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FIREFIGHTERS
Unfortunately, it took a disaster to make America aware of its heroes. God bless you. Your bravery, dedication, and fellowship is an inspiration to us all.
Firefighting is physically demanding and full of stress. The firefighter's strength and endurance are tested in the most stressful situations imaginable. Their bodies are forced to push through fatigue and respond quickly. Overall fitness and health is paramount to job performance.
Jay called TZC about 20 months ago. He was looking for a weighted vest to augment his preparation for the academy. Jay discussed the need for a vest with a capacity of at least 45-50 lbs, and he explained the reasoning. The testing he would undergo required that load amount (most likely the CPAT that is currently used in California) in conjunction with job functions like stairclimbing, hose drag, ladder raise, etc. First we identified that our vest had a max capacity of 24 or 32 lbs., depending on the size. This would not meet his needs.
Fortunately, we continued the conversation, mainly out of curiousity on our part. He was certainly a driven young man. Jay was doing a lot of aerobic and strength conditioning in combination with some unusual methods of mimicking the requirements of the test. We came to the conclusion that a SmartVest w/24 lbs of adjustable weight might work. The natural placement of the load, around the torso and directed to the core, made sense to him. The custom fit appealed to his functional nature. If it didn't suit his needs he could return it. The next time we spoke, Jay was a week away from graduating from the academy. He was doing very well. He was nice enough to share that being 6'1" and 175 lbs he tested #1 in his class. What an accommplishment. The training protocol that had been discussed with the vest worked to perfection. Congratulations, Jay.
Recruit testing is essential, but what about veteran firefighters who are on alert in your community. Certainly, their health and fitness is just as critical. Testing for them is becoming more and more of an issue. Sometimes, it takes the form of # of situps in 2 minutes, # of pushups (unlimited time), 1 mile walk, 1 1/2 run, a step test, body fat, grip, and flexibility. Muscular endurance and aerobic capacity play a large part in how well they do. Legs need to be prepared by using a stairmaster, cycling, or doing stepups. Upper body strength and core stability are part of the equation. well.....
Let's take a hint from Jay. Functional preparation and honest body resistance. Include the SVest with your workouts. Maybe its walking, jogging, doing flights of stairs at home, pushups, dips, or just wearing it around underneath your clothes during daily adtivities (se secret weapon discussion). You can burn calories, increase the intensity of the workout, add strength, increase your aerobic capacities, and best of all - unzip your vest and dump the added weight in seconds.
How much weight should you order with your vest? Use 10% of your body weight as an upper limit. You control the amount used in your workout. Start with an amount that taxes you but doesn't overwhelm. Use common sense and listen to your body.
All the best, be safe.
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