Insanity in the Firehouse

     Working out on duty and off is a different beast for different firefighters. Fitness levels can vary from average human to superhuman. We got young pups and old farts. Single with nothing to do on days off and married, tending to babies as soon as they get home. Whatever the situation, staying in shape is important. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, heart attacks were the cause of almost half of all on-duty firefighter fatalities in 2009. Why? Because this job is more than just sitting in a recliner. While most people have the luxury of scheduling their workday, we cannot. At any time during the day (or night) we could go from zero to exhaustion in a matter of a few minutes without any kind of warm up. It's kinda crazy sometimes, when we're in a fire and I realize that we were all in REM sleep just ten minutes ago.

2-alarm apartment fire, Feb. 2009, across the street from the 
firehouse around 3 in the morning.
Photo by Tod Parker @ phototac.com

     Since I've been on B-shift, I've been impressed with the level of physical fitness of not just the 84's, but of the other four stations. It's a good feeling when we have to schedule time at the training tower with the Battalion for bottle-drills because the other stations want to be there too. It's gives me a sense of security to know that the crews I work with are healthy and able to perform well.

Hill repeats at the end of another bottle drill

     Sometimes though, for guys like me, the reality is that it can be difficult to stick with it. The honest truth is that working out sometimes takes a back seat to everything else like, parties, dinners, vacations... beer. That's when working out with a partner or group can really help. I'm lucky to have my wife, Shawn, as a running partner. And together we're training for the 13-mile Mini-Marathon this May. Training together at the firehouse as a crew is good, too.

Obviously gettin' ready for some insanity...

     So, today we started a new workout program called "Insanity". This is the relatively new workout program from the same people that came up with P90X. It focuses on "Max-Interval" training or long bursts of maximum intensity exercise and short periods of rest. The entire program involves scheduled workouts on DVD's. Once a day, six days a week, for two months. It also contains a nutrition guide to follow throughout those two months. Now, if you're like me, you're not really into workout programs. But I figure, what the hell. I'm thinking it will be fun and challenging and give me something to work on other than just running. And, yes, I'll be following the meal plans, too.

Today was the first of 56 days... what did Mike Lewis get us into?!?!

-MAG