Life Hardcore

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A workout for the masses.

   I am asked alot about what kind of fitness training we do in the fire service. I usually tell them that we do everything. I'm not trying to have an attitude or be evasive it's just that it's true. We do everything! I ask them what they are looking to achieve or what their fitness goals are. Most people are not even sure and they basically are either new to exercise or coming back from a long layoff. So with that I am posting a great 16 week workout plan that you can do if you are looking to increase your conditioning. I also recommended this routine to a guy I work with who was dealing with a back injury he received while fighting a fire. He is a big strong fire athlete and he found this routine good for keeping his fitness level maintained and allowed for him to transition back to his normal training. I used this routine after doing a tough 6 months of heavy lifting that centered around lots of dead lifts. It was a way for me to sort of decompress and to change things up. I also recommended this program to my uncle who is an older man now. He actually has been doing it for 2 years now and his health has improved greatly.

   Make sure you read over the whole routine first so you are aware of how it evolves and read the footnotes on the bottom. Its 12 weeks and the work load will increase so keep in mind that a rest week every 3 weeks or every 4 to 6 weeks is fine and if you want more than that you can go ahead and take more. Remember to perform a warm up and some dynamic stretching and definitely remember to drink alot of fluids and eat clean! Also this is not a substitute for cardio so make sure your getting in some running or biking or any type of activity that gets your heart rate up. By the time the 12 weeks is through re-evaluate your fitness level and the kind of progress you had made and then decide your next move. You are most definitely going to see some good tone and get alot of endurance conditioning.  You can certainly continue with the same program and try to add another 4 weeks  or tweak it to include other exercises. One option is to replace the squats with dead lifts! Or you can write me for some follow up routines to this one that really go hand in hand.

Train hard and get out of your comfort zone!

The obstacle is the path

Week 1:

Push-Ups: 3 sets x 15 reps
Pull-Ups: 3 sets x 4 reps *
Sit-Ups: 4 sets x 20 reps **
Dips: 3 sets x 4 reps

Week 2:

Push-Ups: 4 sets x 15 reps
Pull-Ups: 3 sets x 5 reps
Sit-Ups: 3 sets x 30 reps
Dips: 3 sets x 5 reps

Week 3:

Push-Ups: 5 x 20
Pull-Ups: 3 x 6
Sit-Ups: 4 x 30
Dips: 3 x 6
Military Presses: 3 x 10 ***
Bicep Curls: 3 x 10 ***
Squats: 3 x 10 ***

Week 4:

Push-Ups: 5 x 25
Pull-Ups: 3 x 6
Sit-Ups: 5 x 30
Dips: 3 x 7
Military Presses: 3 x 10
Bicep Curls: 3 x 10
Squats: 3 x 10

Week 5:

Push-Ups: 5 x 25
Pull-Ups: 3 x 7
Sit-Ups: 6 x 25
Dips: 3 x 8
Military Presses:: 3 x 10
Bicep Curls: 3 x 10
Squats: 3 x 10

Week 6:

Push-Ups: 6 x 25
Pull-Ups: 3 x 7
Sit-Ups: 6 x 30
Dips: 3 x 8
Military Presses: 3 x 12
Bicep Curls: 3 x 12
Squats: 3 x 12

Week 7:

Push-Ups: 6 x 25
Pull-Ups: 3 x 8
Sit-Ups: 7 x 30
Dips: 3 x 9
Military Presses: 3 x 12
Bicep Curls: 3 x 12
Squats: 3 x 12

Week 8:

Push-Ups: 7 x 20
Pull-Ups: 3 x 8
Sit-Ups: 8 x 25
Dips: 3 x 10
Military Presses: 3 x 12
Bicep Curls 3 x 12
Squats: 3 x 12

Week 9:

Push-Ups: 7 x 25
Pull-Ups: 3 x 9
Sit-Ups: 8 x 30
Dips: 4 x 8
Military Presses: 3 x 12
Bicep Curls: 3 x 12
Squats: 3 x 12

Week 10:

Push-Ups: 7 x 25
Pull-Ups: 3 x 10
Sit-Ups: 9 x 25
Dips: 4 x 9
Military Presses: 4 x 10
Bicep Curls: 3 x 10
Squats: 3 x 10

Week 11:

Push-Ups: 8 x 25
Pull-Ups: 4 x 8
Sit-Ups: 9 x 30
Dips: 4 x 9
Military Presses: 4 x 10
Bicep Curls: 4 x 10
Squats: 3 x 10

Week 12:

Push-Ups: 7 x 25
Pull-Ups: 4 x 9
Sit-Ups: 10 x 30
Dips:4 x 10
Military Presses: 4 x 10
Bicep Curls: 4 x 10
Squats: 4 x 10

* If you can't do 4 reps then use a resistance band or have someone spot you to assist.

** For some people who find sit ups harsh on their back do crunches instead.

*** You can use Barbells or dumbbells for these exercises. If you have access to both you can try switching every once in a while. Just adjust the weight accordingly. Also you will notice I put squats as the last routine. You may want to switch them to the first if you so you are freshest for them. They are very tiring especially when done with a challenging weight.