Dump Read: Training Intensity

Use a stopwatch for rest intervals One simple but effective way to improve the effectiveness of your workout is to use a stopwatch. Two things are true when it comes to rest intervals – people rest too much during hypertrophy work and they don’t rest enough to improve performance in strength and power work. For …

Dadbod Experiment 2019

When my wife got pregnant with our second kid I followed the same protocol:  get into the best shape I can before baby gets here.  This proved much harder with a 2-year old and real adult responsibilities.  I was already “in shape” but I wanted to nudge that needle a little further to allow for …

Periodization for Firefighters: Part 3 – High/Low Days

If you haven’t picked up on it yet, I’m kind of pushing the conjugate method as an effective way to lay out a program for firefighters.  It helps the firefighter meet the varied demands of the job with their training.  This method is appropriate for those with a bit higher of a training age (the …

Crossfit: A Good Choice For Firefighters?

Disclaimer: this is not an attack on Crossfit.  If you're the person that Crossfit works for then simmer down, put your shirt back on and go back to your box.  Before you blow your WOD, step back, give this a read.  AMRAP for you to understand this is not a personal attack on your belief …

Adding More Single Leg Training To Your Workout

Previously, I discussed briefly why including single leg training is a good thing here.  To me it all boils down to a significant training effect at a greatly reduced risk.  The following is all about how to incorporate it and how to progress. First, I find it’s best to classify the exercises.  I break them …

A Simpler Approach to Strength Training

For many people, starting a strength training program can be a daunting task.  For some people, it’s the effort required to actually exercise seems like too much.  For some, it’s the amount of planning involved and the endless options that seem to hinder people from starting.  There are a ton of other reasons why people …

Planning a Home Gym: Consider the Following

Maybe it’s always been your dream to have a home gym of your own one day.  Maybe it’s just an idea you’ve toyed around with because you are sick of the driving to the gym in the cold winter months, or you’ve just had enough of that weird sweaty guy that seems to want to …

Should Firefighters Train Like Athletes?

A career as a firefighter is a demanding one.  Often times firefighters, police, EMS and military personnel are referred to as tactical or industrial athletes.  Their fitness levels are often compared to those of professional athletes.  Is this a fair comparison?  Well, that’s hard to say. Looking at firefighters specifically, we know that they could …

Hip Thrusts (We Need More of Them In The Firehall)

We need more hip thrusts in the firehall. No, I don’t mean the kind you’d see on TV or in a movie like the hose bed scene in Backdraft. I’m talking about the now-popular exercise called the hip thrust. The hip thrust has gained popularity recently with many strength coaches and athletes because it was …

Ladder Workouts

Ladder workouts are a quick and effective way to get shit done.  I used to think that they were cleverly named but when I sat back and tried to explain why they were named this way l couldn’t actually make a comparison.  The rungs of a ladder are spaced evenly along the beams and you …