How to Study Like an Athlete

One of the things I love about kettlebells is their versatility. It turns out that the philosophies behind kettle bell training are just as versatile. Recently, while studying for the promotional process to Captain, I incorporated many of the training methods that I have learned over the years through athletics, firefighting and the RKC. My Athletic Academic Strategy consisted of 10 parts

1. Devise a plan of attack

2. Easy Strength Consistency - Focus on quality over quantity

3. Naked Warrior GTG (Grease the Groove) - High frequency, low reps

4. Interval training for the brain

5. A happy body helps to make for a happy brain - Exercise, nutrition and rest

6. Get a scouting report

7. Visualize

8. Game day nutritional strategies

9. How to handle pre-game jitters - rituals and attention to detail

10. Game on - Let's Go Play



Step 1 - Devise a Plan

Any good training program starts with a good plan. In order to develop a good plan I figure out where I want to go, where I'm at, and then the best way to get from point A to point B. The Captain's test consisted of two parts, a multiple choice written exam and an Assessment Center. The reading list of study material for the test was bigger than I had time to cover and internalize before the exam, so I triaged and prioritized which resources I wanted to cover. I focused first on the materials which I thought would deliver the greatest benefit for both the testing and then afterward in the field. The other material I would get to if time permitted.


Step 2 - Consistency

While reading Dan John and Pavel's book Easy Strength I realized you can have the best program in the world, but it won't be an effective program if you don't actually do it and stick with it. Therefore I prioritized consistency with my studying. With two teachers as parents, I've been studying for as long as I can remember. Since joining the fire department, I've studied harder than I ever did during my five years of college. After the first few years on the department, my studying became more self-directed. So, of course I tended naturally to focus on studying the fun stuff with the cool fire pictures. Coming into the Captain's test, I was grossly out of practice studying the mundane and routine policies and procedures. When I'd sit down to study this stuff, I'd get as fidgety as a five year old in the bank. I knew I could sit down in the beginning and study hard for 3 or 4 hours, but I also knew that I would burn out pretty quickly and would have a much harder time getting up the motivation to study in the future. Therefore, for the first week I started out studying 15 minutes a day. I focused on making the most out of this time.


Step 3 - Grease the Groove

I've made huge strength gains using the GTG program from Pavel's Naked Warrior, including being the second woman to accomplish the Iron Maiden. GTG is a program based on high frequency and low reps. This program involves doing multiple sets of an exercise throughout the day. The reps are kept to half of the max reps. I first started to use this program with pull-ups. My starting max with pull-ups was 10 reps with bodyweight. Traditional programs would call for 3 sets of 10. Usually while following this set rep scheme I would get 30 reps in with the last reps of each set being pretty shaky. With GTG I would do 5 reps every hour on the hour from 8 in the morning until 8 at night. This way I would get in 60 reps throughout the day. By doing only half of my max with plenty of rest in between, I conditioned my body to feel that the exercise was easy. Before I knew it I was doing GTG sets of 5 with a 60 lb. hose pack on my back. In order to apply this same idea to studying, I continued to study for 15 minutes at a time, but increased the number of times throughout the day that I would study. This helped to keep my brain fresh and engaged.


Step 4 - Interval Training

Expanding upon the GTG idea, I then decreased the rest periods in between study sessions to turn my studying into interval training. Every 15 minutes or so I'd get up and move around, do a few pushups, a few kettle bell swings, something to get the body moving and the blood flowing. Years ago my parents taught me that the brain remembers information best at the beginning and the end of a session. By getting up and moving around often, I was increasing the number of stops and starts, and thereby increasing my potential for retention.


Step 5 - Happy Body, Happy Brain

When the brain feels threatened, it goes into what is known as the fight or flight mode. When this happens, the brain tends not to take in new information, but instead rely on its previous knowledge base or training. Funny thing about the brain though is it will release the same chemicals to stimulate this fight or flight response whether we're getting chased by a bear, stressed out about something at work, or nervous about giving a speech. In order to absorb and learn new information, I needed my body relaxed and primed to let my brain feel that it didn't have to go into survival mode. First thing I did was to always make time to get in a good workout. I was using Geoff Neupert's Kettlebell Muscle program which worked out great. Because some of the workouts were as short as 9 minutes, I could easily find time to do them. I took a few other cues from the book as well. In it Geoff emphasizes the need for proper nutrition and rest. Interestingly enough, the body won't build muscle efficiently either if it feels it's in survival mode. I used the Warrior Diet which I've found aids my digestion, balances my blood sugar levels, and gives me a great night's sleep.


Step 6 - Get a Scouting Report

In college I noticed that learning the teacher's style and what they were looking for was just as important as learning the material. I talked to other people in my department who have been through this process before, in particular newly promoted Captains and Chiefs who had recently been through the process. I compiled a list of possible test questions and scenarios as well as talking points that the test assessors had been looking for in the past.


Step 7 - Visualize

Visualization was a very powerful skill that I used while playing volleyball. I would make my visualizations as realistic as possible imagining everything from the sounds in the gym, to performing individual skills, to the smell of the volleyball. Here, for the Assessment Center, they were expecting us to walk in and conduct ourselves as if we were already Captains. I visualized how I would look, carry myself, address the Assessment Board, how my heart rate would rise as they threw some curve ball my way, and how I would regain my composure and calm, and quickly develop a contingency plan to handle it.


Step 8 - Game Day Nutritional Strategies.

When the letter arrived saying that I had passed the written test, it gave a date and time for the Assessment Center and said that I should allow a minimum of 7 hours to complete it. This was a four part test comprised of three verbal sections - a structured oral interview, an emergency simulation, and a role play scenario, and then also a written exercise. Looking at this screamed endurance event to me. Knowing that I get a little loopy and/or cranky when I don't eat, I packed plenty of snacks and made sure to get small bites throughout the day when we would get breaks. The day before, I treated it like any other event and ate massive amounts of food to ensure that I would have the needed reserves for test day. I also supplemented with amino acids and hydrated the day before and the day of to help with mental endurance and stamina.


Step 9 - Pre-game Jitters

Naturally, I started to get butterflies before the test. A big part of the nervousness stemmed from not knowing what they were going to throw at us. To handle this, I first focused on making sure that I took care of the controllable details. I made sure that my dress uniform was well pressed and ready to go. I created a check off list of everything that I wanted to bring with me and packed my truck in advance. Second, I incorporated an old pre-game ritual. Before games I would make sure that my shoes were tied snugly and double knotted. Doing this every time helped to get me in the right mindset. I did the same thing before the test - dress shoes double knotted and snug.


Step 10 - Game On

Game face on. Ready to go. Let's Go Play.