Strength Building 101: K.I.S.S.

Here we go.  So, by the time you read this it might be 2013 already...... HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I've put out a few emails and posts to start the build up for 2013..... the build up of strength.  It might not come as a surprise to you by now that I feel as though strength is a huge component of our day to day lives in the fire service and that I also think that we collectively need more of it- for self preservation and to excel at our duties.

So, instead of just saying I think ppl should be stronger and leaving it at that I am making a full attempt to help you all individually to improve your strength.  How this is going to happen:

1. We perform some basic strength assessments coupled with some screening tools I have picked up along the way.
2. I give some ideas on how to shore up some movement issues if identified- this could be in the form of an actual program if that is what you need.
3. I present some basic strength training programming that most should be able to adapt to their lives to make simple, progressive gains in overall strength.
4. We constantly re-assess strength and movements throughout the year to ensure there is the appropriate level of progress for each individual.

Since the way it works is that I need to travel to get all assessing done what I am going to do is open up #3 right away so that those that are reasonably ready are able to get on the wagon ASAP.  **Note- there are a few WFI assessments that need to be completed as well, these take priority and if you haven't done yours yet don't expect me to jump all over this process with you until your WFI one is complete..... I'm working on it.

THE PROGRAM

First off, no general program is "perfect".  They will all have pro's and con's and progress will vary from individual to individual.  Every guru or coach will have a set of biases, experiences and training (hopefully) that will lead him or her to lean in certain programming directions.  Ideally every person would have the perfectly designed program tailored directly to the individual's needs and goals.  With this in mind here is my rationalle/approach to this general program:

General Strength- the program that follows is basically a program that I have followed with success and have prescribed with a good level of success from participants.  I believe that it has been successful because it is simple, involves the big movements (which every true strength program should) and is progressive in a manageable and linear fashion.  By simply following the principles you can make necessary tweaks to your lifestyle and still get steady progress- obviously the progress will vary.

Individualization- To provide the most individualization possible and still work out potentially as a group the individual work will be presented as what you will do for your accessory work.  Conditioning will be considered accessory work as well, this will be the type of thing that your goals will/should dictate.  An example of this idea would be that everyone can get in their squats and/or presses for the day together rotating through the squat rack (changing the wts for each person) then once this is done each works on their specific target areas for injury prevention, conditioning etc.

General Strength Program Level 1
This is based on the book Starting Strength by Mark Rippitoe.  While it is called Level 1 I would advise that you try to milk it for as long as you get progress- advancing "levels" early will not make you a better athlete necessarily, it will most likely SLOW your progress.... Seriously.

3 Days a Week:
Aternate between these 2 workouts, adding 5-10 lbs to your squat each day, adding 5-20lbs to your DL each day and adding 2.5-5lbs to your pressess each day.  RECORD YOUR WORKOUTS TO ENSURE PROGRESS.

Day 1
Squat 3 sets of 5 reps (3 x 5)
Shoulder Press 3x5
Deadlift 1 set of 5 (1x5)

Day 2
Squat 3x5
Bench Press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5

For all movements the sets and reps indicated are termed "sets across" meaning that after you have warmed up with a few lighter (progressively heavier) sets your working sets would be completed with the same wt for all sets indicated.  If you were able to complete all sets at the weight you set out to use then simply add the 5 or so lbs to the next workout.  The DL indicates 1x5, so this means that you will warm up the movement until the point where you do the 1 work set and then if completed for all reps then be happy and move on, adding the appropriate weight the next workout not more sets this workout.

Too simple for you?  That's OK, just do some time and you will likely find it becomes quite challenging and rewarding as you go.  Progress too slow?  Really?  Just think, if you were to add 5lbs to your squat for 3x a week for a year and you started with just a bare barbell you would end up at an 825lb squat..... not going to happen.  Realistically you could find yourself at a point where you are squatting 3 sets of 5 at 275lbs in a matter of a 15-20 weeks.... that takes some work for sure but not unreasonable.

To give you an idea of how to make some simple adjustments to those that think they are too busy here is another format that will get you good results, just a little slower:

On Shift:
Squats 3x5
Press 3x5/Bench Press 3x5 (do press on first day of tour and BP on second)

Morning after work (wakey wakey):
Deadlift 1x5
Pullups/Chinups 3 sets of max reps

This is a nice option as it easily gets you 4 workouts in an 8 day period and can be all potentially done while getting paid..... not too shabby if wake up in time.
Another bonus to this option is that you spend a bit less time on your strength lifts per day and frees you up to get some conditioning work in, ask Fuhriman how it's been working for him.

Thats a big post and lots left that could be said.  Want some sweet resources on getting stronger?
http://startingstrength.com/- seriously, buy the book starting strength.
http://70sbig.com/- good stuff and great humor too
http://www.crossfitfootball.com/- for the power athlete in all of us, and where the second option for programs comes from

2013 Phase 1: January Assessments and Goal Setting

­Now that we know the Mayan calendar issue has past we can take a look at the year that will come after all- 2013! 

'Tis the season for goal setting, crash dieting and a full on assault of the public gyms.  If you are the type of person who is in the gym year round you probably know what I’m talking about- the January rush is hard to miss.  Chances are, if you are unaware of this phenomenon you are either: the January warrior and think that the gym is always that busy, or you are hardly in the gym and don’t notice.

If you are one of these 3 types of people then this post might be for you!

The main thing I want to look at today is goal setting and achieving those goals.  Achieving your goal that you set out for is probably the most rewarding and encouraging experience you can have when it comes to your fitness, and really work and life too.  So no matter where you sit with the 3 types of folks it is always good to be working in the "right" direction- whatever that is for you.

Hitting that IV, ET tube placement….. squat or run PR (personal record)…. They are all potentially the same when you get down to it.  All 3 took work, focused work, to achieve.  While hitting benchmarks on the job is typically a straight forward task it seems as though we get lost sometimes on how to get the job done in the gym- whether its hitting that PR or losing weight etc.

Check this out:

CF PORTLAND SHEET PDF

This is a “Skills” chart put out by CrossFit Portland.  At first glance it is just a bunch of boxes and numbers but if you look at it closely it gives us a pretty good idea of what a “balanced” fitness could look like.  Across the top there is levels 1 to 4, level 1 being a rounded “Beginner”, and 4 being an “Advanced” athlete as far as CrossFit is concerned.

Where are you on the page?

You will notice that for some things you might be in a level 2, 3…. Even 4.  But for others you might not even come up as a level 1!  So what does that mean?  This chart would suggest that if looking for priorities to train you would hit those that are lower on your scale, and the things that are more advanced don’t need as much attention until your other physical abilities catch up.

Look at it again, what are your strengths and what are your weaknesses?  Write them down, each in a column.

A simple recommendation for your 2013 goals- "I will be able to complete all Level 1 items by the end of 2013".  This should be plenty of time to get this done, again as long as you are focused on your approach and you work with your physio or doctor if needed.

As firefighters my view is that we should all be strong.  The stronger we are the easier our tasks are- lifting pts, dragging hoses, or even just getting reps in the gym with a good weight- consider that if you are doing 3 reps with 45lbs or you do the same reps with 95lbs and both are done in same amount of time…. Which one do you think would be more effective at burning calories, stressing your cardiovascular system, earning the kind of grit it takes to drag that guy out of the house at 4 in the morning….. You decide.

Add the strength movements into the weaknesses column.

Now, how do I get there?  You ask.  Well here’s the list:

1. Don’t get hurt.  Plain and simple.  No rep is worth a shoulder, knee or back injury.  Save that for the critical moments on the fire ground…. And hopefully never.
2. Get strong.  This is far simpler than most think; it’s just logging time under the bar and being consistent.  The last few people I’ve put on a basic strength program are squatting 225lbs for sets…injury free and still progressing.
3. Add conditioning that is appropriate to you.  As a firefighter we should have elements of heavy, short duration conditioning in our repertoire but if you have endurance aspirations then go for it.  Key here is that for the time being strength is a top priority until you top the chart at a level 3 or 4 across the board strength wise.

Simple right?  Well I will help out.  In the previous post I put that there will be some assessments done during January, well this will include testing the Level 1 strength movements.  This will identify where your technique is and your strength levels.  From here I will give some direction for any corrective stuff if need be to get you on track but the main thing is that you will know where you sit. 

How can you know where you are going if you don’t know where you are?

At any time if you want help going through any of the other components of the Skills Chart or any other aspect of your health/fitness let me know and I’ll do what I can or refer you to the right people!

The 2013 Plan!

Hey people, as indicated in my email I have some plans in the works for 2013.
I would like to take a minute to outline what I'd like it to look like- to make sure you know what I'm up to and also to give you as much prep time as possible for each step along the way.  Obviousy we aork in an environment where we have to be a bit flexible in our scheduling so this schedule will be flexible and possibly altered to fit the ebbs and flows the year will throw at us.

In a nutshell here it is:

Month	Assessment/Activity
Jan 2013	- Finish WFI assessments for 2012 - CFD Assessments - Get out to each member of our shift and use simple movement       screens to identify any areas of immediate need - Assess base levels of strength (will elaborate in another     post/email)
Apr 2013	- Assess Body Fat % and VO2 using WFI treadmill protocol - Re-do movement screens to ensure progress and perform new     ones to those that have progressed - Assess Max Strength in basic lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press)
Jul 2013	- Assess Body Fat % and VO2 using WFI treadmill protocol - Re-do movement screens to ensure progress and perform new      ones to those that have progressed - Assess muscle endurance and strength relative to bodyweight in     a firefighter specific format (will elaborate later)
Oct 2013	- Full WFI Protocol assessment - Re-do movement screens to ensure progress and perform new     ones to those that have progressed
Jan 2014	- Assess Body Fat % and VO2 using WFI treadmill protocol - Re-do movement screens to ensure progress and perform new     ones to those that have progressed - Assess Max Strength in basic lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press)

All steps along the way are completely voluntary.  However, participation may look like a daunting task right now but will you will probably find the timelines (approx 12 weeks each) to be good for benchmarking yourself and continually moving toward improved firefighter fitness.

You will notice that the format is:
Annually- Full WFI Protocol, FF Specific Strength and Muscle Endurance assessment (6months apart from WFI)
Semi-Annually- Max Strength assessed
Quarterly- Body composition and VO2 max assessed

As we go through the year I may find that there is a better way to go about this but for right now my aim is to complete these as close to the schedule as possible and then revise for 2014 if needed.

This is quite brief I know.  I will be putting out info on this process and how to prepare for it on an ongoing basis in bite sized peices.  For now what I would like from you is questions and comments.  Let me know what you think, what your concerns are and what you are looking forward to!

Tuesday Nov 6/12

A. Deadlift; work up to one set of 5 reps- add 5-10# to  last time.

B. Set a timer for 12mins, repeat for as many rnds as you can without bad form:
- 10 goblet squats
- 10 burpees (try to keep to 30s each time)

C. Got time?  Stairs, bike etc..... go for it.  Be sure to leave time for stretching.

Thurs Nov 1, 12

A mustache grower today:

My wife loves this picture.... that's why she's so excited that it's MOVEMBER!

A. Back Squats; 3 sets of 5 reps- add 5-10lbs to last time.

B. Bench Press; 3 sets of 5 reps- add 5lbs to last time
- In between sets do some One Arm DB Rows, nothing too crazy just get some reps in and maybe a bit of a "pump" in the guns.

C. Pick one option:
1.
Deadlift; work up to a heavy set of 5 reps- add 5-10lbs to last time
or
2.
5-10x
- 1 Deadlift at same wt as your 5 rep max (see last workout that you built up to one set of 5)
- 7 Burpees- fast (try to keep burpees to 21s or less)
90s rest
*** This one stops at one of these scenarios:
- You are beat or run out of time
- Your DLs start looking like a dog taking a dump (don't get to that level, stop when form degrades)
- You can't keep burpees to the 35s timeframe.

For all lifts/movements today try to focus on a tight core.... belly button in and nuts up.

Monday Oct. 29/12

HOOOORRRAAAAYYYY! Squat racks for all!  Make sure to thank your local B-Shifter for the work of moving and assembling these for us.

Get warmed up, this means get moving for 5-10 mins with your whole body doing lighter stuff to get blood flowing and ready for movements of workout- this means that whatever your warm-up looks like you should have some light squats (BW, Bar, Bar + a bit of wt), some light pressing and pulling and some dynamic stretching.

Workout:
A. Back Squat; 3 sets of 5 reps, rest as needed
- First time?  Take a few sets to build up to a wt that you can do with perfect technique but your speed starts to slow on way up- do this wt for a total of 3 sets.
- Repeat offender?  Add 5lbs to your last wt as long as you were able to do all reps with good techinique last time.

B. 3x
-Shoulder Press; 5 reps (see blurb for back squats on how much wt to use)
-Pullups; 3x max reps (no kipping, bands or negatives- just an honest set of pulls)
Rest 2-3 mins

C. 5x
10-12 TRX/Ring/Bar Body Rows- Body straight, bellybutton in
14 Burpees (try to keep within 42 secs.)
90s rest

D. Got time?  Your choice to hit stairs, treadmill etc.  Give er snot for 15-30s and rest (active) for 3x the work time.  Keep it constant each interval and stop once you can't keep the same pace.

Be sure to leave time to stretch!

Body Row
Whatever you use for this a few points:
- feet forward = harder, backwards = easier
- no butt sag or "english" put on it to get up- this is about core strength and stability as much as pulling strength
- put feet where you will be able to touch chest to bar, you can always make it harder for next set/workout
- try for a slight pause with chest touching hands/bar etc.

Wed. Oct 24/12

Our squat racks may be in transition so here is something to keep you going without needing a rack:

A. Goblet Squat; Up the rack- do sets of 3 with each wt. all the way up to where you can keep form but the next jump would cause you to start faultering form, do a total of 3 sets of 3 at this top wt.  If you get up to 100# with ease then do 3 sets at 100# as many reps as you can do with excellent form.

B. Standing One Arm DB Row; work up to a 20 rep max- do a few sets at 5-10 reps building the wt up each set to get an estimate of a good wt to go for a full 20 reps.  If it feels like 15 reps would be tough then give it a try and surprise yourself!

C. 5 Rounds:
12 KB Swings
12 Burpees- try to keep within 36s
90s rest

D. Got time?  Stairs, run, row etc.
Not much time?  Get in a good stretch!  Big focus on hamstrings, hip flexors and chest.

Hand on DB rack works too, bellybutton in for each rep and spine as neutral as possible.


What is a neutral spine?  If lying on the floor or standing with back to wall (butt, shoulders and head touching) when you slide your hand under your low back you should be able to fit just the meat of your hand onder your spine without any fight...... if you can slide your whole wrist under then rock hips just a bit to make the space just enough for the meat of your hand.
Savvy?

Sunday Oct. 21/12

Get a warm-up in and a bit of a stretch.
What is a warm-up? 
- Spend around 5mins on the bike, treadmill, rower, skipping etc
- Do some dynamic stretches
- PRACTICE the movements you are going to do in the workout- just body weight, then bar, then a little wt... work your way up to your work wts.
- You can also throw in some other big movements if you feel they are helpful to get you warmed up and in a good range of motion (squats, KB swings, lunges, pullups/rows, pushups etc)
Once you feel like you've primed the pump get at it!

Workout:
A. Deadlift; work up to a 5 rep max *for today keep both hands overhand today (knuckles forward) if you cannot lift what you usually do with a mixed grip you have a relative weakness in your grip strength!  Note the difference... trust me, this is something I need to work on.

B. 5x
5 Goblet Squat; ideally start with a wt that is 25% of your body wt and add each set **
10 Burpees (try to get them done in 30s)
90s rest
** the wt is too heavy if you are unable to keep your bellybutton pulled in for entire movement and/or your technique is degrading.  For burpees the goal is a burpee every 3s, sustained.  If you slow down then stop- would rather quality over quantity.

C. Cardio/core/etc
You choose what your next thing is- stairs, running, biking, core stuff etc.  A few guidelines though:
- if you are running or doing some sort of cardio deal give it a go with 30s work and 30s rest x10, that is all... just give'r snot for the work.
- if you are doing core stuff then:

• Be exlposive- do some oblique stuff like throwing that requires coordination and explosive movement
• Be stable- planks are good finishers but only if you are holding a good position- straight lines.  If you are sagging then you need to stop as you will be practicing poor form and your body will do that when it is required to be straight!
• Be smart- don't annhialate, stimulate.  Work to a bit of fatigue or to a point just past what you have done previously, this is enough to keep you progressing- no ned for funny business or complete trashing of core musculature.

Tuesday Oct.16/12

Hey, annual WFI Fitness Evals are coming up- I will be trying to get them done early November..... now's the time to get on the treadmill and run through the protocol if you haven't done it in a while.

A. Treadmill Protocol (see below)

B. Up and down the rack Goblet Squats + Pushups
Start with the lightest wt on the rak and do 5 Goblet Squats, move up by 5lbs and repeat up to a challenging wt then go back down the rack the same way you came..... fun stuff.  Here's the kicker, in between squat sets throw in a set of pushups- only like 3-5 GOOD ones.  Like the Squats they will seem pretty easy at first but will accumulate quite quickly.

C. Side Planks; 1x max attempt per side.
- if you get more than 90s per side then you are free to do whatever you want.
- if you get less than 90s per side then repeat x 2, resting about 90s per set.

D. Lots of time?  Stairs, run.... go for it.  As long as you leave time to get a good stretch in!

 Treadmill protocol:

Here is the way the test is run- this tells you minute by minute what grade and speed your treadmill should be at:

 

Time	Speed- mph	% Grade
0:00-1:00	3.0	0
1:01-2:00	3:0	0
2:01-3:00	3.0	0
3:01-4:00	4.5	0
4:01-5:00	4.5	2
5:01-6:00	5.0	2
6:01-7:00	5.0	4
7:01-8:00	5.5	4
8:01-9:00	5.5	6
9:01-10:00	6.0	6
10:01-11:00	6.0	8
11:01-12:00	6.5	8
12:01-13:00	6.5	10
13:01-14:00	7.0	10
14:01-15:00	7.0	12
15:01-16:00	7.5	12
16:01-17:00	7.5	14
17:01-18:00	8.0	14
Recovery Phase
0:00-1:00	3.0	0
1:01-2:00	3.0	0
2:01-3:00	3.0	0

 

Notice the bold #'s?  they are the ones that you change at that particular time frame- after the first 3 mins you alternate between increasing speed or incline until you hit your taget HR.

 

Not so good with math and need a reminder of what your target HR should be?

Age	Target HR		Age	Target HR		Age	Target HR
25	162		35	156		45	150
26	161		36	155		46	149
27	161		37	155		47	149
28	160		38	154		48	148
29	160		39	154		49	148
30	159		40	153		50	147
31	158		41	152		51	146
32	158		42	152		52	146
33	157		43	151		53	145
34	157		44	151		54	145

 

Capisce?