A few questions

[Supra]

First off i'm a female firefighter who is trying to gain enough strength to do my job. BUT at the same time I have a problem with working out then a few hours later getting a call. Like friday night! I got home from work and let the dogs out and eat then rest a bit then get to lifting. Went to bed around 10:30/11:00 and at 2am we get a call. So for 2 hours I was on the hose working the crud out of my arms and back and everything else. Today I hurt SO badly. If we had another call I'm not too sure I could do much of anything! I decided to just rest last night instead of doing anything.

So my question is when should I be working out? How do I not over work myself yet not underwork myself? Or is it ok that I once in a while overwork myself and rest an extra day?

I need to be building my upper body to be able to handle the hose alone if by chance I have to and also be able to drag someone out of a danger situation. Granted i'm sure when my adrinalin is going i'll be able to do that just fine but I don't want to chance it.
I also have gained a bit of weight during a depression period... I've been cutting out sodas and fast food and just eating better and already i'm losing inches BUT not the bit of fat on my lower back. Any suggestions how to get rid of that?

Sorry if my typing isn't the best. I'm not too great and multi-tasking lol

[Lady C]

Your body doesn't care what time it is on the clock when you workout. The most important thing is make sure you eat properly to feed those strenuous times.

Just keep doing what you are doing. It takes about 8 weeks to see results so don't try to rush it.

[Leigh P.]

In your field you need to be in optimum shape to complete your job the way you need to.

-Listen to your body, if you need rest, rest. If you are just needing drive, drive yourself. It is all about listening to your body.

-If you want to gain strength you have to do a proper workout program for strength. Hit the weight hard at low reps/higher sets. You wont get bulky if in a deficit.

-Cant spot reduce fat. You diet needs to be in check. Education on nutrtion is key. I highly recommend reading the nutrition artcles by John Berardi.

[SarahPT]

Hi there,
that is a tough situation. Making sure you eat and sleep plenty on a reuglar basis will help. Of course situations are going to arise when you get a call after a workout...taking the next day off to rest is not a bad idea. And keep in mind how active you have been and how much you need to eat.

The fat on your lower back will come off. It may seem like it's the last spot, but it really isn't. Most of us have a spot where we tend to hold fat. As you lose body fat you will notice that lower back fat reduce. Just be patient.

Sarah

[.V.]

Supra, are you a volunteer or on a paid department?

If a volunteer and don't have a clue when you may be called out then you will just have to make a lifting/cardio plan you can live with and eat as soon as you are done lifting in hopes of being recovered in time for the next call.

If on a paid department where you know your schedule, it will be a bit easier to plan your workouts.

I'm not on a fire department anymore because frankly, fighting fire takes a bit more testicular fortidue than I have. I do know how to plan workouts around a 24/24/48 or 24/72 schedule because as a paramedic, I still have that kind of schedule.

Post your schedule, or if not comforatable with posting it in public, PM it and I'll try to help you figure something out.

Jaster is a FDNY firefighter and may be able to help you with your workout scheduling too.

Cool, three of us from NC posting in the same thread already.

[Supra]

Forgot about this thread lol
I'm a volunteer for two departments now. I'm paid EMS at one station and just a volly firefighter at another so I just made it harder on myself lol. NOW I have to work out but not too much because I have to be able to lift the cot and all that other fun stuff that us EMS personel get to do.

I've been running every other day and lifting on the other days if possible. I really don't have a set thing since I don't have a gym.. I have a weight bench and a town to run in lol. I've noticed a good amount of weight loss do to running!! and I feel much better as well! Also helps i've been eating MUCH better but do tend to slip up when at the FD eating. Peer pressure sucks they all think i'm in great shape and no need to eat "rabbit food" lol. Heck I pulled out a sandwich the other day on wheat bread and my chief asked what was wrong with my bread lol!
I'm also gaining a good amount of strength. I get tested on a daily bases being the goof I am we always wrestle and stuff.. I keep being told i'm "stout".

I'm just wondering how much gain i'll get from running and simply doing bench presses and curls. And once in a while i'll do my ab workout if I have the time.

[CF-OC_gal]

I hate to mention crossfit workouts because they are my current interest, but I think the philosophy of their gyms are built on work such as yours. Police, military, firefighters, EMS personel, etc do not have choices.They are in the business of reacting therfore you need to train in such a way that you can pace yourself to last through the demands of a physical challenge until the work is done.

Their workouts are designed accordingly. The idea is you might work on a skill one day until your legs hurt and then the next day you might have to run for 10 miles unexpectedly. Sure you didn't recover from your workout the day before, but your life is like that so adapt !

I'd look at training crossfit style if I were you.

[Jaster]

Work out as hard as you can and suck it up!

That's what us big city boys do!
LOL

You need to not think too much and just work out. It will all fall in to place.

[.V.]

Brat is right, crossfit would be an excellent thing to do for general fitness and strength needed for this kind of work.

In fact, after enough years of me eating right while the rest of the slobs were eating whatever they wanted finally several of them have came to me saying, "help me make a diet and exercise plan".

As much as I'd like to have them join me in the gym for some real lifting, realistically I know they won't stick to it. So they are on nearly the same foods they were eating before but with a bit less fat and just eating until satisfied, 4-6 meals a day, no cleaning the plate allowed - a painless calorie restriction method. They are walking each morning before breakfast on a 10/10 plan, some are up to 15/15, one has made it to 20/20. The workout is bodyweight training 3x a week, M, W, F. Although bodyweight training in a crossfitesque manner isn't my thing, I do see it's value and have a lot of people doing it.

So instead of giving in to peer pressure to eat crap - set a good example and they will eventually learn to eat better themselves when they see how you look and perform. It only took me 4 years to get them to come around.

Running won't gain you anything except endurance and a healthy heart. Good things to have.

Curls and bench presses are good, but I would suggest that you do squats, deads, benches, rows too.

Think about it, the fat guy who had a heart attack on the toilet and fell in a bathroom that is too small, his head is wedged between the toilet and bathtub, you've got to remove him from there onto a spine board because of the fall - you need the leg and back strength these lifts will give you.

So no equipment? Fine - do bodyweight squats, use some dumbells for resistance, anything to get that movement in. Deadlifts - no bar and plates? No problem, make a sandbag - Maverick wrote an excellent article about sandbag training and you can make one on the cheap.

[Supra]

Originally Posted by Jaster

Work out as hard as you can and suck it up!

That's what us big city boys do!
LOL

You need to not think too much and just work out. It will all fall in to place.

lol yes sir
I've been lucky enough that it's been pretty quiet latly.. other than fire school comming up that my department is putting on. and some other schools but those have just been sit and listen classes.

[Supra]

Originally Posted by a_welch503

Brat is right, crossfit would be an excellent thing to do for general fitness and strength needed for this kind of work.

In fact, after enough years of me eating right while the rest of the slobs were eating whatever they wanted finally several of them have came to me saying, "help me make a diet and exercise plan".

As much as I'd like to have them join me in the gym for some real lifting, realistically I know they won't stick to it. So they are on nearly the same foods they were eating before but with a bit less fat and just eating until satisfied, 4-6 meals a day, no cleaning the plate allowed - a painless calorie restriction method. They are walking each morning before breakfast on a 10/10 plan, some are up to 15/15, one has made it to 20/20. The workout is bodyweight training 3x a week, M, W, F. Although bodyweight training in a crossfitesque manner isn't my thing, I do see it's value and have a lot of people doing it.

So instead of giving in to peer pressure to eat crap - set a good example and they will eventually learn to eat better themselves when they see how you look and perform. It only took me 4 years to get them to come around.

I'm looking at the link right now.. thank you two

I normally wake up around 7:30am and lift.. then run about a mile (hey i'm out of shape here) and come home to do ab work or just take a shower and go to work. thats been an every other day thing so I have a day to rest in case all hell breaks loose.
Eating i've been trying to do 5 times a day. Sometimes if we are busy at work I can't.. but I manage to do 3 times. just at odd hours.
My boyfriend is a paid firefighter in another city and he eats better than anyone I know lol BUT sometimes for dinner he'll just have a protine shake or some off the wall thing that doesn't seem apealing at ALL so I end up eating out and getting some chicken thing from a fast food joint (when you live out in BFE you don't have a big selection) But other than that i've been eating at home as much as possible or just having salads.
It's one heck of a struggle to not eat the pizza that was given to the department or the burgers the guys offer to buy. But then I look at how my body use to be in highschool and its not too hard to say no lol

[LiftGirl]

Originally Posted by Supra

Peer pressure sucks they all think i'm in great shape and no need to eat "rabbit food" lol. Heck I pulled out a sandwich the other day on wheat bread and my chief asked what was wrong with my bread lol!

It's amazing to me how people fail to put 2 and 2 together. Maybe you're in great shape BECAUSE you eat healthy.