What shape should EMTs/Medics Be In

[KEVD18]

my standard answer as to what physical qualifications i suggest is:

the ability to do the job. personally, i dont care if you eat so badly that you have an mi at 40. i dont care if you smoke so much you have emphysema at 40. in reference to other such questions, i dont care if your a woman, have a prosthetic leg, have a pacemaker, migraines or any other such issue. if you can work your scheduled hours, do your share of work including lifting, carrying, kneeling etc; then all the rest is your own business.

from the business owner or service chiefs point of view, sure physically fit people get hurt less, call out less etc. but i dont own an ambulance company nor am i a chief so i dont have to worry about that sort of thing...

to NREMT08: your posts made it sound exactly as like triemal interpreted it. dont be so quick to fly off the handle. it wont get you far in this field. also, there is a quote post button in the bottom right hand corner of the post your trying to quote. using it makes it easier to read. just a thought....

 

[NREMT08]

I am just not going to post anything anymore, I am tired of being misinterpreted
looks like I am the worlds worst communicator. yay for me.

 

[TheDoll]

I am just not going to post anything anymore, I am tired of being misinterpreted
looks like I am the worlds worst communicator. yay for me.

chin up, nremt08! it looks like you haven't posted much around here and that's okay! sometimes people come across a little differently over the internet. when i first started posting on message boards i had that problem, too. then, i figured out how not to get mad at the internet. this was me about 6 years ago ha ha ha ha!!!!!

you'll find that almost everyone on this board is trying at least at some level to help. also, many people are a wealth of information because of their knowledge and experience. so, please don't mistake people's straightforwardness as being mean. there is too much help available for you (and all of us) here for you to stop posting and go away.

i'm also a female trying to get hired on with the fire dept. i passed the cpat, and my advice would be to run distance and do some interval training. also, lift lift lift! lift heavy, too! if you want me too, i can post my routine that i did while i was preparing and that i still do. just let me know!

good luck and feel free to ask any questions you have. you can definitely get through this even if you're not fond of working out!

 

[NREMT08]

Ok....Thanks TheDoll,.....Yes I have been running, I am not sure if there is a specific brand of shoe that would help my body not hurt so much from running, but I am happy to say I can now jog a mile and a half at a reasonable pace, I think my problem was that I was "running" to fast, and that was why I was not able to run that far, one of the trainers at the gym told me, try to slow down a bit and pace yourself, I did that and to my surprise I could jog 1 1/2 mile, I look forward to reaching the 2 mile mark, I will be taking this test on the 7th of next month, and yes.....I have been lifting, but your suggestions and weight training program would be much appreciated, thank you.

 

[TheDoll]

Ok....Thanks TheDoll,.....Yes I have been running, I am not sure if there is a specific brand of shoe that would help my body not hurt so much from running, but I am happy to say I can now jog a mile and a half at a reasonable pace, I think my problem was that I was "running" to fast, and that was why I was not able to run that far, one of the trainers at the gym told me, try to slow down a bit and pace yourself, I did that and to my surprise I could jog 1 1/2 mile, I look forward to reaching the 2 mile mark, I will be taking this test on the 7th of next month, and yes.....I have been lifting, but your suggestions and weight training program would be much appreciated, thank you.

well, i always keep track of my weight lifting by writing it down in a notebook, and i just realized i don't have it with me. so, i'll have to write that down later. i can tell you that i got my lifting routine from a book called G-Force: The Ultimate Guide To Your Best Body Ever by Gunnar Peterson. you don't have to read the book cover to cover. it just has great weight lifting ideas. the best part is that in the back of the book there are some weight lifting routines that are set up according to how much time you have.

as far as cardio goes...make sure you have good running shoes. i live in indianapolis, and there are a couple of running stores here where the sales people will really take time to make sure you are fitted correctly.

in addition to the running you are doing for endurance. make sure you are doing some tough interval training. this can help you build your lung capacity which you will probably want to do. if you need ideas on interval training, just let me know, and i'll post some. also, make sure you are getting your butt on the stair climber. NOT the stair master, but the climber with oscillating stairs. or you can just go find some stairs and run them, but you need to do a lot.

also, do not smoke, do not drink, and see if you can start dropping some weight if you can. do it so that you still have energy and are healthy, but if you have extra weight you will want as much of it off by the time you take the test.

are you taking the cpat? if it is another test, then can you post what type of things you'll need to do?
most of all good luck!

 

[laina66]

We're trying to get a mandatory PT time for members.
We had to change our bags to 2 little bags instead of one big one for our main bags because people couldn't lift it.
We had a girl get out of breathe carrying the O2 bag up the stairs.
Oi.

 

[TheDoll]

We're trying to get a mandatory PT time for members.
We had to change our bags to 2 little bags instead of one big one for our main bags because people couldn't lift it.
We had a girl get out of breathe carrying the O2 bag up the stairs.
Oi.

wow, that's a shame! good luck getting the PT time!

 

[bonedog]

Being in shape will extend your career, also it may help you a good retirement.

For cardio I found that by maintaining 75% of my maximum heart rate gave me steady increases in ability and stamina. Being a martial artist myself, it is counter intuitive to the full bore training most of us are taught.

 

[TEK 679]

I must say we have alot of overweight EMTs here 20,30 even 40lbs overweight. Keeping in shape has been important to me over the years being able to protect my partners and myself has come in handy many times and staying fit is key to getting the jump on some crack head or drunk who wants to hurt ya. Stay fit stay safe:glare:

 

[snaketooth10k]

Here's a good idea...

Everyone should try to stay in good shape. How you do it is up to you. I like to climb and mountain bike, it keeps me in shape for verticle rescue and keeps me strong and flexible. Also, chicks dig daredevils (and powertools). There is no reason not to exercise.

Consider this: You stay in shape and eat well, you get strong, you look good, you are happier (yes, its been proven), and you live longer.
-OR-
You sit around watching reruns (not gonna lie, they re great), you eat junk (delicious), you gain weight, you hurt yourself during physical activity, you don't live as long as you could (means fewer opportunities to parachute, cliff dive, meet celebrities, and win the lottery).

So really, why not just buy an iPod and walk, run, or bike a few miles a day. Do push ups, pull ups, sit ups, squats, and calf raises with that and you will look sharp after some good hard work. Yoga is also a good alternative, it makes you strong and it helps you relax like nothing else.

Everyone should stay in shape, it just makes life better.

 

[mikeylikesit]

dead lift 175 lbs. breath and walk at the same time. run a mile for when your chasing a code 24. upper body to restrain those crazy combative nuts, but you need atleast upper body and cardio.

 

[NREMT08]

Makin some progress

Well, I am happy to say that I am making some progress with my running and lifting, I can now jog (at a reasonable pace) almost 2 miles, and every time I am at the gym, I realize that I am getting stronger, I am able to lift more and it is easier to lift, I have more self confidence when I am at the gym and it is easier to stand there and wait for the machine that the really huge and strong guy is using, lol. I am gonna pass the agility test this time, I know it, last time I took the test I couldn't have run a mile nonstop if you paid me a million dollars to do it., now, I can almost run 2 miles, and I can lift a lot more weight, I am gonna pass this time, I know I am.

 

[mikeylikesit]

you better pass this time.

 

[fit4duty]

consistency, discipline and effort

I know I am.

i know you will

 

[CFRBryan347768]

I am gonna pass this time, I know I am.

You must do the thing you think you cannot do

"Eleanor Roosevelt"

When in doubt read your quoteB)^_^ good luck!

 

[mikeylikesit]

Just for clarification though...

in order to cut it in the EMS field you should atleast be a little in shape like me.

no,no it's not photoshop my face always looks this weird in pics.

 

[NREMT08]

I am soo excited

Well this morning at the gym I killed my upper body, then I jogged 2 miles, yay I finally hit the 2 mile mark, I can jog 2 miles, whooo hooo!

Then, this evening, I went to training at another station, I am A Cadet with them, and we did a "practice" agility test and I passed the practice one, I am not gonna say it was easy, the dummy sucked lol, but I passed, So I take the real test in 10 days, I KNOW I am gonna pass this time! Thank you guys for the support.

 

[NREMT08]

whats going on with the posts

ok I know for a fact that I did not write any swear words whatsoever in this last post, yet there is the word censored all over in my post half my darn post is gone, whats going on here. Is someone playing with me here, as far as I know, the only people who have the ability to alter my posts are the moderators, this is not funny!

 

[JPINFV]

Anything containing "-áss-" (e.g. páss) is censored now. It's not the moderators going around and chaning people's posts, it's the filter on the forum software.

 

[NREMT08]

I see the problem

The word "p a s s" or "p a s s e d" is being automatically censored by the board because it contains the letters necessary to spell @$$, the post made by Mikeylikesit has also been changed, and all he wrote was "you better p a s s this time" as in you better p:censored::censored::censored: the agility test this time. See? if you write the word p a s s without spaces in between the letters it get's automatically changed to the "censored" emoticon or just the word "censored". Maybe the moderator can fix this.