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Mike Stefano
Coach Mike Stefano
was born in the borough of Brooklyn in the spring of 1958. He joined the FDNY in 1982, advancing to the rank of captain before his retirement in 2005. Mike resides with his beautiful wife Kim, on Long Island, NY.
His certifications include: ACE Personal Trainer, AKC Kettlebell Coach, Power Yoga.
Coach Mike Stefano is involved with the following organizations: BodyBalance Fitness, FireFightersWorkout.com, East Coast Kettlebell Club, American KB Club, American Council on Exercise and Colorado Kettlebell Club.
At the same time Coach Stefano founded the East Coast Kettlebell Club, dedicated to bringing true kettlebell lifting to firefighters, as well as the general population. His top student and fellow coach, Ashley Hughes achieved the rank of Master of Sport in Kettlebell Lifting in ten short months.
In 2000 he wrote The Firefighter's Workout Book (published by HarperCollins New York), and instant success, selling over 70,000 copies, and is used by several colleges and academies as their firefighter fitness text book. He is also the creator of the Firefighter's Workout DVD and editor-in-chief at FireFightersWorkout.com and The Train-For-Life Newsletter.
Coach Stefano's articles have been published in magazines and newspapers, including Self, Men's Health, Fire Rescue Journal, as well as numerous others. Online his programs have reached millions via AOL, MSN, Yahoo! and eDiets.com. He is also the health and fitness editor at Firehouse.Com. Mike has been an ACE certified personal trainer for over ten years, establishing BodyBalance Fitness in 2005, a firefighter / kettlebell gym on Long Island, NY.
In 2006 Mike was appointed as the American Kettlebell Club, Fire and Rescue Advisor. He is currently the Fire and Rescue Advisor for the Colorado Kettlebell Club, where he contributed to the development of the CKC Tactical Athlete - firefighter program.
CPAT - A close look
Posted on Thursday, June 26 2008, By Mike Stefano
CPAT - A Close Look
PLUS! The Top 10 Firefighter Fitness Program Requirements
An in depth look at the rules and regs that make up the American standard firefighter physical test, the CPAT.
Graded Step Mill
For this event, the candidate dons two 12.5-pound shoulder-weights to simulate the a high-rise pack, in addition to the 50 pound vest required in all other events. Prior to the timed CPAT, there is a 20-second warm-up at a set stepping rate of 50 steps per minute. During this warm-up period, you're permitted to dismount, grasp the rail, or hold the wall to establish balance.