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<\/p>\nI heard someone once say running long and slow teaches your body one thing, how to run long and slow. If that’s all you’re after, you can stop reading; I don’t want you to be late for your water aerobics class (lol, just kidding).\u00a0 But, as a fire rescue athlete,\u00a0 you need to move quickly and with purpose. \u00a0I\u2019m not saying that long and slow cardio is totally worthless, I\u2019m saying it has its place.\u00a0 In fact, I recommend performing a lower intensity, longer cardio workout at least once or twice a week to flush the muscles.\u00a0 But, what I am talking about here is training your body and your heart to function under higher intensity.<\/p>\n
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The purpose of any firefighter\u2019s cardiovascular program should be to help them work more efficiently under the stresses encountered every day on the job, be it on the fire or rescue ground.\u00a0 I feel that interval training is a great way to do that.\u00a0 Intervals raise our maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max), which, simply put, is the greatest amount of oxygen our bodies can use during maximum aerobic effort. Firefighters who can work longer before they reach their VO2 max will be able to accomplish more on the fireground.\u00a0\u00a0 Intervals also help the body to more efficiently flush muscles of lactic acid.\u00a0 We develop a build-up of lactic acid and hydrogen ions that are associated with the burning sensation we feel in our muscles when under heavy physical stress.\u00a0 It has been shown that trained individuals will clear lactate faster than those who aren\u2019t trained and will therefore feel less pain when undergoing physical exertion.\u00a0 The bottom line: We want to build a cardiovascular training program that enables us to work longer and harder with less physical pain when it really counts and intervals are a great way to do that.<\/p>\n
So, today, I wanted to give you a couple of interval workout options.\u00a0 One option you can do at any gym (or home) by yourself.\u00a0 The second option you can do with your crew (or by yourself) at the firehouse.\u00a0 \u00a0As you read the workouts below, you may notice I don’t talk about strict percentages like 80% maximum heart rate or at RPE (rate of perceived exertion). It\u2019s not that I am opposed to using heart rate or RPE as a guide; it\u2019s just that sometimes we get wrapped up at looking at our certain percentages we forget how to truly listen to our bodies and \u201cpush it.\u201d<\/p>\n
These workouts do not require a lot of equipment.\u00a0 The first option can done on any cardio piece, a stairwell or track, where it is easy to control your speed or level and watch a clock. The “Crew\/ Fireground” interval uses a wide variety of equipment from your own bodyweight to objects commonly found around the firehouse.\u00a0 Do these correctly, and your heart will be \u201cfit for duty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Make sure you perform an active warm-up before beginning each workout.\u00a0 You will want to perform at least 4 different movements to prepare your body and heart for the workout.\u00a0 You can click here for more information about the active warm-up.<\/a><\/p>\n Basic Interval Workout:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Start with 10 minutes at whatever you consider a moderate exercise and pace (bike, stairs, run, walk).\u00a0 When you’re at your highest intensity level, you should be moving like somebody’s chasing you, as fast as you can. When your five sets are over, do another 10 minutes at your moderate pace.\u00a0 Make sure to stretch and foam roll following.\u00a0 Total workout time is 30- 35\u00a0 minutes.<\/p>\n ***Note that if the minute intervals are too difficult at first, drop the high intensity time to 30 seconds and gradually try to work up to 1 minute.<\/p>\n Crew\/ Fireground Interval Workouts<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The Crew\/ Fireground Interval workout day is a great way to incorporate different exercises to keep you interested and can be fun (yep, working out can be fun).\u00a0 \u00a0You can set-up 6 different exercises and perform them 4 rounds, or 8 exercises for 3 rounds.\u00a0 \u00a0When beginning these intervals, I would recommend starting with 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest for each set.\u00a0 As your fitness levels progress you can decrease the rest and increase the work times.\u00a0\u00a0The exercises you choose will be based on what equipment you have available and personal preference.\u00a0 \u00a0These exercises can be anything you want (fire ground related).\u00a0 Here are some examples:\u00a0 crawling, sledging, carries, rowing, dragging, pushing, pulling, any exercise that gets your heart going.<\/p>\n Here is an example workout I did with my crew the other day.\u00a0 We set-up 6 stations and performed them in a circuit for 4 rounds.\u00a0 We used the 30 seconds of work and 20 seconds of recovery interval.\u00a0 Here are the exercises we performed:<\/p>\n We performed an active warm-up and foam rolled to prep for the workout and finished with one of the 4 minutes of foam rolling and stretching.\u00a0 The total workout time was a little over just 30 minutes (quick and easy).\u00a0 This is just an example, you can choose different exercises and change the times.\u00a0 Get creative and have fun with the workouts.\u00a0 I think this is a great way to get the entire crew working on their fitness.<\/p>\n I hope these options help you get more fit for duty.\u00a0 If you create other cardio interval options, I would love to hear about it.\u00a0 Please contact me and let me know your feedback.<\/p>\n I am on a mission to help motivate and educate 100,000 firefighters, EMTs and medics get fit for duty.\u00a0 Let me know how I can help you!<\/p>\n Stay safe and Get FRF,<\/p>\n Aaron Zamzow<\/p>\n Fire Rescue Fitness has workout programs that will help first responders lose weight, gain strength, lose bodyfat and most importantly improve performance on (and off) the fire\/rescue scene. \u00a0\u00a0To discover the best program for you, take the FRF workout quiz (click the link below<\/a>).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/firerescuefitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/run-1.5-mile.png?resize=183%2C224\")
You should be able to talk in short bursts, but not carry on a normal conversation. As soon as the 10 minutes are up, move (increase speed or level) as fast and furiously as you can for 60 seconds. When the 60 seconds are up, drop your intensity down to a manageable pace (or level) for another 60 seconds, and then take off again. Do this five times.<\/p>\n\n
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