My workout

[adam18]

Thanks to all who responed to my workout question b4. After all the reading I have decided to make my own workout. Feel free to add and/or critique it as you wish. 10 minutes of cardio(bike, eliptical, stair machine) right to upper body wts. Not big just plenty of reps(im still not sure what is appropriate here for reps). I do the Jammer machine, lat pulls, curls, an excersise that simulates hose drag, pec machine, fireman press. I then go back and do 10 more minutes of cardio, and get right to legs. calf, and hamstring, leg sled. I then do 10 more minutes of cardio, and then walk a little with weights in my hand, and then with nothing to cool down. Oh and I do warm up/strech b4 I start. I do some crawiling exercises before, to strengthen and simulate duckwalking and that sort of thing. I guess Im still wondering if Im doing things in the right order, as well as the reps. Whats appropriate for light weights? The first time I did 10 of each, but I think15-20 is appropriate. Also I want to incorporate some good back exercises into the routiene, maybe after the last 10 minutes of cardio. I dont have many good back excercises, but it is a leading injury in the fire service. Also is splitting the cardio up in 10 min intervals good/bad? I dont have access to a personal trainer at the gym, so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[gmillerNVFD25]

When it comes to reps, it depends on what you are going for. If you want to gain muscle mass, then High weight and low reps (5-10). Middle ground would be 10-15. and above that you are doing more "toning" than gaining strength.

If you have the time, i would split up your cardio from your weight training. Do 30 (or more) minutes of cardio M/W/F, and your weight training T/TH/Sat, or whatever works for you. If you have to do them both on the same day, many folks say that doing weights first is important, as your muscles don't work as hard (because they are tired) after cardio, hence you don't get as good a workout. (i haven't really noticed a difference, but thats what the "experts" say.)

One of the best ways to strengthen your back (atleast your lower back) is to do a lot of Abdominal workouts.

Anyway, find a routine that you like, do it for a month or two, then change it up, because you don't want your body to become used to doing the same thing.

[MEAN15]

What is a fireman press??

[adam18]

Found it on a website. Im sure there is a more conventional name for the excersice, but you take a dumbell, and while on one knee, press the dumbell from your schoulder until your arm extends. It is supposed to simulate using a pike pole, or to gain endurance for jobs similar to that wroking with different tools above your head.

[lrg500]

Adam18--What website did you find it on?

[Drjmilus]

Low Back Strength!!! Right HERE!

Support of the low back is very important. If you have had trouble with your low back, it might be due to weak, untrained muscles in your core. When you are NOT having a low back pain episode is when to start these exercises. So- if you are in pain, get out of pain first, and then start on this!

In order to protect your low back in awkward situation, I suggest training in four “ranges of motion”. I will show and explain four very simple exercises to work: forward flexion, rotation, lateral flexion, and extension.

Forward Flexion and Rotation: I find the best, fastest and most effective exercise to be bicycle abs. There is a picture and an explanation of them on one of my sites.

http://www.girlslax.org/circuit_training_boys.html

The other content on that page might not apply to you, but this exercise will. Start with 4 sets of 50. Aim at 10 sets of 100 over several months. Yep- that's a lot. If you do a set of 50 (later work up towards100) between sets of all your other exercises, its' easy to get done.

Extension: The Extensors of the low back can be trained either on a ball, as shown at the bottom of this page http://www.girlslax.org/circuit_training_boys.html or on the hyper extension bench in the gym. Here’s a pic of the hyper-extension bench, under event #3 on this site: http://www.fireagility.com/cpat_events.php Note, the bench in this photo is being used in lateral flexion. I intend that you use the bench face down here. You would hook the backs of your heels under the same place where you see my feel braced. Flex forward, arms over your chest. Come up only to straight. It is called a hyperextension bench, but DO NOT hyperextend. Come up only to straight/level with your legs/the floor. Hold for 2 seconds, and lower slowly. Start with 2 sets of 10, and work up over several months to 4 sets of 20. You may add weight later. If your bench is at an angle, with your feet down, this exercise will be a lot easier, and you will need to hold a weight to your chest. By the way, this exercise and make your hamstrings really sore. Stretch them when you are done!

Lateral Flexion: Take a look again at the lateral flexion bench picture here: http://www.fireagility.com/cpat_events.php As shown in this picture, your hip is right in the middle of the pad to the caudal end. There should be a split there in the bench for it. Your feet should be wrapped around the post at that end of the bench. Top leg should be back. Keep your range of motion small at first, and make it bigger over months as you get stronger. Start with a set of 6 on each side the first time, and see if you are sore the next day. Be very careful! Of all these exercises, this is the toughest one. You can work up 4 sets of 12 on each side over several months. Since I started doing this exercise, I NEVER have low back pain any more. The musculature in my trunk simply won’t allow my low back to go out! Try it, but listen to your body.

Most gyms have this bench at a slant, or flat like I have shown here. The slanted one makes the exercise much easier! If you are a real beginner, start there! Please know your body, and exercise at your own risk!

We are made to have really strong ab muscles. So, I do the bicycle abs every day if I can. (Thus the 6 pack) If you get really sore, take a day or 2 off, and let yourself heal!

The other exercises are pretty tough and should not be done more than every other day at most. BUT: No less than 2 times per week.

Always stretch these areas out after training them!

I hope this helps!

Oh yeah, if you don’t get the firehouse newsletter, go sign up for it now! I will re-write this into an article, with pictures and everything, for next month’s newsletter!

Dr. Jen

https://www.fireagility.com

[bob3000]

Good for you, adam18. Making a commitment to getting in shape shows character.

I'm not an expert on this and have little formal training, but I've always felt that you can become steel at home with simple stuff and a lot of effort. So, these are just my own ideas.

1. I like gmiller's idea of alternating cardio days with weight days. Mixing it up also keeps you from getting bored, which is a real mitivation killer. I think there's a point of diminishing returns in terms of cardio workout length, i.e., if you're working it hard (80-85% of max heart rate (220-your age)), 20-25 minutes ought to be enough. I'm not sure how much more benefit is derived from going 45 minutes or longer. But, as I said, I.M. Notanexpert.

2. I like to harden my cardio workouts even further (I like to NordicTrak because I like to XC ski and it works the arms too) by throwing in bursts of 30-60 seconds every so often, such as :30 every 3 minutes or :60 every 5. Similar to power 10s in rowing.

3. I like gmillers idea of mid-range on the weight and reps, i.e., go for both muscular strength and muscular stamina by finding a weight you can lift for 10-15 reps and do 2 or 3 sets.

4. Regardless if I'm doing cardio or weights, a daily part of my workout is simple calisthentics, consisting of pushups or pullups, abs and "Mountain climbers" (crouch down like you're in the starting block, then alternate legs coming forward while your hands stay planted).

Ab workout consists of 10 each crunches; reverse crunches; leg lifts that are spread out, brought back to the middle and crossed, then repeated; Russian twists; and skydivers, which are done prone by arching your back as your arms and legs are extended. I can explain any of these exercises in a later post if you want. I agree 100% with Dr. Jen on the lower back strengthening. I like to use a hyperextension bench but don't have one at home, so skydivers it is.

5. A sadistic little workout I read about lately: shuffle a deck of cards and deal them to yourself one at a time. Do the number of pushups, crunches, etc. shown by the number of the card (face cards = 10). If you do the math, that's 340 reps in the deck........Ouch.

6. Last but not least, stretch every day. Getting tight and inflexible is a curse of aging.

Good luck, man--let us know how it's going.

[James Harris]

Is it possible if I can do some of your workout. I just want to try which would give a better result. Mine or yours.

[Volunteer18]

Just my thoughts

I prefer to split my weights and cardio.Sometimes I will run a mile or two after weights but I usally alternate days with Sun. off.If you want to keep your heartrate up you should try doing supersets which consist of working two diffrent body parts in sets back to back so that you keep your heartrate up but give your muscles a chance to rest.You do one set of bench for example, then go immeadiatly to the squat, then back until you get all your sets.I really like it because it keeps me from getting bored.I would stick with 10-15 reps for around 3 months then switch it up.Personally my favorite workout is the 5x5 but if I just do that forever than I will platuae at some point.So I do it for awhile the switch to a 3x15 workout.As far as cardio, I run a mile or two once a week.The other days I do a simple circut workout using pushup,crunches,pull ups, and dips.After that I'll run a few sucides which suck, but build lung strength like crazy.As far a back exerc. I like the deadlift(espically for lower back) and rows.The important thing is to find something that works for you.

[ogomez]

spamer?

I smell a rat of RonieJanet

[Chive]

It sounds like your weight routine is basically cardio with high reps. You will not add mass with low weight high reps. You should do a 10 minute cardio warmup and then I would do the rest of your routine. It sounds like you need to add some abbs and back workouts in there. In my opinion next to cardio abdominal and back muscles are the most important for firefighting. I would do cardio on your off days from the gym. Try running a steady pace for thirty minutes and then do a sprint circuit of 10 seconds jogging 20 seconds sprinting (do this 8-10 times it will kick your ***).

[Fitguy51]

I suggest that the cardio be every other day,(m-w-f) for 30-60 mins. Then divide the strength training into upper and lower body. doing upper one time and lower the next. Work on muscle groups, exercises that use more that one joint. Stress opposing muscle groups, like the Pecs, then the upper back and shoulders pushing up then pulling down. Work individual muscles, bicep, triceps, etc, after they have been fatigued with muscle groups. Try to maintain good form, because when your form goes in the dumper your body will recruit other muscle to help and you don't get the most bang for your buck. Remember when you did sit-ups and after a while your thighs started to burn, that was because your abs could not do the job by themselves and got help.