I have a physical test in exactly 2 years in order to become a full time firefighter. I already have excellent stamina and good technique but I still look like a dyel.
Is it possible to train for like 5 months hypertrophy then continue a strenght/cardio while still looking big?
Bump
The amount of strength you need to be a firefighter is laughably small, you can just bodybuild normally and you'll have it easily. Do some cardio at the side and you got enough stamina as well
I am already a part time firefighter and can tell you when you remove the ceilling with a fire hook while in full gear, it DESTROYS your shoulders. I may have a lot of stamina but I need twice the effort when lifting heavy weights.
I also want to get buff to get a cutie nurse, I am 23 and I look like I've barely touched weights. I am scared of gaining muscle because coach tells me it will only be a drag during my tests and it's better to become athletic and strong instead of big and slow
Yah, the cardio requirement for literally any uniformed service position is also laughable. There's no way you can fuck this up as long as you're going to the gym, lifting and running, at least 2 days a week.
There's around 5000 candidates and they pick the best 50. The physical test is a shuttle test and then a obstacle course while in full turnout gear. I already did some practices of it and I lack strenght, I may have good cardio but I need twice the energy to perform the same task in lifting heavy weights
What are your lifts?
> I am scared of gaining muscle because coach tells me it will only be a drag during my tests and it's better to become athletic and strong instead of big and slow
This is absolute fucking bullshit jesus christ, you aren't getting to fucking ronnie coleman size your muscles won't "be on the way". Holy fuck you might want to tell your coach to fuck off especially if you're paying him
Not very good
>bench 5x195lbs
>squat 5x 230lbs
>deadlift 5x 295lbs (but could dore more)
>pull ups x 20
>shoulder press 8x 60lbs
I don't know how to train man, so many programs and stuff to watch so coach does it for free
Being a furniture mover
>People living upstairs
>Always having the heaviest stuff
>Thinnest fucking staircase
Your bench is fine. By shoulder press do you mean with dumbbells, 60lbs each? Because if you barbell shoulder press 60lbs your shoulders are just weak as fuck
your squat and DL are weak, you should look to strengthen them since your posterior chain does a lot of fucking work as a firefighter. Pull-ups are pretty normal. How tall are you and how much do you weight?
60lbs dumbbells. I am 5'8, 162 lbs. Squat and deadlift are weak because I run a lot and do track and field with coach
Also, my standing overhead press is weak, I can't do more than 10 at like 75lbs
definitely work on your overhead press a lot more, it's really bad. Idk how that's even possible, leads me to believe you either cheat on your dumbbell presses a lot, or your form is just absolutely horrendous on OHP
Honestly as much as Veeky Forums likes to meme about functional strength, the truth is that by lifting weights you get better at lifting weights, not at doing an obstacle course. Being strong certainly helps with firefighter training but if you truly want to become good at it, you need to actually do it. As in, train in your gear, get used to it, your body will strengthen in a way that makes you better at it. There are people who lift half of what I do but they carry furniture around A LOT better than me simply because they've been doing that for years, your body learns that shit
Don't quit strength training though it's still beneficial
Ok thanks mate, will keep that in mind. But for the sake of the OP, can you still look aesthetic if you are doing cardio/strenght training?
Let's say I follow a 5 month hypertrophy program and then continue strenght/cardio until the test, will I still look somewhat aesthetic? I just want to look big while still being efficient. Something along the lines of a soldier/football player
I'm a firefighter
Never done "bodybuilding" before. I've always trained like a power lifter or strongman. I'm 6'1 and 228
When I was in the academy though I was 215 and my cardio was a lot better.
Sample routine? I tried olympic weightlifting but expensive as fuck, like 200$ CAD/month and progress was extremely slow
You don't have to pick one or the other, you can do a bodybuilding program with heavy compound core. In fact most people I know do, myself included. I do PPL where I start chest for example with heavy bench 5x5, then gradually with different movements move more to hypertrophy rep range. For example I could do something like
>bench 5x5
>incline bench 3x8
>dumbbell bench press 3x10
>cable flies 3x12
>dips 3x13
basically I start every workout with heavy compounds. Chest/tris with bench, back/biceps with DL, legs/shoulders with squat/OHP. Good strength gains, good aesthetic gains
And I can assure you your muscles won't get in the way no matter how big you get them natty
Medic here. I train 5/3/1 BBB 5x a week and do judo once a week along with conditioning 5x a week. Lifts are MP/225x3 BP/315x5 Highbar SQ/405x5 Conventional DL/505x5
I have family members who are firefighters who move more weight then me and I'm 5'11 215 lbs so it's doable.
To get in academy shape or what I do right now?
Hey that's a good idea. Bench/squat/deadlift/overhead press/rows for strenght then the rest hypertrophy.
Will you still gain muscle if you throw in some cardio and explosive circuit training?
What do you mean conditioning? Like push ups, sit ups?
Academy shape
cardio and explosive circuit training don't destroy your gains, no. The whole "cardio kills gains" meme basically means that if you do cardio, you burn calories, and if you burn calories you won't get as much gains as you would otherwise. Of course, you can easily just compensate by eating more food
If you look to keep yourself at low bf% then the muscle growth certainly won't be optimal, but you'll still see gains. For gains purposes though I'd aim to keep something like 15%, no reason to really bulk over that. How low you can keep your bf% while still growing muscle as efficiently as possible varies a lot
It was something like this
5/3/1 for the main movements
Monday
Squat
Power cleans (lower reps, 5x3, 5x2, 6x1 stuff like that)
Back work rows or pull ups
Core work
Conditioning, did all kinds of stuff, sometimes circuit training, sometimes running a mountain, sometimes doing 400m sprints on a treadmill
Tuesday
Bench
Push press (same reps as the cleans)
Back work again
Conditioning again, usually a circuit doing fireground stuff. Hitting a tire with a sledgehammer, pike pole simulation, etc
Wed rest
Thursday
Deadlift
Front squat
Farmers carries
Big tire flips
Back work
Core work
More conditioning, same as Monday
Friday
Press
Close grip bench for strength reps (5x5, 6x4, etc)
Upper body hypertrophy stuff like dumbbell bench, dips, etc
Back work
Saturday
Skills course
This is like a long circuit in your turnouts. Usually ~10 events, done for 2 rounds. Example events are climbing a 5 story tower with extra scba bottles and attack lines, dragging tires, raising ladders, simulated forcible entry etc
Sunday
Rest
I'm a firefighter as well, I do 5/3/1 for the main lifts and bodybuilding hypertrophy work for assistance lifts.
For cardio I do intervals on the stairs, and will occasionally throw in some sprints.
When I completed the academy I was 200lbs at 5'11.
Thank you all. You are an inspiration to me. I already feel better just by reading your comments. Time to hit the gym