Functional Fitness For Firefighters: Cardio Workout

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Cardio Workout

For this cardio workout feel free to choose the exercise of choice. The exercise should include large muscle groups and last for at least 20 minutes. Here are some options:

Running.
Cycling
Swimming
Rowing

I am a bike racer so my workout of choice will be cycling. I do however also enjoy a run. I have made an off road trail at our training center that I have the recruits run on. Running off road increases stability muscle recruitment and will lead to a higher level of functional fitness. Pay attention to your surroundings, though, it is much easier to twist an ankle if you're not careful.

Post workout, distance and/or time to the comments.

1 comment:

fire fitness and bikes said...: Cycling: 39 miles in 1:58; June 29, 2008 at 4:50 PM

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Why Functional Fitness?

You and your crew have started a weight training program. You have increased you bench press and you can curl more then ever. You and your crew are showing your department that you take physical fitness seriously and you are ready for that calendar shoot.

Suddenly you lift a ventilation fan off the truck and throw your back out. What happened? In all likelihood, you're not paying enough attention to your functional fitness. You might be toned, tight, and ready for the beach, but you are not ready to perform your job with the least risk of injuries.

Functional fitness and functional exercises focus on building a body capable of doing real-life activities in real-life positions, not just lifting a certain amount of weight in an idealized posture created by a gym machine.

"Conventional weight training isolates muscle groups, but it doesn't teach the muscle groups you're isolating to work with others," says Greg Roskopf, MS, a biomechanics consultant with a company called Muscle Activation Techniques who has worked with athletes from the Denver Broncos, the Denver Nuggets, and the Utah Jazz.

"The key to functional exercise is integration. It's about teaching all the muscles to work together rather than isolating them to work independently."