Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Bierling on March 26, 2009 at 12:39pm

Hello Irish Guy,
Thanks for your post. As you know, your fitness is an important part of your performance; however, I believe your wellness is the real key to improved performance, endurance, and energy. We have not been taught to focus on wellness nor have we learned much about nutrition. Adequate nutrition (which we don’t get from our food) and changing our pH from acid to alkaline are the essentials to good health and excellent performance. The exercises are important, of course. I would highly recommend putting even more focus on your wellness. I have and it’s been an amazing experience for me. I'm 61 and have a better level of performance than when I was 40. Thanks, John
John@IncidentMT.com

Permalink Reply by Some Irish Guy on March 26, 2009 at 8:40pm

Thanks for your input, and a very interesting post. I'm gradually making the change over to a more healthy, active lifestyle, but what do you mean about nutrition you can't get from food and pH balance? Do you have any specific suggestions for diet and lifestyle changes that would help me improve my strength and endurance?

Permalink Reply by ggraham@towngbw.ca on May 6, 2009 at 2:31pm

pull ups, overhead presses, upright rows, weighted dips really hit the upper body hard. these exercises are more of the functional strength training that we should be focusing on.

Permalink Reply by Diana Pagnotta on December 30, 2009 at 2:15am

Check out CrossFit. It's a total exercise regiment geared specifically toward Police and Firel It's not just about strength, but conditioning, endurance and overall excellence. I found out about it when I was in physical therapy after an on the job shoulder injury. When my trainer found out I was a firefighter, he started me right away on a series of simple tasks that would not only help get my shoulder back in shape but work on my conditioning, since I had been out for 2 months, I needed it! It completely changed how I worked out. I strongly suggest it to anyone in the fire service. Check it out first hand at crossfit.com. You will be glad you did!....Diana

Permalink Reply by Christopher Snider on March 1, 2010 at 9:49pm

If you could only do 2 exercises.....Push-up & Prisoner Squat. If you could do 4...Pull-up & Chin-up....Ladder work: Seated Dumb Bell Press.... For overall symmetry, use the same weight that you use for Dumbbell & Hammer curls...

Chris Snider
Group Fitness Guy for some FD in FL.

Permalink Reply by Damo on August 5, 2010 at 9:00am

I agree with John Bierling, start with your nutrition first. That will make the biggest difference to your work out. There are a huge amount of different training programs out there, as I am sure you are aware. But, none of them will work well without sorting out your eating habits.

I am very result oriented and need a lot of motivation for my work outs. So, three weeks ago I started a program called stronglifts 5x5, and I am eating 6 small meals a day instead of three way to big meals a day. The program makes you do 5 sets of 5 reps and increases the weights each time you go to the gym. I have seen vast improvements in the last three weeks over the many times I have worked out in the past. This program is all about building strength and not all about bulking up and being the biggest you can be.

Make sure you do an all over workout plan and not just aim for the muscles you think you need the most. I laugh at some of the guys in my gym that can lift huge weights with their arms and chest and have these little skinny legs poking out their shorts. It always starts from the ground up.

Permalink Reply by EDUARDO ESCUDERO on January 12, 2011 at 2:55pm

Dear John
Very interesting your point of view. I`m 44 years old, ff volunteer, and i would like to know where I can find the difference between acid and alkaline food.
many thanks in advance
Eduardo from Chile

Permalink Reply by Heather on April 18, 2013 at 8:33pm

I have done that only my workout was you increase the weight every rep so you do 20 reps @ I started 50lbs then 18 reps @ 60 lbs and so on. so you added weight but dropped rep by two! I saw fast results. and if I couldn't add anymore weight I'd just try to break my record the next day. But I was on a very high protein diet and ate 6-7 meals a day considering my Protein drink as a meal replacement. that's what my personal trainer had me do.