Our Buddy Ralph...

[wannabe]

Dumb question time...

Do any of you guys feel like...you know...ralphing when you are lifting weights near your max? Or when you push the cardio?

Is there anything you can do about it? It's starting to bug me. I think it may have something to do with the timing of the nutrition.

Any ideas?

Paula

[FFWannabe]

Hey Paula! I know the feeling and quite frankly you may find that you are working too hard. If you are pushing so hard that you are near vomitting, you might be doing more harm than good. Muscles need to be worked almost to, or to capacity, overloading them all the time can very likely result in them catabolizing. What does your workout look like? I was able to do two full body circuits a week (5 sets of most exercises) and put on an amazing amount of muscle and increased my strength beyond what I thought I could, in about 6 months (completely drug free of course). I put an additional inch on my upper arms (14 inches now), an additional two inches on my lat spread (38 inches) and an additional 2.5 inches on my quads (25 inches), all while dropping my fat percentage by a percentage or two. I have to admit, it makes it tough to find clothes to fit me now though! I used to work so hard that I was exhausted afterwards and felt ill while working out, and have come to the realization that this isn't necessary. Of course everyone responds differently to different things, but I have found this latest approach of high weight, low reps, lots of sets to be the most effective!

I can take a look at your workout if you like.

FFW

[wannabe]

Hey FFW,

Yes, I think I was just doing too much to soon type thing. I was coming back after a bit of a lay off and you know how it is if you know that you can do a certain weight. It's hard to grab that lower weight when you should, to ease back into it.

Impatience maybe? LOL.

When I'm getting ready for these fire physicals I find that I tend to not go for the real low reps/high weight. I just don't think it simulates the actual movements needed enough. You know, the slow/fast twitch fibre thing. I find I still go heavy but highish(10-12) reps. Some things I just wail on (over 30 reps, first set) like the leg press.

Have you done the physical yet? How did you find it?

[scoop422]

When I did the York (about 4 years ago), all I did was run, stretch, sit-ups and push-ups. RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN.......:D

[wannabe]

Dang... you know? You're right ... ugh

I keep trying to conveniently "forget" about that running thing. LOL not my bag...usually that is. I have gotten past that hurtin' point before where you can go forever and actually enjoy it. It's just getting there.

deep breath... ok

I have been working on the pushup, situp, chinup thing though! Yee haw! (pats back)

RUN RUN RUN...ok...got it... mumble mumble LOL

[FFWannabe]

Paula, you're funny. You know, I did my CPAT in February and I did a lot of running and cycling as well before hand. The weights I did were a circuit of high weight, low reps (6-10 max.. lower for the large muscle groups, like quads, back or chest), but only twice a week.. without that cardio endurance, I would have been dead off the stair simulation! It's tough, but with great conditioning, it's not that bad! I found the really strong guys who didn't run had more trouble with it than I did. I'm a strong girl, but obviously I'm not a man (I don't anything negative by that, men just have more muscle naturally then women... damn physiology anyway), and my cardio endurance was a big, big plus. I felt great coming off those stairs.. the squats and cycling both played a huge part in that!

The biggest part of your training for something like this is recovery too! Make sure that after doing something strenuous (maybe incorporate one day of sprints a week) like sprints or weighted stair work, that you cool down afterwards and teach your body to recover.. this way when you get off those stairs, your body will want to continue, not want to die!!! It's the best thing you can do for yourself!

When is you CPAT?

FFW!

[macdonald_13]

Another really good workout for strength and cardio, other than just running, is pushing a car. get someone to sit in a car in neutral, an push them around the block a few times. it works your legs muscles to the max, and you shoulders, an traps too. try it out.

sfd

ps. stretch b4

[Red_Devil]

running to your max and feeling like your gonna heave is natural. This is what happens when you get near your Vo2 max. The more running you do and the better in shape you get will rid yourself of that feeling into you hit the new Vo2 max level. Running is the best cardio you can do, run for at least 20mins 3 times a week with hills

[DoubleHelix]

Also what do you eat before you go to the gym? That could have alot to do with it. I have to do York this winter sometime for sure and since I did it last ive put on 25 pounds of muscle and a bit of fat but my cardio blows. I gotta start doing some crazy HIT(high intensity) cardio sessions or else no department will want my VO2.

What really bugs me though is that VO2 means absolutely nothing. Some guys in my class got 60+ and blow so bad at the live burns and then some guys that passed by like 1 mark are staying in the fire forever. I guess its all about controlling your breathing.

[FireEMTGuy]

UofA work physology lab states that optimum V02 is 42 ml/kg/min.

If you search online it does state that to increase your V02max that short sprints at max speed (100meters) then walk for 100 etc. is the best way to increase your V02max.

[FFWannabe]

Hey FireEMTguy... does it state that 42 is optimum, or minimum? I thought there was a minimum to hire in some cities (such as Edmonton) and it was in the low 40's. The higher your VO2 the better (I beleive Lance Armstrong is in the high 80's if not higher... unreal!). WHen I first did mine, it was 48, then after a year, I increased it to 62. I actually increased mine with a lot of slower cardio. I would run at a very slow rate for 45-60 minutes, do intervals one day a week (1.5-2 MPH), 2minutes hard, 2 minutes easy, and eventually worked in 45 second sprints at 14 MPH (hard to find a treadmill to go over 10 though, I used the one at Peak Centre... great place in Ottawa, and I believe Kingston to help you with VO2 Max) once a week as well.

The longer, slower cardio actually builds your endurance and helps you to recover better while working. It's slow and boring and most people believe that hard, hard, hard is the way to go, but the boring slow stuff is what helps to build a great base to help you work longer/smarter as well as harder.

Sue :)

http://www.peakcentre.ca/ - great group of coaches!