Saving Lives and Stompin' Out Disease In The Fire Service

It may come as a surprise, but most of my Coaching has been done with men.  Before starting my own company, I worked in an educational capacity for firefighters and paramedics (I am a Registered Nurse and was responsible for their continuing education as EMTs).  

It was during that time that I was introduced to some really cool studies (cool to us medical people) about changes which occur in the body of a firefighter as a result of exposure to high temperatures and stress which contribute to Line of Duty Deaths (LODDs) from cardiovascular events.  

Long story short, I became very involved in this area, and was asked to present on this topic at both the local and international levels, and subsequently began working with Fire Departments as they instituted/expanded Wellness Initiatives for their Companies. 

Firefighters are at as high of a risk for cardiovascular issues as any other American, (even more so when you factor in the effects of Heat Stress) because cardiovascular disease is a PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE. 

In fact, Heart Disease (which includes it's complications and associated illnesses) is the #1 Killer of Americans.  It even trumps cancer. 

So when Brandon came to me in this Spring (2018) for assistance on his fitness journey, we had our work cut out for us. 

As you'll see in the pictures, B is a young guy.  However, much like his brothers and sisters in the Fire Service- AND A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS-we had a lot of issues to contend with.

Hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, reduced insulin sensitivity were some of the health issues.  These are always very simple to attack with a consistent Nutrition Program, but Brandon is a firefighter/medic on the busiest Truck Company of the Chicago Fire Department.  With that job, they’re RIDICULOUSLY busy, are up all night running calls-and during this time, and they get some rockin fires.

Some people use that as an excuse not to work, I view it the same way as I viewed my personal workings as a Flight Nurse on a helicopter:  Levels of Occupational Hazard we must respect and honor WHILE we move forward. 

I've known Brandon a long time.  I met him when he was working part-time as a firefighter at one of the Departments I taught at.   He has since gone to advance himself by obtaining his Paramedic License and is now a Full-Time firefighter for CFD.

 Graduation from Chicago Fire Academy

I tell you all of this, because I am actually VERY HESITANT to work with male firefighters as Full-Fledged Training Clients.  Be Advised:  I said I am HESITANT to work with firefighters-not AVERSE to it. 

I'm not sure if it's because the male-female dichotomy is disrupted or what, but I've found that male firefighters are not coachable.  Additionally, the culture of the Fire Service is growth and change-resistant, and that it spills over into our working together and sets up what should be a communicative and workable relationship for failure.

Before you choke on your coffee, I know that sounds rough.  You can thank the ER Nurse in me to say it like it is.  In all honesty, I'm reporting my experience of "the rule"-not the exceptions.  More importantly, I say that as a preface -because when you and I sit together for your Consultation, and anyone who has consulted with me will attest-I do a HEAVY AMOUNT of front-end work to CLARIFY your goals and properly QUALIFY an individual to work with me. 

Not because I'm better than you.  Not because I believe you are too "far gone."  And certainly not because I think ALL firefighters are uncoachable. 

I do all that work in the Consultation because MY COMMITMENT TO EACH AND EVERY PERSON I WORK WITH- IS FIRST AND FOREMOST:  SAFETY.  

My Training Programs are glycogen depletors.  Coupled with my Nutrition Programs, your body starts responding REAL QUICK.  Your blood sugars start to normalize, your blood pressure comes down, and your cells become super sensitive to the boatloads of insulin your body has been producing.

All of those things are GREAT-the danger is stepping through it amidst a 24 which has unpredictable call volume and inconsistent work demands WITHOUT PROPER PREPARATION. 

You know how it goes...Ya'll can be sitting around having your coffee clutch one second, and the next get hit with 2 back-to-back fires. 

Or a bus vs train accident with 40 special needs children who only speak Mandarin Chinese.  With extrication.  In the blazing summer heat.  In the middle of the night.  With 96% humidity.  Oh, and by the way-it's a HazMat scene.  With turbulent wind gusts up to 40 mph.  You're laughing, cuz it's true.  I get it!

What I'm saying is that is not "the work" that causes me as a Coach concern.  It's the fact that ya'll run til you die. 

Cue the crickets chirping...

And I know that a lot of you have pushed for greater Rehab on the scenes-but we all know that the common view is that "Rehab is for Wussies." (but your guys use a different letter in place of the "W")   

Here's What You Need To Know From The Get:  There's a major difference between how ya'll roll and what we do in my Academy.

In MY Academy, Rehab is considered PREHAB.  

What you do on the Rehab/Prehab front keeps your internal workings-your blood sugars, blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity consistent and "resets" you for the next call and/or for your workout.   

Because Brandon is 100% clear on his goals (health, athletic and aesthetic), is 100% committed to doing whatever it takes, and is 100% coachable and communicative-I HAPPILY took him on as a Client (and as an aside, I also work with his beautiful wife).

Let's take a look at some of our results: 

At first glance, the most obvious change is a reduction in body fat.  As with most men, you can clearly see that change in the abdominal area.  But take another glance, you can also see a crispening in the line between the glutes and hamstrings as well as the jawline.

Obviously, a lot of this is the result of a solid Nutrition Program.   IT MAY COME AS A SHOCK TO YOU, BUT IT WASN'T A RESTRICTION DIET.  I actually INCREASED Brandon's carbs and calories.  INCREASED. 

My goal is ALWAYS to keep everyone healthy and safe-not just skinny. 

With Brandon and as with ALL of my athletes, there was a predictable learning curve he had to go through.   Once he did some self-triage and course correction, he took some extra measures to step through the process powerfully.  Brandon was 100% on his game and did his part-even on duty and never once made an excuse.  He is 100% coachable and remained in communication so that we could stay on track and be safe.

Those are the OBJECTIVE findings.  To me, the money spot is in the SUBJECTIVE findings-the IMPORTANT THINGS THAT CANNOT BE MEASURED WITH INSTRUMENTS AND METRICS-the things that impact my Clients' lives 24/7-on and off the job.  

Within 1 week, Brandon reported having more energy.  

Within 2 weeks, he started sleeping better.

Within 3 weeks, he started sleeping through the night-even the first night home after shift-and reported that he started dreaming again while he slept.  

He has since gone back to the doctor for a check-up and was told by his Physician that he is a different person-CELLULARLY.   His A1C has gone down, his HDL has gone up, and LDL has gone down.  This is not a surprise-THIS IS THE EXPECTATION.

This is a HUGE testament to Brandon’s commitment and also show you what is possible when you are clear on your goals and take the ownership of your actions. 

LET'S TALK AESTHETICS FOR A QUICK SEC. 

Brandon's aesthetic goal when we sat at his Consultation was "To Look Good Naked."

Take another look at the picture.  Only this time, focus on Brandon's POSTURE.  

In the photo on the left, you can see how far forward his head was, the curling forward of his upper spine and shoulders, and the forward sway of his pelvis.  

As a Bodybuilder, Imma tell ya something straight up-you can't build a winning physique on a slouchy frame.   

As a Coach, training without correcting kyphosis and spinal lordosis ALWAYS leads to injury.  ALWAYS.  

And because I just can't help myself-as a Registered Nurse with 20+ years of experience in Emergency/Critical/Trauma Care, compression/restriction of the thorax contributes to cardiovascular compromise, shock and death.  It decreases ventilatory capacity, increases pressure on the great vessels (namely the vena cava) which then reduces venous return to the heart. You might scoff at that notion, or consider it trite, but I don't.

Track with me for a quick sec:  As it stands, Cardiovascular disease/events is the #1 cause of death in the U.S.; and contributes to ~50% of the LODDs in the Fire Service.  Follow the pathology of thoracic restriction and understand that the body perceives ANY decrease in blood flow or inadequate tissue perfusion as an imminent threat to life, and causes it to trigger survival mechanisms to maintain perfusion (including increasing the heart rate and its contractile force-further increasing the workload of the heart).  

Any who,  back to aesthetics…

In the picture on the right, you can see his awesome progress in just a few short weeks.  His head and his pelvis are more in neutral alignment, he is standing more erect, his chest is lifted, and his shoulders are back. 

We typically do see changes in posture with reduction in body fat, but be advised:  we strategically designed Brandon’s Muscular Development Program to “pull him back up,” and increase his flexibility, mobility and raw strength-from the inside out. 

We've had a whole lot of fun tailoring his Training Program to fit his goals.  We've done everything from overcoming Trap and Quad Dominance to what's called D/C Training.  And since firemen are a bunch of water babies, we put B in the pool for dedicated Mobility Work and as a method for enhancing cortisol clearance and speeding up recovery time. 

Currently, we're at a whole different level of increasing his athleticism, and are now working on a lot of Corrective Movement Training to increase the Mind-Muscle Connection in the base of the traps, rear delts, psoas and glutes. 

It's like peeling an onion--each phase we go deeper.  

BUT WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT, IT IS BECAUSE OF THE POSITIVE COACH-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP, CLEARLY DEFINED GOALS AND COMMITMENT TO THOSE GOALS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO BUILD AN ATHLETE WHO IS STRONG AS HOLY HELL, MORE CONDITIONED, MORE DURABLE AND INJURY FREE.  

I do all of my coaching remotely-via text, email, Skype/Face Time and phone call. Everything is structured to take you from where you are right now and move you IMMEDIATELY onto the track of success for permanent lifestyle change.   

If you have fitness goals, and are serious about making them happen, let’s get it done.  Likewise, if you are an Industry Leader and are SERIOUS about collaborating on Firefighter health and fitness, Contact me directly via email:  [email protected] or by clicking the CONTACT link on the top right corner of this post. 

Looking forward to getting you rollin”!

Stay Safe!

Nichole DeVincentis (aka FigureChick 911)