Firefighters are industrial athletes. Our athletic ability directly relates to their success or failure at accomplishing our job. Fire Service Warriors recognize this fact without question and strive to reach their maximal potential. This is not a revelation, but a statement of fact that I feel must be acknowledged before any discussion of improving our Fitness can move forward. If you dispute my thesis, then I would suggest you examine the NFPA and USFA data on firefighter Line of Duty Deaths and Injuries and focus on the incidents of cardiac compromise and musculoskeletal injuries that occur every year.
It should be obvious by 2011 that being physically fit is a prerequisite and mandatory maintenance skill for a firefighter who seeks to maximize his or her capacity to perform on the fireground as well as ensure the longevity of their career. My observation is that despite the obviousness of this requirement far too many of our members have a blatant disregard for their fitness (and at times even wellness). I could spend a decade researching and writing about “Why” this is so, but I’m not going to. I believe in Occam’s Razor (the simplest solution to a hypothesis is the most likely): Firefighters are human beings and human beings have an deep rooted ability to accept the status quo if the alternative requires hard work. In other words without an internal drive to excellence or an external motivator (like corporate culture or public ridicule) most people will expend the minimal amount of effort to get by. This is not a value judgment; it is a statement of fact. Without acknowledging that we all have within us the ability to avoid that which is difficult I think we are deceiving ourselves. Given that I am not going to spend any time on “Why” people avoid hard physical work I can jump into what I think is the important question. How do Fire Service Warriors maximize their physical capacity?
The simplistic answer is that we develop our physical capacity through exercise. What is exercise though? If we look to the dictionary there are several definitions presented, but the most on target is that exercise is, “bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness.”[1] So, what then is physical fitness? Well, the same dictionary source just cited has no definition for physical fitness. The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports defines physical fitness as, “A set of attributes that people have or achieve relating to their ability to perform physical activity.”[2] By that definition I have a measure of fitness if I am in fact alive. I can be morbidly obese, paralyzed, or suffer from a host of other limitations, but because my heart is beating (a physical activity) I have some level of physical fitness. Does that strike you as a precise definition of being “physically fit”?
I think that the most precise definition I have found to date is that of the CrossFit™ community. According to Greg Glassman, founder of CrossFit, fitness is, “increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains.”[3] I think that as Fire Service Warriors this definition makes a lot of sense. We are expected to perform all of the ten physical skills that the founders of Dynamx medicine balls spelled out (and are a cornerstone of the CrossFit method): cardio respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, speed, power, accuracy, agility, balance, and coordination. We have to be able to apply these skills under time sensitive, high stress, potentially life threatening situations. These are the modal capacities in question. Additionally we have to be able to perform these skills for an undefined period of time; we do not know how long the emergency will last. All of this brings me to the core point of this post.
How do we achieve a level of physical capacity that will improve our ability to thrive on the modern fireground? Simple answer: through effective and challenging physical training that continually causes our bodies and our minds to adapt to ever increasing stresses. Is that going to be easy? No. Can we achieve it? You bet we will.
Right here at fireservicewarrior.com we are going to begin posting a fitness program that I call Fire Service Warrior Fitness, or as I post it on twitter FSWFitness.
What is FSWFitness?
FSWFitness is a programming model that is based on the foundations of the CrossFit methods I learned through using CrossFit and when I became a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer coupled with strength training programs I have found useful, and a dose of firefighting “sport specific” tasks. I write the programming and then do it as my programming BEFORE it will be posted on the website. This allows me to make sure the programming is realistic yet challenging.
It must be said that this program is not affiliated with CrossFit. We use their open source methods and exercises as a reference and resource and full credit is given to Coach Glassman and the CorssFit Team.
FSWFitness starts with the belief that when you are on duty you have a responsibility to advance your fitness but ultimately that you have to be READY to go if the bell rings. That means you should not be working out to a maximal capacity on duty. In our program your duty days are dedicated to a good warm-up, working on skills that will advance your fitness, and mobility work. One thing that firefighters tend to neglect is a solid stretching/flexibility/mobility component to their workouts. The facts are indisputable: Flexibility reduces injury potential, speeds recovery, and increases the longevity of the athlete to perform his or her sport. It is during your off duty time that you will work on making larger increases in your Strength, Stamina, and Work Capacity. Our program is based on those firefighters who work a 24-hour shift followed by 48-hours off. We offer up suggestions to modify the program for other shift options. When we post our work outs we will do so three days worth of programming at a time and identify which work outs are scheduled for which days.
Ultimately FSWFitness is our attempt to share with you as a resource what the Fire Service Warrior Team is doing to improve OUR fitness and capacity. This program may not be right for your goals. You could get hurt doing this improperly (or properly if you are being stupid). Caveat Emptor – Let the Buyer beware. We offer no warranty and assume no liability if you hurt yourself through attempting to use our program.
FSWFitness is a programming model that is based on the foundations of the CrossFit methods I learned through using CrossFit and when I became a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer coupled with strength training programs I have found useful, and a dose of firefighting “sport specific” tasks. I write the programming and then do it as my programming BEFORE it will be posted on the website. This allows me to make sure the programming is realistic yet challenging.
It must be said that this program is not affiliated with CrossFit. We use their open source methods and exercises as a reference and resource and full credit is given to Coach Glassman and the CorssFit Team.
FSWFitness starts with the belief that when you are on duty you have a responsibility to advance your fitness but ultimately that you have to be READY to go if the bell rings. That means you should not be working out to a maximal capacity on duty. In our program your duty days are dedicated to a good warm-up, working on skills that will advance your fitness, and mobility work. One thing that firefighters tend to neglect is a solid stretching/flexibility/mobility component to their workouts. The facts are indisputable: Flexibility reduces injury potential, speeds recovery, and increases the longevity of the athlete to perform his or her sport. It is during your off duty time that you will work on making larger increases in your Strength, Stamina, and Work Capacity. Our program is based on those firefighters who work a 24-hour shift followed by 48-hours off. We offer up suggestions to modify the program for other shift options. When we post our work outs we will do so three days worth of programming at a time and identify which work outs are scheduled for which days.
Ultimately FSWFitness is our attempt to share with you as a resource what the Fire Service Warrior Team is doing to improve OUR fitness and capacity. This program may not be right for your goals. You could get hurt doing this improperly (or properly if you are being stupid). Caveat Emptor – Let the Buyer beware. We offer no warranty and assume no liability if you hurt yourself through attempting to use our program.
When Do We Start?
Beginning June 1st, 2011 we will be posting our program here on the website. You can expect to find three days worth of programming posted each day along with suggestions for reference material to learn certain skills and suggestions to modify the schedule based on various shift schedules. We cannot custom tailor the program to every conceivable work schedule out there, so we assume that you will always keep in mind your DUTY TO ACT and restrain yourself from being too intense on duty.
Beginning June 1st, 2011 we will be posting our program here on the website. You can expect to find three days worth of programming posted each day along with suggestions for reference material to learn certain skills and suggestions to modify the schedule based on various shift schedules. We cannot custom tailor the program to every conceivable work schedule out there, so we assume that you will always keep in mind your DUTY TO ACT and restrain yourself from being too intense on duty.
Can I Jump Right In?
The FSWFitness program is designed for an individual who has a solid understanding of functional movements, experience with power lifting and Olympic weightlifting styles, and a capacity to perform bodyweight exercises. In general we would recommend that you have six months of experience with doing workouts from Crossfit.com, SEALFit.com, or a similar program, under the guidance of a coach. That being said, if you are intelligent in your implementation of our programming model, learn the movements before attempting to perform them under load, and ramp up your physical fitness prior to engaging in higher intensity bouts of training you can do so. You are a full grown adult and responsible for your choices and actions.
Be a student of your own body and your own fitness and make sure you are doing things properly. Well executed technique should be your primary objective.
The FSWFitness program is designed for an individual who has a solid understanding of functional movements, experience with power lifting and Olympic weightlifting styles, and a capacity to perform bodyweight exercises. In general we would recommend that you have six months of experience with doing workouts from Crossfit.com, SEALFit.com, or a similar program, under the guidance of a coach. That being said, if you are intelligent in your implementation of our programming model, learn the movements before attempting to perform them under load, and ramp up your physical fitness prior to engaging in higher intensity bouts of training you can do so. You are a full grown adult and responsible for your choices and actions.
Be a student of your own body and your own fitness and make sure you are doing things properly. Well executed technique should be your primary objective.
Why Don’t You Tell Me How Much Weight To Lift?
Strength is a very individual capacity. In designing this program we make no assumptions about your current experience with strength training or your capacity to move heavy loads. If you have a background in lifting you will incorporate this programming model in with the knowledge of what your 5, 3, and 1 repetition maximum (5RM, 3RM, 1RM) lifts are. If you do not have a lifting background and don’t already have this data recorded then we recommend that you start off by spending six months following a novice lifting program like Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength Basic Barbell Training (with Lon Kilgore). You can visit Coach Rip’s http://startingstrength.com/index.php for some good info on his program and order his books. Power lifting and Olympic lifting demand good form and technique if you are going to progress and not injure yourself. A couple of good sources for Olympic lifting are Coach Mike Burgener ‘s http://www.mikesgym.org/index.php and Coach Greg Everett’s http://www.cathletics.com/. There are a tremendous number of resources out there to learn these skills. We are not your coach, we are simply offering up for your use the program that we use for our fitness.
Strength is a very individual capacity. In designing this program we make no assumptions about your current experience with strength training or your capacity to move heavy loads. If you have a background in lifting you will incorporate this programming model in with the knowledge of what your 5, 3, and 1 repetition maximum (5RM, 3RM, 1RM) lifts are. If you do not have a lifting background and don’t already have this data recorded then we recommend that you start off by spending six months following a novice lifting program like Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength Basic Barbell Training (with Lon Kilgore). You can visit Coach Rip’s http://startingstrength.com/index.php for some good info on his program and order his books. Power lifting and Olympic lifting demand good form and technique if you are going to progress and not injure yourself. A couple of good sources for Olympic lifting are Coach Mike Burgener ‘s http://www.mikesgym.org/index.php and Coach Greg Everett’s http://www.cathletics.com/. There are a tremendous number of resources out there to learn these skills. We are not your coach, we are simply offering up for your use the program that we use for our fitness.
Can I Mix FSWFitness Work Outs In With Other Programming?
You are a full grown adult with free will; you can do anything you want. Educate yourself, know your goals, and make the choice for yourself. I am not your mother.
You are a full grown adult with free will; you can do anything you want. Educate yourself, know your goals, and make the choice for yourself. I am not your mother.
There Is A Lot of Volume On The First “Off Day”, Why?
Firefighting challenges our capacity across all of the previously mentioned ten general physical skills. Additionally we often have to perform for periods of time up to 40 minutes without a significant rest or rehabilitation period. Our model is designed to push harder on your first day off shift to improve the capacity to function in that 40 minute window that NFPA 1500 allows for before formal rehab. During the Strength component of the day you should rest as needed between lifts. You are performing sets across (you add weight to the bar each time) and looking to “find” your 5 or 3 rep max. You last rep of your last set should be “almost” impossible to complete. Take a no more than a ten minute rest between the first and second components (this is based on the self-rehabilitation criteria published by NFPA) during which you hydrate.
We schedule it when we do to allow the maximal recovery time before you return to duty. That being said if you could not execute our hardest day two or three times in a day you need to ask yourself, “Would I be able to fight two or three fires in a day?” Our model provides a true “rest” day once every six days, however two additional days you are working at sub-maximal capacity. Your on-duty days are essentially active rest days that focus on warming up and mobility. There really is no such thing as “over training” there is just being under rested. If you are not making progress then you likely need more sleep, more food, or both.
Firefighting challenges our capacity across all of the previously mentioned ten general physical skills. Additionally we often have to perform for periods of time up to 40 minutes without a significant rest or rehabilitation period. Our model is designed to push harder on your first day off shift to improve the capacity to function in that 40 minute window that NFPA 1500 allows for before formal rehab. During the Strength component of the day you should rest as needed between lifts. You are performing sets across (you add weight to the bar each time) and looking to “find” your 5 or 3 rep max. You last rep of your last set should be “almost” impossible to complete. Take a no more than a ten minute rest between the first and second components (this is based on the self-rehabilitation criteria published by NFPA) during which you hydrate.
We schedule it when we do to allow the maximal recovery time before you return to duty. That being said if you could not execute our hardest day two or three times in a day you need to ask yourself, “Would I be able to fight two or three fires in a day?” Our model provides a true “rest” day once every six days, however two additional days you are working at sub-maximal capacity. Your on-duty days are essentially active rest days that focus on warming up and mobility. There really is no such thing as “over training” there is just being under rested. If you are not making progress then you likely need more sleep, more food, or both.
How Much Sleep Should I Get?
As much as possible. People slept nine or more hours a night even as recently as the early 1900’s. With the invention and proliferation of the electric light we have conquered the night and screwed ourselves up ever sense. At a minimum try and sleep seven to eight hours a night. Your body needs the sleep to recover from both the stress of training and the effects of day to day stress. I write pretty extensively about sleep deprivation and sleep debt in The Combat Position: Achieving Firefighter Readiness. Sleep deprivation increases your risks of heart disease and cancer, the same two conditions that are killing hundreds of firefighters a year. Lights Out, by T.S. Wiley is a reference for those who want to understand the way sleep has changed.
As much as possible. People slept nine or more hours a night even as recently as the early 1900’s. With the invention and proliferation of the electric light we have conquered the night and screwed ourselves up ever sense. At a minimum try and sleep seven to eight hours a night. Your body needs the sleep to recover from both the stress of training and the effects of day to day stress. I write pretty extensively about sleep deprivation and sleep debt in The Combat Position: Achieving Firefighter Readiness. Sleep deprivation increases your risks of heart disease and cancer, the same two conditions that are killing hundreds of firefighters a year. Lights Out, by T.S. Wiley is a reference for those who want to understand the way sleep has changed.
You Say I’m Supposed To Do “Mobility” Every Day, What Do I Do?
We have already mentioned that increased flexibility improves performance, recovery, and longevity. As such we write into the program 10 to 15 minutes of mobility/flexibility/stretching work after every work out. This is vital to improving your physical resiliency and should be of benefit in reducing your injury risk both on and off duty. I recommend you visit http://www.mobilitywod.com and follow along from Day 1 of their programming. It is comprehensive and instructive. That being said any stretching routine that works to improve your overall flexibility, head-to-toe, will be of benefit. Yoga is a particularly effective means of improving flexibility. Find a system that works for you.
We have already mentioned that increased flexibility improves performance, recovery, and longevity. As such we write into the program 10 to 15 minutes of mobility/flexibility/stretching work after every work out. This is vital to improving your physical resiliency and should be of benefit in reducing your injury risk both on and off duty. I recommend you visit http://www.mobilitywod.com and follow along from Day 1 of their programming. It is comprehensive and instructive. That being said any stretching routine that works to improve your overall flexibility, head-to-toe, will be of benefit. Yoga is a particularly effective means of improving flexibility. Find a system that works for you.
What Should I Eat?
The old adage “You are what you eat,” is absolutely accurate. If you eat foods that are pro-inflammatory, increase insulin response, or lead to metabolic derangement then you are going to see negative outcomes. Nutrition is the foundation of health and performance. I use a Paleolithic (Paleo) Diet that tries to mimic the way 2 million years of human evolution adapted homo-sapiens to fuel themselves. The basic prescription is to eat REAL FOOD. If you cannot eat all the ingredients in your meal in their natural state you are not eating real food. This means avoiding all grains, most legumes, and most dairy. Think about a loaf of bread, you cannot eat the flour that is the majority component without mixing it with five or six other things to make it palatable. If you simply shoveled a cup of flour in your mouth you are going to vomit. That’s because your body sees this as poison.
I am not a nutritionist but I have done my research and have seen the changes in my performance from making the switch to eating Meat and Vegetables, some Fruit, moderate consumption of Nuts and Seeds, and avoiding processed Sugars roughly 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time I will gladly have pizza, ice cream, alcohol, Cadbury Cream Eggs, and all sorts of delicious yet not particularly healthy options. I agree with what Coach Mark Divine says over at his SEALFit.com site, “Life is too short to be perfect.”
I would recommend you do your research. Go read Robb Wolf’s The Paleo Solution, and check out his website http://robbwolf.com/. Visit Loren Cordain’s http://thepaleodiet.com/ and his books The Paleo Diet and The Paleo Diet for Athletes. Find Gary Taube’s book Good Calories Bad Calories and you will get a very good sense of what you should be eating. My rule is that if didn’t have a soul and you can’t eat it right off the vine/tree/plant be very aware of what you are using to fuel yourself; for example potatoes, yams, and the like are edible carbohydrates that you need to “prepare” by peeling and cooking to eat so even these should be consumed in moderation. You will be burning a lot of energy, eat what you need to perform.
Oh, and drink plenty of water.
The old adage “You are what you eat,” is absolutely accurate. If you eat foods that are pro-inflammatory, increase insulin response, or lead to metabolic derangement then you are going to see negative outcomes. Nutrition is the foundation of health and performance. I use a Paleolithic (Paleo) Diet that tries to mimic the way 2 million years of human evolution adapted homo-sapiens to fuel themselves. The basic prescription is to eat REAL FOOD. If you cannot eat all the ingredients in your meal in their natural state you are not eating real food. This means avoiding all grains, most legumes, and most dairy. Think about a loaf of bread, you cannot eat the flour that is the majority component without mixing it with five or six other things to make it palatable. If you simply shoveled a cup of flour in your mouth you are going to vomit. That’s because your body sees this as poison.
I am not a nutritionist but I have done my research and have seen the changes in my performance from making the switch to eating Meat and Vegetables, some Fruit, moderate consumption of Nuts and Seeds, and avoiding processed Sugars roughly 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time I will gladly have pizza, ice cream, alcohol, Cadbury Cream Eggs, and all sorts of delicious yet not particularly healthy options. I agree with what Coach Mark Divine says over at his SEALFit.com site, “Life is too short to be perfect.”
I would recommend you do your research. Go read Robb Wolf’s The Paleo Solution, and check out his website http://robbwolf.com/. Visit Loren Cordain’s http://thepaleodiet.com/ and his books The Paleo Diet and The Paleo Diet for Athletes. Find Gary Taube’s book Good Calories Bad Calories and you will get a very good sense of what you should be eating. My rule is that if didn’t have a soul and you can’t eat it right off the vine/tree/plant be very aware of what you are using to fuel yourself; for example potatoes, yams, and the like are edible carbohydrates that you need to “prepare” by peeling and cooking to eat so even these should be consumed in moderation. You will be burning a lot of energy, eat what you need to perform.
Oh, and drink plenty of water.
What Should I Expect This Program To Do For Me?
You should expect this program to improve your fireground performance, reduce your risk of injury (reduce people, not eliminate), and improve your ability to enjoy your retirement by maintaining a level of fitness that will help you avoid dying young. That being said this program is not designed to make you a competitive weightlifter, runner, rower, swimmer, gymnast or anything else. We have a sport as Fire Service Warriors and that is Fire Fighting. This program should help you advance your fitness and your fireground performance.
You should expect this program to improve your fireground performance, reduce your risk of injury (reduce people, not eliminate), and improve your ability to enjoy your retirement by maintaining a level of fitness that will help you avoid dying young. That being said this program is not designed to make you a competitive weightlifter, runner, rower, swimmer, gymnast or anything else. We have a sport as Fire Service Warriors and that is Fire Fighting. This program should help you advance your fitness and your fireground performance.
How Do I Know It’s Working?
I keep a very detailed log of my sleep, fitness, and diet. I record the number of hours I sleep a night, what I am doing for fitness training each day, and what I am eating and when. I do not weigh and measure my food, usually, and I never worry about calories. What I do track is food quality and use that to measure my 80/20 rule compliance with eating good meals. You can only measure your progress if you are keeping track of the data: how much weight did you move, how fast did you complete the work out, how many times a day did you eat clean? You can post your results in the comments of each day’s work out at well and share them with us. Part of being a Fire Service Warrior is being accountable to one another.
I keep a very detailed log of my sleep, fitness, and diet. I record the number of hours I sleep a night, what I am doing for fitness training each day, and what I am eating and when. I do not weigh and measure my food, usually, and I never worry about calories. What I do track is food quality and use that to measure my 80/20 rule compliance with eating good meals. You can only measure your progress if you are keeping track of the data: how much weight did you move, how fast did you complete the work out, how many times a day did you eat clean? You can post your results in the comments of each day’s work out at well and share them with us. Part of being a Fire Service Warrior is being accountable to one another.
So, that is the biggest new project we are pushing out. There are other programs in the works that we will be deploying over the course of the summer but I really believe that it is only though improving our fitness across the board that we can make any measurable change in Firefighter Injuries and Line of Duty Deaths. Oh, and I don’t honestly care if you decide to follow this program or not. All I can do is put the best information out there I can and encourage you to be better than you are today. If you have a technique or skill you think we should add to the program send me an email thefireservicewarrior@gmail.com and we will try it out. For each of you who think that you are in “good enough” physical shape I would say this: ask yourself if your family would be able to stand over your coffin at your wake and say, “Well, there is no way he could have been in better shape.” If they can’t, then you aren’t there yet.
Let us know how the programming is working for you once we roll it out. Cheers.
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