Rest Day. What is your warm up?

Take today as a well deserved rest day.

Here is the rest day question: What do you do to warm up? The workouts posted here do not include warm ups and cool downs. So what does everyone do for their own warm up?

Ever hear of dynamic warm up. This is when you stretch while moving. It is probably the best form of warm up to help prevent injury. Watch the video for example.



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Cardio Workout

Today is a long cardio day. Your workout should last anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. Running, cycling, swimming, stairs, elliptical, aerobics or anything else that uses large muscle groups and is a continuous motion.

Enjoy Policeman vs. Fireman #9.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Each set should end near or at failure. Watch your form, especially as the weight increases and you get tired. Start the workout with a weight that you would normally be able to do 12-15 reps with. For each set add weight (depending on your starting weight this could be 5-15 lbs added per set). The key is form, working to exhaustion and taking the least amount of rest as possible.

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Compare to 7/5/08.

One Legged Squats

1-legged squats with weights:

25 body weight squats
15 one legged squats per leg
10 one legged squats per leg while picking up/putting down weight same side
10 one legged squats per leg while picking up/putting down weight opposite side
25 body weight squats

Explanation:

Body
weight squats are to be performed through a full range of motion. One
legged squats should be performed through same range as the two legged
form.

Place a weight (or something manageable like a water jug)
on the ground on the same side of the body as the squat is being
performed (we will say for this example that the left leg is out in
front and the squat is being performed on the right leg). Squat down
and pick it up using your right hand, stand up with the weight still in
your right hand, squat down and place the weight back and the ground on
the right side. That is one.

Place the weight on the ground on
the right side (for a squat being performed on the right leg). Squat
down and pick up the weight with your right hand, stand up, move the
weight to your left hand, squat down and place the weight on the ground
on your left side, stand up, repeat to return the weight to the right
side. That is one.

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Compare to 6/28/08

Rest Day. Form Versus Function

Take today off and let your body heal. While resting today I wanted to pose a question to you. When working out you have probably been told your entire life to watch your form. Form is the most important aspect of lifting weights, running, etc... I have even read articles related to functional fitness that say when your form breaks stop the workout. What do you think?

Although I agree that when your form breaks your risk of injury increases, however I believe form follows function. If you train for function your form will be better than those individuals who train for form. When training for function you don't isolate a specific muscle. You don't even isolate a specific muscle group. Most of the workouts are full body and require all muscles, even the small stabilizing muscles to work. When you train you body strictly for form you are only training those muscles to maintain that form. When you get tired and break that form, what is you backup? In firefighting activities we typically break form, perform activities at strange angles or positions, and we don't have the luxury to stop if our form starts to break down.

So when perform these exercises don't worry about form. Don't stress over the perfect push up or pull up. Most of these workouts are designed to exhaust certain muscles and by design force you to break form and train other groups. Pay special attention, though, to injury prevention. Don't let your form go to the point you get hurt. One thing you will find is that as you train more your form will maintain longer and you will be able to perform the workouts faster using the large muscles. That is the concept to form follows function.

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Push Up Burn

15 Push-ups (hands shoulder width apart)
15 Push-ups (fingers and thumbs touching)
15 Dive Bomber Push-ups
15 One armed Push-ups (Right arm)
15 One armed Push-ups (Left arm)
15 Dive Bomberl Push-ups
15 Push-ups (fingers and thumbs touching)
15 Push-ups (hands shoulder width apart)

Compare to 7/3/08 and click there for a more detailed description.

View the video of TRFA 118 performing the Push-up burn.

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Tire Drag and Pull

Another fun day with tires. If you have enough people you can turn this into a relay race. This is a short workout but it works everything. The distance of the pull and drag should be about 200 feet. Drag the hose the distance of 200 feet. Then extend a rope back and while keeping your feet planted pull the hose back. Reset the rope and pull as many times as it takes to get back to the start. See the video below for an example. If you are using a tire that has just one rope attachment, simply turn the tire around for the return trip. Repeat for a total of 3 trips.

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