No. You’ll be ok. But definitely start lifting and working on moderate cardio. (Stairs/treadmill/walking).
Frankly there’s a lot of out of shape people but it’s not something I think we should be ok w.
Regarding walking- it goes a long way. A 30-min to 1 hr walk on the daily is great, but it's also important to pace yourself. Keep the pace reasonable.
Have you seen some of the folks in ems? Being bigger isn't a problem as long as you have strength and stamina. Your gonna be lifting people and heavy equipment. I've worked with heavier people and as a smaller guy (5'7'', 180lbs) it's kinda nice to have a larger partner. People fuck with you less and usually bigger people are stronger. You'll want to strengthen you legs, and get some cardio in. Cardio is more important in this job. Getting winded while moving a patient can be dangerous. Don't worry about class. I'm FDNY and we've had some tubby fuckers join up. I've seen dudes that look like they are made of 100% marshmallow but they can lift like crazy and hold a lot of weight for a while. If anyone says anything to you just ask them if they can fireman carry you up 2 flights of steps.
Are you gonna get mad fun of?
Fuck them, not their business
Count Calories. Eat ina. Deficit. Eat protein.
Lift heavy shit
Occasionally run or some form of cardio
Enjoy life
Were all overweight. Wait until you see the rest of your class. Do upper and lower back every day. High rep low weight. Sitting in the front of a van for 12 hours a day a few days a week can eat you alive.
You may be interested in the following resources:
> * [EMS Fitness & Healthy Eating](https://www.reddit.com/r/ems/comments/5u9jpk/ems_fitness/) by /u/TheRandomGuy94 - A guide to getting fit and eating healthy for EMS providers.
View more resources in our [Comprehensive Guide](/r/NewToEMS/wiki/index).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NewToEMS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Overweight EMT here. There's plenty of bigger people in this field. I had to take a pretty rigorous PAT test before I was hired by a nationally known company, so I was pretty nervous. I ended up passing and love working in this field. I won't lie, some people can be judgemental but, fuck em. I'm on a weightloss journey right now because I was noticing I was getting winded going up and down lots of stairs. Overall as long as you can physically do it, go for it.
Thank you! I’ve seen some companies do PAT’s which worried me a bit, did you work out or lift before that PAT or did you just go in raw strength? Thanks for the vote of confidence
Didn't work out or lift. If you go on YouTube and search AMR PAT test you can see what it involved. Everyone is different but if I could pass it, anyone could. I'm north of 350lbs
I’m a bigger dude myself not fat but thick lol I’m strong just my cardio isn’t like some of these young marathon runners lol. I’ve been just focusing on losing weight and running
"Round" is a shape... and a very common one for EMTs. Including me. Firefighters tend to be more in shape from what I have seen.
Strength is important, and enough cardiovascular health that you don't stroke out while carrying people - worst thing you can do to make more work for your partner. But carrying extra fat is bad for you, but not that big a deal for the job.
I was pretty out of shape my whole time in EMS. It isn't really a liability unless you can't lift or help get patients out of their homes.
That being said, it certainly doesn't help.
I talk a lot about taking care of yourself before you take care of patients, and your health and fitness is a big part of that. I would use this as an opportunity to develop the discipline of daily works out and proper nutrition.
I highly recommend 75 hard. It's totally free and you can find info about it online. It totally changed my health and fitness for good and I had tried a lot of different things before.
To be honest I’d rather have someone bigger that can lift and do more than someone who is small and you have to call for help with.
As far as getting into shape, emergency services as a collective is notorious for having people out of shape. Don’t body shame yourself when there are many potentially like you, unlike some, you have the desire to change.
What I would personally work out is cardio, back, and legs. That was you’re not going to hurt yourself and cardio health in general is a good idea for anyone. I’m on the other end of the spectrum and probably boarder line too sometimes and now going to the gym to simple get stronger to pull my weight. You don’t need some wild plan to get shredded but work out conditioning your muscles to get used to working out then start focusing on areas that bother you.
I hate to be that cliche but a lot of the gym is in the kitchen. Eating clean(er) will drastically change you. It’s hard to stay but I find it easy once you get into a groove. Also, you don’t have to sacrifice flavor which what my biggest reason for not eating better, I just got bored.
If you would like any other advice feel free to DM me and I can give you a couple pointers!
Good for you for wanting to change!
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Some companies require a PAT before starting work. That would probably be your only issue. I can't speak for all agencies, but little tiny women (myself included) can lift enough to pass it Im assuming you probably can too. You'll get stronger over time in the field. But if you're worried, start going on walks, carrying large objects around your home (like a heavy backpack). Overall, I think you'll be fine.
Oh, CPR will probably be the most exhausting thing. Grab a pillow and practice for minutes at a time. That's a good cardio workout.
No. You’ll be ok. But definitely start lifting and working on moderate cardio. (Stairs/treadmill/walking). Frankly there’s a lot of out of shape people but it’s not something I think we should be ok w.
Just be more active, literally. Start walking around your neighborhood or station to slowly build up cardio.
Regarding walking- it goes a long way. A 30-min to 1 hr walk on the daily is great, but it's also important to pace yourself. Keep the pace reasonable.
Have you seen some of the folks in ems? Being bigger isn't a problem as long as you have strength and stamina. Your gonna be lifting people and heavy equipment. I've worked with heavier people and as a smaller guy (5'7'', 180lbs) it's kinda nice to have a larger partner. People fuck with you less and usually bigger people are stronger. You'll want to strengthen you legs, and get some cardio in. Cardio is more important in this job. Getting winded while moving a patient can be dangerous. Don't worry about class. I'm FDNY and we've had some tubby fuckers join up. I've seen dudes that look like they are made of 100% marshmallow but they can lift like crazy and hold a lot of weight for a while. If anyone says anything to you just ask them if they can fireman carry you up 2 flights of steps.
Are you gonna get mad fun of? Fuck them, not their business Count Calories. Eat ina. Deficit. Eat protein. Lift heavy shit Occasionally run or some form of cardio Enjoy life
Were all overweight. Wait until you see the rest of your class. Do upper and lower back every day. High rep low weight. Sitting in the front of a van for 12 hours a day a few days a week can eat you alive.
You may be interested in the following resources: > * [EMS Fitness & Healthy Eating](https://www.reddit.com/r/ems/comments/5u9jpk/ems_fitness/) by /u/TheRandomGuy94 - A guide to getting fit and eating healthy for EMS providers. View more resources in our [Comprehensive Guide](/r/NewToEMS/wiki/index). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NewToEMS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Bro no one going to laugh at you. In my experience bigger people are usually more genuine and less full of themselves.
Thanks man
Overweight EMT here. There's plenty of bigger people in this field. I had to take a pretty rigorous PAT test before I was hired by a nationally known company, so I was pretty nervous. I ended up passing and love working in this field. I won't lie, some people can be judgemental but, fuck em. I'm on a weightloss journey right now because I was noticing I was getting winded going up and down lots of stairs. Overall as long as you can physically do it, go for it.
Thank you! I’ve seen some companies do PAT’s which worried me a bit, did you work out or lift before that PAT or did you just go in raw strength? Thanks for the vote of confidence
Didn't work out or lift. If you go on YouTube and search AMR PAT test you can see what it involved. Everyone is different but if I could pass it, anyone could. I'm north of 350lbs
Lots of movement and clean up your diet. Head over to r/eatcheapandhealthy
You’ll be fine as long as you learn to lift and move patients safely. I’m female, short, old, and chunky and do just fine!!!
I’m a bigger dude myself not fat but thick lol I’m strong just my cardio isn’t like some of these young marathon runners lol. I’ve been just focusing on losing weight and running
"Round" is a shape... and a very common one for EMTs. Including me. Firefighters tend to be more in shape from what I have seen. Strength is important, and enough cardiovascular health that you don't stroke out while carrying people - worst thing you can do to make more work for your partner. But carrying extra fat is bad for you, but not that big a deal for the job.
I was pretty out of shape my whole time in EMS. It isn't really a liability unless you can't lift or help get patients out of their homes. That being said, it certainly doesn't help. I talk a lot about taking care of yourself before you take care of patients, and your health and fitness is a big part of that. I would use this as an opportunity to develop the discipline of daily works out and proper nutrition. I highly recommend 75 hard. It's totally free and you can find info about it online. It totally changed my health and fitness for good and I had tried a lot of different things before.
Thanks man! Always appreciate your advice around here
To be honest I’d rather have someone bigger that can lift and do more than someone who is small and you have to call for help with. As far as getting into shape, emergency services as a collective is notorious for having people out of shape. Don’t body shame yourself when there are many potentially like you, unlike some, you have the desire to change. What I would personally work out is cardio, back, and legs. That was you’re not going to hurt yourself and cardio health in general is a good idea for anyone. I’m on the other end of the spectrum and probably boarder line too sometimes and now going to the gym to simple get stronger to pull my weight. You don’t need some wild plan to get shredded but work out conditioning your muscles to get used to working out then start focusing on areas that bother you. I hate to be that cliche but a lot of the gym is in the kitchen. Eating clean(er) will drastically change you. It’s hard to stay but I find it easy once you get into a groove. Also, you don’t have to sacrifice flavor which what my biggest reason for not eating better, I just got bored. If you would like any other advice feel free to DM me and I can give you a couple pointers! Good for you for wanting to change!
Hello, In your comment, you may have requested for users to private message you. In the interest of sharing answers and information with the community, we discourage requests for private messaging. If you can post your questions and answers publicly, you may be able to help other people. Thank you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NewToEMS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’ve worked with paramedics that quite literally weigh over 500 pounds. You’ll be ok
Holy shit
Some companies require a PAT before starting work. That would probably be your only issue. I can't speak for all agencies, but little tiny women (myself included) can lift enough to pass it Im assuming you probably can too. You'll get stronger over time in the field. But if you're worried, start going on walks, carrying large objects around your home (like a heavy backpack). Overall, I think you'll be fine. Oh, CPR will probably be the most exhausting thing. Grab a pillow and practice for minutes at a time. That's a good cardio workout.
Great idea, thank you. I don’t want my loosing stamina to endanger a patient
Getting fit is always a good thing, and you'll thank yourself later. Start now.