Are you fit? Do you look fit? Do you project an acceptable picture of what a firefighter and/or medic should look like? What about the people around you?
Are some of your peers just as big as some of the obese patients we ALL complain about having to pick up?
It has taken me thirteen years to get it, but I have finally understood what it means to be fit. I am not yet ahead of the game, but I am getting there. When I came to my department, I was 22 years old. I was young, dumb, and knew everything. I was living my dream and didn’t have to exercise to maintain my weight.
Now, thirteen years later I am older, smarter, and know a little bit. I am still living my dream, but I have to watch what I eat and exercise to maintain my weight.
I have wrote a little bit about working out since I began, but I am not a trainer or a dietitian, or even much of a motivator. The best I can do is share information from my motivators (they are below). This is one great post about motivation.
If you are one of our “more senior” firefighters and are looking for some motivation and reason for working out…read this article. EMSWorld.com offers this workout special suited for women.
I began changing my eating habits over a year ago. I brought some of those changes to the firehouse. I began working out in December. I have not looked back. It took months to begin working out in the firehouse. This is just one major change in my life.
Aaron Parker, myself, and David Lucas working out at the firehouse.
Trending now…getting fit
Yesterday at the firehouse, we were speaking about how so many firefighters in our department have embraced working out in some form or fashion. It is apparently the trend. Hopefully this trend will morph into lifestyle changes. One of our guys has lost over 100 lbs. through the weigh-station and cross-fit. He looks remarkable. Whole crews are heading to the gym, making use of the firehouse gyms, doing P90X or Insanity, and/or working out on their days off. Luckily for our firehouse, we have a Gold’s Gym in our 1st run territory. It just so happens that of the two Gold’s Gyms in Roanoke, ours offers firefighters free memberships. We are grateful and work out on duty when we can.
We could not put our finger on a catalyst for the change that can be seen department wide. We just relished in the thought that it was pretty freakin awesome at what was going on.
Here are some links you might want to check out in relation to strength, conditioning, eating right, and working out. You can thank the FB fans for some of these links! If you are just getting started, read this article first.
Fire Service Warrior- TacFitFirefighter.com
- Firefighter-fit.com
- FireWod.com
- IAFF Fit to Survive
- Crossfit Firefighters
- Crossfit
- Jim Wendler
- Starting Strength
- CutandJacked.com
- Here is a decent article on training to be fit and ready
- Fit to Fight Fire
One other note…
Willie and I went to the memorial service of a fallen brother the other night. We paid our respects to the wife and children of a fallen brother. What stuck in my head was how Willie was not able to let one thing go out of his mind.
He kept asking me if I had photoshopped a recent picture of myself I used in this post. He said that there was no way those arms belonged to me. He would not let it rest.
I want to be completely honest with you guys…those are real….and much smaller than I wish they were…but much larger than the little girly man Willie Wines Jr.
He went so far as to have some fun with the topic and wrote about it here.
Now I can take him in a spelling contest AND an arm wrestling contest. Suck it Wines!
Glad to see this post! I hope it is a continuing trend. I’ve wonder myself what spark the change. Whatever it is/was I hope other departments follow!
A large portion of our Department, in the “bubble”, have jumped on this train also. Including myself! I feel like the explosion of “unconventional” type workouts (Insanity, Crossfit, P90x) and so forth, have really played a role in people becoming interested in working out. The, pick heavy things up and put them down routine, just got old. See you at the Tough Mudder Bugg!
Some other good sites…www.engineCo22.net
http://Www.firegroundfitness.com
I hope it becomes a lifestyle rather than a trend….this is a part of our LODD problem that WE can control, no excuses get to work.
I wish there was any kind of focus or stress put on the fact that we need to be in shape to do our job. Unfortunately, in my department there is nothing from the leadership and few people feel they need to especially since they don’t have to. I make an effort to stay in shape but feel I will ways need more work and I will help anyone to get there no matter what level they’re at. Unfortunately, I may end up trying to save someone who just became part of the problem instead of part of the solution because of their fitness level or lack thereof.
I have more guys starting to work out at my department. Some because they have to, but other because they want to. I’ve started reading “The Combat Position” by Chris Brennan and what an eye opener! Great reading for anyone interested. Being 37 and realizing that I can’t keep up with the young pups anymore drives me to get back into shape. I want to be the “old” guy that’s running circles around everyone.