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Home Page | Exercise Routines | Food for Thought | Health & Fitness Fitness to the Rescue Reprinted from New York Newsday |
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Thirty minutes a day. That's all it takes. But don't listen to Michael Stefano. Just look at him: The strapping 5-foot-11, 170-pound muscle man looks like he could be the grandson of Charles Atlas. The Corona fire captain didn't get those bulging biceps and awesome abs battling blazes. He got them by working out 30 minutes a day, following the fitness program he developed into "The Firefighter's Workout Book," which was recently released in paperback, on video and on DVD.
"When I became a firefighter nearly 20 years ago, I started to write down a training program," said Stefano, 43, who for the past four years has been assigned to Division 14 in Corona. "At that time, people weren't really into fitness, and the firehouse I was in on Coney Island didn't even have a proper gym. Firefighters are really busy, so we didn't have time to do an hour-and-a-half workout." So Stefano came up with a get-fit-quick program that combines cardio, strength training and yoga-derived stretching exercises. The program, which requires little or no equipment, is designed to be done at home, which is where he puts in his 30 minutes a day. "The average person can get an incredible workout with a pair of 20-pound dumbbells and by walking, running or using the treadmill," said Stefano, a certified personal trainer who works with private clients. "This program works for the average firefighter, who needs to be strong enough to carry 60-plus pounds of equipment into a burning building, where it's 150 degrees, where you can't hear anything and where your blood pressure goes through the roof. And it also works for the average person, because we all go through incredible stress every day." The testimonials from around the country, which Stefano posts on his Web site, more than bear him out: A volunteer firefighter named Jason lost 20 pounds in two months; two firefighters in upstate New York lost a total of 78 pounds; and a teacher in Tennessee went from a size 14 to a size 6 in 12 months. The book, which has sold 40,000 copies and which includes firefighting anecdotes from Stefano's career, debuted to rave reviews, and in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, has garnered national publicity. Health and Fitness Magazine called the book "the ultimate guide for both men and women of any fitness level;" Self magazine featured the routine in its February issue; and TV stations from as far away as Boston came to New York to tape interviews. "The last thing I wanted to do was to seem like I was capitalizing upon being a firefighter," said Stefano, his big gray eyes welling up with tears. "The video, DVD and books were all produced before 9/11." Stefano's Division 14 lost two firefighters, and his cousin, Deputy Chief Charlie Kasper, who inspired Stefano to become a firefighter, also was killed. Kasper, who was assigned to a special operations command, was off the day of the attacks. He commandeered a firetruck from Staten Island and was at the command post before the first tower went down. Stefano, too, was off on Sept. 11. He had just turned on the TV when the first plane hit; at the same time, a colleague from Division 14 phoned him. "The minute I saw it, I'm thinking 1,000 firefighters are dead. I rushed in to work," he said, adding that he was called upon to commandeer city buses and set up command posts. Stefano said he is a prime example that "The Firefighter's Workout Book" really works. To pass the physical to become a firefighter, he trained for two years starting at age 16. He worked out at home, turning his yard into a fitness course similar to that of the Fire Department's. After years of urging by fellow firefighters, he sent outlines of his workout to several publishers. "One of them wrote back and told me I needed an agent," he said. "He told me to get a list of agents who specialize in fitness books from the library. I did, and I sent out six proposals, and HarperCollins picked it up." Now, in addition to his own Web site, he is a health and fitness columnist for www.firehouse.com, contributes to www.ediets.com, publishes a weekly electronic newsletter, "Train for Life," which he distributes for free, and is working on book number 2. "It is on fitness, too," he said. "I'm also thinking about doing a third book after I retire, but that one's not going to be about fitness, it's going to be my personal account as a firefighter, culminating with the tragedy on 9/11." "The Firefighter's Workout Book" is available at local bookstores or, along with the video and DVD, through firefightersworkout.com.
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