav Maga.

scottmitchell74 wrote:

Stender:

Awesome that you're a FFer! Didn't know that.

For weights I keep it simple: Squats, BP, Deadlift, pushups, pullups, situps. A lot of people like to do other things, and that's fine because the key is to find what works for you. THAT SAID, those are all compound lifts - meaning they use more than one joint and one muscle at a time = more bang/muscle for your effort.

For cardio: Running and rowing. At our fire stations we have these rowers called Concept 2. Talk about full body cardio!!! But, if you don't have access to gym/equipment...gravitiy is your best friend. When I run I love intervals, because long, steady-state runs are boring, and intervals have been shown to raise your fitness (VO2max) quicker, and you'll burn more calories afterward. Also, since you're a wildland FFer you'll be on your feet, so better train on your feet.
***It's certainly okay to row, swim, bike, for half or even 2/3 of your cardio, but at least 1/3 of it should be on your feet since your job has you on your feet.

You're still young, so you might get away with some things, but warming up is crucial to help keep injury-free.

There is no magic bullet, or quick/easy answer. True fitness is hard-earned, but once you get there it's "easy" to keep up with it.

Crossfit works ***### BUT!! It's very technical and there is a super high attrition/injury rate. That's why I like to keep things simple. Simple movements that are relatively easy to learn, and with proper warmup and technique, you shouldn't get hurt.

I'm a part of my FD's fitness station. We're all certified personal trainers so this is right up my alley. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Nice, I have a workout bench right now at home but I have been interested in getting a rowing machine for awhile now. They are kind of expensive so I've been on the hunt for a used one, but i've used them before and love them. How do you like Assault bikes?

Besides the stuff you listed, what compound strength training exercises do you do on the bench? All I do currently is bench presses and leg presses. I'm also trying to strengthen my core and forearms. I'm anticipating having to run chainsaw frequently this season. Not happy about that honestly, haha.

Also Scott...

This is more FF related, but I'm curious to what classes you have taken for structure fire that you found especially beneficial to your career. I'm interested in getting into structure maybe in my next off season and want to expand my skills and also experience for wildland too. I just took my S212 Pump op class and am kind of addicted to taking classes, but if you know any standard leadership programs or other courses etc I may be able to plug into at my fire dept. or community college shoot them my way.

I run the Boring but Big challenge 3 month challenge about twice a year when I'm not slimming down for summer.

https://blackironbeast.com/5/3/1/calculator

Stender wrote:

Also Scott...

This is more FF related, but I'm curious to what classes you have taken for structure fire that you found especially beneficial to your career. I'm interested in getting into structure maybe in my next off season and want to expand my skills and also experience for wildland too. I just took my S212 Pump op class and am kind of addicted to taking classes, but if you know any standard leadership programs or other courses etc I may be able to plug into at my fire dept. or community college shoot them my way.

I'm not as helpful on this topic. When I hired on almost 19 years ago, we were hired as cadets and trained in-house. All of my structural FFing training was during our academy. Sorry I don't have a better answer!