Aaron Zamzow has over 12 years of firefighting experience as an on-call paid firefighter in Golden Valley, Minnesota and is currently a career Firefighter/ EMT and Training Officer in Madison, Wisconsin.  He is the owner of Fire Rescue Fitness (http://03297rqqr3v8rq5lpbv9wpcqfq.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=PODCAST_SEPT_2017), a company that creates workout programs and fitness articles that focus on getting Fire Rescue Athletes "fit for duty." Aaron holds a Bachelor of Science degree in health and wellness, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer and an IAFF/IAFC Peer Fitness Trainer. He has also, worked in the fitness industry for over 20 years and has experience working with the general population as well as athletes from the NBA, NFL, and NHL. He is the author of The Ultimate Fire Rescue Athlete Workout and other fitness programs catered toward Fire Rescue Athletes and has recently been published in Firehouse, Fire Rescue Magazine, Firefighter Nation and in the PFFW (Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin) Quarterly.  In 2016 he presented at Firehouse Expo and Firehouse World.  At Firehouse Expo, Aaron headed and conducted the Firehouse "Fit for Duty" workouts and was a prominent speaker during the event. He has appeared on numerous radio and television programs and presents to Fire Departments all over the country.  He lives by and teaches the motto: "Train like a life depends on it."

00:20 - We begin the podcast by venting and talking about how HOA's are horrible.

02:21 - Aaron saves the conversation and relates the similarities between taking care of your house and taking care of your fitness/wellness. We mention Stuart McGill and his Big Three exercises for low back pain. Check out those exercises by going to backfitpro.com (http://www.backfitpro.com/) or youtube (https://youtu.be/NA1Ve7FWqTY).

06:15 - We talked about stress, cortisol, and paying attention to life events that trigger stress.07:16 - Dr. Orr's and his research on police and heart rates during a shift.10:50 - Aaron talked about how he started in the tactical field and his work with strength and conditioning for firefighters.11:42 - Aaron mentions Dr. Kylie Ebersole of the University of Wisconson Milwaukee (https://uwm.edu/healthsciences/directory/ebersole-kyle/) and his research on stress and cardiac reactions to firefighter calls. See articles by Dr. Ebersole on firefighters and fitness below.

15:10 - Cancer, strokes, and other health issues related to stress will continue to be a huge problem for tactical athletes until we start becoming more self-aware and making better health choices.

16:53 - Aaron discusses his primary focus for firefighter fitness and how he uses his programs to help get people and departments back into shape.

20:55 - Fit for Duty challenge (http://03297rqqr3v8rq5lpbv9wpcqfq.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=PODCAST_SEPT_2017)- This runs once a year and any of the money Aaron gets from this he gives back to the firefighter communities.

24:24 - We compare how collegiate and professional athletes train for performance compared to tactical professionals and what has changed and what needs to change.

25:48 - What does the term tactical athlete mean and is it good for the field? What are some of the issues with getting a qualified person to run fitness programs?

37:04 - What are the components of fitness that we can all agree upon to help build a sound basis for a wellness program.

38:52 - The one thing tactical athletes fail to do that is the most important part of wellness and fitness.

42:16 - We wrap up the podcast with some rapid fire questions.

To contact Aaron Zamzow, go to

Ben Freakley is our guest today, and we will be discussing the roles of a performance psychologist and how he or she can use coaching techniques like mantras, visualization scripts, and breathing exercises to improve the performance of tactical athletes and first responders. We enjoyed this episode because the suggestions and tips Ben talks about can be applied to everything in life. Ben is incredibly humble and insightful, and you will see that he truly admires the men and women who serve our country and communities.

Ben Freakley is the founder of Ready.Set.Resilient© and currently works for the Toronto Blue Jays as a mental performance coach. For over 15 years he has been helping individuals, athletes, teams, soldiers, and businesses improve individual and collective performance. Along the way, Ben has been a head soccer coach at the PDL and NCAA Division I level, a mental performance coach for special operations forces and general manager for a sports club with over 1100 members. He has consulted over 15 different university athletic teams across the country on leadership, culture and team dynamics. Additionally, he has worked with businesses providing team building events and motivational speaking and consulted hundreds of individuals motivated to achieve success in 1 on 1 settings. In 2016 Ben was a keynote speaker at the Southeast Regional Applied Association of Sport Psychology Conference (AASP) as well as inducted into The Georgia Southern University Alumni Association 40 Under 40 Class out of 33,000 alumni under the age of 40. He is a national staff instructor with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and presented at the 2017 NSCAA Convention on “Developing The Mindset of a Master Coach.” Ben holds masters degrees in Sport Psychology and Sport Management from Georgia Southern University where he was a NCAA Division I athlete.

Topics of discussion:

How to achieve the best blend of physical and mental performance by acknowledging the relationship between pressure and performance.

Working towards understanding the factors that can lead towards improved or hindered performance.

Using goal setting, breathing techniques, progressive muscle relaxation techniques, not falling into the trap of comparing yourself to others, and always looking towards becoming the best version of yourself.

Ben describes how his process and application of mental skills training by listening to his clients and building rapport. Similar to a strength coach asking a player about his prior weightlifting experience, Ben asks questions on what goals they are hoping to accomplish, what are their motivations, and what is their role on the team?

Change takes time, and Ben explains how he encourages his clients to stick with the program by being up front about the challenges and the time required to be successful.

The two things that wreck performance and how breathing techniques, mantras, and visualization scripts improve your skills and lower anxiety before a stressful situation.

What are the common characteristics of the mentally tough?

Ben mentions an Israeli Defense study on motivation. Click here to read it.

Check out Ben Freakley's website, benfreakley.com, for more information.

Bio - Major Donny Bigham is in his 23rd year as a member of the Armed Forces (Marines and Army). Bigham has served in every position in an infantry rifle company. He worked as the Strength and Conditioning Coach at the US Army Physical Fitness School from 2014 to 2016. He currently serves as the deputy director and strength and conditioning coach for the Human Performance Office at Fort Benning, Georgia. He is the Owner and Performance Coach of OneTime Powerlifting, as well as an RSP Sponsored Athlete for Powerlifting.

Certifications and Education:

Bigham earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from University of South Carolina and his Master's degree in Sports Management with a concentration in Coaching Theories from American Military University.

NSCA Certified in the following: CSCS, CPT, TSAC-F, FMS, KFit, TRX

2017 NSCA TSAC-F Coach of the Year

Head Varsity High School Baseball Coach (5 years)

Powerlifting Milestones:

2x IPF World Champion, 3x IPF National

Current IPF World Record Holder in the M1 (40-49) 83kg Squat

Currently holding numerous American, National and State Records in the 83 and 93 kg class in the USAPL.

Won 2 golds in the NAPF World Championships in US Virgin Islands on August 15-19, 2016.

In this episode, we discuss the following questions and topics with MAJ Don Bigham:

What is your role at Fort Benning and how long have you been located there?

Who do you work with and what is the nature of your work on an average day?

Explain to us and our listeners the big issues you see with new military operators in terms of performance issues.

What is your own background in education, certification, sports training and competition?

How can our listeners interested in reaching out to you about career support, tactical training advice, or powerlifting do so?

For more information or to contact and training, check out the following links:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/onetimepowerlifting

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donald.bigham.3

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onetimepowerlifting/

Email: [email protected]

Guy Leahy- B.S. Telecommunications/Film, M.Ed, Health Physical Education and Fitness, ACSM-CEP

Guy Leahy is currently serving as the Health Promotion Program Coordinator at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, NM. Leahy is the author/co-author of over 40 articles/papers, including original research which has appeared in publications such as The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Tactical Strength and Conditioning (TSAC) Report, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Nature, Science and Scientific American.

In this episode, Guy explains his day to day job with Air Force personnel and the current research he is involved with. With his extensive background in research and peer review paper submissions, we delve into areas of sports nutrition and dietary supplement use and safety in armed forces members.

Some of the topics include:

What are some of the challenges you faces working with those in the tactical professions?

Getting started in your career and why you should take that first job offer when trying to get into the strength and conditioning field.

Guy mentions Science Daily as his daily source of info on everything science.

Check out ExRx.net for a ton of information on exercise prescription.

Injury prevention and the effect of injuries on operational readiness.

Guy mentions a book by David Epstein : The Sport Gene

Job tasks and why it is important to have fitness tests based on those job specific tasks.

Guy writes regularly for the Kirtland Air Force Base website. Here are links to his articles:

Balance, agility training help prevent ankle sprains

Healthy lifestyles work better than supplements

Running myths busted

The state of the supplement industry. Always check with someone who is an expert before taking any supplement. It is a supplement and not your foundation. Check out these websites to find out what supplements have been tested by a third party for quality:

NSF

Consumer Labs

Labdoors

Guy writes for the NSCA, but you will have to become a member to see his work.

Go to the Kirtland Air Force Base website for more info on Guy Leahy.

You can contact Guy at:

[email protected] or go to the NSCA TSAC-F Group page where you can message him.

Dr. Theresa Larson, DPT, is the owner and creator of the San Diego based Movement-Rx, which provides top notch comprehensive human performance, wellness, and PT services to tactical populations and the general public. Dr. “T” is a former Marine Corps Engineer Officer and Combat Veteran. Theresa played professional softball in Italy as well as semi-professional softball in the United States, was an All- American Division I softball player at Villanova University, as well as a former Body-for-Life Champion. She is a CSCS and holds multiple additional certifications in in CrossFit, FMS, SGX, and USAW.

In this episode we discuss mobility, movement efficiency, stability, and long term health and wellness of today’s tactical operator and first responders. For more information, check out Movement-RX or contact Dr. T’s team by visiting their about page.

Here is a piece of their website on the services they provide:

“At Movement Rx we focus on offering personalized movement based Human Performance, Physical Therapy and Wellness programs. With offerings tailored to individuals, fitness facilities, sports teams, and Corporate Wellness/Wellbeing initiatives, we customize our approach to help you achieve your goals and dreams. Your goals are the WHY that drives what we do!

Movement Rx Program Options:

1) Are you a Gym Owner, Coach, or Athlete who needs mobility seminars, programming, and or a “Mobile Movement Doctor” to come visit your facility during the week? See our Facility Service Programs and Trainer Education Programs.

2) Are you an Individual who wants to eliminate pain or improve your overall wellness and performance? See our Services for Individuals.

3) Are you a Business Owner who wants to increase your employee’s health, productivity, efficiency and possibly reduce your health insurance premiums? Read about our Corporate Wellness Programs”

Some of the apps we discuss in the show are listed below:

Headspace - For those who are interested in getting started with meditation but have no idea where to begin. I have the paid service and use it to help get better sleep.

Insight timer meditation app - I haven’t used this app but I hear good things. Check it out.

ATTENDEES

Ben Carter/ Josh Hockett / Walker

Show Notes

Ben Carter from TRX:

Bio - After graduating from UC Davis in 2006 with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology, Ben Carter enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and graduated from boot camp as the Company Honor Graduate. He served as a Reconnaissance Marine with 3rd Recon Battalion in Okinawa, Japan where his team trained in a variety of locations across the Pacific Theater, including Guam, the Philippines and Korea. In 2009, his unit deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. It was here that Ben first discovered the TRX Suspension Trainer and used it on a regular basis. After being honorably discharged from the USMC in 2010, Ben started working for TRX and currently serves as the Government Sales Manager.

In this episode, we discuss the following questions and topics with Carter:

What do you see as the most important or useful part of TRX gear for tactical athletes?

How can police departments, firefighters, and the numerous first responder agencies benefit from using TRX in their wellness programs?

What options or equipment does TRX provide, other than the TRX suspension system, that military members have access to use while overseas?

What’s next for TRX in terms of education and equipment?

Where can listeners find out more information about products and education for the TRX platform?

For more information on TRX products and training, check out the following links:

TRX Education:

https://www.trxtraining.com/shop/professional-education

TRX Education Course Schedule:

https://www.trxtraining.com/course-schedule

TRX Tactical Training Locker:

https://www.trxtraining.com/products/trx-tactical-training-locker

TRX Tactical Training Box:

https://www.trxtraining.com/products/trx-tactical-training-box

TRX Anchoring Solutions:

https://www.trxtraining.com/commercial/shop/anchoring-solutions

TRX Training Zone Solutions (NEW):

TRX Bridge Solutions

https://www.trxtraining.com/products/trx-training-zone-bridge-solutions

TRX Bay Solutions

https://www.trxtraining.com/products/trx-training-zone-bay-solutions

TRX Functional Corner Solutions

https://www.trxtraining.com/products/trx-training-zone-functional-corner-solutions

Contact Information:

TRXTRAINING.COM/MILITARY

[email protected]

TRXTRAINING.COM

BEN CARTER | 415-640-6382 | [email protected]

MIKE SKAGGS | 415-307-1285 | [email protected]

ATTENDEES

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman / Josh Hockett / Walker

Show Notes

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman:

Bio - Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is an internationally-recognized author, scholar, soldier and speaker. He is one of the most sought after experts in the field of human aggression, the causes of violence and violent crimes.

He is a former West Point psychology professor, Professor of Military Science, and Army Ranger. Using his experiences and knowledge of killing in war, the psychological costs of war, the causes of violent crimes, and the process of healing those who fall victim to violence, Col. Grossman coined a new field of scientific study termed “killology”.

Col. Grossman is the author of the books On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society and On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace. Col. Grossman presents evidence that humans have a fear of killing and committing violent acts. Therefore, soldiers must be specifically trained to not only kill, but learn and understand the physiological and psychological reactions before, during, and after using lethal force.

Col. Grossman has presented at more than one hundred colleges and universities worldwide and is highly sought after for training law enforcement and first responders at the state and federal level throughout the United States and the worldwide.

In this episode, we discuss the following questions and topics with Col. Grossman:

How did you begin your research in the psychology and understanding of killing in war?

Explain reality-based training and how it helps soldiers and first responders perform during high-stress situations.

Is there a connection between how physically fit a soldier is and his or her ability to perform and recover from high stress situations?

What are your suggestions for mentally and physically preparing soldiers and first responders for the job?

What are your suggestions for those trying to recover from having to kill in the line of duty?

For more information on Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, check out the following:

http://www.killology.com/

ATTENDEES

Derek Wester / Josh Hockett / Walker

Show Notes

Derek Wester:

Derek Wester is a Program Manager for Fusion Sport, Business Development USA/Canada.

Wester has his B.S. Health and Human Performance/Sport Management. He also holds his CSCS, CPT, USAW L1 certifications, as well as additional certifications in Russian Kettlebell and IFPA Fitness Facility Management.

In this episode, we get techy and dive into the amazing world of sports performance, data analytics, athlete data management, and other growing performance technologies that are helping today’s coaches, trainers and tactical operators track and document their operators like never before. See why Fusion Sport is leading the way in this domain of sports and exercise science.

In this episode, we discuss the following questions and topics with Wester:

Explain to us and our listeners what Fusion Sport is and how it can help the performance and wellness of tactical operators (military, fire, paramedics, police etc…).

What kind of training and support does Fusion Sport offer a user or organization that wants to implement this technology/system into its human performance or wellness program?

How can our listeners interested in this service contact you or Fusion Sport to learn more or inquire about getting information on what you have to offer them?

For more information on Fusion Sport and how it could help you, your organization, department or agency, check out the links below:

https://www.fusionsport.com/

https://www.fusionsport.com/about/

Email: [email protected]

ATTENDEES John Hofman/ Josh Hockett / Walker Show Notes John Hofman: Bio - Coach John Hofman, CSCS, MS is one of leading experts in the field of Firefighter Health and Wellness. For the past 10 years, he was the Director and Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Sacramento Fire Department. There, he oversaw the Wellness Center, coordinated the department’s medical and fitness assessments, developed recruit fitness training, pre-employment medical and fitness evaluations and also assisted the department’s 20-certified Peer Fitness Trainers. Coach Hofman Co-founded 911 Tactical Performance, LLC, a comprehensive program focusing on injury prevention and performance training, specifically for First Responders. John is the author of BEYOND THE TURNOUTS: A Comprehensive Guide to Firefighter Health & Wellness. In this extensive manual, John discusses the risks associated to fire suppression, low back pain, and creating a comprehensive wellness program for your fire department. Coming Soon: John Hofman has teamed up with TFR to offer coaching service through the Train Fight Recover website. Sign up for our Fitness For the Fearless Newsletter for updates. In this episode, we discuss the following questions and topics with Hofman: How did you get into fitness and what were your influences that motivated you to pursue a career in this field? You talk about the physical, emotional, and mental demands of firefighting. Explain how you think the tactical athlete differ from the general athlete. Do you find resistance from departments when establishing a program or getting people involved? What is your approach to involving people? What do you think it takes to be a good coach? Management, or the “Brass,” see fitness as a way to address low morale within the ranks. They may give you the time to work out, but there is no programming or focus on performance training. Is this doing more harm than good or is it better than nothing? How do you accommodate the needs of a department of firefighters with different fitness needs? (Basic wellness exercise vs. performance training) Low back pain… WTF do I do about it? For more information on John Hofman, check out the following: http://www.911tacticalperformance.com

Show Notes

In today’s show, we discuss the creation of TFR. This is a quick show introducing the hosts, as well as the goals moving forward with not only the podcast, but the website and online fitness training.

For more information on TFR, check out the following:

http://trainfightrecover.com

NEXT WEEK’S PODCAST:

Join us next week on the TFR Podcast for Special Guest Coach John Hofman, one of leading experts in the field of Firefighter Health and Wellness. John has served as the Director and Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Sacramento Fire Department. He is the Co-founder of 911 Tactical Performance, LLC, a comprehensive program focusing on injury prevention and performance training, specifically for First Responders. Hofman is also the author of BEYOND THE TURNOUTS: A Comprehensive Guide to Firefighter Health & Wellness. In this extensive manual, John discusses the risks associated with fire suppression, low back pain, and creating a comprehensive wellness program for fire departments.

Coming Soon: John Hofman has teamed up with TFR to offer coaching service through the Train Fight Recover website. Sign up for our Fitness For the Fearless Newsletter for updates.