Exercises?

[Fredoman]

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.

 

[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!

 

[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.)

 

[Fredoman]

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.

 

[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.

 

[EMTinSocal]

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?

 

[AthensTech09]

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

 

[wolfwyndd]

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.

 

[MSDeltaFlt]

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.

 

[sop]

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?

 

[firecoins]

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

 

[AthensTech09]

Swimming burns best

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.