Welcome!

A big welcome to everyone from Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, Finland, Singapore, South Africa, Denmark, Ireland, The Russian Federation and Poland.

Thanks for reading!

Be Safe
JC

The Body

Neurologically, the brain does not recognize individual muscles; It recognizes patterns of movement.

Every muscle and joint in the body functions in three planes of motion simultaneously.

We need to recognize that the body works as a unit and we should be training that unit to work together to improve firefighting performance.

Be Safe
JC

Ice Ice Baby!

To manage pain and get back to fighting fires, I rely heavily on a simple weapon...ICE.

Not only is icing a simple and effective way to control pain and swelling, it minimizes the injury response, decreases soreness and quickens muscle recovery.

There are a lot of new high-tech cooling devices on the market, making cold therapy easy. From Cold Spray, to Roller Ice, to Ice Right.

To simplify things, sometimes I use a bag of frozen peas. It's a perfect substitute for the ice pellets pro's use. It conforms to the skin better than cubes and when combined with your basic kitchen saran wrap makes an excellent compression kit.

Be Safe
JC

Heart Rate Training...Ultimate Firefighter Workout Style!

I mentioned before how I have my own way of using a heart rate monitor that’s completely different from how most people use one.

When individuals use a heart rate monitor they usually are interested in keeping their heart rate in a particular zone, based on a formula. They’re either trying to get a cardiovascular effect or are trying to lose fat.

I use a heart rate monitor in place of resting a certain amount of time betweens sets. Here’s how I do it. After I warm up, I’ll do a set or circuit of certain exercises. Instead of resting 30 seconds to 1 minute between sets/circuits, I’ll let my heart rate come down 20-40 beats before I do another set/circuit.

This way my own physiology tells me when I’m ready to do another set as opposed to some random prescribed time in which your body may or may not be ready to go again.

If I’m looking to get a cardiovascular training effect along with some of my strength training, I’ll rest only till my heart rate comes down 20 beats from my previous set.

If I’m feeling a bit run down or it’s an easy day or week, I’ll let my heart rate come down 40 beats to get an added rest.

I use the same method when I do interval training. I learned it from Boston performance coach Mike Boyle, who uses it with his athletes.

Try it and see if it works for you.

Be Safe
JC