Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tara Mitchell on October 21, 2009 at 10:23am

Hi! Natalie
Yes I do two. One is better than the other both are relevant in different ways. The first one is kettlebell lifting great for lifting, endurance and strength and the second one is boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts is a great stress reliever and great for strength and cardio. Good Luck!
Tara

Permalink Reply by katcraw on October 21, 2009 at 11:43am

LOTS of cardio! When I started, endurance was the biggest factor because of my smaller size. Finding resistance exercises you are comfortable with that build up your leg muscles is key, as are working on doing pushups, working your abdominal muscles really well & making sure you have good flexibility. In our academy we ran quite a bit, so if you aren't fast jogging/slow running yet you might start. Hope this helps! :)

Permalink Reply by Natalie Donato on October 25, 2009 at 1:29am

@Terra:
Thank you both for your input, I have heard that both kickboxing and kettle bells are a great work out, I will have to try that out sometime. I just find myself at the gym not quite knowing what I should be doing to prepare myself adequately.

@katcraw:
Thank you for the great suggestions, I have been working a lot on cardio and endurance as far as running longer and harder than I previously tried. I do need to work on the flexibility side of life though, for a female, I have horrible flexibility. But I will definitely get to work on that one.

Any other random tips or suggestions either of you have are greatly appreciated!

Permalink Reply by Derek R. on October 25, 2009 at 10:07am

Hey, me again.
Cardio is a big thing. Sounds like you mihgt have that under control. Going to the gym is a great idea. They must have someone there that can help you out in what you are looking to achieve. A lot of it can be done at home. I bought a chin up bar for $25. Have it put up in a doorwy that has the most traffic. Everytime I walk through the doorway, I'm up on the bar, doing as many as I can, and alternate from normal to reverse grip each time through. It's good for arms, shoulders, abs. I also do MMA and find that it's great all around. Also, something I found useful is mountain biking. Find a hiking trail and take a bike on it. I won't go on and on, but one thing you should also focus on is your lower back. Also check out p90x and the like. I have that too, it's insane.

Permalink Reply by Spanner 122 on February 6, 2010 at 10:24am

crossfit.com

Take a look. Do not attempt some of the exercises if you aren't sure how to do them, as they can cause injury if executed improperly. But take a look and see what you think. Start at your own pace, do not use the weights prescribed, as they are usually for men who have been at it for a while.

OR

Major muscle group exercises, lower reps, high weight to gain strength. When trying to add strength I have always used technical failure as my guide and it works great. For instance;
squats - 4 sets of 5
Use a weight that you can just get the 5th one out with perfect form and feel that you could perhaps do one more. It takes a little time to find this weight. Do not max out.
The program that worked best for me when trying to gain strength was 2 lifting days, very basic, 4 days apart. You do not need to do 4 back exercises, three bicep exercises, etc, it's overkill.
Google some basic strength gaining workouts until you find one you think will work for you and give it a try.
Be consistent and work at it for at least three months, changing it slightly each month, before you decide if it is doing anything for you.

Also, to build your ability to recover easily, run or bike a few days a week, plus one day of intervals. 2 minutes on as hard as you can maintain, 2 minutes off x 5. When this is complete, jog at a nice slow pace for up to 20 minutes to recover!

Good luck! One of the most important, and often forgotten, aspects of firefighting is fitness!

Permalink Reply by Ashby Beach on April 22, 2010 at 2:59pm

Being active in the gym is great, but I also try to throw in crunches and PUSH-UPS (because I struggle with upper body strength) every day. Just while watching TV, or before I jump in the shower, I try to do 3 sets of push-ups. I know being a mom and wife sometimes getting the gym can be very challenging, but that doesn't have to prevent me from getting some mini-workouts in every day.

I also like to do yoga once a week. It really helps with stretching and maintaining a sound mind. Kinda like therapy.

Best wishes!

Permalink Reply by Rachel on December 29, 2010 at 9:17am

I do 60 crunches and 20 push-ups, before bed and I try to do the same once I wake up.