View Full Version : Couch to Industrial Athlete
Howitzer
02-17-14, 2:54 pm
As previously stated, I'm back Animals. This journey is just getting started though, and poses some unique challenges, so I thought I would share and see what everyone thinks.
The fire department that I joined has informed us that we are now "industrial athletes" or "tactical athletes." We are now paid to be in phenomenal physical shape - paid to work out in essence. We work out on the clock, and we work out hard. At this point, the only decisions I have as far as work out goes is what I do off the clock on my own limited time (read that weekends and after a day of getting my ass kicked.) The rest of my work outs are decided by the basic training staff. Mondays and Fridays are run days, often coupled with about 20-30 minutes of calisthenics. 10 seconds of rest between sets. Tuesdays and Thursdays are work performance days. Half the team works out in firefighting gear, running stairs with hose on their backs, lifting ladders, and hitting a Kaiser sled (http://api.ning.com/files/38Gj32XXo4FSyPzjl5coE9BYtC908UzETV*13YiETLR6H3KcQX GHqVh97z4FIB1O9pKnkzBL3a6AZaQH4v9Q3axXVi3NUjHB/KeiserSled.jpg) with a sledge hammer. The other half hits the weight room. Wednesdays is a core circuit.
The purpose of every day is to improve cardiovascular function, endurance, and stamina. We need explosive strength and big reservoirs of high speed movements. Eventually, these exercises will be done while breathing contained air, and contrary to what you might think, air will only come out of the mask so quickly. You've got to have amazing cardio function to make it.
When I used to frequent this forum years ago, I was in pretty good shape. I was about 195 lbs, cut up, 10% body fat (I'm 6'3",) gaining strength and mass without really hitting plateaus on my 5x5 program. I'm now down to 183, about 10% body fat still. Really weak on my lifts and my cardio sucks (struggling through the 3 mile group runs.)
I'll update you guys on diet here shortly, and after work starting tomorrow will list workouts and how I felt, etc.
My current stack: Pak, Beef Aminos, EAA Stack (watermelon of course), Pro and Oats, and Just Whey (I believe Sport Pharma is still a brother company?) I'm not taking any creatine products at the moment, but that might change as I get A) stronger B) more paychecks.
23 weeks left of recruits school, and the hottest months ARE coming.
-Howitzer
N. Motta
02-17-14, 3:03 pm
Subbed.
Best of luck for a fellow firefighter.
Howitzer
02-17-14, 5:04 pm
Thanks bro. I need all the support I can get.
knotahumanbeing
02-17-14, 5:11 pm
Welcome back brother..Kill it.
Howitzer
02-17-14, 8:59 pm
Thanks bro. I've lasted this far into the program. Just need to keep going.
My diet isn't very strict. I do so much cardio and aerobic work at work, it's mainly a matter of getting enough calories and enough protein. So far, this lax approach has worked. I feel good and I'm not putting on any pork. This week it will be split pea soup for lunch, with low sodium everything, and plenty of - you guessed it - pork. It's in the slow cooker right now. I generally take a giant tupperware container of stew or soup that I've made to get me through the lunch break. We have very little time to eat, so it's a shake, nuts, a bar, and fruit during our 5 minute breaks in the morning and afternoon. I always stuff myself at lunch, as much as I can get down knowing that I could be exercising immediately after. On Friday after lunch we worked a simulated cardiac arrest on the third story of our burn tower. We were not allowed to stop CPR for more than 10 seconds at a time, and the "elevator is out." It took us 30 minutes to get the 165 lb mannequin downstairs, CPR going the whole freaking time. Not my post-lunch activity of choice, but we work with what we are given sometimes.
In the evening I'll try more dairy centered things. I make my own unsweetened skyr, which is Icelandic yogurt. Think greek yogurt except way thicker and way more tart. I'll put that in a shake with a banana and two scoops of whey or a scoop of pro and oats. Then I'll have a rounded dinner. Again, nothing like the pros on the forum, but an actual meal. Rice, meat, veggies.
For protein bars, I use Scooby's workshop recipe because it's easy, it's calories, and it's cheap: 1 lb of peanut butter, 1 lb of dry nonfat milk, 1 lb of honey, and 1 lb of instant oats. Mix it together, roll it out, and cut bars. Get a good grip workout with the wooden spoon too.
Feel free to chime in guys, this is a work in progress and I'm starting to dial in on what I need to succeed. Remember, I'm not after physique right now, nor am I bulking. I need good calories to get me through long cardio workouts, calisthenics, and other high rep activities.
-Howitzer
N. Motta
02-17-14, 10:33 pm
Honestly dude, from having been in your shoes (boots) before; you're doing everything you can. Yea, try to eat as much and as good as you can, when you can. But don't let your ego get in the way of building the foundation of your career, not saying you are. Priorities. Are you ever going to be a professional bodybuilder or strength athlete? No. No offense, not many of us on here will. Are you at a point where you can begin down the path of becoming a great firefighter? Damn right.
Once you get out of recruit school and in to a station, you can give a bit more attention to nutrition that suits your goals a little bit more. Kick ass man.
Aggression
02-18-14, 8:41 am
Honestly dude, from having been in your shoes (boots) before; you're doing everything you can. Yea, try to eat as much and as good as you can, when you can. But don't let your ego get in the way of building the foundation of your career, not saying you are. Priorities. Are you ever going to be a professional bodybuilder or strength athlete? No. No offense, not many of us on here will. Are you at a point where you can begin down the path of becoming a great firefighter? Damn right.
Once you get out of recruit school and in to a station, you can give a bit more attention to nutrition that suits your goals a little bit more. Kick ass man.
Agreed. I'm in a similar boat right now, preparing for a police academy; 23 weeks, overnight stay M-F. I've had to drop all weight-related exercises and focus on running, pushups, mountain climbers, arm rotations, etc. My nutrition, sleep, and everything else will be fucked for 23 weeks, while going through rigorous training. But it's only 23 weeks. Once it's over, I'll get back into my usual routine/diet, etc. Like you said, I know I'll never be a pro powerlifter, so taking 6 months off, in the LONG RUN, won't do anything at all. But focusing on those 23 weeks, in the long run, will provide me the career ive been chasing down for 5 years.
N. Motta
02-19-14, 10:12 am
That's awesome Adam, congrats.
Howitzer
02-22-14, 5:34 pm
Hey Animals, what a week.
Thanks for the encouragement! N. Motta, I hear you man. My graduation date from academy is in July, almost exactly 9 years after I initially started volunteering in fire / rescue. I've been a paid paramedic for a number of years now and did the firefighting before, so the content of the classes is not new for the most part - that said, I learn new things every day, and I'm excited to be back in the classroom for the things I enjoy. The truly paramilitary environment IS new to me, and that's the foundation that I'm working on right now. I'm trying to win my instructors' respect, and there are really only two things you need to do for that so far as I have found: do what you're supposed to do when you're supposed to do them, and DO NOT QUIT. Quitting is the cardinal sin.
Aggression: get it bro! I applied for this job 2 years ago, but knew I wanted to be in a paid fire department for years and years and years. If you have finally gotten a chance to do what you want, get it. And do not quit.
Back to fitness: this week had its good moments and bad. Tuesday was spent in the weight room. Only certain exercises are allowed, and must be done in order so that the groups can move between sets and no one gets jammed up waiting for equipment. Almost all of the lifts are done with free weights or cables, and are analogous to lifts you might have to do on the fire ground: lunges, ladder raises, chops, pullups. Good stuff. I enjoyed Tuesday.
Wednesday was core circuit training. 17 stations. 30 seconds of exercise, 15 seconds of rest. 3 times around the circuit. They had dropped the rest time by 5 seconds this week. I liked that too. Wednesday was good.
Thursday was the group run. The group run sucks because you slinky along for 3 miles on pavement. If the slow runners slow down, you have to jog in place, crushing your joints. I had some Achilles inflammation and left knee pain after that run. It cleared up by this morning, but it really was no fun yesterday.
Friday was dress drills, so while we were moving fast and building a sweat, it wasn't a "workout" really.
Nutrition this week was good. I dunno if we're actually allowed to have protein shakes in the classroom, but my instructors have said nothing. I'd rather have Pro and Oats than a cliff bar for breakfast. Also, homemade protein bars have been making the rounds. My classmates fiend for them. I should probably charge money. Homemade pea soup this week for lunch - all week. Lots of ham hock and peas. Big meals in the evening have been good too. I feel satisfied and my muscle soreness abates rapidly, so I feel that my nutrition is currently adequate.
Seriously looking at some Flex to supplement my current stack. I'm worried about my knees and ankle. 22 weeks left in the program, and an injury would devastate my chances of graduating.
-Howitzer
N. Motta
02-22-14, 5:48 pm
Great attitude man. Also, never forget to keep an eye out for a classmate that may struggle or lag behind in physical stuff. If you see em, help em and encourage others to help him. Continually do what you can to get your whole class to bond together. Have people get out of their shells, swallow pride, become brothers. That shit makes a huge difference and instructors usually love to see that kind of stuff.
Flex always has been and always will be a staple in my pantry. It's not nearly as glamourous as other supps, but rehabbing a torn ligament is the worst situation of all. Don't forget the proven benefits of good ol' ice and compression if needed.
Keep kicking ass man.
Howitzer
02-22-14, 6:46 pm
Great attitude man. Also, never forget to keep an eye out for a classmate that may struggle or lag behind in physical stuff. If you see em, help em and encourage others to help him. Continually do what you can to get your whole class to bond together. Have people get out of their shells, swallow pride, become brothers. That shit makes a huge difference and instructors usually love to see that kind of stuff.
Flex always has been and always will be a staple in my pantry. It's not nearly as glamourous as other supps, but rehabbing a torn ligament is the worst situation of all. Don't forget the proven benefits of good ol' ice and compression if needed.
Keep kicking ass man.
My man, I am IN compression when I'm not at work. I have bicycle leggings which are essentially compression garments. Paired with my knee sleeve, ankle brace, and Tiger Balm, I am all aboard the rehab train when I am at home. I also elevate whichever leg hurts worse while I sleep by sleeping with a blanket between my legs on my side, which lifts the leg just above shoulder-width. It sounds weird, but I straight healed a groin injury by finally doing that. Took 2 days of elevation to fix what 4 weeks of "taking it easy" had failed to do.
Our class is definitely rallying around people who struggle physically. Pushups as a group during break time to try and get them to the requisite 25 pushup mark. We're getting close with that. Encouragement during group runs. You know, what we're supposed to be doing.
Thanks for the continued support.
-Howitzer
Howitzer
02-25-14, 9:12 pm
Week's getting off to a tough start. Yesterday we didn't PT, and I took it as a gift. Too much to do in the classroom and I fully utilized another day to rehab my knees and ankle.
Today we ran. 4 miles we ran, pounding pavement, running in place when we slowed down. Up and down, high knees, running up the burn tower, down again. I cramped 0.3 miles into the run, and that shit kept sucking. I had instructors playing good cop bad cop with me. One told me to quit. Two others ran with me and were supportive. They all asked the same question "Do you want to stop? Do you want to quit?"
No. It's just pain.
I've never run 4 miles without some kind of slow down break. I didn't know I could. So in that sense, today was productive. My ankle has begun to snap crackle pop again though, so in that sense, today was stupid.
Hopefully no more runs this week. 21 weeks left, and I can't afford to get seriously hurt.
On the nutrition side, I'm tearing down this week on homemade beef and vegetable soup, quinoa / egg cakes cooked in olive oil, and of course a pro and oats after each workout. I'm still pretty lean and the digestive tract is moving really well - and to be honest, if I was putting on a little bit of weight but still shitting normally, I would still call that a win.
I have a feeling the next few months are going to get much tougher.
-Howitzer
Howitzer
03-02-14, 5:01 pm
Finished out this last week strong.
Stair sprints with gear didn't try to murder me the same way as last time during work performance training. Ladder extensions were also easier. A fourth event was added on in the end, and that was easy too: weighted 15 foot pike pole lift. It's meant to be a balance / stabilizer exercise. Shorter recruits had a much tougher time, but those of us over 6 feet tall just bruted it up.
Core was awesome, as was weight lifting. My pullups sucked completely since we had just done wrist rolls. On the plus side, my wrist rolls went better and faster, but I destroyed my grip and forearms right before pullups. Grip strength needs to be a priority.
All told, besides the shitty 4 mile run on Monday, I'd call the week a success.
By the numbers: I'm now 6 lbs heavier than when I started recruit school 7 weeks ago. I have no obvious fat precipitating out on my body anywhere, which is nice. A friend of mine stopped by last night for a beer, and he hasn't seen me for two months. Without me asking he immediately said that I looked much bigger than the last time he saw me. I can dig that.
Overall, I would say things are progressing better than expected at a much greater rate than I could have hoped for. I'm faster, I'm stronger, and I'm bigger. They seem to have their exercise circuits and routines optimized, and my body has really taken to them. In combination with my fast metabolism and me packing big enough lunches / meals, I'm getting the calories I need when I need them. They're not as clean as I'd like, but they seem to be getting the job done.
Also: a note on hydration. My fire department has a hydration policy. If you get dehydrated and it prevents you from doing your job, that's a disciplinary issue. I'm drinking out of my issued water bottle nonstop. 1-2 liters of water before bed. 1-2 liters upon rising. 20 oz water bottle every hour during classroom work and usually 80 oz of water during workouts (they set up water coolers around the circuits.) Won't catch me dried out any time soon.
-Howitzer
Howitzer
03-08-14, 5:09 pm
What's up animals.
This week was interesting. I was sent to occupational health due to recurrent clicking and popping in my left heel after runs and stair sprints. Turns out I have mild Achilles Tendinitis. I got put on modified duty and am seeing a podiatrist next week for orthotics. Apparently I've gone 27 years without knowing that I'm flat footed, which likely contributed to my injury. I've had my foot in KT Tape since Wednesday, and am taking NSAIDs for anti-inflammation. It feels 100% better, but my supervisors want to preempt any recurrent injuries, which I am totally on board with.
Since I'm on lower body workout restriction, I've joined "the club." This club is myself, a colleague, and an instructor. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week, we have been smoked for core, chest, and shoulders. Every day, more reps, less rest. 20 seconds of rest at a time between multiple minutes of work. Russian twists with weight, planks, pulses, supermans, bananas, six inch leg lifts, flutter kicks.
Holy fuck animals, by Friday I wanted out. It totally sucked, and we don't have a choice in what we do. She literally just makes us do the same shit every day, and it hurts. On the plus side, my core has to be getting stronger?
The instructor closes every workout with "get out of my club."
Message received.
My nutrition is still on point. I feel great, and I feel like I'm getting stronger and faster. If orthotics make my foot and knee pain vanish during running... well, I think I'll like running way more!
As always, chime in with advice or thoughts. I'm almost 1/3 of the way done with my recruit training. Time is flying by.
-Howitzer
N. Motta
03-11-14, 11:05 am
Keep it up man. That sounds like one damn hard academy, bordering on the point of stupidity with the physical stuff. Obviously, they're just trying to see who is mentally too weak.
Stay strong man, mentally. You've got this.
N. Motta
03-25-14, 5:49 pm
How's it going brother?
Howitzer
03-27-14, 10:56 pm
Today was a day of mixed emotion. The right of passage that my department colloquially refers to as "chop til you drop day," was off limits since I was still on restricted duty for my ankle. The good news is that I went to the doc after the day ended and he changed his diagnosis based on my symptoms / relief of symptoms to a "snapping Plantaris tendon," which essentially means I can roll one of the tendons in my ankle occasionally. Since it's not actually a problem, I'm cleared for duty tomorrow morning.
This is really good news considering fire suppression training began this week, and I also have a half-dollar sized raw spot on the lowest part of my back from the number of situps / russian twists / other core exercises I've been doing. Basically the same core workout every day for 4 weeks. I saw a decrease in strength, and I think it's because our instructor didn't give us any time to recover? Anyway, it'll be good to be back in the regular PT regimen.
There's not much else to report. Still trying to kick ass and stay under the radar. My appetite is huge and I drink a gallon of water a day easily, and that figure is about to go up.
Howitzer
03-29-14, 6:11 pm
So, good news Animals! The podiatrist cleared me for full duty. Further, he refined my diagnosis down to a snapping Plantaris Tendon (not snapped, but snapping,) which means my tendon rolls and makes a weird sensation. It is "not normal, but not a problem." He said if the over the counter orthotics make my feet feel better - they do by the way, my feet feel amazing - that I should continue to use those and I don't need to get the 500 dollar custom orthotics. Basically a sweeping win for me.
Yesterday I went back on full duty. It had been a month since I had done the full exercise regimen with my class, but I killed it. 8 hours of work and I felt like I could have gone at that pace for another 8 hours.
From now on, pain in my left calf or foot is explainable, and all I need to do is use my heating pad and take some NSAIDs. This was a big morale booster and I'm looking forward to killing it. 17 weeks left until my recruit school is done and I get to hit the field.
Howitzer
04-02-14, 5:50 pm
Wow Animals, I hurt. My academy just exploded with activity this week. Same workout routines in the morning (except tougher / longer variants) followed by a solid 8 hours of physically demanding training. We are wearing our bunker gear most of the day, which weighs in at a good 35 - 40 lbs. We also have to carry our SCBA gear everywhere (and we must wear it we carry it) which is an additional 25 lbs. The SCBA comes on and off constantly, which means taking a knee and doing essentially a weighted lunge. We do dozens of those a day, plus crawling, dragging 250 lbs worth of mannikin and gear while wearing our own gear... etc etc. Day 3 this week, and I am hurting everywhere. Getting solid sleep in at night for sure.
I weighed in this morning at the academy at + 10 lbs since the beginning of school, and I'm looking pretty good. On days off, I feel stronger. Right now I feel weary.
Howitzer
Howitzer
04-12-14, 10:36 am
What up Animals. Today is a recovery day. This week and next are collectively called "hose week," at my recruit school. Hose week goes right in to "ladder week." Between the two, they are said to be the toughest two weeks of recruit school - physically. Let me catch you up.
I arrived on Wednesday morning and was informed 10 minutes before go time that I, along with 5 others who were sick or injured, would be making up "air consumption training." Air consumption training is colloquially referred to as "Chop 'Till You Drop."
Full gear with SCBA, an axe, and a log. Chop wood for 3 minutes. Rest 1. Repeat X2. Totally brutal. Then, get a fresh air cylinder for round 2. Round 2 consists of picking up either a hose pack which weighs about 20-30 lbs, and stacking it on your shoulder, or just picking up an SCBA and carrying it like a baby (26 additional pounds.) Climb 3 flights of stairs, walk around the roof of the burn building, come down the stairs, put down your load, pick up a 10 lb sledge hammer and do "ceiling pulls" which are essentially shoulder lifts with the sledge for 3 minutes. That is a single round. 1 minute's rest. Repeat 2 times (alternating the type of load you picked up.)
Needless to say, I was pretty beat.
Lecture that morning with some basic practical skills in the afternoon.
Thursday started with a 20 minute Tabata workout that involved tons of pushups, burpees, 2 legged donkey kicks, mountain climbers, situps, and planking. We immediately got dressed in full gear and marched out to the grinder, which is a blacktop next to our burn buildings. For the next two days from start of day until quitting, we pulled hose (each of us were only involved in 8 hose pulls over the course of 2 days,) but when we weren't pulling hose, we were racking hose. Racking hose has to be done in about 5 minutes per load (our best times were 2:05 for a 200 foot crosslay of hose and 4:00 flat for a 400 foot section of hose.) The pump operator shuts down the line, we run out to the hose (in full gear) uncouple the sections, drag it UPHILL (and mind you, once the sections of hose are wet, it's dragging 40 lbs for each section.) Then drain the line on the hill, pick it up and pass it to the top of the fire engine for a rerack.
As if this was not enough, at the end of the day yesterday, I got pulled with 4 others to bring down fresh hose for Monday and hang up wet hose to dry over the weekend. We had to be fast. I got stuck on the job that involved dragging about 100 lbs of dry hose at a time about 100 feet between the hose tower and the place it was getting rolled up to use. I dragged approximately 8-900 feet of dry and wet hose in 40 minutes, and helped haul the wet hose up the tower with a pulley.
This last hour of work on Friday was pretty much me emptying the tank. Weighted sprints at the end of a very long two days.
Monday sees the start of highrise packs and wide diameter attack lines, which means more stairs than before, and heavier hose than before. This next week will be the toughest week.
Current stats: drinking approximately 1.5 gallons of water per day. +12 lbs since academy began. Eating: anything I want, and everything in sight, though it's a lot of chicken and rice and bananas and veg.
Any thoughts are appreciated. I don't know what else I can do.
N. Motta
04-13-14, 12:20 pm
So you wanna be a firefighter? Hahaha
Not much to say, other than what you're doing. You're taking it one day at a time. Your mind is strong and it will have to stay strong. You got this.
Remember that team support, for as much as you're gettin your ass kicked, keep an eye out for those that are struggling. Give him a little vocal slap on the ass. It forges a very strong lesson that can come in hand, if you guys are ever in the shit and the chips are down.
Me and my partner have GOT to get out of this house. Everyone goes home!
You've got this man.
Howitzer
05-08-14, 4:03 am
Just a quick update Animals. I've been involved in the first round of intense exams to see if I get to keep my job. I passed everything, so I get to keep going, but a few of my friends are in danger of being cut from the program. Brutal stuff.
Fitness wise I am just getting stronger. My weight gain has slowed. I'm standing at about +10 lbs since the academy began. The sheer amount of work we are doing is going to make it difficult to put any more mass on for the last 11 weeks of the program.
My stamina and endurance finally broke their plateau, and I'm having an easier time with runs and work performance even though they've upped the amount of weight we carry up stairs (quite substantially too.)
It looks like I'm going to make it all the way through the program. 99% of all failures occur during the big round of tests we just had. My nutrition is on point and I'm feeling great, except for my knees, which hurt from all the crawling and kneeling in gear we do - you're not allowed to sit down unless you're in the classroom or in the lunch room.
-Howitzer.
Howitzer
05-26-14, 1:38 pm
What's up animals?
I'm entering week 20 of recruit school. 8 weeks to go after this one. Getting pretty excited to be done.
What's next after this though is a topic I've been realizing needs to be addressed soon. I've made awesome gains during school and my endurance and stamina are the best they've ever been. After school ends though, there will be no more enforced PT, which means I need a training plan to keep going. I had forgotten what it was like to put on muscle and get bigger. It feels good. So my plan clearly needs to involve both a mass gaining component and an endurance / cardio component - the cardio is going to be much higher than a strict bodybuilding plan would ever call for, but I'm going to need it to hang with my colleagues in the field.
I've decided I want to seriously try out the Solo HRT program that Rage developed. For cardio I'd like to ideally work up my running to 3 x 5 mile runs per week -OR- do 3 x 1 hour bike rides per week on the hills around my apartment. For core I will probably do some sort of HRT compatible exercises like weighted sit-ups, weighted roman chair extensions, Russian twists, etc, and then also one or two high rep core workouts per week. It seems like a lot, but my schedule is going to be switching over to working 3 x 24 hour shifts every 9 days. That means there will be a lot of time for working out and eating, and no excuses to stay small.
As always, any input would be sweet.
-Howitzer
N. Motta
05-26-14, 8:42 pm
Run Wendler's 5/3/1 and sprint hills for your conditioning.
N. Motta
07-02-14, 12:56 pm
What's goin on in here man?
Howitzer
07-13-14, 2:33 pm
What's up Animals?
Yesterday was a pretty special day for me. It marked my 9th year in fire / rescue, and was the last day of fire suppression training at my academy. 2 more weeks and I'll be done with basic training.
My fitness has been kind of in a weird place. We haven't had a formal PT session in almost 6 weeks, but we've been getting destroyed in practical training most days - and a fear of an off duty injury putting me out of academy has kept me from working out on my own time. We did have our final physical fitness test on Friday though, and I kicked its ass. 10:41 time limit on the work performance test, and I came through in 5:46. The average recruit time was about 7 minutes. I tied for 4th overall in a class of 28. That's important to me because our captain has consistently berated me for being in poor physical shape compared to my classmates - or in general, I'm not really sure. Basically, I suck at running, and that's how he measures your overall physical fitness.
Anyway, long story short - I graduate academy in less than 2 weeks. I'm just waiting to get my station and shift assignments, and hoping I get one of the stations with a sweet gym.
-Howitzer.