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I recently started a workout program called 5/3/1 created by strength athlete Jim Wendler. The program is as basic as it gets and produces great results. This program is not ideal for beginners as you need to know proper technique and your abilities. It is based on the 4 basic lifts; Standing Military Press, Dead Lift, Squat and Bench. You perform 3 sets 1 time a week of each move followed by 2-3 high rep accessory moves. The program even allows for you to go into the gym and only performed the prescribed reps for that day then go home. You w/o 3-4 days a week and you pick the days, just don't go more than 2 days in a row. The great part about this program it is all prescribed numbers. No guess work, NO MODIFYING!!. Just follow the program. Its easy to follow and kicks your butt in the gym. You then can add KB's, cardio, whatever on the off days just as long as you don't lift. This is great program for workouts at the house. You can easily workout with others if your numbers are close. Google 5/3/1 to check it out for your self.

Yesterday I was on a medical and had another responder with me. We had the situation under control and ALS enroute. Another responder arrived on scene a few minutes later. I had already completed SAMPLE, OPQRST and got other purdient information from by-standers. While this was all said and done the 3rd responder was asking questions that were not relavent to the symptoms. After the patient was TOT ALS he asked the other responder why I didn't ask some particular question. The reason: If you hear hoof beats think horses not zebras! The questions he had were not relevant to the patient nor the issues on scene. Not saying that some additional information is a bad thing, but when you're a first responder and you're dealing with ON SCENE issues, you treat the patient not diagnois. We all Monday Morning Quarterback, that's how we learn. When your on scene treat what's in front of you...not what you want it to be.

10.24.2009- Firefighter Combat Challenge:
Sorry for no updates. The past few weeks I have been focused on the challenge. October 17th I ran a 2:49 in EvansvilleIndiana. My PR was 3:16(lexington, ky). So I was happy for the improvement but it wasn't a number I was shooting for. I wanted a sub 2:30. The day before the event I had the pleasure of having a 1 on 1 training session with a FFCC Elitist David Bowman of Charlotte (NC) Fire. He had some great advice and his enthusiam for the challenge makes you want to work even harder. I was able to improve my 'hoist', which was a issue for me in KY, but wasnt able to put into practice some of his other tips and tricks. This winter Im going to work harder and practice what I learned. Come 2010 I want to dominate the course at every event I travel to! Train Hard-er. -chris

10.08.2009- Kettlebells Old School Strength:
The kettlebell, a simple device for manufacturing functional strength. What I love about kettlebells is the variety of workouts you can do. You can rock it old school with some jerks or go new school with some warrior or ballistic moves. You can vary your intensity without sacrificing the amount of weight you work with. KB's work the entire body with focus on the core, which for firefighting is extremely important. I like to do circuits with KB's for not only my regular workouts but for COMBAT CHALLENGE prep work as well. A sample round would be: 3 minutes of swings, 3 minutes of snatches and 5 minutes on the stair stepper X3. Right there you have all muscles firing plus some cardio/stamina/endurance work. Let me see you get that out of a Bowflex. Their are tons of great resources out there for kettlebells..take a look!! - chris

10.07.2009- Metabolism Broken Down:
Your metabolism is defined as "Biochemical processes that occur within us. Metabolism consists both of anabolism and catabolism (the buildup and breakdown of substances, respectively). The term is commonly used to refer specifically to the breakdown of food and its transformation into energy." Why is this important to you? Food is fuel. Metabolism is the refining process that turns the macro-nutrients into the products that we burn. The easiest way to explain how this works is a Fire Analogy.

1. You start a fire. Its hot, its burning good. You apply a 500gpm master stream to it, it puts the fire out fast.
2. You start a fire. Its hot, its burning good. You apply the hose reel at 12gpm..the fire keeps burning.

This is your metabolism. When you wake up your metabolism is burning hot, wanting fuel. Feed the fire!!! In 2-3 hours feed it again, keep the fire burning. Keep this going all day, with the right foods of course. This will help keep your energy levels up. This is also the best way to burn fat. Eating 3 squares a day will store extra calories as fat rather than burning it off. This can be attributed to the feast-famine gene we possess as mammals. Like a bear storing up for hibernation, we store it as fat for when foods are scarce. Understanding metabolism is just another tool to help keep the all too often Heart Attack LODD out of your house. -chris

10.06.2009 - Super diet for Super Men:
To perform at our best we need to be properly fueled. The job usually dictates when we can sit and eat. With a little prep work and know how we can eat right. I'll start out by laying down what we need each day. An active 180lb man (firefighter) needs around 3500-4500 calories a day. These calories should come from macro-nutrients; carbs, fats and protein. 60/40/10 is a good ratio. 60% from carbs, 40% protein and 10% HEALTHY Fats. Carbs should be around 500 grams, protein 200 grams. These numbers will supply you with enough energy to work and recover. Carbs should be heavier first thing after waking and after working (a job or exercise). Your meals should also be smaller and more frequent. 6-8 a day rather than 3 square. An example for a 24 hour shift:

Breakfast: 4 egg whites 1 whole egg 1 cup oatmeal 1 cup juice
Mid-Morning Snack: 1 piece of fruit and handful of almonds
Lunch: Tuna Fish on whole grain bread and fruit/veggies
Mid Afternoon Snack: Protein Shake
Dinner: Chicken Breast, Steamed Veggies
Snack: Plain yogurt with fruit
Pre-Bed (if needed): Protein Shake or cottage cheese or tuna fish (not sandwich)
WATER through out the day, about 1 liter is a good goal.
The pre-bed protein shake will be there for you when you have a run in the middle of the night. Casein protein (slow) would be the best choose here.

Not too hard is it?? Planning takes a lot of the guess work out of it. Pre packaged foods (the kind you pack at home, yourself) are a great way to keep you fueled up and on track. Fruit, nuts, shakes etc. can go with you on the rig if needed, before or after a run. Give it a try...you will see for your self that your performance on and off the fire ground will improve. DISCLAIMER: I'm not a dietician, this information is based on what I have learned and used my self. Consult a qualified health professional before taking on any diet and exercise program.