physical condition

[bleiterman88]

i am 19 and would like to start working for a firedepartment. one thing i have heard is i am to small. i am 5foot 10 and weight about 140 pounds but i am strong bench max 195, squat max 305,clean max 175. i am trying to gain weight and muscle but having difficulty. do you think i am to small and any suggestions on gaining weight.

[BBradley15]

I was in the same boat right after highschool man..i'm still by noooooo means big at all, but if have definatly put on some weight and gotten stronger...the best advice i have is train hard and eat alot more then you do right now..you can't build muscle without fuel

[Drjmilus]

Gaining weight

Boy, that's such a common thing with guys your age. Sometimes, at your age, your metabolism is just too high, and it's just not meant to be that you be thicker than that for now.
It sounds like you have a good base, so don't beat yourself up.

I'll try to keep it simple:

Lift heavier weights, low reps- 6-8

Do split routines: MWF: Upper Body, TTHSa: Lower body

Do big muscle groups: push/pull, leg press squats, clean and jerk, power clean, pull ups, push ups...

Work your abs every day: Make sure you make good use of the hyperextension bench: see it here, scroll down to Events #2 and #3 especially.

Do crunches: work up to 1000/day. You wouldn't believe how much a strong trunk will benefit you... prevent work injuries later!

When you are trying to bulk up, I suggest not doing jump rope or running. Do something that won't shear your mass off. Spin classes are great for that. Or cycling outside. YOu can get back to the running later, when you are prepping for a test.

Eat 6 small meals a day: with a fist sized portion of protein each time. Eat pure protein: egg whites, fish, lean meat... especially right after training. I used to eat 2 hardboiled egg whites every hour for 3 hours after training when I wanted to gain muscle mass. (substituting one of those meals).

Eat raw vegetables and whole grains.

Be patient. You'll fill out. Just get strong, and try not to get injured doing it. Your time will come. You are not too small.

Dr. Jen
www.fireagility.com

[Eng34FF]

My advice and experience is what Dr. Jen said.

When I got out of college, I weighed about 130 lbs (5'6"). Over one summer, I worked in a gym and managed to put on 15-20 lbs. Like she said, concentrate on large muscle groups, lift as heavy as you can for 6-8 reps, and eat a lot of protein and several smaller meals a day.

In the end, don't worry about your weight or size so much as your strength and endurance. You don't need to be 6'10" and 220 lbs, you just need to be strong enough to do the job. It sounds like you have good strength, so just build on that.

[Drjmilus]

It comes in time

Yeah,
This happens to women in that age group too. When I went to college- to play lacrosse... I realized I was small- at 5'2" and 110 lbs. I was getting run over by some sizeable girls. I grew another 3 inches, and put on 20 lbs. of muscle over the next 2 years. It did it by lifting weights.

The point is, before that, my body was not ready to add muscle to my frame. So, when my body got there, I added the weight the right way... when it was time...

You'll be fine.

[DeputyMarshal]

I grew another 3 inches, and put on 20 lbs. of muscle over the next 2 years. It did it by lifting weights.

Just so you don't confuse anyone you might want to point out that lifting weights had nothing to do with you getting taller...

[Drjmilus]

Oh yeah

I grew late too, which is more a trait for males than females. I did not mean to imply that lifting weights made me grow... although, the fact that both those things happening does indicate that my body was producing growth hormone at the time. It might have made it easier to put that weight on because of that...

That's funny...

[silentassasin]

spinning

Dr. jen


Why would spinning not be detrimental to anyone looking to gain size?
Those 400-600kcals burned in 45 -60 minute classes would be a hinderance in my opinion. Just looking at different views

Thanks

[Drjmilus]

Well...

It is my opinion and my experience that running shears muscle because of the pounding. This occurs to the upper and lower body as well. Replacing that muscle top and bottom can be tough is one has a fast metabolism anyway.

Spinning does not have pounding, and in my opinion, leads to less shearing of the muscle from top and bottom. Plus: Cyclist have some of the strongest legs going! They get bigger as they progress- provided calories in exceeds calories out. Plus it provides cardio that is safer for the joints for people who have problems...

My experience is not the only experience. But that is all I can share. I hope this helps... although, I have to admit, I don't necessarily use it when I train people who want to be firefighters.

Dr. Jen

https://www.fireagility.com

[SPFDRum]

You're 19, no worries. I was about the same size you where when I went into the Navy(-1 inch). 6 1/2 years latter I was 180# with a 7% body fat. Sometimes it's just time.
As far as a work out program, I am not an exercise physiologist or personal trainer, but I do know what we do on the job.
We don't run marathons, but we do plenty of stairs carrying a lot of weight. So cardio needs to be tailored for that. I ran stairs and added weight to a vest as I progressed. Lunges are a great exercise for lower body strength.
We don't need to look like Arnold with the huge muscles bulging everywhere. So as far as brute strength, we don't swing a 100# ax 1 time. But you may end up swinging a 10# ax a 100 times. So coordinate your weight versus reps accordingly. In our academy, we did pike pole drills- an 8' pike pole over head into a ring with 10#'s on it. Not heavy, but you did 3 sets of 30 lifting the weight up to your full reach. With full turn outs on. So knowing what is required will allow you to design or find an exercise to work the different muscle groups we use as opposed to a true weight lifter.
Many a bruiser has come to the roof with the ability to carry a 55 gallon barrel of lead, but only to be so winded after 10 chops with an ax they where useless.