# Exercises?



## ClarkEMS

Are there a daily set of exercises that EMTs usually perform?


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## Sasha

ClarkEMS said:


> Are there a daily set of exercises that EMTs usually perform?



Like any other profession, we dont have a set standard of exercises for each person to perform every day.

If you are looking to get in better EMT shape, I found doing squats helped me tremendously. Basically you pretend you are lifting a stretcher with no stretcher, but practice keeping your back straight and bending at the knees. 5 sets of 20. You will hurt, ( I walked around very gingerly for about two weeks because my legs hurt that darn bad ) but eventually it will make it ten times easier to lift that darn thing every day.


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## firecoins

do an internet search on kettlebells


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## el Murpharino

Kettlebells are the sh*t, and after doing them for a while I'll admit I got in pretty good shape...but for the average Joe-schmoe EMT, a decent workout consisting of pushups, pullups, situps, some squats/lunges, and some running (on days that you don't do strength exercises) should suffice.  Performing these in a circuit fashion could give one a decent workout in 30-40 minutes, not including stretching.


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## DT4EMS

el Murpharino said:


> Kettlebells are the sh*t, and after doing them for a while I'll admit I got in pretty good shape...but for the average Joe-schmoe EMT, a decent workout consisting of pushups, pullups, situps, some squats/lunges, and some running (on days that you don't do strength exercises) should suffice.  Performing these in a circuit fashion could give one a decent workout in 30-40 minutes, not including stretching.




Yup. This is great advise. 

Everyday when I get up, I do 100 of each. Then 3 days a week I hit the gym after work to lift. Pushups, crunches and air squats will make a ton of difference in just a couple of weeks.


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## apagea99

My wife (she's not an EMT...and neither am I....yet ) has an interval training video that she's used to help create her own personalized workout. I usually only have time to go through it 2-3 times a week with her, but it's absolutely awesome. She forced me to go through it once because I was teasing her about how there seems to be no effort needed to do the exercises......ummm.....yeah, I'm stupid. The thing made me sore for about 5 days lol. The intervals consist of squats, lunges, push-ups, crunches, curls, triceps, delts, and stretches...and you also do 50 reps of jump rope between each set. Add in a 3 mile run and some other weight lifting and I'm rocking along just fine. I would do this every day if my schedule allowed for it.


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## Noctis Lucis Caelum

3 sets of squats reps of 20
3 sets of bench press reps of 10

Every other day
3 sets of pull ups reps of 15
Running around the block with my husky for good 30 minutes

^_^


I find that doing squats REALLY helps in lifting
At the same time practicing your back and knees like Sasha says


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## firecoins

delete this.  I misread this.


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## wolfwyndd

Guess I'm too lazy to do a 'full' workout.  I just jog a mile with the dog in the morning and I only do that three days a week.


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## el Murpharino

wolfwyndd said:


> Guess I'm too lazy to do a 'full' workout.  I just jog a mile with the dog in the morning and I only do that three days a week.



it's more than most people do...maybe you can up your mile to two miles.  Alot of the strength we need in the field is leg strength.


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## BossyCow

wolfwyndd said:


> Guess I'm too lazy to do a 'full' workout.  I just jog a mile with the dog in the morning and I only do that three days a week.




Ahhh so you still have your knees.. lucky you!


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## wolfwyndd

el Murpharino said:


> it's more than most people do...maybe you can up your mile to two miles.


**laugh**  You know, it's funny you should mention that.  I USED to jog a couple of miles a day, and then my wife and I had a second child and that screwed up my schedule for about a year before I could get back into it.  When I took it up again I just did 1/2 mile until I, and the new dog (got the puppy about the same time as we had the second child), got used to it.  Been gradually uping the distance so I'm up to a mile now.  Sooner or later I'll get back up to two miles, but it'll take a while.


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## wolfwyndd

BossyCow said:


> Ahhh so you still have your knees.. lucky you!


Yes, luckily, I do.  Can't say the same with my wife.  Actually, she's got the knees to jog with me, but not the ankles.  When she was in high school she pretty well shattered her ankle in gymnastics and they had to piece it back together.  She can't do ANYTHING high impact anymore.  That's why I jog with the dog now and not the wife.  Although I think at 5 am in the morning, the dog can hold about the same level of conversation as the wife.  [She NOT a morning person]


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## BossyCow

I used to run when I was in my 20's. Then ended up with bursitis in both knees. Doc said not a problem, just take anti-inflammatories before I ran. Trouble is, I'm allergic to aspirin and all the Nsaids. Running loaded on benedryl can be dangerous! Now I bicycle instead.


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## raisingkahne9

I just do my normal daily exercises. That's about it, its not all that much but it helps.


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## Doug

Kiegle...sorry couldn't resist


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## Epi-do

We recently got Wii Fit, so I have been hooked on that for the last week or so.  I really like doing the yoga part, as well as the step and some of the balance games.  I do the stregth stuff as well (lunges, cruches, etc.) but don't enjoy doing it.


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## BossyCow

Epi-do said:


> We recently got Wii Fit, so I have been hooked on that for the last week or so.  I really like doing the yoga part, as well as the step and some of the balance games.  I do the stregth stuff as well (lunges, cruches, etc.) but don't enjoy doing it.



I've been doing yoga for 20+ years. I really recommend getting a good instructor and going to a few classes with them. Often a slight adjustment in position can make all the difference in the world with the stretching.


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## 911cwgrl

_I hope ya don't mind if i chime in here,,,
kickboxing was awesome.  I had a blast doing it.  It also helped in learning a lil' bit of the defensive stuff that we should know.  (I make many runs out to the state penn for some inmates that will make the hair on the back of my neck stand up)  I basically just rotate doing different things.  For me, I've found that my energy stays up, my stamina increases, and the urge to grab a coke and a handfull of peanut m&m's has subsided.  (thank goodness!)  We have the electric stretchers on our service so we don't have to do much actual lifting, just being able to hold it while the legs raise sometimes is icky (let's just say that the stryker power cot we have is rated for 700lbs,,,it's been tested).  Thanks for lettin me chime in :blush:  _


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## rogersam5

Well I am a sprinter/hurdler on a track team so..... I do a LOTTTT

Monday, Hurdling and mobility stuff, Lifting
Tuesday, Circuits
Wed, Plyo! (lifting too)
Thurs., sprint endurance
Friday, Extended warm up and stretching, (pre-meet)
Sat., Competing at the meet...
Sunday Sleeeppp...and stretch


But I don't expect most people to do that, its about 2 hours a day, and an extra hour and a half on lifting days.... So if you enjoy having lots of pain, soreness, or just being overly masochistic...


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## Fredoman

911cwgrl said:


> _I hope ya don't mind if i chime in here,,,
> kickboxing was awesome.  I had a blast doing it.  It also helped in learning a lil' bit of the defensive stuff that we should know.  (I make many runs out to the state penn for some inmates that will make the hair on the back of my neck stand up)  I basically just rotate doing different things.  For me, I've found that my energy stays up, my stamina increases, and the urge to grab a coke and a handfull of peanut m&m's has subsided.  (thank goodness!)  We have the electric stretchers on our service so we don't have to do much actual lifting, just being able to hold it while the legs raise sometimes is icky (let's just say that the stryker power cot we have is rated for 700lbs,,,it's been tested).  Thanks for lettin me chime in :blush:  _



Boxing can be a great addition to any routine. I started Golden gloves boxing 3 years ago with no experience and at 280lbs. Im down to 205 and put 2 win's on my fight card in the super heavyweight division. I found it to be a great stress relief and confidence booster. Most local gyms are very friendly and usually offer a free intro class. Just having a pair of gloves, Handwraps, and a heavybag works just as well. If im not mistaken ESPN the magazine rated boxer's as the most all around fit athletes.


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## MedicRuss

Personally, I love crossfit (www.crossfit.com)  I find it to be a great routine that develops a lot of practical strength, hardly ever get bored with the routines with how random they are and many are short for that busy schedule!


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## VFFforpeople

Adding this in here, Swimming is one of the best all around casual things you can do. Boxing is great, but you can get a little beat up in that. I was in training for 2yrs in boxing and loved it. Alas I walked away and found swimming to be the workout I like and hitting all the major points. (Yes, I still hit the old bag as well lol, never lose that flavor.)


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## Fredoman

VFFforpeople said:


> Adding this in here, Swimming is one of the best all around casual things you can do. Boxing is great, but you can get a little beat up in that. I was in training for 2yrs in boxing and loved it. Alas I walked away and found swimming to be the workout I like and hitting all the major points. (Yes, I still hit the old bag as well lol, never lose that flavor.)



I completly agree, I fought twice last year as a superheavyweight. The last fight I weighed in at 201 and my opponant was 275, younger, more experienced, and more wins. Needless to say I was a little dazed for a few days. I Won the fight though to a unanimous decision. 

I have since taken a break and still hit the bag from time to time, jumproping more often than not to save my knees from all the running. 

Swimming is great though, need to get back into that.


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## 46Young

Mostly all of your heavy lifting on the job is front loaded. Most people can't do back squats correctly. I recommend olympic style front squats. Elbows up, lift from the heels. When you pitch forward, you'll go onto your toes, and shift emphasis from glutes/hams to quads/knees(undesireable). Bench pressing promotes internal rotation, evident by a knuckles forward posture while standing relaxed. Cured with kettlebell/dumbell/barbell snatches, cleans, and face pulls. Pushup variations are more desireable than benching. The lumbar spine is only designed for limited flexability, compared to the t-spine, which has considerably more mobility. So, try to focus most of your ab routine on stabilization, such as planks, L-sits, renegade rows, and ab wheel rollouts. Power comes mainly from the posterior chain, so deadlifts, power cleans, romanian deadlifts, and hypers would be adviseable.


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## EMTinSocal

MedicRuss said:


> Personally, I love crossfit (www.crossfit.com)  I find it to be a great routine that develops a lot of practical strength, hardly ever get bored with the routines with how random they are and many are short for that busy schedule!



I second this. Crossfit will not make you awesome at any one lift or exercise but it will give you an overall GPP you can't reach with most workout routines. Tabata anyone?


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## AthensTech09

I'm a lifeguard and agree with the swimming bits..  Easy to say but I'd love to try marathon running.


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## wolfwyndd

AthensTech09 said:


> I'm a lifeguard and agree with the swimming bits..  Easy to say but I'd love to try marathon running.


Wow.  That's a bit too extreme for me.  Although I do know a couple of marathon runners.  

You know I'm kinda glad we've resurrected this thread.  I can give an update.  My 'run a mile or so' around the village from last year (or two years ago, whatever) has now turned into a couple of laps around the village.  I'll actually be doing my first official 5K run in exactly one month and I'm shooting for a 10K in September.  The US Air Force Marathon ( http://www.usafmarathon.com/ ) does a companion 5K and 10K on the same day and my ex - sister in law (who we retained in the divorce, as the joke goes) and I are going to do the 10K portion of it.


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## MSDeltaFlt

ClarkEMS said:


> Are there a daily set of exercises that EMTs usually perform?


 
Coming from someone who has had to go through extensive rehabilitation to get back on the bird and truck, I've had to, and still, do the exercises that I do when lifting pts (human dead weight).

You need cardio: walking, running, jogging, eliptical, stair stepper, etc.

Strength training with endurance.  Go with lower weight and higher reps.  Technique is everything.  Get with a trainer to show you how to do it right.  My philosophy is if it doesn't burn, it's not doing you any good.

Upper body: bench press (wide grip), bicep curls, tricep curls, butterflies, shoulder shrugs, wide grip rows (for biceps and outer back), close grip rows (for inner back), dips, pushups, pullups (wide grip).

Core: situps, crunches, leg ups, lumbar bench for lower back, lumbar bench for lats, lateral bridging, lumbar bridging. 

Lower Body: sqwats, deadlifts, lunges, leg presses.

The key is a healthy lifestyle.  The majority of those listed will use the mechanics of lifting and moving the sick and/or injured.  These are just what I do, and I do them religously in order to stay off of disability.  Everyone needs motivation, and that's mine.

My thoughts.


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## sop

AthensTech09 said:


> I'm a lifeguard and agree with the swimming bits..  Easy to say but I'd love to try marathon running.



What would you say burns the most calories, swimming or running?


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## firecoins

after not working out for several months I am using kettlebells again.  Also I am using a stair climber with a weight vest.


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## AthensTech09

*Swimming burns best*



sop said:


> What would you say burns the most calories, swimming or running?



With a caveat:  You've got to use a timing system.  I find it easier to "take it easy" while swimming.  Its just so relaxing.  For my experience, I have found that my breathing improves relative to cardio-type exercises, when swimming.  It improves relative to non-exercise more readily with a short run.  I often fall prey to too much internet, reading and lounging and my breathing gets into a shallow and non-energizing rhythm.  After a short run I breath much better for the next 12hrs.  Calories aren't so important but you do use the entire body when swimming if you're looking from this angle.  Especially when you swim free, breast, fly, back, side and so on.  Starting with 1000m per session is a good bet too.


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