© Copyright 2006 by James Holder

This manual is protected by copyright.

No part of this manual may be copied, re-produced or transmitted in any way

without consent from the publisher.

Published by J Holder
james@firefighterfit.com
http://www.firefighterfit.com

1
Disclaimer

Exercises and advice given in this manual may be too strenuous for some people.
The Reader should consult his/her GP before engaging in them.

The author cannot be held responsible in any way for any injury which may occur
resulting from following any advice or exercises in this manual.

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FOREWORD

The exercises in this manual are the keys to superior strength, fitness and overall
body conditioning.

You do not need to go to a gym, nor do you need any equipment. The exercises
can be performed in your own home with no expense.

They can be performed by men or women of any age and when performed
regularly and correctly can bring dramatic increases in strength, flexibility,
endurance and overall health, not to mention the reduction of overall body fat.

They are not bodybuilding exercises to ‘bulk up’ nor do they enable you to become
as thin as a rake and run for miles and miles.

The exercises in this manual will get you functionally fit. True fitness is an overall
balance between strength, flexibility, stamina, endurance and good health.

The role of a modern day firefighter is physically demanding and requires a high
level of overall fitness.

Firefighters use all their muscles in different ways so need a healthy balance
between strength, stamina and endurance.

Tasks a firefighter has to carry out on a regular basis are too many to list, but to
give you an idea of variety here are a few examples:

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Lifting - need for upper body strength to lift and carry an
unconscious person

Carrying - need for overall body strength in upper and lower body to
carry heavy equipment

Pulling - arm and grip strength to haul equipment to upper floors

using rope lines

Pushing - overall strength to break down heavy doors

Running - high level of stamina and endurance to run out lines of hose
and ascend steep staircases

Crawling - flexibilty and endurance to carry out a search in a confined

space

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If you want muscles that are bloated, over developed, ugly and surprisingly not very
strong, then study bodybuilding books.

If you want to become ‘lungs on legs’ with little or no upper body strength then
study long distance running books.

Being able to bench press 200kg is no use when trying to handle a high pressure
hose line from all angles and varying pressures and the ability to run a marathon in
shorts and a vest is no use when carrying heavy and awkward equipment up 15
flights of stairs.

Yes, your muscles will grow as your strength soars but you will also get leaner as
you get fitter and you will have greater muscle definition.

It is important to remember your body is one big muscle. When you perform daily
tasks such as walking, running, lifting, carrying, pulling, pushing or any movement
your body is capable of, all your individual muscles work together as one so why
train in a way that isolates muscles?

You wont find routines in this manual regarding split routines such as train your
chest Monday, back Tuesday and so on. Animals in the wild dont know split
routines or do 3 sets of this and 15 reps of that and dont carry barbells or cross
trainers. They have nothing more than their body weight and are far fitter and
stronger than we are.

Follow the exercises in this manual and you too can become firefighter fit.

Get to it!

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INTRODUCTION

Each exercise included in this manual is pictured and carries a description of how
to do it and its benefits.

Some exercises may be too strenuous or difficult for some people. Dont worry, we
all have to start somewhere, just reduce the intensity and it will soon come.

Dont expect to be able to do all the exercises with perfect form overnight. The road
to superior fitness is made up of lots of small steps. Consistency in training is the
key.

If you cannot do a single push-up then your road to fitness starts right here. After a
few days of pushing with all of your might, you will complete a full push-up.

So, within a short time of starting this programme your strength will have improved
and that is all the motivation you will need.

Within a few weeks you may be able to do 10 push-ups and that feeling of
accomplishment will spur you on. This is the big secret to fitness training, dont set
unrealistic goals that cant be achieved for a long time.

For example, dont set yourself a goal such as wanting to do 100 straight push-ups,
if at that time you can only do 10. By following this course 100 straight push-ups
will become no problem but if you can only do 10 its going to take a while to get
there.

Instead, set achievable short term goals such as by this weekend I want to do 15
straight push-ups. When you reach goals you receive a great deal of satisfaction
and it spurs you on to the next goal.

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Goal setting is why most people never improve themselves or give up altogether on
exercise. They set goals that are unrealistic and unachievable in a short time and
when their goal isnt reached or it takes ages to achieve then they give up.

Rome wasnt built in a day, but it was built.

You will need to devote around 15-20 minutes to exercise every day.

For some that will be too much, thats fine, if one minute is all you can do then do
one minute. That one minute will soon be two which will soon be ten. Just keep at
it.

Dont think you need to pound a treadmill or cycle for hours on end to lose weight.
The benefits of pushing your body to the max for a few minutes every day far
outweigh the benefits of sitting on a cycle machine, putting it onto an easy level and
sitting back to watch TV without breaking sweat.

At this point, I should say that if you are unable to find 15 minutes in your day to
train and look after your body, then you need to look at your priorities in life and
have a rethink.

Being fit means a much better quality of life, you will sleep better, have less stress
and look and feel healthy. That is surely a good enough reason.

Clothing should be loose fitting that doesnt restrict movement and not bulky. You
want your body to breath. Expect to get warm very quickly so dont put layers and
layers on.

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If you are training at home, a pair of shorts and vest is ideal. I like to train barefoot
as this toughens the feet and strengthens the muscles in your feet. Shoes are fine
however if you are not at home.

There are many exercises in this manual so it is unrealistic to expect to do them all
everyday. If you are lucky enough to have all day to exercise then take advantage
of that time. Most of us however dont have that luxury.

15 to 20 minutes of these exercises per day is more than enough time to reach the
fitness goals you have set yourself. You can train for over an hour some days and
only 15 minutes on others but 15 minutes of daily exercise is more than enough to
become fit.

I recommend you do the first four exercises every day. These exercises will flatten
and tighten up your stomach in no time but more importantly build core strength in
the abdominal muscles and involve deep breathing which focuses the mind and
body ready for exercise.

At the back of this manual I have included some suggested exercise routines and
some common questions and answers, but none of this is set in stone.

The beauty of my method of training is its flexibilty. You can mix and match the
exercises as you see fit and the more the better. On one day you may feel like
training for endurance and get your lungs working, on the next you may want to
build on strength and do a push-up routine, or a stretching routine or you may want
to do them all.

Try to balance your routines with strength exercises, flexibility exercises and
endurance exercises. How you do this is up to you but use my suggestions as a
guide.

What I can say is the following exercises will get you the fitness and quality of life
that you want.

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The Exercises

9
 Core Exercises

To be done every day

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11
Exercise 1 - Back bridge

Lie on your back with your hands by your head palms down and push your body off
the ground into the position shown. You then need to hold this position for as long
as you can.

This exercise will build tremendous strength into the shoulders, arms, chest and
back. It will also hit the abdominal muscles as you contract them and your legs are
also worked hard as you hold the position. On top of all this you are greatly
improving flexibility.

The benefits of doing this exercise every day are huge and will condition the whole
of your body and hit all the major muscle groups.

If you find that you can’t get into the bridge position as you lack the upper body
strength or your back is not flexible enough, then push and stretch as far as you
can. By doing this you are still working the muscles in an isometric contraction
which I talk about later in this manual and you will soon be getting higher and
higher in your bridge.

You can aim to hold this position for 5 minutes by which time you will really be
feeling how beneficial this exercise is.

As you improve try to bring your hands and feet closer together thus increasing the
arch in your back.

Beginner 0-2 min

Intermediate 2-5 min
Advanced 5+ min

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Exercise 2 – Abdominal contraction while breathing

Take a deep breath in and fill your lungs. When your lungs are full hold for a
second or two and then exhale slowly while at the same time squeezing your
stomach muscles as hard as you can. Imagine someone is about to punch you in
the stomach. You naturally tense and squeeze your abdominal muscles as you
expect the blow. Thats the feeling you are aiming for during the exhalation.
Continue exhaling until your lungs are empty and repeat the exercise.

Continue doing this for 5 minutes and you will feel your abdominal muscles
working.

You can expect a leaner and tighter midsection by regulaly doing this exercise.

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Exercise 3 – Abdominal contraction while holding breath

Exhale until your lungs are completely empty. Then in the same way as in exercise
2, squeeze the muscles in your midsection as hard as you can and continue to
squeeze them for 5 – 10 seconds.

Then relax, inhale and repeat this 10 – 15 times

This works in a similar way to exercise 2 and builds core strength in the midsection.

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Exercise 4 – Elbow hold

Lie on the ground facing the floor and get into the position shown with your toes
and forearms touching the floor supporting the rest of your body.

Again, you need to hold this position for as long as you can but aim for 3 minutes
by which time the muscles of your midsection, arms, shoulders, back and legs will
be worked hard.

Beginner 0-1 min

Intermediate 1-3 min
Advanced 3+ min

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16
Endurance Exercises

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18
Exercise 5 – Free squats

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart with your hands by your side. Keeping
your back straight, squat down to the floor and then rise back up again, raising your
hands to your front as you push with your legs.

This exercise will build lung power and greatly improves endurance, not to mention
the huge strength gains in your legs.

Try to do as many as you can without stopping, going at the steady pace of one
complete squat every 2 seconds.

This exercise is harder than it looks.

Beginner 10-200
Intermediate 200-500
Advanced 500+

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Exercise 6 – Squat jumps

This exercise is similar to the last but you incorparate a jump into the cycle.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands by your side. Squat
down to the floor as before but this time push hard enough to leave the floor when
you rise back up. Your hands remain at your side throughout the entire movement.
It is important that you jump as high as you can by putting 100% effort into the
jump.

Repeat this over and over until your muscles are tired, which isn’t many minutes for
most people.

Again, this exercise builds tremendous leg strength and builds stamina and
endurance into the muscles. It will make everyday things like climbing stairs feel
like a walk in the park.

Beginner 10-50
Intermediate 50-200
Advanced 200+

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21
Exercise 7 – Squat thrusts

Start in the position shown with hands and feet on the floor. Then by putting all your
weight onto your hands, kick back your legs as far as you can into the push up
position. Straight away bring your legs back to where they started by again putting
your weight onto your hands. Do not slide your feet back and forth along the floor
but jump back and forth.

As before, repeat this exercise until fatigued.

Even 1 minute of this exercise will get your heart and lungs working overtime.

Squat thrusts are a great way to get into superb shape, fast. They build endurance
and stamina and condition the muscles of the entire body.

Beginner 0-30
Intermediate 30-100
Advanced 100+

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23
Exercise 8 – Jump Burpees

Jump burpees are very similar to squat thrusts but you include a jump into each
repetition.

Start in the position shown with hands and feet on the floor. Then by putting all your
weight onto your hands, kick back your legs as far as you can into the push up
position. Straight away bring your legs back to where they started by again putting
your weight onto your hands. Do not slide your feet back and forth along the floor
but jump back.

At this point, push with your legs and jump off the ground as high as you can. When
you land, place your hands on the floor by your feet, complete one squat thrust, and
repeat the exercise.

This is a more strenuous exercise than squat thrusts but has huge benefits as you
incorporate more muscles.

Repeat until tired.

Beginner 0-30
Intermediate 30-60
Advanced 60+

Added variation

To make it even more difficult, after you have jumped up and kicked your legs back
into a squat thrust so you are in the push up position, actually do one push up, then
finish the squat thrust and continue.

If you think you are fit, try this for just 60 seconds. It is a real killer!

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25
Exercise 9 – Partner pull

If you have a partner then try this exercise. It will get you firefighter fit in no time if
done regularly and tones and strengthens the entire body.

Use a length of sturdy belt or rope long enough to go round your waist as shown. I
like to use a martial arts belt. Place it round your waist as shown and then ask your
partner to hold both ends behind you.

You then need to get on all fours and try to pull your partner with you while he or
she tries to hold you back.

Continue until you are tired.

This exercise will tire you out very quickly but builds huge amounts of lungpower
and conditions muscles not regularly used. The benefits are massive.

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Exercise 10 – Sprints

The value of sprinting cannot be over emphasized. Sprints build explosive power
and only a few minutes of interval sprinting will build strong powerful lungs with legs
to match.

You can start on a football pitch or any flat surface where you can safely run over a
set distance of about 100 metres. Sprint as hard as you can from one goal line to
the other (Approx.100m) and give yourself 1 minute to slowly jog back to the start
line. After 1 minute, sprint the same distance again and repeat.

When you have built up your strength and stamina, you can move on to hill sprints.
Find a hill of about the same distance as before and repeat the above exercise.
Obviously the steeper the hill the harder you will work.

Beginner 5-8 sprints

Intermediate 8-12
Advanced 12+

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Exercise 11 – Skipping

There are many ways to use skipping as a method of getting fit. There are entire
books on the subject so I am not going to list different ways in this manual.

At first, skip for as long as possible without stopping which wont be very long for
most people. Try to get up to 5 minutes, which will really stress the muscles in your
legs and shoulders, but will also get your lungs blowing.

After a while however, you can come up with ways to add interest and I have
suggested just one way later in this manual. Use your imagination to come up with
others.

Skipping is great for building lungpower and endurance and any excess weight you
are carrying will literally fall off.

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Strength Exercises

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30
Exercise 12 – Pushups

Most people know how to do a regular pushup but few people realize that there are
many ways to vary the way that they are performed.

The standard pushup is shown opposite. Start with your feet together and your
hands shoulder width apart. Lower your body so your chest touches the ground
whilst looking forward and inhale. Then, press back to the starting position as you
exhale.

You should then repeat these movements until your muscles are fatigued.

This exercise will build a strong and lean upper body and will build endurance into
the muscles as you perform higher and higher numbers.

Pushup variations

By varying the position of your hands, you can hit the muscles in your upper body
from different directions and this will improve overall strength. Try the following in
your exercise routine to add variety.

Wide arm

Hands are placed much wider than shoulder width, which places more work onto
the chest muscles.

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Narrow arm

Hands placed narrower than shoulder width, which places more work on the
muscles in your arms, especially the triceps muscles on the back of your arm.

Hand on hand

This exercise requires a lot of upper body strength. By placing one hand on top of
the other, your muscles have to work a lot harder as your body weight is not spread
out over such a wide area as in the previous exercises.

Handclap

Perform the standard pushup as described but when you push off the ground, you
need to push a lot harder with enough power to be able to clap your hands between
each repetition. You will soon realize how much harder this exercise is and will feel
the benefits a lot quicker.

On fists

Builds strength into the hands, wrists and forearms, which will greatly improve grip.

Extended arm

Another difficult exercise to perform properly but with huge benefits. Apart from
strengthening the arms, shoulders and chest, the muscles in the lower back and
mid section are worked hard too. A great overall conditioning exercise.

You can start with your hands by your head but as you improve, progressively
move them further away until your arms are straight out fully extended.

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One-arm pushups

Again, these are difficult, if not impossible, for most people but if all the best
exercises were easy, everyone would be doing them.

Place one hand behind your back and perform a regular pushup. To make this
exercise easier, you can spread your feet wider apart but aim to keep them as
close as you can.

Remember to exercise on each arm!

You can now see that by varying the position of your hands and feet you can
greatly change the degree of difficulty of a standard push up.

Try any of these variations with feet elevated or hands elevated to add even more
variety.

The more variety you can add to your routine, the more interesting and fun it is to
do.

When you perform a workout that includes any of the pushup varieties I have
listed, you should perform the exercise until failure. (i.e.: you cannot do
anymore)

The following numbers of reps are for a standard pushup and are only a guide. As
long as you are continually trying to improve on the last time you exercised, it does
not matter how many you are doing

Beginner 0-40
Intermediate 40-100
Advanced 100+

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Exercise 13 – Static Pushup

As the name suggests, this exercise is a position you hold for time to build strength
and endurance in the muscles of the upper body.

Get into the position as shown, exactly as you would for a regular push up. Lower
yourself to the ground but this time stop and hold the position shown in the second
picture. You need to stop when you are just a few inches from the ground and then
remain in this position.

After only 60 seconds or so, your muscles will be under a great amount of stress
and working like they have never worked before. You should hold for as long as
you can, your arms might begin to shake but keep holding.

This is the important part – you need to conserve enough strength to push your
body back to the starting point and thus complete one single repetition of a push
up.

In effect, this exercise is the same as doing one standard pushup. The only
difference is that there is a long pause between lowering your body to the floor and
raising it back up again.

Try to hold the static pushup for as long as you can.

Beginner 0-30 sec

Intermediate 30 sec – 2 min
Advanced 2 min+

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38
Exercise 14 – Handstands

Handstands build tremendous strength in the whole of the upper body especially
the arms and shoulders.

Do not be confused into thinking that if you can shoulder press your own body
weight or more on a shoulder press weights machine, or with the equivalent barbell
that handstands are easy.

They most definitely are not and once you try you will see. Most people cannot hold
their own bodyweight in a handstand for more than a few seconds.

If you want strong powerful shoulders and arms, do these regularly.

Hold for time

At first, you may need assistance to get into the handstand position until you can
kick up into one against a wall on your own. Get into the position shown and hold
for as long as you can.

This will work the muscles of the shoulders, arms and back. As you keep balance,
you will also work stabilizing muscles in the abdominals and lower back.

Beginner 0-2 min

Intermediate 2-4 min
Advanced 4+ min

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40
Handstand pushups

Get into the handstand position as if you were holding for time, but this time, once
you are stable, lower your head to the ground as low as you can go and then push
yourself back up. The lower you can go the harder it is.

This is a whole lot harder than performing a shoulder press movement on a weights
machine in a gym. Try to do as many repetitions as you can, while going as near to
the ground as you can.
Lower yourself as low as you can and press back up. When you can perform 10
straight reps at this height, try going lower and lower until you are touching the floor
with your head.

Walking on hands

This is a more advanced exercise and requires skill and balance to perform safely.
In a wide-open area, preferably on a soft surface at first, try walking on your hands
for as far as you can.

This is a real test of strength, endurance, balance and overall body co-ordination. It
can take a while to learn but with practice, it will come.

This will work every muscle group in the upper body.

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Exercise 15 – Chair

This is a common exercise used by skiers to build leg strength.

Sit against the wall as shown so your legs form a right angle. Place your arms
where they are comfortable but do not use them to support your body in any way.
Keep your feet flat on the floor.

Again, this is a hold for time exercise so sit against the wall and aim to remain there
for as long as possible.

After only a short time your legs will be working hard and may begin to shake under
the stress but try to aim for 5 minutes.

To add variety to this exercise and also change the way the muscles are worked,
try different feet placements, such as, feet flat toes pointing out, feet flat toes
pointed in, toes forward with heels raised or toes forward with the toes raised.

Beginner 0-2 min

Intermediate 2-5 min
Advanced 5+ min

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44
Exercise 16 – Stretcher

This exercise will work the arms and shoulders; especially the triceps muscle on the
back of the arm and improves flexibility.

Sit on the floor with legs out straight and hands by your side. You then need to
raise your bottom off the ground until your body is straight with only your feet and
hands touching the ground.

Hold this position for as long as you can and you will soon feel the muscles
working.

Beginner 0-2 min

Intermediate 2-4 min
Advanced 4+ min

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Exercise 17 – Dorsal Raise

Builds strength into the lower back muscles and improves flexibility.

Lie on your front on the floor with your hands behind your head. You then raise your
head and upper body upward off the floor by bending at the waist. Go as far as you
can.

Repeat this movement 10-20 times.

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48
Exercise 18 – Ankle pull

This will stretch and strengthen nearly every muscle in the entire body so should be
done regularly.

Lie flat on the floor on your front and grab hold of your ankles. You then need to
imagine you are trying to touch your head with your feet, so raise your head and
pull on your ankles.

Try to go as far as you can, hold for a couple of seconds and then lower.

Repeat this 5 times.

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50
Exercise 19 – Back bend

Great for flexibility, this exercise also builds strong abdominal and leg muscles.

Rest on your knees with your back straight. Bend back at the knees and go back as
far as you can go and then raise yourself back up. Aim to go back until your head
touches the ground behind you and repeat this movement 10 times.

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52
Exercise 20 – Belt Pull

This is a great exercise to build strength into the arms, shoulders, back and chest
but also drastically improves your grip strength.
Grab hold of a belt or a towel as shown and try to pull it apart with all your strength
and continue pulling with 100% effort for 60 seconds.
Whether you are a beginner or advanced, you should still perform for the whole 60
seconds.

Your muscles will tire and you will barely have the strength to hold your arms up let
alone pull!

This is what you are aiming for. If you still have even an ounce of strength left in
your muscles after 60 seconds then you were not pulling hard enough.

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Isometrics

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Isometrics

Isometrics is a method of training that involves muscle contraction through pushing,

pressing and pulling against an unmovable object.

Isometrics uses minimal movement to build strength by working one muscle against
another.

I have included this short section on isometrics as the strength gains you can
expect are too big to ignore.

They add variety to any workout routine, work the muscles, and build power like
nothing else.

They go a long way to building hard, defined muscles and should be included at
least once a week in your routine.

The other advantage of isometrics is that the muscles can be exhausted very
quickly so a whole body workout does not take long at all.

The following full body isometric workout works all the muscles of the body.

When performing each exercise, keep your breathing deep and constant. Whether
you are pushing, pulling or pressing you need to put in 110% effort. You should be
pushing as hard as you can and keep pushing until all your strength has gone and
the muscle is exhausted.

Aim for each contraction to last 15-30 seconds.

Catch your breath and move on to the next exercise.

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Exercise 1

Exercise 2

56
From the position shown in exercise 1 try to bring your head back while resisting
with your hands. Then do the reverse as in exercise 2 and try to bring your head
forward. Primarily these exercises strengthen the muscles of the neck.

Exercises 3, 4, 5 and 6 build stronger and leaner muscles in the upper body,
especially the shoulder muscles, while doing any isometric movement try to keep
your breathing regular and deep.

Exercise 3

From this position try to pull your right hand over your head while resisting with the
left arm. Repeat with the left arm.

57
 Exercise 4

From this position try to raise your right arm to the front, keeping it straight, while
resisting with the left. Repeat with the left arm.

Exercise 5

In this exercise, try to raise your right arm to the side, keeping it straight, while
resisting with the left arm and then repeat with the right arm.

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 Exercise 6

This exercise is similar to exercise 4 only this time it is behind your back. You are
trying to raise your right arm, keeping it straight, up behind your back, while
resisting with your left arm.

Exercises 7 and 8 again work all the muscles of the upper body but put more stress
on the arm muscles (the biceps and triceps).
From the position in exercise 7 you need to push as hard as you can trying to
straighten both your arms. You should be trying to force both your fists into your
thighs while your legs and your back resist, this primarily works the triceps muscle.

Exercise 7

59
 Exercise 8

Exercise 8 builds strong, powerful biceps but also works the shoulders, back and
chest muscles. Try to curl your right arm up as you would with a dumbbell but resist
the movement with your left arm. Make sure you repeat with the other arm.

60
 Exercise 9

Exercise 9 should be done with a slight degree of caution. You only need slight
pressure so do not pull too hard at first. Place your hands behind your knees as
shown in picture 9. With your back slightly bent try to straighten up your back while
resisting with your arms. This builds strength into the lower back where most
people are very weak so go easy at first. This exercise however works the upper
body and is great for improving your grip.

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 Exercise 10

Exercise 10 is great for improving overall strength in the legs, arms, shoulders,
back and chest. It also improves grip strength and your balance. From the position
shown with your fingers inter-laced behind your knee, you try to straighten your leg
while resisting with your arms.

Most people’s legs are stronger than their arms by a long way. At first it will take
very little effort to break your grip, so push with your leg until the grip is about to be
lost.

However, as you improve, your leg will have to work harder to break your ever-
increasing arm strength as the strength in your fingers, arms and shoulders grows.

62
The final exercise packs strength and power into the legs.

Exercise 11

Get into the position shown in exercise 11 and you are aiming to push yourself
through the wall using your arms, legs and back. Obviously, use a sturdy obstacle
such as a tree or a brick wall.

You will find after only a short period that your strength has improved dramatically
through these isometric exercises.

Everyday jobs such as carrying shopping or even simple things such as walking
upstairs become noticeably easier because your muscles have been trained to
work against forces that they cannot overcome.

Items you once felt were heavy will now feel lighter and that is a great feeling.

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Routines

64
The following routines will bring the fitness and good health you want. They are not
set in stone so change around the exercises to suit you, variety keeps exercising
interesting.

Also, bear in mind that there are many ways to incorporate my exercises into a
routine.

At first, you will want to build a decent foundation of overall fitness by completing
one set of each exercise until you cannot do any more. For example, you may want
to do some pushups, some squat thrusts and a back bridge.

So, you do as many pushups as you can, catch your breath, complete as many
squat thrusts as you can and then hold a bridge for as long as possible. And that is
it. That day’s exercise is now done and that is more than enough for some people.
If after only 5 minutes you are exhausted, that is fine. Have a shower and tomorrow
you may be able to do six minutes. It will come.

You should also exercise everyday. Aim for at least 15-20 minutes but if you can
only last 5 minutes then that is fine, do 5. You will soon be up to 15 minutes and do
not think 5 minutes is not going to be beneficial because it most definitely is. If all
you can manage is 5 minutes then you will be working your muscles very hard for
those 5 minutes and you will improve dramatically.

Remember, the first four exercises in the core strength section earlier in this
manual should be performed every day.

As you improve, you may want to train for longer on certain days. Most days I will
train for 20 minutes but some days I will work for over an hour. Do what you can.

65
The following routine is one that I have followed but substitute exercises and
change the days on which you do each routine to suit yourself. It is very broad and
incorporates many exercises to improve strength, endurance and flexibility.

Monday

Core strength
Squats
Handstand
Standard pushups, wide arm and narrow arm

Tuesday

Core strength
Burpees
Wall Chair
Stretcher

Wednesday

Core strength
Squat jumps
Handstand
One arm pushups, extended arm and on fists pushups

Thursday

Core strength
Squat thrust
Squats
Wall chair
Hand on hand pushups

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Friday

Core strength
Back bend
Dorsal raise
Ankle pull

Saturday

Core strength
Sprints
Handclap pushups

Sunday

Core strength
Isometrics

As you improve and start to build up your fitness levels, you can start experimenting
with the way you complete your routine.

Try the following as a way to add interest and variety so you enjoy your training.

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Pyramids

This can be done with any exercise but I have used the standard pushup as an
example.

Get into the pushup position. Complete just one repetition, hold the position for the
time it took you to do one pushup (approximately 2 seconds) then complete two
repetitions then rest in the pushup position for the same time it took to do two
pushups. Then do 3 and rest in the same way. Repeat 4, 5, 6 and so on. Try to
work up to 10 but go as high as you can.

Playing Cards

Shuffle a pack of cards. Begin your exercise routine by turning over the top card.
Red cards represent pushups and black cards represent dorsal raises. You then
complete the number of pushups or raises represented by the value of the card.

Once you start, aim to take no rest until you have turned over all 52 cards and try
not to take any rest between cards.

This takes around 15 minutes and is great as no workout is ever the same.

You can apply this method to any two exercises you choose.

Skipping Circuit

Skip for 1 minute

Pushups for 30 seconds
Hold the back bridge for 30 seconds
Repeat up to 8 times.

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You have probably realized that there are endless ways of using the exercises in
this manual to make your training varied, interesting and fun.

The key is to devote some time every day to exercise and create balance between
strength, endurance and flexibility.

After only a short time, you will see changes in your body as your training starts to
sculpt a stronger, leaner and better defined figure and you will look and feel great.

You will have more energy, look and feel better and your health and quality of life
will vastly improve, as you become firefighter fit.

Good luck and get to it!

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Questions and Answers

When should I train?

There is no best time to train. Some people prefer to train first thing in the morning,
others in the late afternoon. Therefore, I suggest you chose a time that suits your
circumstances.

How long should I train for?

As I have said, when you first start out, 5 minutes will be more than enough
exercise for some people. Just do what you can but aim to get up to around 20
minutes per day. When you get fitter and stronger, you can train for longer but 20
minutes is sufficient time to get and maintain great levels of fitness if you train
regularly.

Should I rest in between exercises?

Your rest should be minimal to catch your breath and move onto the next exercise.
Keeping your heart rate elevated will bring results quicker.

How often should I train?

You should exercise everyday. If your muscles are not used to exercise, at first they
may be sore the following day so for the first week or so you may need a day off to
rest.

What do I wear?

Shorts and t-shirt or vest is ideal but whatever you wear must be loose fitting so it
does not restrict movement.

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How hard should I train?

It is not recommended to train at 100% effort every day without fail. If your muscles
are sore then give around 60-80% but only to allow your muscles to repair
themselves. As your fitness levels improve, your muscles become capable of doing
more work as they become accustomed to the stress you exert on them.

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Visit http://www.firefighterfit.com for information about other products coming soon!

Contact James Holder by emailing james@firefighterfit.com

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