Why is Crossfit for fire?
By: Larry Manasco
I have been crossfitting for over five years now after having been casually introduced to it by one of my firefighters when I was a lieutenant. It was the bear complex if you are wondering, look it up, nasty little workout (it says something about me that I actually continued crossfitting after an experience like that, and it says nothing good). Back then I was always at busy stations, running and gunning, and could easily make the case that I had to keep my fitness high due to the everyday demands of my job. Now, I am at a much slower station due to circumstances and I would argue that it is more crucial that I keep my fitness at as high a level as possible.
I have been at my station since November of 2011. Earlier in August of 2012 was my first working fire at this new station. To make things even more exciting, we had another working fire after being back at the station for thirty minutes. Good times. Only that having not made any working fires in a ten month period could easily open me up to fatigue or exhaustion which then opens the door for injury or worse. At the second fire, the quint was first on and pulled the line to attack an attic fire. They called for a hole. One of my firefighters and me went to the roof with a chainsaw. It started and ran like a dream. Of course our dream turned to a nightmare when we quickly figured out that something was wrong with the chain. A butter knife would have been more useful. But by having our trusty backup axe with us, I was able to take over cutting duties and was able to get a hole cut without incident. I was tired and sweaty, but got the job done and was ready for our next assignment. At forty years of age and not having made any type of fires in a ten month span, I have crossfit to thank for me being in good physical condition so that I was successful under that set of circumstances.
Why I believe Crossfit to be the answer for most fire department fitness concerns? At my Crossfit box (another crazy crossfit term meaning gym) , GSX Crossfit, our coach goes by the programming philosophy of Outlaw Crossfit, which is a good warm-up, a lifting element, then a metcon (a fancy crossfit word for cardiovascular workout) lasting no longer than 20 minutes. The theory behind the time limit for metcons is that you cannot maintain a high level of intensity for longer than 20 minutes. Let’s take all of that information and apply it to the fire ground. Is there lifting, pushing and/or pulling involved at a working fire? You know there is. Being first on and pulling a line, does that require a lot of physical intensity?Does it raise your heart rate the second you start pulling the line? Absolutely. At a typical working fire, does it take longer than twenty minutes to extinguish the fire and go into overhaul mode? We all know the answers to these questions.
The great thing about crossfit and the fire service is the equipment that is required is very minimal. Most stations have a barbell, weights, and dumbbells. Every fire station has a spot where pushups, sit-ups, air squats and burpees can be done. Every fire station is located near some type of roadway where running can be done. Most have some type of pull up bar. It’s pretty easy to get a hold of an old tractor tire for sledgehammer strikes, tire flips, and tire jumps. Make no mistake, there is plenty of fancy crossfit; but it is not necessary to have a thorough and constantly changing crossfit workout. I have a great morning wod (more crossfit lingomeaning workout of the day) that involves nothing more than pushups, sit-ups, air squats, calf raises and running. Not one piece of equipment is needed.
Now for all of you guys thinking that because you are not in the best of physical condition and therefore should not be crossfitting, think again. Everything in crossfit is either scalable (meaning the repetitions, sets or weights can be lowered) or in the case that a prescribed exercise cannot be performed at all, alternative exercises are always available. For example, in your crossfit workout it calls for handstand pushups. You absolutely cannot flip upside down against a wall and lower your head to the floor and push your body back up to where your elbows are locked out. No problem. Instead of flipping upside down, you turn around and wall walk up the wall with your feet to whatever angle you can perform the pushups. The closer to the wall your body gets, the harder the pushup gets. Can’t wall walk, no problem. Put your knees on the back bumper of your engine or truck. Place your hands on the ground with your elbows locked and lower yourself down as far as you can and push up back to where your elbows are locked again. Can’t do that, no problem. Go to hand release pushups. This is called a progression. Every exercise has one. Find the spot in the progression that you can manage and slowly build your strength so that you can “progress” in the progression.
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| Fort Worth Fire Officer Larry Manasco |
This may sound complicated but I promise, it’s not. Is crossfit absolutely necessary for firefighter fitness? The answer is no. Running on a treadmill, lifting a few weights are both better than doing nothing. The question is what will provide you with the highest level of fitness for the demands of your firefighting profession? The answer is simply crossfit.
