What shape should EMTs/Medics Be In

[NREMT08]

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.

thanks, lol, we must have both been writing at the same time, lol, I just posted my last comment, and then saw yours LOL

 

[wolfwyndd]

Personally, I'd LOVE to see a physical fitness test before you get your EMT certification. I'd like to see NREMT make getting a physical from a REAL doctor a requirement before taking the certification test. Do I really think that'll happen? Oh, probably will. About the same time that that pig over there starts doing loop de loops in the sky. We have a new guy at our squad whose primary job is 911 dispatcher and he just runs with us as a part time volunteer and that boy is SEVERELY out of shape. He was on a code a couple of weeks ago and the crew he worked it with said he managed to get about ONE round of CPR done before he was so winded he was no longer any help and he was drenched with sweat. He has to weigh about 400 pounds if he's 5.

 

[apagea99]

I'm trying to get my body back into top shape. Last fall I took the PAT for my local FD and passed....I was in the best shape of my life. I got lazy after that and now I'm beating my body into shape to get back what I've lost.

So far, I've dropped 15 lbs and changed my eating habits considerably, but I'm having some issues. Running/cardio is easy enough for me. I can run 3-5 miles no problem, plus I do interval training every other day. What's bothering me is that before I dropped the 15 lbs I was stronger! It's as if I lost some strength even though I've been working out the whole time. I used to bench 4 sets of 10 @ 200 lbs on a regular basis, but now it more like 1-2 sets of ten and then progressively shorter sets afterward. I just can't seem to get back what I lost and I feel stuck. Last night, I tried moving things around and adding some other exercises for my chest muscles. Is there anything else I can/should do?

 

[karaya]

Good to hear that you are working on your fitness apage! I too have changed my eating habits and stepped up my workouts. I can say after just a few weeks I feel much better and dropped a pant size.

The shape of EMS in recent years has impacted my photography. On some past book projects my editors rejected some of my work solely to the obvious overweight appearance of some of the medics. They're not looking for totally ripped bodies, but they also don't want a gut sagging way over the belt line, etc. That goes for females as well!

 

[fit4duty]

I'm trying to get my body back into top shape. Last fall I took the PAT for my local FD and passed....I was in the best shape of my life. I got lazy after that and now I'm beating my body into shape to get back what I've lost.

So far, I've dropped 15 lbs and changed my eating habits considerably, but I'm having some issues. Running/cardio is easy enough for me. I can run 3-5 miles no problem, plus I do interval training every other day. What's bothering me is that before I dropped the 15 lbs I was stronger! It's as if I lost some strength even though I've been working out the whole time. I used to bench 4 sets of 10 @ 200 lbs on a regular basis, but now it more like 1-2 sets of ten and then progressively shorter sets afterward. I just can't seem to get back what I lost and I feel stuck. Last night, I tried moving things around and adding some other exercises for my chest muscles. Is there anything else I can/should do?

maintaining strength levels while losing weight is a very difficult proposition. You have to find a balance in your nutrition that allows for maintenance of the musculature to keep the system able to perform, but you don't want to over feed which is what got you a bit chunktified to begin with. The strength loss has come from two different places.

1. in dropping the fifteen pounds, you probably lost a fair amount of muscle tissue as well (assuming you are going by scale numbers as opposed to body composition). So you may not be eating enough to maintain your bodies basic needs; resulting not only in changes in the scale but also in the muscle tissue available to do strength work. If the increase in cardio and interval work isn't supported by an increase in the right types of food (energy to support the activity) your body will find energy in its own tissue resulting in a loss of fat (from increased activity and oxygen) and muscle (easier to breakdown than fat in the post exercise body that is not fed properly). Take home message is to figure out that happy balance in eating that allows you perform the work you want, at a frequency and intensity you want without the negative effects on your body and performance. Though it may seem counter-intuitive you may need to start eating more.

2. running 3-5 miles and pushing near limit poundage requires your nervous system and physiology to mobilize resources in different ways to achieve outcomes that are near polar opposites. Medium intensity long duration exercise does not use the same muscle or energy as high intensity interval work or maximal lifts. Without getting deep into physiology, the muscle make-up will trend towards the activity and training the body is exposed to. The same holds true for the nervous system as well as your bodies ability to mobilize the necessary resources. The question then becomes how does one, strengthen and improve their cardiovascular output AND maintain and increase strength levels.

The Solution may be in a concept known as "Concurrent Training" made popular in track and field circles by Charlie Francis (regardless of opinions on the use of banned substances in sport; his system is nothing short of brilliant). What Coach Francis suggests is that you train all components at the same time so that an improvement in one area will lead to increases in all others as well, with one caveat: how does the training effect the nervous system, its ability to mobilize the very strong and very fast muscle AND trend the system towards fast powerful movement.

 

[Aileana]

For my program (in college now), I have to pass a fitness test (32 male push-ups in one minute; 36 abdominal crunches in one minute; 1.8 km run in under 11 minutes, and flexibility tests) by December, or I will not be allowed to do my ride-outs again. By January, we have to deadlift (I think) 210 lbs on a stretcher/stair chair. They give us a first semester course called 'fitness appreciation', which is definately useful to help getting in shape.
To apply for a job with any service in the province, I will have to pass more fitness tests as well.

Definately think that fitness tests are useful (and should be mandatory across the board) for EMS providers.

 

[RESQ_5_1]

I must admit, I am terrible out of shape. I'm 41 and been smoking for 20+ years. I'm about 40 lbs overweight. I injured my back during training in the Army when I was 19 and it still bothers me from time to time. However, I recently did 2 days of OT to cover for one of our employees who hurt his back. He's in his mid 30s and looks like a stickman.

Just because I don't look fit, doesn't mean I'm not capable of doing my job. Beacause of my lifelong back problems, I learned a loooooong time ago how to properly lift.

BTW, the employee I worked for routinely misses work due to back pain.

 

[ochacon80]

Regarding Cardio. Do most of you do it prior to your weight workout? I usually do mine after but I am so beat I can only last like 20 minutes. And when I do cardio first I struggle with my weight routine. Any advice?

 

[snaketooth10k]

I'm trying to get my body back into top shape. Last fall I took the PAT for my local FD and passed....I was in the best shape of my life. I got lazy after that and now I'm beating my body into shape to get back what I've lost.

So far, I've dropped 15 lbs and changed my eating habits considerably, but I'm having some issues. Running/cardio is easy enough for me. I can run 3-5 miles no problem, plus I do interval training every other day. What's bothering me is that before I dropped the 15 lbs I was stronger! It's as if I lost some strength even though I've been working out the whole time. I used to bench 4 sets of 10 @ 200 lbs on a regular basis, but now it more like 1-2 sets of ten and then progressively shorter sets afterward. I just can't seem to get back what I lost and I feel stuck. Last night, I tried moving things around and adding some other exercises for my chest muscles. Is there anything else I can/should do?

you just hit a bit of a plateau. It's something that every person is likely to encounter when lifting. It is possible that your body is not receiving the nutrients it needs to build the muscles or the you aren't allowing your muscles to build themselves or many other reasons that exist. the best way to get through it is to add a little more protein to your diet and bench pyramid sets. That is to bench a set of 4 reps at 200+, 6 at 200, 8 at 175, 10 at 145, and then do the same thing backwards. This is the system that many trainers use to balance endurance lifting with power lifting, and it also works your muscles more effectively. Make sure you do it with supervision and adjust the weight to suit yourself though.

 

[Sasha]

Im not saying that their should be yearly fitness tests or anything like that but I think that we should all be in decent shape b/c we all know we do a lot more physical labor than the public thinks. I'm in pretty good shape being 18 I lift and run. What do you guys think?

Im in good shape too. A good, round shape. ^_^

 

[Jon]

Yep. Round is a shape.

 

[fit4duty]

Regarding Cardio. Do most of you do it prior to your weight workout? I usually do mine after but I am so beat I can only last like 20 minutes. And when I do cardio first I struggle with my weight routine. Any advice?

Here is a short answer (hope it helps ):


ATP-CrP--------------Glycolytic---------------Fatty acid oxidation
|-limit weights----sprinting, circuit/interval training-----EPOC-------|
|-----------------------traditional gym cardio, running-------------|
|-anerobic--------------combined--------------aerobic------------|

The excercise energy continum runs from left to right, aneaerobic to aerobic.
In most instances, your best training results are going to come from working left to right because of the tendancy of the body to want to work the path of least resistance (in super simplistic terms you have to deplete one energy system to get to the next).

Weights typically are a left sided activity, once those stores are depleated, your body has to go to the next pool of energy resources, the nature of the activity dictates your bodies ability to transition from one energy store to the next. Cardio (areobic training) in traditional thinking is used for fat-loss because it is a relatively low stress exercise that allows for increased oxygen uptake and fatty acid oxidation for fuel if you do it long enough. But to get to the fat break down you have to burn through the other two systems first. Breaking down fat is an intensive process that body will do if it has to, only if there are not any other readily available sources of fuel. That is why if you do cardio before weights, your loads will drop because you have not allowed for sufficient time for your body to replenish the energy system(s) required to move the weights.

You can leap frog this process by performing very intense interval work at short rest periods based off of Tabata Intervals (google it) that then induce the EPOC phenomenon (google that too) that allows for prolonged fat breakdown.

Here's a shorter answer:

If you are beat, after twenty minutes, instead of trying to press on longer, why not go faster?

 

[KEVD18]

Im in good shape too. A good, round shape. ^_^

im going to respond to this as professionally as possible and hope to hell it works.

based on the pics you posted in the "faces behind the posts" thread, you're doing just fine.

 

[Sasha]

I was joking around on this thread. But thank you!!

 

[apagea99]

you just hit a bit of a plateau. It's something that every person is likely to encounter when lifting. It is possible that your body is not receiving the nutrients it needs to build the muscles or the you aren't allowing your muscles to build themselves or many other reasons that exist. the best way to get through it is to add a little more protein to your diet and bench pyramid sets. That is to bench a set of 4 reps at 200+, 6 at 200, 8 at 175, 10 at 145, and then do the same thing backwards. This is the system that many trainers use to balance endurance lifting with power lifting, and it also works your muscles more effectively. Make sure you do it with supervision and adjust the weight to suit yourself though.

Thanks for the tip! I tried this today and I can tell a difference in how I feel during and after the workout. I have a feeling I'll be good and sore tomorrow which is exactly what I was looking for.

 

[HotelCo]

Since there is a thread about health officials being in shape, I thought I would start a thread similar to this one. But, I found this old thread instead, so I'll just continue on from here. Plus, there are a lot of new faces that have shown up since this thread was made (including mine).

Additional questions: Should there be a physical fitness test that must be passed prior to being hired? How about for retention? Why or why not?

 

[Sasha]

Since there is a thread about health officials being in shape, I thought I would start a thread similar to this one. But, I found this old thread instead, so I'll just continue on from here. Plus, there are a lot of new faces that have shown up since this thread was made (including mine).

Additional questions: Should there be a physical fitness test that must be passed prior to being hired? How about for retention? Why or why not?

Yes there should. Being and EMT/Paramedic can be physicially demanding. If you can't hold your own weight, the job may still get done but you will be putting an extra strain on your partner, whether you realize it or not.

That being said, it shouldn't be based on weight but a person's ability to do the job. If the person is 300 pounds but can carry, walk, get down on the floor, and pass everything a 100lb person can, then so be it.

Although I do think it's important to promote a healthful image you simply can't mandate that without being discriminatory.

 

[Sail195]

Personally, I was a runner in high school, a pretty good one till I got an ankle injury that eventually prevented me from competing at that level any more so I stopped running until I recently got involved with EMS I started running again, I feel that it is a great release after a stressful day or a day with a particularly bad call... Just another way to vent for me anyway

 

[wolfwyndd]

Should there be a physical fitness test that must be passed prior to being hired? How about for retention? Why or why not?

Personally, I think there should be. Some of my squad members complain all the time about trying to pick up Mr or Mrs X because they weigh too damned much. My personal feelings on the job are, 'if you can't lift Mr or Mrs X off the floor when they've fallen and can't get up on their own, maybe you need to find another job.' I've told some of our members that and believe me, I've won no friends in the process. I think the tests should be for initial hire AND for retention, with age included. Honestly, I don't think we can expect a 60 year old to be able to lift what a 20 year old can. Although, ironically, we do have a 60 year old man that volunteers with us that, I swear, can lift about as much as some of the 20 year olds.

Although I do think it's important to promote a healthful image you simply can't mandate that without being discriminatory.

While, in theory, I agree with you. Tell that to all the hospitals and Fire / EMS departments that are NOT hiring and / or firing smokers. Personally, I think that's discrimination.

 

[HotelCo]

Anything less than that, you have no business in EMS.